Taking a bike bag onto an easyjey flight in June for the first time ever.

Looking for some pointers regarding your experiences with them please?

For example, am i right in thinking that my bike bag can weigh up to 32kg?

Your views and tips/pointers are much appreciated, thanks.

Used easy jet with bikes on numerous occassions and have not had any problems other than a couple of very small tears in the bag, but thats the bag handlers being clumsy.
I think you are right on the weight but triple check because you will be punished in the pocket if you are over the limit.

Used them 3 times for taking bikes twice with my mountain bike and once with a carbon road bike. been fine everytime.

i have heard they are clamping down no putting other things in the bag (armour, clothes etc) it’s supposed to be just the bike

Learn from my experience – remove your rotors, running badly bent ones tweaked back into shape for a week is no fun.

Put a spacer between the stays and wrap up the frame/chainrings well.

Print off the Ts & Cs from Easyjet site quoting weight about bikes just in case you get a PITA check in person.

Enjoy 🙂

Never had a problem with them either. In theory I think it’s just supposed to be the bike in the bag but I’ve always stuff it full of clothes as well. It’s extra padding.

+1 for the comments about making sure the bike is VERY well wrapped up/padded etc.

Turn up early to the the check in desk and be polite. I think problems only arise when you turn up with 5 minutes to go or you’re rude to them, then they just get arsey.

As above, tripple check your T&C’s, booking through easyjet was fine when I went, 20kg bag, 32kg bike bag and hand luggage. If you book through a 3rd party website its different though, so check!

A friend managed to just take a bike bag and a big rucksac of hand luggage, but suspect you could get an arsey checkin person and fall foul of having stuff in his bike bag.

If you’re feling nervous, pack the bike ina bike box, inside a bike bag, with lots of pope lagging. Mine just went in with the rotors, bar/stem and pedals off, some knee pads spaceing things out and it was fine.

What danti says ..

>>>and I always take the chain off,unbolt the rear mech and stick it inside the frame space.

I’ve spent hours sorting mine for the plane.. a threaded bar with nut in the forks and dropout. Polystyrene in the spokes, chainrings covered completely lagging on the tubes

Blimey, that’s some effort tricky. Tip for fork and drop out spacers, piece of wood with a whole drilled through it…..

Never had any problems other than a bent rotor, so I’ll be removing them from now on. Friends of mine have always been ok too. I do stick a poite notice on the bag, also in Spanish / French asking the baggage handlers to take care. You never know, it might help.

I’ve used some pipe lagging occassionally, but I dont realy know what I think I was trying to achieve.

Spare cable ties are useful, or make sure you can reuse the ones from the way out. Those luggage straps with croc clips on the end are useful for securing bars to forks/frame too.

If you have a bash guard fitted, then you’ve got one less problem to worry about….

I got a workmate with a lathe and a pillar drill to bore a hole in some dowel for a rear dropout spacer and machine me a maxle dropout spacer 😀

I also took rotors off and wrapped the frame/forks up well with pipe lagging and armour. Unbolt the rear mech and hadlebars.

No problems, but if you were to ask me for my interpretation of the T&C’s I printed off my total weight limit was increased, but not up to the 52kg limit some have suggested. Booked through the easyjet website.

As much bubble wrap as you can possibly manage all round the sides of the bike – it protects it, and also fills the bag us so they can’t see the other stuff you’ve packed in there.

Make it below the limit though – I was (financially) punished severely by Ryanair for having an overweight bag.

I’ve done it loads of times with easy jet – no problems yet.

Print and bring Ts and Cs (some check in numpties don’t understand them properly), wrap bike well, that’s it. Check it at the airport at the other end before you leave as you have to report any damage there IIRC to make a claim.

As clubber says – print the terms & conditions that state that bikes are exempt from the weight limit for sporting goods. If you search on here, you’ll find loads of links to the specific text.

I would post up a pic of my bike wrapped up, but Photobucket is down for maintenance.

basically, I took the rotors & skewers off the wheels,
rear mech off and suspended within the rear triangle in bubble wrap
pedals off and suspended in rear triangle
frame spacers front & rear
handlebar off & strapped to fork – all wrapped in bubble wrap. Forks wrapped, bars wrapped, then both wrapped together.
Whole bike covered in bubble wrap & pipe lagging. Pipe lagging is good for stanchions & shock pistons.
‘Hard white’ foam (like you get electrical stuff in) stand for forks to sit on.
‘Hard white’ foam stand for BB & Chainrings to sit on.
Bike box from Halfords cut to size & inserted inside bag for rigidity.

I then stuck in elbow & knee/shin pads, all tools, energy powder.

Bike box from Halfords cut to size & inserted inside bag for rigidity.

Ditto.. that’s what I do

trickydisco – Member

“Ditto.. that’s what I do”

The Apollo bike boxes fit perfectly inside my bag, ideal! Or would have been if Jet2’s bike weight limit wasn’t 20kg.

The PakR packaging air bags are ideal, more effective than bubble wrap for filling up spaces and they’re more durable too- I’ve been saving them from buying stuff online and I’ve got enough now to pack out my bag nicely.

Here’s the text from the link below, right at the end of section 10.

Passengers travelling with bicycles are recommended to check-in 2 hours prior to departure. Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight of the bicycle.

http://www.easyjet.com/EN/Book/regulations.html

My bike is always well wrapped with rags which I wear at the destination. 🙂

Thanks all, some good stuff here. Theres a group of us going so ill be sending the link for this thread to them to check out.

tC

For confirmation you get 20Kg Hold Baggage (if you buy it) AND up to 32Kg of sports luggage in 1 appropriate sized bag.

Flew back from Geneva with 51.98 kg last summer (knee under corner of bike back and inner tubes in pockets. Worth getting some proper scales in action before leaving and spread the load across everyone.

Best tip is to smile and be polite at check in too

Has anyone had to have extras removed from the bike bag? I’m flying out next week, with my road bike, so it should be pretty light, but it’d be worth knowing how strict they are. I’m flying from Manchester if that makes a difference.

http://www.easyjet.com/EN/Planning/baggage.html

epicyclo – Member

“My bike is always well wrapped with rags which I wear at the destination.”

I was just reading MBR’s “how to pack a bike” section, it turns out that what you need is about 20 old pairs of pants.

YOur total weight is 50 kgs if you have a piece of hold luggage and a bike bag with no one bag to weigh more than 32 kg

Each passenger is allowed a maximum hold baggage weight of 50 Kgs including any sports equipment, subject to available space. The maximum weight for any single piece of baggage is 32 kgs.
An additional non-refundable fee is charged per item per flight for the carriage of the sporting equipment as set out in the table below:

..table here..

Payment of the additional fee increases your checked-in hold baggage allowance (including additional item) to a maximum weight of 32kgs.
Where your total checked-in hold baggage weighs more than 32Kgs, normal excess baggage charges as set out above shall apply in addition to the above fee.

(1) Carriage of bicycles:

* The bicycle must be packaged in a bicycle box or bag
* Only one bicycle per bicycle box or bag will be permitted
* No other items can be carried in the bicycle box (i.e. clothing)
* The handlebars must be flush with the frame
* The pedals must be flush against the frame or remove

1st year i took mine I shoved everything in there. Pads, helmet, tubes, spares, tyres

Scaredypants your right from the bit you quote but in my post above you’ll find a link to the terms of carriage which superseed all other terms and say…

Passengers travelling with bicycles are recommended to check-in 2 hours prior to departure. Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight of the bicycle

So you get 50kg total at the cost of only the bike bag fee. This IS the correct interpretation of their rules and friends of mine have reclaimed excess fees charged on the basis you mention successfully.

agree with scardey.
32kg is max weight of all hold baggage (even if sports kit is xtra is purchased)

So whatever your bike bag weighs eg 25kg you have 7kg for a holdall. (+ a hand luggage bag – which are getting weighed sometimes too)

anything over 32kg checked in for the hold is liable to excess costs.

(anybody getting way with significantly more for free have been well lucky…1/2kg usually gets a nod)

although recently some airports are just asking you for the weight..so don’t make the bag look bulky, don’t get a hernia lifting it front of them…and be ready with a confident “realistic” weight if asked…

always found easyjet staff ok, never a bad experience, a smile and being pleasant goes a long way, even some basic French/Spanish to greet the staff on the other side for the return really helps. bike bag always in good nick…

travel with my bike on average twice a year…no fear..

agree with all the above for packing. knee and elbow pads, foam lagging, braces for drop outs, unhitch rear mech, rotors off, drop tyre pressures a tad and maybe air shock/forks if you want, stuff in maybe a camelback, waterproof etc..

steveh: interesting to know that is the genuine interp. I’ve found it varies at point of use…but not for a while…

maybe thats why they’re not weighing them at check in so much now…good to know cheers. my post is based on “discussions at check in….but no bad experience…although I’ve met others who should be reclaiming cash…

Gomez13 – Member
agree with scardey.
32kg is max weight of all hold baggage (even if sports kit is xtra is purchased)

So whatever your bike bag weighs eg 25kg you have 7kg for a holdall. (+ a hand luggage bag – which are getting weighed sometimes too)

anything over 32kg checked in for the hold is liable to excess costs.

(anybody getting way with significantly more for free have been well lucky…1/2kg usually gets a nod)

Nope. Bikes are outside that limit. My bike bag was about 27kgs I think, and my main holdall was 12kgs or so and there was no bother.
3 of us checked in at the same time with Easyjet and all our bikes & bags were pretty hefty.

It’s not a great written bit of t&c’s though.

agree with scardey

Hmmmm, not sure I do any longer 😳
(have never tried a bike on E-J so wasn’t going from any experience)

People usually get away with more when flying from Gatwick. However the checkin staff at Geneva are known for being sticklers for the weight limits / bike only in the box rule.

And yep – 32 kg in total including your bike.

it’s pretty hard to do if you’ve got a DH bike that weighs 20kg on it’s own. Plus a bag / box at 5kg. Plus your kit.

Swiss air charge more, but give you much more weight – I think it’s 20kg plus 32kg for the bike.

And yep – 32 kg in total including your bike.

No it isn’t, because of this clause (as above):

Passengers travelling with bicycles are recommended to check-in 2 hours prior to departure. Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight of the bicycle.

Honestly guy I am right on this, read the link I attached in my earlier posts. it’s a total of 50kg with a per item limit of 32kg with only the bike bag fee paid.

Passengers travelling with bicycles are recommended to check-in 2 hours prior to departure. Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight of the bicycle

Again that is the key bit from the end of section 10 of the terms of carriage. If any of your guests get done for being over 32kg combined weight they will get it refunded if they write to easyjet with the bit above and reference where it’s found. I’ve helped several people do this without any quibble from easyjet.

Agree with steveh. Last year we booked check in luggage plus sports luggage i.e. bike box. Total is 50 kg so I took a bike box total 32 kgs and used 18kgs of the 20kgs hold luggage paid for, total 50kgs. No problems. Definitely pack bike well. Handlers at Alicante dropped my bike box straight out of the aircraft, no parachute! Fortunately hard shell bike box, no damage. I believe EJ terms are ‘at your own risk’ so good insurance cover is a must.

Easy Jet are pretty cool, so you shouldnt have much trouble – just make sure the back is wrappened really well

Its deffo 50 kg with a max single bag of 32 kilos

We flew out tandem this year – that packed up right on the 32 kilo limit plus two panniers ( one each checked into the hold and two panniers as hand luggage

As there was two of us with one bike we got 72 kilos total and used it.

Easy jet are liable for any damage caused but it can be tricky getting them to pay up

Went to Geneva with Easy jet, paid for bike carriage. Got stopped on the way back & my mate & i were demanded to pay £85 & £90 odd for excess luggage charges, which I disputed & asked for their conditions of carriage. They declined & said pay up or the bikes don’t go on. I then corresponded with them for 18 months eventually got a total refund. IMPORTANT take a copy of conditions of carriage refer to page 10, which says basically that bikes, :lol:having paid for the carriage, are not the subject of excess baggage charges.