What do u do with the bike boxes ?

WHile I've been on some long trips before I have always had someone to pick me up, take care of the
bike boxes, etc once I arrived and hold till I left.

What do you rail/bus/plane savy folks do about with the boxes once you've arrived as an "orphan" in
a strange land?

Thanks

 

For some time I've been collecting information on user experiences taking bikes on planes, trains,
buses, boats, etc. There's lots of stuff on rentals, folding bikes, boxing, airlines, and railroads
around the world and how to ride in/out of about 150 airports.

See it at http://www.BikeAccess.net

Several people have sent in notes about that. Most make a deal with a nearby hotel for first and
last night and keep the boxes in between. I've done that myself. A very few airports may still have
left-luggage depots. Many RR stations do. I have also just trashed a cardboard box and acquired
another one for the return or take the return "naked."

George

Dave Miller wrote:
> WHile I've been on some long trips before I have always had someone to pick me up, take care of
> the bike boxes, etc once I arrived and hold till I left.
>
> What do you rail/bus/plane savy folks do about with the boxes once you've arrived as an "orphan"
> in a strange land?
>
> Thanks

 

Dave:

This is what we have done:-

If you use a cardboard bike box (from your LBS), then the easiest thing is to tear or cut it up and
throw it out where you assemble the bike. On the return either get another from a local LBS (you
don't say where you are going, but these are pretty thick on the ground), or use the plastic that
airlines will give you for the naked bike.

If you have a "real" bike box (i.e. one you want back), stay in a hotel the first night. Call ahead
and make sure this hotel will keep your bike boxes for the duration and return to that hotel when
you head off. Some camp sites may well do this too.

I should point out that the cardboard bike boxes will only "probably" protect your bike; i.e. expect
the possibility of having to repair your bike when you arrive.

... Greg Shannan

<Dave Miller> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> WHile I've been on some long trips before I have always had someone to pick me up, take care of
> the bike boxes, etc once I arrived and hold till I left.
>
> What do you rail/bus/plane savy folks do about with the boxes once you've arrived as an "orphan"
> in a strange land?
>
> Thanks

 

I had a tough time finding a box in my home city that was large enough, because I have a 25"
frame. With so many people riding MTB there are not many boxes large enough. I was therefore
concerned about abandoning my box in Vienna - how would I find another in a city where I do not
know the stores?

Never-the-less I did abandon it because I was not staying overnight in Vienna. When I arrived back
16 days later I found an excellent bike shop and they gave me a large box. I thought it was too
small but the owner gave me a tip I had never been given in Toronto, turn the forks backwards. I had
known to remove the handlebars and front wheel, but by removing the front fender and reversing the
forks, the box does not need to be as long.

Somebody else mentioned using a bag supplied by the airline. While Austrial Airlines is
bike-friendly and said they would take the bike as-is, they did not have bags to supply. I believe
some airlines insist on boxes.

Ken Dave Miller <> wrote:

>
>WHile I've been on some long trips before I have always had someone to pick me up, take care of the
>bike boxes, etc once I arrived and hold till I left.
>
>What do you rail/bus/plane savy folks do about with the boxes once you've arrived as an "orphan" in
>a strange land?
>
>Thanks

Ken Brown, Toronto Canada Ontario Rail Trails: http://webhome.idirect.com/~brown delete "nospam" if
replying via e-mail

 

Thanks to all - I'm sure I can get at least one of the ideas to work for me!

 

If you unpack it at the airport, my experience has been that you can leave it right there.
Hopefully, they will recycle it. A few years ago, I called US Airways in the Bozeman, MT airport
to make sure they had a bike box available and they had saved some previously used ones to give
out at no cost.

Wayne

www.AdkBikes.com - Adirondack Bike Touring Pages www.AdkPaddles.com - Adirondack Canoe and
Kayak Pages

Dave Miller wrote:

> WHile I've been on some long trips before I have always had someone to pick me up, take care of
> the bike boxes, etc once I arrived and hold till I left.
>
> What do you rail/bus/plane savy folks do about with the boxes once you've arrived as an "orphan"
> in a strange land?
>
> Thanks