A different kind of "last mile" problem
October 19, 2021 6:03 AM Subscribe
Spouse and I enjoy cycling enough when we're traveling that we're considering buying a collapsible bike to bring with us instead of renting shitty bikes when we get to our destination. The problem I keep running into, though, is one that I hope has been solved - what do you do with the bike box when you arrive? Oh, and we would be buying a tandem which probably makes things more complicated.
The way I see it - get a bike with couplers on the frame, break it apart, stuff it in a purpose-built case (or two). If we're flying with it, that gets checked as luggage. We have our own bags full of clothes and stuff. We arrive wherever. Now what?
My pie-in-the-sky vision of this is that we get the bike off the baggage carousel, assemble it in the airport, throw our pannier-suitcases on it, and ride off into the sunset. But then we have a case (or two) meant for the bike frame that I don't know what to do with. Or, we haul everything to a hotel and assemble the bike there, but what if we want to do something like a one-way tour?
(For housekeeping purposes - yes, we know how to ride a tandem and own one already. I've already looked into and test-ridden the Bike Friday system and didn't like it, so we're looking at a full-sized bike with couplers. We've done other vacations that involved bike touring, but we rented a bike and were in a place that allowed us to courier our bags. I'm not expecting that level of luxury all the time.)
The way I see it - get a bike with couplers on the frame, break it apart, stuff it in a purpose-built case (or two). If we're flying with it, that gets checked as luggage. We have our own bags full of clothes and stuff. We arrive wherever. Now what?
My pie-in-the-sky vision of this is that we get the bike off the baggage carousel, assemble it in the airport, throw our pannier-suitcases on it, and ride off into the sunset. But then we have a case (or two) meant for the bike frame that I don't know what to do with. Or, we haul everything to a hotel and assemble the bike there, but what if we want to do something like a one-way tour?
(For housekeeping purposes - yes, we know how to ride a tandem and own one already. I've already looked into and test-ridden the Bike Friday system and didn't like it, so we're looking at a full-sized bike with couplers. We've done other vacations that involved bike touring, but we rented a bike and were in a place that allowed us to courier our bags. I'm not expecting that level of luxury all the time.)
I think riding away from the airport is a bit of a pie-in-the-sky indeed - because you'll have your bike bag, and you'll also have your luggage. Many bags for couplered bikes have some sort of backpack straps so you can get them around, but they're really not comfortable or optimal for any kind of distance - just for the small convenience.
That said, it's definitely possible to pack your bike (especially if couplered) into a bike-bag that doubles as your luggage, especially if you pack light or don't have extra complexities like Nice Clothes or variable weather.
I've found that traveling with a bike usually involves some sort of home base - assembling at a friend's house and leaving boxes and extra stuff and touring from there. mskyle is right that a lot of shops would be more than happy to receive a bike, or pack one up and ship - but definitely check in advance since some shops throw out their boxes instead of keeping them around to ship.
Ultimately, I think that if you use a bike bag, you're probably not going to ride away from the airport, nor will you be able to do a point-to-point trip (but you could spend a night in a hotel and probably check the bag with the hotel during your bike trip, till you return); if you want to do either of those, you're looking at a bike box + bike shop situation.
posted by entropone at 6:25 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
That said, it's definitely possible to pack your bike (especially if couplered) into a bike-bag that doubles as your luggage, especially if you pack light or don't have extra complexities like Nice Clothes or variable weather.
I've found that traveling with a bike usually involves some sort of home base - assembling at a friend's house and leaving boxes and extra stuff and touring from there. mskyle is right that a lot of shops would be more than happy to receive a bike, or pack one up and ship - but definitely check in advance since some shops throw out their boxes instead of keeping them around to ship.
Ultimately, I think that if you use a bike bag, you're probably not going to ride away from the airport, nor will you be able to do a point-to-point trip (but you could spend a night in a hotel and probably check the bag with the hotel during your bike trip, till you return); if you want to do either of those, you're looking at a bike box + bike shop situation.
posted by entropone at 6:25 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Assuming you are flying in and out of the same place, could you leave the bike box at a left luggage facility in the airport? (Obviously, this depends on their policies and rates and such, but could potentially be feasible).
posted by mosst at 6:29 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by mosst at 6:29 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
Even if you'll be flying out of a different airport there should be a courier/delivery service that will take your box and deliver it to the other airport to be picked up when you get there. I wouldn't be surprised if it cost enough to make it not worthwhile though.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:05 AM on October 19, 2021
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:05 AM on October 19, 2021
There are a bunch of YouTube videos of people with Brompton folding bikes going over the ins and outs of what you describe but the tips are pretty specific to that particular brand of bike. The tandem aspect of this problem sounds like it magnifies the challenge at least fourfold.
posted by brachiopod at 8:12 AM on October 19, 2021
posted by brachiopod at 8:12 AM on October 19, 2021
What I did in the 90s in Europe was fly in, touch base with oversized luggage to let them know I'd be back, and left the bike & box at the airport. Then I took a taxi with my regular luggage to where I was staying and cajoled the hotel into accepting a bike box from a taxi driver the next day. The following morning, well rested, I plotted mass transit out to the airport as well as a bike route back to the hotel. I returned to the airport via mass transit, assembled the bike there, gave the box to a taxi driver and paid them to deliver it to the hotel. I rode back at my own pace.
It sounds like you're going to have a variety of situations though, where you'll need to confirm what the individual airport is willing to do, what local transportation might be willing to do, and what your accommodations might be willing to do. A local bike shop would definitely be a place to start for advice and support, but the farther off the beaten path, the fewer the local bike shops set up for that support.
posted by cocoagirl at 8:20 AM on October 19, 2021
It sounds like you're going to have a variety of situations though, where you'll need to confirm what the individual airport is willing to do, what local transportation might be willing to do, and what your accommodations might be willing to do. A local bike shop would definitely be a place to start for advice and support, but the farther off the beaten path, the fewer the local bike shops set up for that support.
posted by cocoagirl at 8:20 AM on October 19, 2021
I've (lone cyclist) cycled away from many airports (but never retuned to that airport tho')- just using a cardboard bike box (very strongly taped + pink band all way round for visibility) from a bike shop. Pack VERY thoroughly! I once saw my bike box fall out of a 747 onto the runway! - that was Schiphol but handlers are often rough anywhere IME.
I've almost always found another cyclist wandering the halls looking for a box, or found one myself.
posted by unearthed at 9:35 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've almost always found another cyclist wandering the halls looking for a box, or found one myself.
posted by unearthed at 9:35 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
Assuming you're getting a tandem with S&S couplings, check out these suitcase/trailer combos (bottom of page)—this is very much like Bike Friday's solution, just for full-size bikes. See also their caveats on packing tandems. I can also imagine that the suitcases could be adapted to hook onto something like the Extrawheel, which might be small enough to ride along with the tandem in the cases.
posted by adamrice at 10:43 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by adamrice at 10:43 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
Reading along with interest as BWI is on the B & A bike trail, with at least one bike shop on it in severna park, md, and haven’t solved for box storage either.
posted by childofTethys at 11:09 AM on October 19, 2021
posted by childofTethys at 11:09 AM on October 19, 2021
The Bike Friday Family Tandem and Tandem Two'sday bikes pack into two suitcases that can be assembled into a trailer – or at least they could; that photo shows a discontinued model with two suitcases and the trailer kit. BF's current website doesn't show the tandem trailer connector, but you could contact them.
Disclaimer: I own a couple BF folding bikes (one-person, not tandem) and I have a small investment in the company.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:49 PM on October 19, 2021
Disclaimer: I own a couple BF folding bikes (one-person, not tandem) and I have a small investment in the company.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:49 PM on October 19, 2021
Oops, I missed the last paragraph. Apologies!
posted by brianogilvie at 2:50 PM on October 19, 2021
posted by brianogilvie at 2:50 PM on October 19, 2021
What I've generally done is just packed my bike in a bike box, recycled it when I arrived, then arranged a new bike box from a bike store when leaving. That lets you bike away from the airport on one end, but probably prevents you from biking back the the airport on the other end, unless you can fold up the bike box and carry it with you. Bike stores will generally give you a bike box for free, since they get one for each bike they sell, or will charge you a small amount. Bike stores will also take apart your bike and pack it into a bike box for you, if you prefer. This also makes one way bike tours possible, so you don't have to leave from the same airport you arrived at. It is not worth paying to store a box or bag in the airport, unless your trip is very short, and many luggage storage places will limit you to a short period anyways.
I think most tandems with couplers should fit in a standard bike box or at least a box intended for a road bike or 29er. Any kind of custom case is just going to be an expensive pain to deal with. Cardboard boxes are good enough to ship your bike to you when you buy, so they should be good enough for airline use. A little masking tape helps keep things in place and if you're really worried you can cut some bits of cardboard to protect and stabilize more delicate pieces inside the box or stuff some of your other gear around them.
Also, if Amtrak might work for you, they sell bike boxes at stations and carry bikes for pretty cheap (and of course railway stations are usually a lot more pleasant to bike away from than airports).
posted by ssg at 4:23 PM on October 19, 2021
I think most tandems with couplers should fit in a standard bike box or at least a box intended for a road bike or 29er. Any kind of custom case is just going to be an expensive pain to deal with. Cardboard boxes are good enough to ship your bike to you when you buy, so they should be good enough for airline use. A little masking tape helps keep things in place and if you're really worried you can cut some bits of cardboard to protect and stabilize more delicate pieces inside the box or stuff some of your other gear around them.
Also, if Amtrak might work for you, they sell bike boxes at stations and carry bikes for pretty cheap (and of course railway stations are usually a lot more pleasant to bike away from than airports).
posted by ssg at 4:23 PM on October 19, 2021
I've done this many times with my S&S bike, and I always assemble at the airport and ride away. There's basically two ways to do it:
1. Have bike shop pack bike in cardboard bike box. Assemble bike at airport and toss the box in the recycling. Ride to your destination and drop the bike off at another shop, who will box it up for you to repeat the process in reverse. Most bike shops will also mail it for you if you don't want to wrangle it to the airport. IMO it's worth the $50-75 a shop will charge to have your bike professionally packed, something shops do all the time.
2. Use a bike bag or the soft S&S case or similar, and break it down when you're done. The hard cases don't give you any extra protection from TSA anyways because they're going to open it up regardless. For my single bike the soft case breaks down to fit into a US Large Priority Mail box, which you can pack easily inside the case before you leave (protip: buy the postage in advance). Most airports have some sort of PO / mail drop. Mail it to your destination hotel, they'll hold it for you until you get there. If your trip is a loop see if the airport has some type of locker storage you can shove it in, most do.
As far as luggage I just pack my panniers so there's nothing else to carry.
posted by bradbane at 2:34 PM on October 20, 2021
1. Have bike shop pack bike in cardboard bike box. Assemble bike at airport and toss the box in the recycling. Ride to your destination and drop the bike off at another shop, who will box it up for you to repeat the process in reverse. Most bike shops will also mail it for you if you don't want to wrangle it to the airport. IMO it's worth the $50-75 a shop will charge to have your bike professionally packed, something shops do all the time.
2. Use a bike bag or the soft S&S case or similar, and break it down when you're done. The hard cases don't give you any extra protection from TSA anyways because they're going to open it up regardless. For my single bike the soft case breaks down to fit into a US Large Priority Mail box, which you can pack easily inside the case before you leave (protip: buy the postage in advance). Most airports have some sort of PO / mail drop. Mail it to your destination hotel, they'll hold it for you until you get there. If your trip is a loop see if the airport has some type of locker storage you can shove it in, most do.
As far as luggage I just pack my panniers so there's nothing else to carry.
posted by bradbane at 2:34 PM on October 20, 2021
I've found two solutions to this issue in my bike travels:
- For my trips I have settled on just using cardboard bike boxes both ways. Once you've packed up your bike a couple of times it is pretty easy to do a good job and avoid the gotchas you can run into with underprotecting your chainrings/axles/etc, and you can just recycle the cardboard at the airport and ride away, or, if you're going to a hotel, at the hotel, and I've never had an issue finding a new box from a local bike shop with little notice for free or the local equivalent of $5 for my return flight. This nicely solves the issue of storing your bike case, both during your bike vacation travels and at home afterwards.
- If you want or need a more permanent bike case, it is often fairly nominal to get a hotel where you stay for a night or two to hold onto it for you for free or for a nominal fee. Every hotel has a baggage storage room, so with a little advance warning and maybe a small fee it isn't hard to have them hold it for you. This is most easily done if you stay at the hotel for your first and last nights on the trip, but I've done it when I only stay at the hotel at the beginning of the trip too. Just make sure you arrange this ahead of time and don't count on it being possible without checking.
posted by lhputtgrass at 5:36 PM on October 20, 2021
- For my trips I have settled on just using cardboard bike boxes both ways. Once you've packed up your bike a couple of times it is pretty easy to do a good job and avoid the gotchas you can run into with underprotecting your chainrings/axles/etc, and you can just recycle the cardboard at the airport and ride away, or, if you're going to a hotel, at the hotel, and I've never had an issue finding a new box from a local bike shop with little notice for free or the local equivalent of $5 for my return flight. This nicely solves the issue of storing your bike case, both during your bike vacation travels and at home afterwards.
- If you want or need a more permanent bike case, it is often fairly nominal to get a hotel where you stay for a night or two to hold onto it for you for free or for a nominal fee. Every hotel has a baggage storage room, so with a little advance warning and maybe a small fee it isn't hard to have them hold it for you. This is most easily done if you stay at the hotel for your first and last nights on the trip, but I've done it when I only stay at the hotel at the beginning of the trip too. Just make sure you arrange this ahead of time and don't count on it being possible without checking.
posted by lhputtgrass at 5:36 PM on October 20, 2021
I’ve done this only on trips overseas. Flying between countries in SE Asia, you only had to remove the pedals, loosen the headset/stem and turn the handlebars sideways, and I think also let the air out of your tires. We carried our panniers and other bike bags on the plane. That was so enjoyable, rolling up to and away from the airport.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:25 PM on October 20, 2021
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:25 PM on October 20, 2021
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Triathletes have a lot of ideas about bike transport, since they are often flying all over the place with their bikes. (I mean probably cycle racers do too, but it seems like triathletes are more plentiful.) It's worth checking out some triathlete forums/blogs to see how they do it.
posted by mskyle at 6:19 AM on October 19, 2021 [1 favorite]