and maybe they would charge even more because of weight?
To my experience, this depends on the airline, but in general oversized is oversized and bike case is bike case (within reasonable limits).
But don’t worry, they are gonna hit you with the weight penalty.
In general it will be cheaper to use a 2 bike case compared to 2 single cases.
T-Racer and I have an All3Sports double case. Only once were we charged for two bikes and that was because we were over the airline’s allowable weight limit. As long as your under the weight limit, you’ll only get charged for one bike…at least, that has been our experience and we’ve travelled quite a bit with it. Remember though, airline’s weight restrictions vary and with two bikes and the bike case, you’re already pretty close to the limit.
I will second ShawnF’s experience. I have used the All3sports dual case ( http://www.all3sports.com/product_info.php?pName=tri-all-3-sports-velo-safe-ii-proseries&osCsid=b92eb5a9bf4b368786422ac728ae0807 )for a few years and have only been charged the standard $75 bike charge (Continental & USAirways domestic flights). I have never had any issues with the weight but I pack non-bike items (e.g. saddle bags, pedals, tools, etc) in a separate bag. Besides, it is quite a challenge to fit 2 bikes and 2 wheel sets in that case so there is not much extra room anyway. A better idea would be to put the wheels in a hard-cover wheel bag. Expect the TSA to open it up so if it can be repacked incorrectly, they will do it.
I never tell the ticket agent that there are 2 bikes in the case and they never bother to ask.
If you use the All3sports case, make sure that the plane is large enough to take the case. A lot of airlines are using smaller regional jets and I don’t think they can carry the larger case.
I have a www.triall3sports.com VeloSafe II and have only been charged for 1 bike, even when the case weighed 75 lbs.
not really related but I just flew Delta to Vegas from Buffalo and back and I didn’t get charged either way for the bike box. I suspect it MAY have been because I only checked one bag and the box. Not sure, but they didn’t even bat an eye at the size. It was weighed but it was well under the weight limit.
Eric -
Why would you want to carry two bikes to a race?
I haven’t brought two bikes for myself to any race, but I have traveled with another athlete frequently. 
Got it. Did you race the 'cross state champs? If so, how did you do?
The CX State Champs were excellent. It was cold, but not too bad. The course suited me, not too technical, with a fair bit of road, and some long grassy sections. I’ll put up a full race report in a little bit, but long story short. I got to the front and worked with another guy to gap the 3rd place rider. We hammered pretty hard and then I was able to drop him on the last lap.
Nice work. I started racing cross this year and most courses on the West side were a total mud bath. Even the Tailwind race in A2 I did was pretty muddy. The mountain guys sure have an advantage over me in such regard.
You did Veteran’s Park? That course is crazy! The downhill off-camber stuff is brutal.
It seemed like there were a lot of muddy races this year. For a while it looked the the State Champs were going to be muddy and freezing with all the rain we had early in the week, and then the inches on snow they were predicting for the weekend. In the end, it was fairly mild by cross standards. The course got a little slippery in a few corners where the grass got worn away, and there was a thin layer of slick mud on top of the frozen ground.
Yes, but Veteran’s Park was mild compared to Cannonsburg Ski Area and Manhattan Park (both Grand Rapids).
That looks nuts. I don’t know if I would have liked the river crossing. That run up looks brutal also.
I thought about coming out for those races, but they conflicted with the Tailwind races over here.
I was a very interesting first year of cross for me. I learned a lot and am looking forward to next year.
Cross kicks ass. I was bummed that I only was able to do 3 races this year. Fortunately, I got back up to speed quickly.
Amen, I like it as much, if not more, than triathlon. It’s going to take some work though; and it sure exposed some weaknesses on the bike that will make me a stronger triathlete in the long run.
I think it is good to mix up the type of riding/training that you do. Too much long distance tri training can be boring. Throwing in some high intensity, variable speed, training/racing can help get you over plateaus.
If you label it as bike parts it is substantially less.
you are essentially transporting bike parts after all, just assembling them at the end…