WatchItBurn

I am traveling to Boston from Baltimore by way of Delta. I am intent on bringing my Bianchi Pista with me. I looked into their policy for bringing bikes, and you are allowed to bring one for free if it fits into a box with dimensions that add up to no more than 62 inches. I have checked out my LBS for a box and none of them seem to be 62 inches or less. I checked out the UPS Store's selection of boxes and their actual bike box is 53x7x30.

Can you point me in any helpful directions?

dustinlikewhat

chimblysweep had a thread about this exact same problem, someone might be able to give you a link to it, or you can do a search for her...

Aeroplane

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...lying+the+bike

WatchItBurn

the thing that pisses me off is that the airline expects you to actually be able to find a box with dimensions that equal less than 62 inches that a bike can actually fit in!

stevo

....ummmmmmm......they dont; the expect you to actually pay the $100 (?) oversize-baggage fee. Unless youre riding a bike-friday, youre gonna pay the fee.

something to keep in mind - most airlines (not sure of delta) claim no responsibilty for damage to 'sporting equipment' incurred during transit. I had a 3-year battle with a certain carrier (Cont....al) when they broke my surfboard. Finally got my way, but what a headache.

consider driving? 8-9 hours and rental car is (maybe) cheaper than the round-trip?

WatchItBurn

well i'm going for free from someone else's frequent flyer miles, so i suppose i could splurge on sending my bike although i REALLY don't want to.

TheBrick

I don't know if this would get round their poloicy but try seeing if you can fit the frame and forks (mabe take the handelbars / stem off and put in the triangle) in a box that meets the requirments and put the wheeels in another bag / box. Depend on how many bags you are taking. You could prob fit most of your stuff packed into the space in the boxes.

WatchItBurn

I explored the UPS route a little bit more. I went to their website and plugged in the weight of my package (give or take somewhere around 20 lbs) and the dimensions of their bike box (53x7x30), and standard ground shipping will only run about $29 each way. On top of that would be $19 for a box though. This is definitely an option worth exploring.

lemurhouse

That's what I do. UPS instead of paying the airline. Get a used box for free from your lbs and reinforce it with extra cardboard and lots of tape.

https://bicycleswest.com/page.cfm?PageID=168

WatchItBurn

I picked up a box from my LBS and decided to send it UPS. This seems to be the best option for me! I'll post on how it goes.

dogpound

in my experience, fedex is cheaper

potus

yea, fedex ground.

trackstar10

just make sure you deflate the tires first- otherwise itll go like this.
pilot: "everyone, we have reached an altitude of 25,000 feet."
*BANG*.....*BANG*
mass hysteria follows, as people think there is a bomb on board. the pilot lands the plane somewhere in lala land, and say goodbye to the rest of your present life.


no. but seriously deflate those tires.

stickyfoot

I'm assuming you don't have an extra few hundred to blow on a Freight Baggage flight case, nor the time to wait for it to ship to Baltimore from SF. So, everybody, here's the ultra mega-cheap route for flying your bike for absolutely free, I crap you not. I did this for last year's Meat&Greet.

The secret is to fashion yourself a cardboard box the exact shape of your bike frame. Get a wheel box and a bike box from any shop that won't charge you for them. Also get frame and fork protectors (those plastic thingys that fit in your dropouts to prevent them from squeezing together if the box gets crushed). Then put your wheels in the wheel box, and cut down the bike box so that it fits your frame exactly (hint: get a crafty friend to help). Use really strong duct tape to keep the thing together. Wrap your frame in something soft...I used heavy-duty bubble wrap. Remove all parts except the bottom bracket, including the fork and cranks, and distribute amongst the two boxes so the weight evens out between the two. Don't forget to put your tools in the boxes too. Wrap everything in bubble-wrap or cloth so they don't clank against each other. Be sure to cut a handle-hole in the frame box (cut it near your top tube or something, then reach in through the hole and use the frame itself as the handle). You're allowed two items to check, so check these and stuff all your clothes in your carry-on. Voila, free flying.

You will get asked what's in the box. I just say "bike parts" and it's not a lie. Works like a charm. The gate agent isn't going to look into boxes. You just don't want them charging you a bike fee since some agents are pre-programmed to do that.

bobdanger

thank you.

WatchItBurn

Okay. So I considered the idea of packing my frame separately from everything else, and I found that I would need to package it in something where the dimensions would still be about 37x24x6, which adds up to 67". If I package everything together I need to cut my box down to about 45x26x8, which still adds up to 79". I'm at the point where I'm still thinking that shipping it UPS or Fedex may still be my best bet because I don't want to risk having to pay $100 to ship my bike one way. I hate the airlines.

ohmyspokes

I flew to Florida earlier this year and really regret not shipping my bike. Not only did I have to pay the bike charge each way, but the case was opened and searched both times. The screeners aren't particularly concerned with packing it back up very nicely. End result - dented seat and top tubes.

stevo

Ok, new approach:

1. Leave Bike at home.
2. Buy Pista from Sheldon for 550 bucks.
3. When done, sell said Pista to desperate Bostonian Hipster for 500.
4. Return Home without baggage; refreshed, relaxed, and ready to ride.

Sheldon Brown

An alarmist wrote:
This is an old wive's tale. Ground level atmospheric pressure is 15 psi, so if you took your bike up to orbit in the space shuttle, the tire pressure would increase by 15 psi. Since you're not going that high, the pressure increase will be less than that.

Sheldon "Urband Legend" Brown

Aeroplane

This is the part that his hard to do in a short period of time.

tacks

someone on one of these threads had a really good suggestion of checking the bike at the curbside check-in while making it very obvious to the sky cap that you're going to tip him $20.

chimblysweep

just put it in a box, roll the dice, be confident, and lie through your teeth. you have a good chance of not paying.

crissfyah

just took a bike on delta last month.

USE THE ETICKET AND CHECK IN AT THE KIOSK. no one will be there to charge you the fee.

Take your wheels, saddle/seatpost, pedals, and bars off. They will destroy one of the four if you give them the chance.

PACK your bike in a soft sided bag with a bunch of clothes, etc around it. They'll never see it coming.

USE THE JEDI MIND TRICK.

GOOD LUCK.

stickyfoot

They won't get the tape measure out, dude. As long as it appears within the limits, they won't hassle you at all. The key is to make a non-rectangular box for the frame. Unless you're a behemoth, you'll be fine.

Consider: FREE, plus the added convenience of not having to rely on a secondary delivery service.

lemurhouse

Odd that you would give this sort of advice, after your rant about the powdercoating business.