I am ready to order a wheelcase for my racing wheels. I need to bring them on the plane, to Phoenix. Can I just order the soft case and bring them as a carry on? Anyone ever done that? I am afraid they won’t let me on with it…
I brought a Nimble Crosswind back from Vancouver to England with British Airways as a carry on and not a word was said. You must, however, be prepared for them to take it from you for safe stowage when you find it doesn’t fit in the overhead lockers 
what a sweeet plan…break down my Softride into something that fits their baggage requirements and carry the wheels on…no extra fees for it being a bike…suckers will never know the difference.
BA don’t charge extra for your bike, as long as it stays in your weight allowance. The downside is that if anything goes wrong you are only covered to the normal luggage limit as you have paid for it as such.
Our airline makes you gate-check it, providing that you can even get it through the security checkpoints nowadays. A gate-check will see it into the cargo hold last, so that it doesn’t get crushed by all the other bags, and it’ll be one of the first things back up in the jetway when you get off.
But like I said; good luck trying to get it through security and then make it fit in the little bin-size contraption at the ticket counters.
Tony
I assume you mean the wheel, Tony? I had the wheelcase shecked and X rayed by security fine, the hostess was quite happy to stow it safely during take off and landing and (as I had a window seat) returned it to me during the flight.
We’re kind of funny about stuff like that in the cabin, though we did let a guy carry his Yamaha keyboard onto our Maui-Honolulu-Portland flight last night. He had no case, or anything, and we don’t normally let them carry stuff like than onboard, but he promised to provide free in-flight entertainment 
I just checked with a few of my gate agents, and they all said that they make a case-by-case call on that. If it’s in a hardshell case and it’s bulky, they said they generally make the passenger check it at the gate. If it’s just the wheel itself, they’ll let the passenger bring it onboard and the cabin crew will stow it somewhere until arrival.
Tony
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If it’s just the wheel itself, they’ll let the passenger bring it onboard and the cabin crew will stow it somewhere until arrival. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
& that’s pretty much what happened. I think it will help Marisol. Personally, I would ring the airline first to find what is acceptable before travelling.
Yes, I just want to bring the 2 wheels, maybe in a soft case that is wheel size? I don’t want to get stuck with having to check it, they will ruin it! I might buy a hard case and check it in all together for safety… you are right about the security… forgot about them… not sure the wheels fit in the x-ray machine… or else I guess I can bubble wrap them and put them in a cardboard box and check that?
I put mine in a soft wheelbag, which I unzipped at customs for them to view. It then went through the X ray machine ok and I walked it to the a/c. If you know who you are travelling with, ring the Airline to check on their policy (taking the name of the agent for future reference if necessary) and then buy the wheelbag or hard case as necessary.
If they don’t fit you can request a hand-search and they’ll also do an ETD (explosive trace detection) test on it, too.
Then, just go to the gate and ask that they stow it in the cabin, or barring that, that they gate-check it last. That way, the ramp guys downstairs will stow it in the cargo bins last, and they won’t get damaged. Plus, they’ll be one of the first things brought back up to the jetway at your destination. If you’re changing planes, just have them gate-check to your intermediate stop, collect them, and then do the same thing when you get on the next flight to your final destination.
If you buy a hardcase, it’ll be too bulky to carry in the cabin, generally. Call your airline’s contact phone number and try to arrange for a notation to be put into your “passenger name record” (PNR) that will tell the gate agent and the ticket counter that you’ll be needing special handling for your item.
T.
Mike Tobin, gave me the idea to use a hard golf case. I break it down, put the frame, beam, bars, wetsuit, shoes and all other race gear in the golf case, and have a separate wheelbag. I have never been questioned what was in the bag.
Another trick I have learned was to make two disks out of thin tag-board. I use these to protect my disk wheel. This took me two zipp 909 wheels to figure out.