by John Cane

Created on: April 05, 2010

Considering that a bike is one of the most simple modes of transportation know to man, transporting a bike can trickier than one would expect. Given the choice and the time I prefer to drive, but there are times when you just have to fly.  Before I get into the details of how to fly with your bike, it is probably worthwhile to mention that you do also have the option of shipping your bike so that it meets you at your destination.

To Ship or Fly with?

 There are perks to either method of traveling with your bike.  The biggest benefit to taking your bike on the plane with you is that you have, in theory, the least loss of time with your bike.  When you ship your bike you have to take transit time into account so your bike may be shipped a week prior to your trip.  On the other hand, if you do not do your own mechanic work, and are not traveling with a mechanic, it is nice to ship to a local shop and they can have your bike assembled for you when you arrive.  The one thing to be careful of when shipping your bike internationally is that your bike as a package will trigger customs fees in ways that your bike as luggage will not.  So it can get hung up and not even delivered until you go claim it and pay the fee. 

Cardboard box or Bike Case? 

Assuming that you have decided to take the bike with you on the plane, you now have to decide how you want to package it.  How you package your bike may vary depending on the particular airlines policies, and how much effort you are willing to spend to avoid excess baggage fees which I will discuss below.  I have seen people go to extremes with taking cutting frames in half and using junctions when they ride so that the bike folds down smaller,  and I once sold a full suspension bike to a guy who wanted it simply because he could take apart the linkage and fit his whole bike into standard suitcases.  For the sake of this article we will assume that you are going to use traditional packing methods which means either a cardboard bike box or a bicycle carrying case.

If you are flying with a bike a lot, the carrying case (I recommend the IronCase) is great to have.  Bicycle cases are hard shelled any typically include reusable padding, straps, and supports that allow you to send your bike on the plane without worry of it getting crushed or damaged.  It should be noted that because these cases aren’t perfect boxes they trigger some extra fees when you

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