When I first had to travel on a plane with a bike, it was from Phoenix to Seattle in the States. I always wondered how do you travel with a bike on an airline? It can been a little difficult if you don’t know what you are doing.
In this post I wish to help you figure out how you can take your bike to any corner of the world. We will discuss how to pack your bike, how to get to the airport with your bike, the costs involved and everything else you need to know.
I always use Skyscanner to find myself the cheapest flight for my bicycle touring adventures. Once I have my flight booked and I am excited to get going. It is time to get my bike ready.
Remember before you head off on your bicycle tour abroad to consider these things:
- See if you can get a full service of your bike. As this is recommended as you don’t want to be riding in the middle of nowhere far away from some place where you can get your biked fixed when it is needed.
- When you are packing your bike. Which we will get to in a moment. Pack all the required tools you will need to fix your bike if needed and to re assemble your bike again. Like, mini pump, spare tubes, repair kit, multi-tool, spare brake pads.
There are three different options for carry your bike.
You could use either a bike box, bike bag or a cardboard box. When bicycle touring it is challenging when using a proper bike box as you have no real way to transport it with you on your bike.
The other two options I recommend are bike bags and cardboard boxes.
Bike Bags
Are okay as you can pack up your bike in a bag and when you are finished with the bike you can pack away the bag taking up very little space. However, this option is not the most safest option for your bike. It may still get damaged and brake.
Cardboard Boxes
Are the best in my opinion. As they are abundant and easy to find in almost any bike shop all around the world. When it is nearing the end of your tour you can go to a bike shop and ask for typically a MTB bike box as these are the biggest. and they will give it too you for free. I have heard that some shops charge you like $5 but every box I have asked for was free of charge.
When you are finished with cardboard boxes you can just fold them up and they can go into the recycling bin. Some places it might be difficult to find a place to dispose of your cardboard box. Like in Japan on arrival we had to tare the box up into smaller pieces to fit in the appropriate recycling bin.
How to pack a bike box?
- Make sure to dis-assemble your bike. Handlebars removed and attached to the top tube. Pedals removed. panniers and bike bags removed from the bike. Saddle and seat post removed and attached to the bike.
- Have a bag which you can place all the little and loose parts you take of your bike. So you don’t loose anything. Trust me this has happened to me before.
- Take the wheels off the bike and make sure no air is in them.
- I like to use bubble wrap or some other kind of padding for preventing damage to your frame. For more damage prevention you can use pool noodles fitted over your frame.
- Protect your components and derailleur. Cover with soft padding or some of your soft gear.
- It may even be a better idea to remove your rear derailleur and pack it away. I have heard some horror stories of bend derailleurs.
- Make sure when you have all your gear in the bike box. That everything is relatively tight and don’t move around.
Some airline have bike boxes for sale at the check in section of the airport that you can by when your ride there. Saving the hassle of trying to transport a packed bike to the airport.
Shipping or Flight With Your Bike?
You have two main options when it comes to transporting your bike. You can ship your bike with a bike shipping company like  ShipBikes and FlightBikes or you can pay for extra luggage on your flight for your bike.
Flying
From my experience I prefer to fly with my bike. If you choose to ship your bike. You might have to be okay with not having your bike when you arrive at your destination for maybe a couple of days.
Most airlines consider a bike in a bike box as checked luggage as long as it is under about 22 Kg or 50 pounds. In total my bike and gear is roughly 30 KG packed. So I have to pay excess baggage fees to have my bike on the plane.
Getting to the airport if you need your bike packed up
It was challenging at the beginning trying to figure out how I could get my bike to the airport in a packaged condition. Especially with a big and bulky cardboard box.
Normally for me I tend to stay at a hotel for the last night of my trip and get a bike box and have it packed the night before. Ready to catch a taxi or Uber to the airport. You can use a Warm-showers for free accommodation and meet some fellow bicycle travellers. And often they might even give you a lift to the airport.
Understand the airlines responsibilities before flying
It is important to read through the specific airlines policies before flying with your bike. In case any issues occur you know how they may handle that situation. But as all airlines are different they will charge different amounts and this can be found through a simple Google search.
If you are travelling overseas with your bike you are looking at over $200 one way. This fee is often paid at the airport when you check in.
In some cases it might be cheaper to upgrade to first class. And you pay less for checked baggage and in total you could save some money and get much more leg room.
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