Please help me find a cheap bike bag

maxwellg said:

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap it
in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

The only cheap ones I know of are only suitable for French trains.

Where do you live. I have a good quality padded bag I could loan if you can collect.

Reply here please if you are interested - I don't monitor my *gonzalez* email account. I'm away
until Tuesday.
--
remove remove to reply

Gonzalez <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

maxwellg said:

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap
it in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

The only cheap ones I know of are only suitable for French trains.

Where do you live. I have a good quality padded bag I could loan if you can collect.

Reply here please if you are interested - I don't monitor my *gonzalez* email account. I'm away
until Tuesday.
--
remove remove to reply

I live in Newcastle Upon Tyne, a Geordie by all accounts.

Thank you for your kind offer. I'm only nipping over to Jersey (Channel Islands), just so you know I
won't be dragging your bag through the Sahara or anything ;-)

max.

In message <[email hidden]>, maxwellg
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I would like some help in finding a cheap bike bag, so I can take my bike (Specialized Mountain
Bike, 'normal size'😉 on the plane. I have an extremely tight budget to work with.

I've been told by the flight operator that I need to put the handle bars in (straight), remove the
pedals, and take off the front wheel and attach it somehow to the frame, then as far as they are
concerned just wrap it in bin bags.

However, I've had run-in's with flight operators in the past, what they say is one thing, what they
actually do is quite another. I have this vision of getting to the airport with my newly wrapped
'bin bagged bike'(tm) and have them laughing hysterically as I'm being shown the exit. So I feel a
bike bag may be a safe bet.

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap it
in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

Thanks very much for any help.

max.

If you look in google groups you will find lots of recommendations for putting bikes on planes.
Garry Lee has flown a lot with his bike and this is what he said in a recent report of a trip
to Sardinia.

Quoted message said:

We only take off pedals and turn bars. This I believe is the safest way to transport or ship as the
Yanks say, a bike. Putting in a box is a recipe for a large elephant to be plonked on top of it.

Garry's theory seems to be that if it looks like luggage it gets treated like luggage, if it looks
like a bike it gets handled properly. Many people get a box (wrapping from a new bike) from their
LBS. Problem is that they don't have the box coming back. Others put pipe lagging around the tubes.
It seems sensible to leave the wheels free to turn so that the handlers can push the bike rather
than manhandle it.
--
Michael MacClancy

maxwellg said:

I live in Newcastle Upon Tyne, a Geordie by all accounts.

I Live in South East London, so unless you're flying from London City Airport it's a non starter.
--
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"maxwellg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I would like some help in finding a cheap bike bag, so I can take my bike (Specialized Mountain
Bike, 'normal size'😉 on the plane. I have an extremely tight budget to work with.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap
it in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

Thanks very much for any help.

max.

Never tried it Max but I reckon you'd get away with a large cardboard box from your local Currys or
whatever, like ex-fridge/freezer or something. You could even fashion it to have handles through the
frame so everyone knows which way up / how to carry it. Also see if they've got any spare bubblewrap
for padding ;-) HTH Dave.

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

"maxwellg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I would like some help in finding a cheap bike bag, so I can take my bike (Specialized Mountain
Bike, 'normal size'😉 on the plane. I have an extremely tight budget to work with.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap
it in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

Thanks very much for any help.

max.

Never tried it Max but I reckon you'd get away with a large cardboard box from your local Currys
or whatever, like ex-fridge/freezer or something. You could even fashion it to have handles
through the frame so everyone knows which way up / how to carry it. Also see if they've got any
spare bubblewrap for padding ;-) HTH Dave.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm going to head down to the LBS for a chat about packing bikes.

max.

Gonzalez <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

maxwellg said:

I live in Newcastle Upon Tyne, a Geordie by all accounts.

I Live in South East London, so unless you're flying from London City Airport it's a non starter.
--
remove remove to reply

Thanks for your offer anyway Gonzalez, very kind.

max.

"maxwellg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I would like some help in finding a cheap bike bag, so I can take my bike (Specialized Mountain
Bike, 'normal size'😉 on the plane. I have an extremely tight budget to work with.

I've been told by the flight operator that I need to put the handle bars

in

Quoted message said:

(straight), remove the pedals, and take off the front wheel and attach it somehow to the frame,
then as far as they are concerned just wrap it in

bin

Quoted message said:

bags.

However, I've had run-in's with flight operators in the past, what they

say

Quoted message said:

is one thing, what they actually do is quite another. I have this vision

of

Quoted message said:

getting to the airport with my newly wrapped 'bin bagged bike'(tm) and

have

Quoted message said:

them laughing hysterically as I'm being shown the exit. So I feel a bike bag may be a safe bet.

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap
it in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

Thanks very much for any help.

max.

My cheap solution is very cheap sleeping bags (as wide as you can get them, and obviously not mummy
shaped) plus heavy duty polythene, and some bubble wrap for delicate bits. I have a proper bag for
my own bike, but the economy version has worked well for other family members. Lots of gaffer tape
is required for the outer polythene layer - don't forget to have some available for the home
journey, and use lots of polythene so that when it gets ripped undone you still have enough left
undamaged for return journey. Even if you pay to leave all the packing at the airport (shove it all
into one bag - they charge per item, however big it is), it is still a cheap option. One last thing
- if you put a large label on it stating that it is a bike, you never know someone might read it and
treat it accordingly. Jo

"Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

"maxwellg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I would like some help in finding a cheap bike bag, so I can take my bike (Specialized Mountain
Bike, 'normal size'😉 on the plane. I have an extremely tight budget to work with.

I've been told by the flight operator that I need to put the handle bars

in

Quoted message said:

(straight), remove the pedals, and take off the front wheel and attach it somehow to the frame,
then as far as they are concerned just wrap it in

bin

Quoted message said:

bags.

However, I've had run-in's with flight operators in the past, what they

say

Quoted message said:

is one thing, what they actually do is quite another. I have this vision

of

Quoted message said:

getting to the airport with my newly wrapped 'bin bagged bike'(tm) and

have

Quoted message said:

them laughing hysterically as I'm being shown the exit. So I feel a bike bag may be a safe bet.

Has anyone taken their bike on holiday and can maybe tell me how they got on? Should I just wrap
it in bin bags? Should I buy a bike bag? And if so, which (cheap) one?

Thanks very much for any help.

max.

My cheap solution is very cheap sleeping bags (as wide as you can get them, and obviously not
mummy shaped) plus heavy duty polythene, and some bubble wrap for delicate bits. I have a proper
bag for my own bike, but the economy version has worked well for other family members. Lots of
gaffer tape is required for the outer polythene layer
- don't forget to have some available for the home journey, and use lots of polythene so that when
it gets ripped undone you still have enough left undamaged for return journey. Even if you pay
to leave all the packing at the airport (shove it all into one bag - they charge per item,
however big it is), it is still a cheap option. One last thing - if you put a large label on it
stating that it is a bike, you never know someone might read it and treat it accordingly. Jo

Thanks Jo, I had a chat with the LBS bloke and he said the same as you about putting the word bike
in big letters on the outer wrapping, you never know he said someone might take notice.

But he was also telling me about having to fix peoples bikes after they have landed because the
baggage handlers have literally bounced it down the runway.

I took a strong leather suitcase over to Jersey last year and when I picked it up at the airport it
had a huge rip in one side, christ knows what they were doing with it, probaly used it as a chock
for the front wheel of the airplane at some point, no doubt.

max.