taking bike on a plane AND bus



ilovman

New Member
Mar 23, 2004
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I am going to the Isle of Man for almost 3 weeks and will feel lost without my bike so am planning on taking it along (especially since I am training for a really big ride). I will be flying BA (British Airways) and am wondering what the best method to pack my bike would be. I have read some don't bother with hard shells or any casing for that matter but just how safe will this be for my baby??? I do have to get from Heathrow to Gatwick on the bus and was told by the bus company that it will be up to the descretion of the driver whether he will take the bike. I feel my chances will be better if it is NOT in a big gox/shell but then i worry about damage. What should i do??? Maybe just take my pedals and ride whatever I can find there? But I want MY bike!!! HELP!!!! :eek: Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
I am in the same boat. I'll be taking BA in the Ireland, England, Scotland area and have no idea how to take a bike travelling! Help us out! :eek:
 
When are you going? At some point while on the IOM I (along with a friend) will be taking a ferry to Belfast and biking the 108 miles to Dublin and ferry back to IOM (or vise versa). I will also as I said need to do serious training for this ride in the summer.
I am not too worried about my bike on the plane. It is the bus that is my main concern. Being on a tight budget i want to avoid having to take a taxi or rent a car just to get from one airport to the other but I think I will be pushing my luck (or my bike :eek: ) with a big package on the bus.
I guess I could always bike from Gatwick to Heathrow!!!!
 
Well, here it is. I am going on an internation exchange with my Univeristy to either Ireland or Australia. I am not 100% accepted, but I am assuming I am so I can begin planning. I am hoping for Ireland.

Here is the thing. I have never travelled in my life. I never had the opportunity as a child as my parents were not into travelling. Now that I am of an age where I can do this on my own, I am!

I was going to take a place into London and then take a bus to Scotland. Then the fairy from Scotland to Ireland, where I will have to take another bus down to Limerick. I have no defiante plans as of yet, but have considered bringing along my bike. I will either be leaving this Sept-Dec, or Jan-Apr.

I'll keep you posted. The bus is a big concern for me as well.
 
We have an office in Woking and another in Reading, both of which are over near Heathrow. In the past I have flown into Gatwick and caught a train between the offices, so there may actually be a train that goes from Gatwick to Heathrow direct. If you are really concerned about the bus, you can catch a train from Gatwick into town (sorry, can't remember the name of the station), then another train out to Heathrow and stay off buses completely. The trains all have fairly large size storage areas at the doors for luggage, and you may be able to sit your bike there for the journey.

I would stay away from taxis as much as possible - I have never had a bad experience in a London cab, but unless your dad is Bill Gates you may be sacrificing your next born to pay for the ride.
 
The best bet for you folks (and i am not being sarcastic) is to contact the carriers directly. They all have different polices and procedures and they are constantly reviewing these.

Their websites are easy to find and so is thier contact emails and phone numbers....better safe than sorry.