As of last week, United still charges $150 each way for bike. If you don't declare it's a bike, it would be even more expensive as they will charge you oversize luggage fee of $200. For that reason alone, I stopped flying United if I can.

Oh Fleck, the unwritten rule is NEVER FLY UNITED.

Oh Fleck, the unwritten rule is NEVER FLY UNITED.


Generally speaking, "Yes".

We booked this on points and the timing, connections and availability at the time meant that, this was the "best" option when I did that. So while we will pay next to nothing for our flights, it's going to be a bit costly for the bikes! ;-)

Here's the weird thing about United flights out of Pearson Airport in Toronto. United is partnered with Air Canada. Sometimes, on one connection or stop-over flights you are on a United flight, but you Check-In with Air Canada at Pearson because the first leg of the flight is operated by Air Canada! In this case, you would only pay the set AC bike fee of $50.

That's normally been the case when we go to Kona - it's a United flight that we bought, but we go AC to LAX and then get on a United flight to Kona, and we have only paid $50 for the bikes all the way to Kona!

Are you still with me . . . .

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Two points I want to share with you:

1. batteries
I had an annoying experience at a check-in counter of Condor (a European airline) As I run Campagnolo ESP they did not like the battery. In the end I was lucky and they let it through.
After some research I found out that in principle you are not allowed to have any batteries in checked in luggage I think with any airline. You can take it in hand luggage if the capacity is <100 Wh, which is generally the case for such batteries.
With Campagnolo it is difficult to demount the battery. Although my trip this week to Kona is with Lufthansa and United I will demount the battery and mount it again in Kona anyway because I want to avoid any problems beforehand.

2. stem
I demount the stem from the fork to fold the cockpit such over the frame that it fits in my bike case, leaving all the cables. If you do not secure the fork-bearings the bearing balls can fall all over the place. A friend of mine had that-> he could not ride the bike when he arrived and tried to mount the stem again.
What I do is mount a dummy stem for travel such that the fork bearings stay in a defined state.

Not sure if it is available in the US, but I have found that Armaflex pipe lagging is pretty good for extra protection for your bike frame. You can buy it in different diameters (obviously for different sized pipe), but also in various wall thicknesses. It is like a very high density neoprene type rubber. It's pretty cheap too.

If your flight to an EU country is delayed you can claim drinks, meals, and possible up to 600e. I’ve been delayed on this trip to 70.3WC both coming and now going. I will file my claims and report back

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http://www.TriScottsdale.org

Something that terrifies me about flying my bike in/from the US.. I've heard some horror stories about the TSA opening up bike boxes and damaging the bikes either during the search or by repacking them very poorly.

Anyone know how to avoid this or is it just an inherent risk of flying with expensive things?

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Too old to go pro but doing it anyway
http://instagram.com/tgarvey4

if one were to read my review of the B&W bike box II, i add some tips on how i pack, and i have a pair of 20mm headset spacers i insert in place of the stem. that's the "dummy stem." if your friend is losing ball bearings it's time to buy a new bike ;-) i haven't had a bike with a headset that uses loose bearings in 20 or 25 years.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

ask TSA to inspect the box while you're present. i've done this. i open the case, let them inspect, close the case.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Way back in the day when I flew with a clamshell I could almost be guaranteed some lazy TSA agent would rifle through my box, throw it all back in and cause some sort of damage or lose small parts. This happened while standing next to an agent at LAX and telling him how to pack it!

Years later I bought my EVOC which only has one proper way to pack. No more issues! Well.. once they did spill all my small parts into the main compartment. Thankfully they were all there when I arrived.

I stopped using the Trico Ironcase because of the repacking issues with TSA (however do still use it with bikeflights) and use my EVOC bike bag now (usually left this for the MTB and used the other for road and tri). Over the many times I have travelled I have realized there are a few things that seem to make life easy for TSA and ultimately me, but it is always a risk for sure.

1) Don't overpack the case: Bike, tools, maybe spare tube or the like, helmet and shoes. Keep as much visible when they open it.

2) Transparency: Try to minimize the use of the zipper pockets unless, like the EVOC, it has on that has a transparent window which is where I try to put most of the "hard" items like tools. Soft items I will either put in a large ziplock bag or put in the pockets. I remove my saddle as well, not necessarily need for the EVOC (and sometime it "slouches") but makes it easy for them to look down into the frame without removing the bike.

3) Bubble wrap and zip ties: I pretty much do this around the bike. Bring cutters for arrival and extra ties for return. I use the bubble wrap versus other items like pipe insulation because it is clear and they can see through it.

4) CO2 Cartridges: People say you can pack them, others say you can't and there will be a fine. I buy them wherever I am if needed and give them to a local when I leave, and usually gets paid forward when I am the local and others are traveling by air. Most of the TSA people, I think, will realize these will be in the bike bags on the saddle, so I put that right in the middle on tip of the bike - easy to find - and just use one of the velcro strips to attache to case so it does not bounce around.

5) Strap It: Not sure of the other cases but key for me on the EVOC is the bike is strapped to one side, so the bag can be opened and everything stays in place (unlike the Ironcase). I make sure everything is strapped (bike, helmet, shoes, etc.). For me this avoids the repacking risk as they can see everything in the bag easily.

Hope that helps.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

because i can't leave well enough alone i shot off an email to United's media relations dept this morning. i'll let you know what they say. i'm also going to next poll our readers on whether, really, they're likely to change airline alliances as a result of baggage policies. this is sometimes just not possible. could be that the airport you use is tied to a specific hub, or is a hub. hard for chicagoans to not use united. hard for dallas folk to not use american. and so on.

however, in socal, i switched from united (where i'd been for decades) to american. i did so out of true love. my wife was a longtime american traveler so what was really inconvenient was for us to be loyal to different airlines. it was pretty pain free, as it turned out. so, we'll be polling this.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Aren’t there CO2 cartridges under every seat for the inflatable life jacket? Is it a pressure issue in the hold?

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

It’s basically the same with whatever partner you fly with,return out of Munich 300$ euros, out of Kamloops bc with AC 150$cad. I could go on.

But before that, the number one way to lower bike fees is to be the nicest person possible and then some to the check in staff. Basically these people get shit on non-stop their full shift.

Maurice

Well I'm still wondering what you paid for bags, since that box counts as two bags.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

i'm not following you. can you rephrase?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I have no idea of the technical risk. However, I do know some items are allowed to be in the cabin but not in checked luggage. I don’t think it is a pressure thing as much as the ability to address an issue in person - example a battery fire. Like those Away bags with the built in battery, which I think now are checked to be removed when boarding. Best guess.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

So I'm looking at the bag fee matrix on Delta and the excess bag fees here.

Domestic:
Bag 1-$30
Bag 2-$70
Excess
Bag 3-$150
Bags 4-10 - $200 each

So my point here is that if you fly with the B&W Box II it's likely going to cost you $230 on Delta in bag fees within the US and Canada.

Now examining flights to Europe
Bag 1- Gratis
Bag 2- $100
Excess
bag 3-10 - $285 Each

So is it actually worth taking two boxes instead of just a soft-bag or a hard case that comes in under 50lbs was why I had my original question. Because looking at it, I'm still saving myself $310 flying on Southwest even though I'm paying $75 each way if I'm traveling to a race domestically.

That's probably clear as mud.

ETA: Ummmm, nevermind, confusion cleared up.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I'm thoroughly confused as to where you draw the conclusion that the box counts as two separate checked bags. It could be that I'm an idiot, which is always a safe assumption.

This all said, after the death of our beloved Pika Packworks EEP, I'm leaning towards the EVOC for our next purchase.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Looking back at that article...I was looking at the size and definitely thought that was two boxes for one bike based on the size. So I didn't dig in as much, so it's one box per bike. Then that removes basically everything I wrote about fees...carry on!

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

The answer is it depends on whether they are regulated under cfr

I can travel with a loaded avy bag cylinder as it has a pressure release valve and won't blow a plane up

Smaller bike cylinders don't have a release valve

It's simply not worth the hassle

I think's its likely that those canisters are "aerospace certified". Even though the difference of a couple PSI is HIGHLY unlikely to cause an off-the-shelf canister to fail, the FAA would want to see some process control/ design info to ensure the factor of safety is sufficient.

Worth pointing out if you have a Delta credit card, the first checked bag is free (assuming it is not overweight / oversize).

I have the SciCon AeroComfort 3.0 TSA. I have used hard-sided clam-shells and for me, the biggest advantage the SciCon offers is allowing me to keep the cockpit/handlebars attached (as the associated wiring and hydraulic lines). IMO, the TSA, and not the airline, will be your biggest enemy of travelling. I have never been successful in getting a TSA agent to stop what they are doing and inspect by bike bag prior to departure. The bikes I travel with have skewers and thru-axles and the TSA have no idea how to operate thru-axles. Most of the time, the skewed wheel is detached and not put back in properly. It hasn't led to damage but allow for more movement within the bag.

I also travel with discs removed, derailleur detached and placed within the triangle, wheels with sealant aired down to 15-20psi (enough the retain the bead seal).

The Lezyne Travel floor drive pump is awesome - https://ride.lezyne.com/...ucts/1-fp-tfldr-v206

When I flew United "internationally" from PHL to YVR I was stuck with $200 usd for an over sized bag (Pika pack works) as well as $35 b/c it was my 2nd bag. Luckily my bike bag was not over weight. Year was 2015 so possibly out of date.

Return trip was Air Canada, with low fees. Issue was 1st leg was domestic YYC to YUL and the bike bag didn't fit through their scanner, so I had to unpack it to send piece by piece, and they weren't satisfied with the derailleur in the little padded derailleur bag, so I had to take that out too, now dangling by the cable. I got to get all greasy and try to carefully repack it all sitting on the floor of bag check. Not really a fun experience. And I wasn't careful enough. Contents shifted, helmet got scratched and spoke was broken in transit.

PS, paying an over sized fee for a 48 cm P2C on 650 wheels, which literally swam in that giant "size small" Pika bag, rubbed me a bit wrong. Ruster is also much to big for my 48 slice, so I just picked up an Airport Ninja Sub 62. Neat bag (finally a non-swimmy fit), but super heavy and requires bike origami.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.