I’m thinking of taking my race wheels (808s + PT hub) with me as luggage on my trip for the NYC Oly race this weekend. I’m flying Alaska Air round trip non-stop Seattle ↔ Newark (there’s a long story that I won’t go into here about why Newark instead of JFK / LaGuardia, and why I didn’t pack the race wheels with the bike I had shipped to the hotel in NYC ).
I’m thinking of packing them this way:
bubble wrap wheels
put wheels in wheel bag - separate compartments fro each wheel
get a wheelset shipping box and put the wheelbag in there (a suggestion from a friend that used to work in a bike shop)
3 layers of protection seems like enough, but I’ve not done this before. Anybody have any success or horror stories to share?
Chris
What does the wheelset shipping box look like. I’ve gotten wheels from Mavic before and they use cardboard similar in thickness to a bike box and drop in an additional layer each side. I might go the same route and cut a few 1x1s to put in the box as a spreader to keep the box from getting crushed fron the side. Add this to your bubble wrap and you are set. Remember - think it was Tri-all sports or something that had a PVC case for wheels. Figure $300 spend on a $3K wheelset is not a bad investment. Also great for shipping you kit to the races and re-using. Safe travels.
I haven’t picked up the box yet so apart from being sufficient size to put a wheelbag in, I’m not sure of anything else about the box. Your suggestion about additional support to keep the box from being crushed is a good one, though. Thanks.
Chris
We fly with a PVC wheelbox. (“Tri all 3” brand?) It is insize and we have never been charged extra for it. With the luggage fees today we do get charged the regular baggage fee. It holds 3 wheels plus some light gear. I think Joe won it at IM California, so that tells you how well it has held up to travel over the years. Well worth the investment.