Originally Posted by
kevmcd
]The bike store visit convinced me of 2 things. 1) I can't count on a bike store having a box big enough for me.
You really can't be sure about what if any boxes will be available in a given town on short notice. Unpacking schedules may mean that the boxes are all gone on a given day. If you ask ahead of time most shops would save you one though. The thing is that Amtrak boxes are not completely reliably available either. I've heard quite a few stories of folks who went to an amtrak station and found that they had no boxes. Worst case a box can be pieced from two boxes. Those two boxes could even be wide screes TV or furniture or appliance boxes.
If you are planning ahead you can buy boxes designed ground shipping and sturdy enough for multiple usage. They can fold flat and into a smallish package for easier shipping when empty. They have some well thought out packing materials to protect the bike. Bikeflights.com and Shipbikes.com both sell such a box. They both offer inexpensive shipping if you choose to ship rather than fly with your bike. Personally while I fly with my bike to a tour I prefer to ship my bike home rather than deal with it on the return trip. For me that has usually meant just letting a bike shop handle packing and shipping it home, but uslng bikeflights or shipbikes would be an option.
2) I don't want to pack my bike by taking off the front wheel.
Your call, but it seems like an unreasonable fear. Every bike is originally shipped that way and pretty much all bikes shipped to and from tours in boxes are as well unless on amtrak and I have not read of a big rash of fork damage. Additionally you make your larger box stand out to baggage checking agents and add at least some risk of being hassled or turned away at gate check. Same for TSA agents who are probably a bit more likely to inspect a box that stands out as different. They tend to not repack things as they find them and to not be responsible for subsequent damage.