It seems a common struggle bicycle tourers all share. The logistics of getting your packed bicycle and all your gear to the airport or even from. The bike box is heavy and cumbersome to manoeuvre.
It can be a stressful situation, I hope that this post will help you to get you and your bike to where you need to go that little bit easier.
It is not like you can just take it anywhere it is considerably difficult to transport and takes some planning.
Even if you could pack your bike at the airport before flying out. You still require something to pack your bike and gear into. The most common is a large cardboard bike box. That are mostly free from bike shops from all over the world. But how are you getting that from the bike shop to the airport with your bike?
Trust me I have tried even walking with my loaded touring bike in hand and holding a bike box under my other arm. It is tough work.
Ever since touring I have never managed to transport a bike box on my bike to the airport. Please let me know, if you have pulled this off.
Before writing this post I didn’t think it was possible to get a large cardboard bike box from a bike shop to the airport using the bicycle as a transportation method. But I am very pleased to have discovered that the guys at Lynne and Boy Wonder.com managed just that!
Alternatives to getting a bike box from a bike shop
Ride to the airport and get a bike box from the terminal
You may get lucky and the airport may stock bike boxes for your convenience. Which is great! They with cost you anywhere from $20 to $50 which to me is worth it. I know in New Zealand they cost $25 (If you can get one from the airport then this is probably the better choice)
It is best to do your research ahead of time and check the airline and airports websites, to see what services they can offer you.
Flying with Qantas I know you can get bike boxes from their Australian Qantas terminals and in New Zealand there is even a designated area to assemble bikes.
At Christchurch Airport they offer services that make travelling with a bicycle that much easier. This image above is the Bicycle Assembly Area. A Convenient place to disassemble or assemble your bike free of charge. Each station is equipped with tools, bike pumps and stands for you to hang your bike on. Located outside in the plaza (next to Door 4 and between Doors 5 & 6).
Call or email the airport ahead of time and ask. Even ask if there is any boxes that other cyclists have left behind and reserve a box if you can. It works out best if you can bike to the airport and pack once there.
Also if you can you should leave the box at your arrival airport and request to the airline that you would like them to hold onto the box. Usually airlines are glad to hang onto it until another cyclist needs it.
But if the airport does not supply bike boxes then what do you do?
Ride to the airport and pack your bike in a bike bag
You could use a bike bag. These pack small into a pannier and are okay to use. That way you can just ride to the airport and pack up your gear. But you really loose protection and are vulnerable to potential damage to your bike and gear. I have not yet seen a bike bag that offers enough protection. Not something I completely recommend, and would avoid if you can. Having that said if that was my only option for whatever reason then I would pack my bike into a bag.
Alternatively I have heard great things about the Ground Effect Dogs Body Bike Bag, which most bicycle tourers that have used the bag have had positive experiences with.
There is a good review of the bike bag here from Maggie if you want to look further into it.
I would suggest also reading the many reviews this product has on their site, to get a full understanding of the products ability.
“This last winter I stumbled across the Dogsbody bag made by Ground Effect, a New Zealand bike gear company that has been around since 1994. This bag is designed for touring cyclists. It is a longer bag to accommodate the longer bikes often used in touring. It is soft sided so that it can be stashed in a pannier while riding. It is simple and doesn’t provide any protection on it’s own but it has plenty of space to stash your gear and that has been sufficient protection for my bike thus far.”
Maggie at http://hiccupingyogi.com
Depending on your personal preference, but for now at least I always use a bike box for transporting my Surly LHT and all my Bicycle touring gear when flying. So lets talk about some strategies for getting your bike to and from the airport.
As I am writing this post I just got back from a recent bicycle tour in Europe where I spend 1 and a half months exploring France, England, Scotland, and Ireland.
When opening the bike box here at home I can confirm that the bike is undamaged, and just as a good condition as it was before packing in Dublin.
So let me explain how I got from where I was at the bike shop with a large cardboard bike box into Dublin airport all without any hassle. Now please take note that this is not a common or possible option for some. But it is stress free and easy stuff.
Making friends with a local and if they offer to take you to the airport, then happy days
I try to live life with the philosophy of, what will happen will happen, and not to worry because in time everything will work out just fine.
Anyway it is a long story, which I will film a entire video explaining and link it up when it is uploaded to explain this situation in more detail. But I had a strange time in Newcastle, North Ireland which turned into a blessing in disguise.
After having a crazy night in a Irish pub, and being locked out of a apartment where my touring bike was, and the person who I was staying with being taken into custardy by police and not allowing me to take the keys to get my stuff and go. The pub manager helped me out and when I eventually got my possessions, he invited me to stay at his house for a few days and he drove me to the airport.
Now you are most likely not going to have some crazy experience like me and get somewhere to stay and a lift to the airport. But hey! You never know!
Stay at a Warm Showers hosts place and see if they can drive you to the airport.
Warm Showers is a great thing! You are communicating with fellow bike travellers who can relate and know for themselves the struggles in getting your bike to the airport.
Call it what you will, but some may be saying by now. “Hey Codey! You are just a freeloader and taking advantage of people!”
But you know what people are willing to help you out. Especially when you are bicycle touring it is hard work. And people admire that you are out there doing what you love. Some people just wish they could do it and take no action. But the fact that you are out there travelling, people love that and want to help.
Plus, I have found that when people help me in life, I feel I have this moral obligation to then return the favour. And I really think this is one of the ways the world becomes a better place. Looking out for one another.
Also you get to meet some really great and wonderful characters.
So back to Warm Showers!
When planning your accommodation just include the details in your message. Explain what your travel plans are and mentioned that you may need some assistance with getting to the airport. In most cases the host will be more then happy to help you out and agree. I try and only choose the hosts that have previously helped another bike traveller out with getting them to the airport. You can find this out by reading the reviews that are left for them, and they will mention something like “….they helped us get off to the airport….”
Get a taxi or Uber and get a lift to the airport
Depending on where you are in the world you can get a taxi typically with ease. Get yourself and your packed bike to the airport with no trouble. I know when I was in Cairns, I called a taxi and requested for a larger vehicle to transport my bike in the box and they provided me with a taxi van.
Having that said in some countries you may have difficulty finding a taxi vehicle or Uber that is large enough to fulfil your ‘large and awkward bike box storage’ needs.
Depending how lucking you are, you may find that you can actually fit a normal bike box from a bike shop in the back seat of a taxi.
You could try using Uber XL designed to carry more passengers, could be a better option for transporting you and your bike box to the airport.
Get public transport, Bus to airport with bike packed in a bike box.
Most airports have a airport bus service that can take you relatively cheaply to many locations in a main city straight to the airport.
Get a Hire car and go back for the bikes
This one comes down to your budget. But you could get a Air BNB for your last day before your flight and use this as a location to leave your bike and gear.
Then go to the airport and hire a suitable car for the day (one that will fit your bike). Going back, then just pack your bike and taking it to the airport.
If you have the funds this is the best way to have a stress free experience. Packing up is not the most relaxing part of the journey, so finding a nice place to stay for the last few days will relieve most stress and make flying that little easier. If you can allows a couple days to pack. It allows you to calm down a little and make sure that you have got everything you need and everything is organised and ready for your flight.
Even if you can wash your bike, that is what I wish I did when I had somewhere. Due to Australia’s strict bio-security they required me to wash my bike in the airport. Would have been better if I just washed it when I had some place before flying.
Ride to the airport but don’t use a bike box. Even Just wheel it straight onto the plane
Depending on the airline, you may need to read up on the bike baggage policy of your given airline to see what is required by them. As they are all different.
But you may be able to just take off the pedals, deflate the tires, and turn the bars sideways and then just roll your bike right on. Also it is popular to for other bike travellers to pack their bike in plastic bags or wrap. And even just sticking on some cardboard pieces around the bike, which proves way easier to get to the airport than a box.
Airlines that allow this that I have heard of are KLM and Air Canada. But I am not 100% sure if they still allow for this type of bike packing. Please make sure to do some research on the individual airlines policies.
But again you do sacrifice a significant amount of protection. And you a prone to the risk of damaging your beloved bike.
Transporting your bike around at the airport
When you get to the airport and you made it you are finally there. But still you have a large and heavy bike box with you. How are you going to move it about the airport?
There are many options, if you can it may be best to pack your bike at the airport right near check in. But if that is not a option for you and you have to pack your bike before even getting to the airport then these suggestions may be a great option for you.
I know for me personally I really don’t like carry extra stuff with me that I will only be using a couple times on my adventures. But if it is going to help then it may be worth carting about in your panniers or you could even send them back home when you don’t need them.
Trolleys at most airports
Most if not all airports have trolleys making it easy for you to transport your large bike box through the airport.
But it can get a little annoying when navigating your bike box on these trolleys. I normally use them with the bike box sitting length ways across which makes for a wide load and a little difficult when manoeuvring others inside the airport, especially when it is quiet busy. You could have the box sitting length ways up but again it is slightly difficult to navigate due to the hight of the box on the trolley.
To combat this you could use something like these bike box roller wheels.
Bike Box Rollers
These are a very useful invention. Giving you the ability to add wheels to the base of a cardboard bike box providing ease for you to transport the box through the airport.
Again the only real down side if you could call it that is having to cart them around inside your panniers if you have no place to store them while touring.
If you really want to go on the budget, which it seems it is a little more stressful. A okay plan would be to get a bike box from a bike shop and get it packed then get public transport taxi or bus to the airport. Then camp out near, around or right out the front of the airport before your flight. Depending on the times. This could work and the setup of the airport, you could sleep in the airport with your bike.
But again you sacrifice somethings like not getting good rest, worries of people messing with your stuff inside the airport when you sleep. The list goes on.
Over my time since touring, I prefer to get a place to stay a few days before my flight or even the night before and just organise everything. This allows some time to wind down and then just get yourself to the airport a couple hours before your flight and happy days.
What do I do with the cardboard box used to transport my bike?
It is recommended to just ask a staff member at the airport if they’ll recycle it for you. They should be more then willing to dispose of it for you.
When you have finally arrived at your bike touring destination and you have reassembled your beloved set of wheels and are ready to ride of into the a new place of abundant adventure. What do you do with the cardboard box that you used to get your bike half way around the world?
It is a question that some bike travellers wonder. It does depend on the country you are travelling to. But with my personal experience in Japan they required us to dispose of the box in a recycling bin. But the bin was small which meant we had to tear the box down into smaller pieces.
If you are flying back out of the same airport, you could even ask if they can keep it for you because you are going to need something to put the bike in when you return.
In Paris we just left our boxes out the front of the airport and within seconds a member of staff picked it up and took it away.
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