Post #3899756
2026-07-17 23:24 UTC
Replies (11)
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@glent@aus.social 2026-07-18 00:39
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A4. The amount of pain varies by airline, and their rules also change over time. Australia's Qantas already has a baggage allowance for two items, and they sell cardboard bike boxes with generous width. You'll need suitable transport from the airport as abandoning a large empty box at an Australian airport is the same terrorism offense as leaving unattended any other luggage. I had a good experience in Sydney strapping a furniture slide to the box and wheeling the box to the train station. Adelaide hosts an international bike race, and so its airport, taxi and buses are set up. Hobart has a bookable box disposal, so you can ride from that airport. Melbourne's airport bus will take bikes, but you'll then need a maxitaxi from the CBD as the box won't be allowed on a tram (still cheaper than a maxitaxi from the airport). Note that it is legal to gaff tape a box opener to the box. This can make opening the box simpler. Especially as Qantas may add more tape. Note that you may have to open the box whilst at the airport for quarantine (international, Hobart, Adelaide). If the bike is too muddy or otherwise can carry seeds then they'll want to clean it. So include a roll of gaff tape in the box so you can re-seal it. In more recent years I simply hire a road bike. So I pack my helmet and shoes and that's it. It's expensive, but so much simpler when the bike is already in your hotel room. #BikeNite
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@UrbanEdm@yeg.bike 2026-07-17 23:36
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social @uxMark@cosocial.ca Like "on" as in the cargo hold? I have done a couple trips that way. Just got boxes from the LBS and packed them into it, same as when they were new. Not in the passenger cabin, though, nor have I ever seen someone try.
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@uxMark@cosocial.ca 2026-07-17 23:29
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A4. I haven’t, but I’ve been taking my newly acquired Brompton on the train, and loving it! 😀🚴♀️❤️ #BikeNite
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@fullywoolly@mastodon.social 2026-07-17 23:37
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A4. I never have but know people that do. They sell boxes and suitcases basically to pack your bike in and then you check it like any large luggage. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/best-bike-bags-and-boxes-a-buyers-guide-323679 for example
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@ajft@aus.social 2026-07-17 23:41
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social #BikeNite A4. Ugh. yes. Cardboard box from a bike shop, wheels & pedals off, bars turned, seat down[1] and use padding between various metal parts in the box so n hours of vibration doesn't wear things awy. Turn up to the checkin early, smile a lot, remember that every single piece of information you read online from the airline's website is meaningless if the person on the gate on the day decides there's an extra charge, or a special "airport transit charge for bulky luggage" or it has to be completely unpacked "for security reasons" and repacked on the spot travel on the bike is awesome, sometimes getting the bike there and back is not so awesome [1] this is when we discover that the seatpost has siezed edit: eg https://flic.kr/p/2nTQEXJ
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@wlukewindsor@c.im 2026-07-18 10:09
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A4 I’ve flown with a full size bike in a soft bag and a semi-rigid bag (hard bottom and frame) but never a Brompton. I think most Airlines wouldn’t want something that heavy in an overhead. I would probably check it as hold luggage, they are pretty robust? I’ll ask my partner how she travelled with hers to Sweden a few years ago… I’m taking my partly disassembled full size bike in a cardboard box in a few weeks to Sweden (it’s a long story) with plenty of bubble wrap. The box will be disposed of on arrival. It’s a bit wasteful but the logistics otherwise don’t work (I’d normally leave my bag in left luggage). #bikenite
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@adam_blair@mastodon.online 2026-07-18 20:03
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social Took my Brompton on a flight earlier this year. Used a roll up cheap soft bag and then got an IKEA dimpa bag and put soft bag inside that. Some clothes down the insides. Was fine both ways. Proper soft bag has straps to make it easier to carry on trains once I got to the other side. Had to check it in as a bike. Too big for cabin for sure at least on short European flights.
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@pete@masto.hypertelia.com 2026-07-18 07:45
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A4 #BikeNite Yes, just using a soft, as opposed to hardshell, bike bag (an Evoc one). That rolls up when not in use so is perhaps easier to store at the other end while you're off riding. I'm not sure a Brommie would fit within many carriers overhead bin size restrictions, but happy to be proved wrong. And is it worth it? Depends how much you want or need _your_ bike at the destination.
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@luis_in_brief@social.coop 2026-07-19 17:14
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social I have never traveled with a cycle, but have started traveling with a collapsible helmet for use on CitiBike-style rental bikes and really like the additional sense of security. https://closca.com/en-us/collections/foldable-helmets
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@cmgrowell@m.ai6yr.org 2026-07-19 16:42
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A4. #BikeNite Not much more to add, but we've used the Dakine soft side roller bag for a few trips and it worked well. As others mentioned, we added additional padding in the form of pipe insulation, bubble wrap, and cardboard. We had no problems, but I've heard of people having bikes damaged in soft cases. Seat or seat post damage is a common one since it sticks up and out a little. We put some additional bubble wrap on it (the photo of the bike lying down doesn't have all the additional protection we added yet). The fact that the bag rolls is very nice, since it makes it easy to drag it through the airport. We flew American Airlines because they don't charge extra as long as you keep it under 50lbs. We weighed the bags as we were packing them, and put things like shoes in our separate luggage since we were getting close to the weight limit with the mountain bikes, and these are not heavy mountain bikes, maybe 27lbs total for each (the bag itself weighs a decent amount). You can always pay extra if you go past the 50lb limit. On the trips we've done we had to rent a mini van to transport the bikes once we got to our destination and we were fortunate to be able to leave the bags with family while we were on our trip. (The kids competed in the US MTB XC Nationals race in PA.) The first photo is packing the bikes at home, the 2nd is unpacking them in a park in where the kids did a training workout on the Columbia Rail Trail in High Bridge, NJ.
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@wav3ydave@mas.to 2026-07-18 10:21
@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social I've flown with bikes a few times, the first time I ever did it was in 2000 with BA to Chile and I literally just handed it over, not even boxed. Mostly after that I've used a proper soft or hard case; if you're using a soft case the main thing to make sure of is that there's some kind of crush protection so you stuff doesn't get trashed if the bike's at the bottom of the pile.