Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [GREG_n_SD] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
My current USAA policy is a Renter's Insurance Policy. I know that the bike would also be covered the same under the Homeowners policy.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
The only time i had a bike damaged was in a hard case. I've used a soft case for 4 years and have flown with it at least 30 times in addition to many trips on trains and buses. The only damage ive ever sustained was the cable going into the read derailleur. I normally remove it from the hanger and zip tie it to the seat-stay, but i was lazy that day.

The key is how you pack the bike inside the case, just as a poster above described. Spacers in the rear triangle and fork, stick your helmet in the rear triangle, make sure your pump doesnt have a nasty metal base. Keep the bag light so it can be handled easily and manuevered into a good spot by the employee. Keeping it clean in there allows tsa to do their job quickly without fucking up your packing job. Show up early to your flight, so tsa and the handlers are not rushed into moving your oversized bag through.

Another advantage of a lightly packed softshell case is not paying bike fees. I didnt pay one fee on 8 flights this summer.

As a reference my packed bike bag is normally around 35 lbs and i use the unmarked biospeed case by aerus. Wear a nice shirt and shoes, ditch the rubber sport watch and oakleys and you can pass the case off as whatever you want.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
TSA went through my bag once (they put a notice in it) and didn't close one of the zippers. I ended up losing about $50 worth of contacts. I filled out the form on their website and I got a check from them several weeks later.

No clue if this would work for a bike.

________________________________________
Check out my sad excuse for a blog:
http://brianstriblog.blogspot.com/
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [gphin305] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Would a 48cm frame with 650c wheels fit well in the Scicon case? I'm sure the wheel wells are designed for 700c.
Does it accomodate aerobars well?
Do you pack the saddle and seatpost in the case?

Thanks!
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Ironma'am] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Ironma'am wrote:
Would a 48cm frame with 650c wheels fit well in the Scicon case? I'm sure the wheel wells are designed for 700c.
Does it accomodate aerobars well?
Do you pack the saddle and seatpost in the case?

Thanks!


Yes, a 48cm would fit well. I have a 54 Cervelo P4 and it fits without having to take off the rear derailler. The wheels attach with their supplied skewers so any size wheel from 700c on down would fit. Yes, accommodates aerobars well......don't have to adjust/loosen.....just loosen basebars and turn to side. Yes, I pack saddle and seatpost in the case in the provided pouch/bag. Basically you take off wheels......take off seatpost......take off pedals (which I pack in my tri-bag.....loosen basebar and turn.......thats it. It comes with built in padding but i bought extra foam to fit around the entire edge of bag and fill with bubblewrap and use foam pipe wrapping once the bike is tied in. Wheels to roll the case are protected and work well to transport. Has four easy open/close locks. Its probably the most expensive out there but I figure should be able to resell used if I need to. Bought mine from ProBikeKit.......who is still selling for just over $700 versus other places still trying to sell for $1400. There are reviews by BikeRadar and others on YouTube. I've transported 9 times with no problems....great case if you have the budget. Mine weighs 47 lbs when packed. Let me know if any other questions.
Last edited by: gphin305: Aug 25, 13 8:04
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I flew with United, they broke my front brake on my bike when I travelled with it as well.

I gave instructions that if TSA opens the Bikn'd case, they will need to ensure the bladders are inflated. The response from the agent, we have it 100% covered, we see these 'things' (raised an eyebrow, things?) all the time.

Paid $135 to fly it with me to Denver, 1/2 full flight and paid $85 on the way home, full flight. On my flight to Denver I asked how they charge, the response, it's a flat fee. If the flight is full you may pay a $25 surcharge because of how full the flight is.... That doesn't make sense based on how I was charged.


Came home, front brake bent by the RT pad, handlebars (that helped bend the brake shoe), ruined and completely bent. The one side of the bladder completely flat and a lovely TSA note in the bag.

When I called, they were unresponsive, unprofessional and their final conclusion. 'Your bike may have been damaged, that's not our fault, what you can be assured of, by us checking the bags we ensure the safety of every Amerrrrican citizen. (PS I'm Canadian).

Super disappointing. That's all.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [gphin305] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Do you think you could fit an aerohelmet in with the bike? I normally put the helmet in a case and drop it in my TriAll3 case b/c it would take up half a suitcase otherwise.

Thanks for your help!
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Ironma'am] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Ironma'am wrote:
Do you think you could fit an aerohelmet in with the bike? I normally put the helmet in a case and drop it in my TriAll3 case b/c it would take up half a suitcase otherwise.

Thanks for your help!
Yes, room for helmet and probably some other stuff as well. I prefer to fill the extra space with bubble wrap but there should be no problem.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [gphin305] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm convinced. It just so happens that I got a discount code from ProBikeKit today for 10% off. At 650, it sounds like good insurance for a nice frame with Di2.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Ironma'am] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Ironma'am wrote:
I'm convinced. It just so happens that I got a discount code from ProBikeKit today for 10% off. At 650, it sounds like good insurance for a nice frame with Di2.
Thats a great price......especially considering what others sell it for. You should be very happy with it. Good luck.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
That is great to hear, especially since I have USAA also. ;-)

I was surprised when I called them to add a rider on our policy for our wedding rings, that I couldn't get a rider for our bikes (that cost more). They said that they would be covered by the normal homeowners policy.

.
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Trigirl357] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
A few years ago, I flew out to tahoe for a snowboarding trip and had just purchased a brand new high end snowboard... Flew out fine and did great on the mountain.. then few back to san diego and I waited forever for my snowboard which was packed in a soft case... I knew something had to be wrong.. well the southwest worker looks at me cause he sees im looking for my snowboard and he makes a gesture with his hands indicating that the snowboard snapped in half. I remember in the Sacramento airport, Southwest had made me sign a waiver that they werent liable for any damage to the luggage.. so I thought my brand new, used once, $800 snowboard was a goner... well, southwest ended up writing me a check on the spot. I just had to log into my email and print them a receipt since I ordered it online. And on top of that, I told them because I brought the snowboard, bindings and boots, I was able to get 10% off the snowboard.. For the replacement snowboard, I wouldn't be able to get that 10% off again so I wanted to get the full retail value refunded... the guy said no problem and immediately printed a check..

Now that is what I call customer service!

Okay so this story doesnt have to do with bikes but I think depending on the airline, they can make it right, or they can screw you over!!! BTW, I had a very bad experience with United last year when I few out to Kansas for a deer hunting trip, and they flew my luggage to Pennsylvania by mistake :(
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [3Aims] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
+1
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I agree it is a serious problem. I flew 6 times with my bike this year in the US. ALL 6 times my triall3 was opened and a note left by TSA. 5/6 times it was repacked extremely poorly with some damage. Actually TSA and I were lucky as 3-4 times they didn't even close all the latches or close the locks.
The worst was on return from Oceanside....the top of the case was only attached by the 2 straps that go around......not one one of the latches or locks were done up!!!!! Very upsetting when you consider there is 12k of bikes, wheels and equipment in that box!
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [KP-NJ] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
KP-NJ wrote:
A case will only protect your bike if it is packed correctly. You yourself may pack it perfectly, but I seriously doubt that TSA is going to take that same care when repacking after an inspection. I opened my TriAll3 case last year at Florida 70.3 after flying with United from Newark to find that none of the straps had been fastened around my bike. I basically had a big box full of loose bike parts...I just got lucky that nothing was broken. For that trip I decided to send it home via UPS...more expensive, but much safer. I've decided that it's TriBike Transport or races that I can drive to only for me. Definitely not worth the risk.

x2
Quote Reply
Re: United Airlines severely damaged tribike and refuses to pay. [125mph] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
125mph wrote:
A few years ago, I flew out to tahoe for a snowboarding trip and had just purchased a brand new high end snowboard... Flew out fine and did great on the mountain.. then few back to san diego and I waited forever for my snowboard which was packed in a soft case... I knew something had to be wrong.. well the southwest worker looks at me cause he sees im looking for my snowboard and he makes a gesture with his hands indicating that the snowboard snapped in half. I remember in the Sacramento airport, Southwest had made me sign a waiver that they werent liable for any damage to the luggage.. so I thought my brand new, used once, $800 snowboard was a goner... well, southwest ended up writing me a check on the spot. I just had to log into my email and print them a receipt since I ordered it online. And on top of that, I told them because I brought the snowboard, bindings and boots, I was able to get 10% off the snowboard.. For the replacement snowboard, I wouldn't be able to get that 10% off again so I wanted to get the full retail value refunded... the guy said no problem and immediately printed a check..

Now that is what I call customer service!

Okay so this story doesnt have to do with bikes but I think depending on the airline, they can make it right, or they can screw you over!!! BTW, I had a very bad experience with United last year when I few out to Kansas for a deer hunting trip, and they flew my luggage to Pennsylvania by mistake :(

As good as that experience is I'm doubtful it'll occur with a 5k tribike damaged.
Quote Reply

Prev Next