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Flying your Bike for Free
by Don Hollingshead
Now that I have your attention, the gist of this note really IS how to bring your bike along for free when you fly.
The idea occurred to me during a Christmas trip to San Diego in 1996 when Jim Eickmeier and Myrna McRoberts disassembled their bikes to avoid paying the 60 dollars ($US) each way to bring their bikes on Delta Airlines from Calgary.
Previous to this, the only reference I'd heard of to deconstructing bike for travel was Japan where cyclists were taking their bikes apart so that they could use the commuter trains.
Last Christmas, several of the participants deconstructed their bikes for the San Diego trip to save excess baggage charges. Other than a broken fender, half a dozen bikes made the round trip flight free of charge and without incident.
Colleen and David Crickmore
with touring bikes prepared
for free flight
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As the accompanying photo shows, bikes can be reduced to a pretty compact size for flight.
The technique can be done at home with a few hand tools.
The main thing is to reduce the bike to a size that comes close to fitting within the maximum dimensions that the airlines allow for checked baggage within your baggage allowance.
If you read the fine print on your airline ticket, you will see a number representing the sum of height plus width plus length of each piece of checked baggage. As I recall, this number is somewhere around 70 inches or 180 cm.
If any of your luggage is over this limit or if you have more than three pieces of baggage, the agent at the check-in can charge you an "excess baggage charge".
Agents generally don't come out and measure your baggage unless it is obviously too large. You can get away with an extra 20 or 30 cm.
One charter company - Canada 3000 on the other hand has a policy of not charging for bicycles.
I can reduce a 23 inch frame touring bike with front and rear racks and fenders to a tear drop shaped package that comes within about ten inches of fitting the maximum dimensions for checked baggage. The process takes about 45 minutes at each end of the flight.
How?
I've simplified the components in the accompanying photographs to better show the relation of wheels to frame.
Acquire the following tools and packing material:
- hex keys or wrenches to fit your handlebar stem, rear derailleur and wheels bolts (if you don't have quick release skewers)
- three little pieces of two-by-four lumber: 2 - 60 mm pieces and one 120mm long.
- 2 - 50 mm lag bolts and 2 washers to fit
- 1 - 250 mm piece of 318" all thread
- 2 nuts and 2 washers to fit the all-thread
- some plastic pallet strapping with plastic buckles (Shippers Supply sells a kit)
- a small plastic tarp to wrap the bike in
- a half metre of pipe insulation
(I found all of the stuff I needed at Ribtor and at Shippers Supply.)
Find a place where you can hang your bike off the ground. A bungy cord or two hooked over a tree, railing or fence works well for this.
Step l:
Remove the pedals. Remember, that the pedal on the left side of the bike (as you are riding it) has a left hand thread (lefty tighty, righty loosy). An easy way to remember how to loosen the pedals is with the wrench handle above the pedal, move the wrench handle towards the rear of the bike to loosen. You can use a little "bicycle akaido" here by placing your heel on the wrench handle and using your body weight to rotate the wrench. (Make sure the wrench has a tight fit on the pedal flats first.)
Step 2:
Remove the rear rack and rear fender. Replace the bolts in their respective holes and tighten so they will be handy during reassembly and won't rattle loose during the flight from engine vibration.
Step 3:
Remove the front brake from the frame or remove the front brake cable from the brakes. Disconnect computer mount from handlebars, and computer cable from brake cable.
Rear drop out spacer (2x4)
held in place by wood screws
or lag bolts & washers to
protect derailleur hanger and
wheel positioning screws.
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Step 4:
Remove the rear wheel from the frame and tie wrap the rear fender to it. Undo the bolt that holds the rear derailleur onto the frame. Tie the excess chain and derailleur up to the chain stay with a strap. Position the 120 mm long two-by-four in the frame so that it extends past any delicate parts (e.g., the derailleur hanger, wheel centring screws etc) and secure on each side with a lag bolt and washer. Pre-drill the holes for the lag bolts to avoid splitting the wood. This spacer in the frame will protect the frame from being squashed and the bits and pieces around the drop outs from being bent should the bike be set down hard in this area. Plastic spacers are available from bike shops but they are to narrow to protect the drop out projections as well as the two-by-four does.
Step 5:
Remove the handlebar and stem from the frame and hang on the top tube for now. Remove the seat post and saddle from the frame. Mark both before withdrawing them to make set up faster during reassembly.
Blocks held in place by
all-thread and nuts to
protect headset bearing
races.
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Step 6:
Loosen and remove top of head set bearing assembly. If you have loose balls*, carefully collect them, count and store in an empty film canister. Withdraw fork from frame (with wheel, fender and racks still attached) and reassemble head set bearing parts in correct order.
*Do yourself a favour and buy some caged ball bearings for the head set. They are much easier to manage during this process.
Step 7:
Now for the tricky part. Bring front wheel/fork assembly (which should now be completely detached from rest of bike} along side of bike frame and align front tire with rear dropout and bottom of chain wheel. Steering tube should be pointing towards the front of the bike. Bring rear wheel along the other side of the bike frame (parallel to the front wheel} and tie both wheels together with the frame in between. Also tie the wheels together adjacent the chain wheel and adjacent to the top tube. This is a balancing act and you may have to adjust the straps to get it right. You may want to stick some pipe insulation between the frame and the fork/rear wheel to protect the paint job. Evenly tighten the straps so that the chain wheel and rear drop out coincide with the tires.
The position of the wheels relative to
the rear triangle of the frame. Pallet
strapping and plastic buckles are a
good way to secure the parts. Foam
tubing (not shown) should be placed
between the frame and front fork to
protect the paint.
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Step 8:
Now take the saddle, handlebars, pedals and rear rack and intertwine them with the frame to reduce the volume as much as possible, Hold in place with straps or tie wraps. Try to get the gear shifters and brake levers away from the outide of the package where they will protrude and possibly get caught and bent.
Step 9:
Drill a 1/2" hole in the remaining 2 two-by-fours and hold them securely on the top and bottom of the now empty head tube with a piece of all-tread, nuts and washers. This will protect the vulnerable and exposed bearing cups of the head set from shipping disaster. Your bike is now ready to bag.
Note:
Do not let any air out of your tires. It is completely unnecessary. Does the flight crew let the air out the airplane's landing gear? Fully inflated bike tires will help to protect the rims, largest chain wheel etc.
Step 10:
Place your bike in the tarp and fold the tarp around it. Secure with duct tape or packing tape. Attach your destination address and phone number to the exterior. Using some strapping, create a few girth straps to make the package easier to lift and maneouver around the airport. The baggage handlers will appreciate it too. At check in, your package should not attract undo attention from the agent if it is on a baggage cart amongst your other stuff. (Unless you bike is a tandem!) If asked as to the content of your baggage, just say "recreational equipment". If pressed further, you might admit that you have some bike parts.
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