mev

Good list. I am going to add one related on the re-assembly side:

When putting together your bicycle and it is upside down and you are not fully alert due to flying overnight and across multiple time zones...

Pay careful attention to the threading on the pedals and don't try to put then in wrong

I'm sure nobody else would do this, but I spent a few hours going around Tbilisi to get a bike shop that could replace the cranks after a rather simple but stupid mistake.

djb

thanks, and very good point.
mev, I am always amazed how much a lack of sleep affects my poor old brain.

Tourist in MSN

A friend of mine unpacked his bike box when it arrived to his home after a bike shop packed up his bike for him. And he put everything back together hand tight, planning to wrench tight everything all at once. Oops. He forgot to wrench tight the pedal spindles. One started to unscrew on him while he was pedaling and it unthreaded far enough that he messed up the threads in the crank arm. That cost him a new crankset. I am not sure if he also bought a new bottom bracket, as he might have switched from square taper to something else at that time too. And, ... ... this guy had actually gone to a multi-day bike mechanic course.

So, do not feel bad.

Tourist in MSN

I do not know how much experience you have packing up a bike for airline travel, but I suggest removing the rear derailleur completely if it has a replaceable hanger.

About five years ago, I did a week long trip with ACA, van supported. I was the only one in the group that had bike mechanic experience, so of course everyone wants me to tune up their gearing. Three of the bikes, the owners were not happy with me because they had bent derailleur hangers and I refused to try to align them because if I broke a hanger, their trip would have been over. About 20 percent of the bikes had bent hangers, I suspect from airline travel. My view was that it was better to have poor shifting than no shifting at all.

irc

Yes. My derailleur luck ran out on about my 9th international flight. Gear hanger bent on arrival in San Francisco. Steel frame so I got a bike shop to align it with the tool. Probably shifted better than it had before.

This year it will be coming off.

djb

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IRC, you know, I've probably done a similar number of plane trips as you (would have to add them up) but each time lately I haven't removed it, thinking, "ah, it's been ok so far all these years"
But I might just finally do it next time. Btw, still haven't bought a ticket for Scotland, but getting there. Juggling family vacation schedule stuff here still.
Cheers

gauvins

Midges -- real problem or merely annoying? Do you plan to ride with a head net?

irc

Real problem if camping between June and Sept. Varies from place to place. They like still air at dusk or dawn. Any decent breeze keeps them down. Walking speed and they aren't biting. If camping the trick is to choose places that aren't sheltered. Keep the tent zipped up except when, very quickly, going in and out.

Long sleeves, and a headnet or a spray containing deet. I just don't camp June to Sept.

gauvins

Great. Thanks

djb

I plan to buy some "Smidge", have heard good things about it working well.
I expect I'll call a few times, and an expecting wind, rain and midges.
IRC, have you ever been to Canada and experienced Black Flies. They are different to midges but are blood thirsty little buggers and take good little chomps our of you. Fun and games in Canada eh?

Kelly I

Good friends who ride Bike Fridays travel to Europe several times a year. They go to a UPS store and ship their BF suitcases forward to a prearranged address, typically the lodging in their departure town. This has worked multiple times, until last year. Neither suitcase arrived. UPS couldn't find them. They had to scramble to find both suitcases and replace the tools and packing materials that were inside. The one time experience didn't deter them from making the same arrangements this spring. They are in Italy as we speak.

Another friend who is also a frequent flyer with bicycles has always wrapped her bike in plastic. She says the one time she used a box is the one time her bike was damaged. Alas, United is now strict on no bikes in plastic. Alison will use a box for her Germany trip this year.

We had tickets to Madrid on American this year. It's our first overseas trip with bicycles. American's bicycle policy seems very generous. Bicycles go as luggage, as long as the size/weight criteria is met. Plastic wrapped bicycles are accepted.

We have made reservations at a hostel close to the Madrid airport that has a shuttle and will pick up our boxed bikes also. There is a bike shop a couple of blocks from the hostel who will either assemble the bikes for us, or be on standby if we do the assembly ourselves and run into problems. They will also box the bikes for the return. It SEEMS as if we have everything covered. I hope so.