Airline bike travel

Equipment
42

Not a chance

1 Like
43

Soooo isn’t that a big problem? :thinking:

44

Anyone has tried or compared the Orucase vs. the Postcarry.co? Which one would you go for?

45

Just by the measurements, the Orucase seems a few linear inches smaller.

Tempted to sell my Orucases, and try the other, as that seems a better design.

46

Yes, except that the Postcarry doesn’t seem to have rigid panels on both sides while it is my understanding that the Orucase does. Do you think that is a problem?

47

Just an opinion, but while total inches is within 2, the Ninja just LOOKS smaller to me. Which I think might go a long way at the airport since they’re both technically over sized.

The Post is 36x28x9
The Ninja is 27x32x12

Having said all that, I just decided to buy the EVOC and pay the fees. My road bike is a 58. My mtb is a L. AND, I just don’t have it in me to look someone in the eye and lie. No judgement on those who do, the fees are ridiculous, but it’s not something I could do.

48

I think the Ninja is smaller than what you have mentioned, but, yes, I also thinks it ‘looks’ smaller’. At least from the pics/videos.

49

I’m still wondering how people get from the airport to their hotel given that the typical bike case does not fit in taxi?

50

Strongly suggest to have a look Bike Box Alan. Additional suggestion, whatever box you are using, take your rear derailleur out.

https://bikeboxalan.com/

51

Not really a question from me per se, but just curious — what are people with bikes with integrated bar/stem and hidden cabling doing for flying (e.g., Madone, Venge, SystemSix, etc)?

52

I wanted one of those until I realized what it would take to get that into a rental car, and your Uber/Lyft. You can get roped into renting a Suburban or mini-van pretty quick with one or more of those on your trip.

1 Like
53

You don’t run into size restrictions with that? I would assume wheels are too large for most carry-on restrictions?

2 Likes
54

Post Carry Co Transfer Bag all the way! I’ve known several people who swore by hard cases come back with cracked frames. It seems like airlines will stack other luggage on top of your hard case since it seems sturdier, where as with soft cases, they are more inclined to put it on top.

For my first flight with the Transfer Case, I paid zero baggage fees (told them it was a massage table lol) and it was a breeze walking through the airport/putting it in the trunk of a cab.

Here are some pics from their IG:

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1 Like
55

So does anyone have a comprehensive list of bags you can leave your handlebars on with? I know of the Scicon, but looking for other options.

1 Like
56

Alright, so I took the plunge on an Elite Borson. Will report back.

1 Like
57

I have the Orocase. I did a test flight on a work trip to Dallas, claimed the bike was “Marketing Materials, signs and stands”. I was charged $50 from San Diego to Dallas. On the way back I was charged $200 using the same story. Both times the attendants pulled out a tape measure and measured the bag.

On my flight from Santa Ana to Madrid and back I told them it was a bike and both times they marked it as a bike under 62" and only charged me $60 each way, they did not measure the bag but did have me put it on the oversize conveyor belt.

As for protection:
On my test flight to Dallas I used my aluminum beater bike (nashbar generic frame). I did no protective packing other than putting PVC pipe in my dropouts secured with a skewer. The only issue I ran into was some rubbing of my handlebars on my frame causing some paint wear.

On my flight to Madrid I took my TT bike, wrapped the handlebars using microfiber cloths and that seemed to prevent the wear. On the other hand somehow my PVC/Skewer came out on the way to Madrid and the skewer somehow got bent (maybe I didn’t tighten the skewer enough?) I ended up running to a bike rental shop at 7:30pm the night before my ride to pick up a skewer, luckily Spain shops stay open late and had a skewer for 5 Euro.

1 Like
58

Has anyone had issues with Etap batteries in your checked bike bag?

59

I wouldn’t leave the etap batteries in the case. You never know when a TSA guy will confiscate it. Then you are out of luck when you get your bike.
My DI2 battery however is inside my seat tube. I would be impressed if they figured that one out. I just roll with it because it’s a PIA for me to remove it and figure they won’t bother because it will be 4x more PIA for them.

60

Thanks Alen.

1 Like
61

Yes, sadly. The bag is not only about getting it on the plane, but about getting the bag into a compact rental car.