Air Travel With a 60cm. Bombadil ... Or other large and long bikes
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Garth
Sep 17, 2011, 4:38:09 PM9/17/11
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I was wondering if anyone knew if there was any dedicated bike containers that would fit a 60cm. Bombadil ? ... (or any large and long bike) There's always the boxes, but I'd rather use something more sturdy if i could. I'm trying to figure something out for air travel. The frame height is no problem ... but the extra long wheelbase may be an issue for some containers. I have zero experience in air travel with a bike .
Earl Grey
Sep 18, 2011, 10:47:11 AM9/18/11
to RBW Owners Bunch
Can't help with containers, but if you are traveling internationally I
highly recommend using non-US carriers. In my experience they are much
more likely to check your bike for free as one of your pieces of
luggage.
Cheers,
Gernot
highly recommend using non-US carriers. In my experience they are much
more likely to check your bike for free as one of your pieces of
luggage.
Cheers,
Gernot
Steve Wimberg
Sep 23, 2011, 2:58:51 PM9/23/11
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Hi Garth,
I have a 60cm Rambouillet and have shipped it through UPS and on Air France with this bike box.
The frame just fits lengthwise, such that I have to detach the rear derailer to have it lay flat. The box has held up and the bike has made the trips just fine (except when Air France neglected to actually put it on the plane, but that's another story).
Not sure how the Ram compares to the Bombadil, but this is what I have used.
Steve
On Sep 17, 2011, at 4:38 PM, Garth wrote:
I was wondering if anyone knew if there was any dedicated bike containers that would fit a 60cm. Bombadil ? ... (or any large and long bike) There's always the boxes, but I'd rather use something more sturdy if i could. I'm trying to figure something out for air travel. The frame height is no problem ... but the extra long wheelbase may be an issue for some containers. I have zero experience in air travel with a bike .
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Tim Whalen
Sep 23, 2011, 4:43:53 PM9/23/11
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Steve,
That looks really good, thanks for calling it to my attention. I can't find the dimensions on their website. Do you know what it measures for H, W, L?
Thanks,
Tim
That looks really good, thanks for calling it to my attention. I can't find the dimensions on their website. Do you know what it measures for H, W, L?
Thanks,
Tim
Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery
Sep 23, 2011, 6:29:33 PM9/23/11
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UPS it ahead of time. Or better yet, Amtrak if the station locations work out. It will likely be cheaper than airline fees, and you can insure it against loss and damage. The biggest advantage is not having to lug a heavy, awkward package through a crowded airport, wrestle it onto public transit, into cabs, or your rental car.
dougP
Sep 23, 2011, 8:26:34 PM9/23/11
to RBW Owners Bunch
Garth:
I concur with Jim's suggestion. I've shipped my 58 cm Atlantis quite
a bit. Internationally, of course you need to deal with the airlines
but as noted above, non-US carriers are friendlier than US. There are
also lots of code share flights so for instance Lufthansa may take
your bike, United wants a king's ransom, and it's the same flight.
Check carefully. In the past, some non-US carriers accepted bikes
without boxing, just remove the pedals.
Within the US, no question about shipping ahead via ground. UPS &
FedEx are comparable in both price & level of service (medicore to
acceptable). I have limited experience with shipping via Amtrak but
it's worth a look. My Atlantis runs around $75 to $90 per trip,
depending on distance & the whim of the carrier.
With a large frame, it is easy to exceed the UPS / Fed Ex dimension
limits & get into "oversize". Currently that is 130" combined girth
plus length (2x width + 2x height + length). The Crateworks box,
Ironcase, Performance, etc, most bike specific boxes are designed to
this limit. I stenciled "11 x 29 x 48" on both sides of my box & have
not gotten any size arguments.
Airlines have a differenct measuring method that is I believe a simple
total of length + width + height, but that total may vary depending on
the carrier. Check carefully. Airlines are more concerned about
weight & I've run into a 50 lb limit which requires some thinking to
meet. A couple of years ago I used a friend's Crateworks box & wound
up with the pedals, cassette & chain in my luggage to squeak under the
50 lb limit.
Expect to have to take a lot of stuff off the bike. I remove the RD
as a pre-caution. On my 58 cm, both the mini-front rack and the big
back rack have to come off, h'bars (yey for cable splitters!), the
bottle cages on the DT, seat, it ain't pretty. Allow plenty of time
for packing.
This summer, I boxed my bike for Amtrak & it's a huge box. All that's
req'd is remove the pedals and turn the bars. They say nothing else
in the box but the bike. We traveled on the train so we just walked
on with panniers & front bags. They have boxes at the station, but
check ahead.
Be careful: once you start traveling with your bike, you won't be
able to leave home without it.
dougP
On Sep 23, 3:29 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:
I concur with Jim's suggestion. I've shipped my 58 cm Atlantis quite
a bit. Internationally, of course you need to deal with the airlines
but as noted above, non-US carriers are friendlier than US. There are
also lots of code share flights so for instance Lufthansa may take
your bike, United wants a king's ransom, and it's the same flight.
Check carefully. In the past, some non-US carriers accepted bikes
without boxing, just remove the pedals.
Within the US, no question about shipping ahead via ground. UPS &
FedEx are comparable in both price & level of service (medicore to
acceptable). I have limited experience with shipping via Amtrak but
it's worth a look. My Atlantis runs around $75 to $90 per trip,
depending on distance & the whim of the carrier.
With a large frame, it is easy to exceed the UPS / Fed Ex dimension
limits & get into "oversize". Currently that is 130" combined girth
plus length (2x width + 2x height + length). The Crateworks box,
Ironcase, Performance, etc, most bike specific boxes are designed to
this limit. I stenciled "11 x 29 x 48" on both sides of my box & have
not gotten any size arguments.
Airlines have a differenct measuring method that is I believe a simple
total of length + width + height, but that total may vary depending on
the carrier. Check carefully. Airlines are more concerned about
weight & I've run into a 50 lb limit which requires some thinking to
meet. A couple of years ago I used a friend's Crateworks box & wound
up with the pedals, cassette & chain in my luggage to squeak under the
50 lb limit.
Expect to have to take a lot of stuff off the bike. I remove the RD
as a pre-caution. On my 58 cm, both the mini-front rack and the big
back rack have to come off, h'bars (yey for cable splitters!), the
bottle cages on the DT, seat, it ain't pretty. Allow plenty of time
for packing.
This summer, I boxed my bike for Amtrak & it's a huge box. All that's
req'd is remove the pedals and turn the bars. They say nothing else
in the box but the bike. We traveled on the train so we just walked
on with panniers & front bags. They have boxes at the station, but
check ahead.
Be careful: once you start traveling with your bike, you won't be
able to leave home without it.
dougP
On Sep 23, 3:29 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:
Garth
Sep 24, 2011, 9:52:03 AM9/24/11
to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Great great feedback everybody ..... thanks a ton for all the replies.
Yes .... I'm at a point where I don't want to travel again without my bike. Last year I was without it for a month ... there were pros and cons to that ... but I don't want to do that again!
For now my travel is in the US. I've looked at airline fees and they vary widely. I've also seen recommendations for a place called Shipbikes.com , which uses Fed Ex ground. I use FE alot these days. Minimal disassembly would be a huge plus, like with an AirCaddy box or Amtrak !
Jim ... you're so right .... I'd rather ship it ahead of time than lug a huge box around an airport.
Tim, the crateworks box dimensions are on this page. ...http://www.crateworks.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=FEATURES&Store_Code=crateworks
Yes .... I'm at a point where I don't want to travel again without my bike. Last year I was without it for a month ... there were pros and cons to that ... but I don't want to do that again!
For now my travel is in the US. I've looked at airline fees and they vary widely. I've also seen recommendations for a place called Shipbikes.com , which uses Fed Ex ground. I use FE alot these days. Minimal disassembly would be a huge plus, like with an AirCaddy box or Amtrak !
Jim ... you're so right .... I'd rather ship it ahead of time than lug a huge box around an airport.
Tim, the crateworks box dimensions are on this page. ...http://www.crateworks.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=FEATURES&Store_Code=crateworks
robert zeidler
Sep 23, 2011, 5:23:24 PM9/23/11
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What's the biggest frame you think will fit?
RGZ
Tim Whalen
Sep 24, 2011, 12:31:19 PM9/24/11
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Garth, thanks for the dimensions link. Tim
Steve Wimberg
Sep 25, 2011, 9:39:01 AM9/25/11
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There is a little wiggle room with the 60cm Ram, so probably a 62 would fit. I'm not so sure about a 64, but it might...
Steve
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