I’m going to Morzine in the summer and taking my own DH bike. whats the best way to (cheaply) pack a bike?

Old bike box from a bike shop (free of charge) then plenty of padding in it

Old bike box from the LBS and then down to Bodge it & Quit for some pipe insulation and some tape. If the LBS does not have any axle spacers for front and back then some wooden dowel and plastic pipe from B&Q as well.

Now thats a film I’d pay to see!

Apollo bike box- they’re better built than the bikes themselves, I guess because the contents are so heavy. You can wrap it in strong tape to improve the snag-survival and stop it going manky in the rain (I use one inside my cheap bike bag, good combo, not light tho)

As far as packaging goes, the big packaging bubble things are great- very tough and take up loads of space, way better than bubble wrap.

…or hire an EVOC bike bag for a week.

Awww, thought there was a new film coming out LOL 8)

Thought the ex was going on hols for a minute there. 😀

Bike bag. I’ve seen too many bike boxes in airports with have the bike sticking out. No thanks to that.

I would second the Apollo box (from Halfrauds). They are good boxes and besides you dont want a box going round the airport that says £7000 Cannondale on it

C

I’ve seen bike bags which have had bike parts sticking out. Mark N has the right idea, here at bikingandalucia.com we see about 100 bikes a year, and before I came out to Spain, I travelled frequently with a bike, and in my opinion the cardboard box is the best bet, free and sacrificial. Often the bags are only good for 5/6 trips before they are holed.

Whatever you do pack well, seen both options go bad. Got 6 boxes over to Oz in air freight, boxes battered but contents all fine.

Mech off
wheels out
Rotors off
drop outs spaced (i used old hubs)
everything loose in bags (camel back is ideal)
use your ride gear to pack the bike out – get the bike bag/bog up close to the max weight for the sports luggage
Helmet as hand luggage

plenty of trips never and issue like that

Bike box, two rolls of duck tape, wrap the beast totally

thanks guys. think i will go with the bike box idea. only problem i have is that the bike alone weighs nearly 20kg (it’s an 07 giant glory) so i might not have much spare weight allowance (think easyjet allow 32 for sports gear) but we’ll see. as long as the bike isn’t broken or lost i’ll be happy

Best solution is a proper padded bike bag and to dissassemble the bike as much as possible and carefully pack each part with pipe insulation and bubble wrap/rags, wind the derailleurs in and put in fork spacers front and back and wedges between the brake pads.

When trekking, I dismantle it, lash it together with cable ties and put it in massive heavy duty plastic bag – but my trekking bike is far from cosmetically pristine.

If you do use a box, pack it with all your biking clothes for extra padding.

Some airlines treat bikes as ‘sporting equipment’ and charge extra irrespective of whether they might fit in your luggage allowance or not, which is another good reason to bung them in a bike bag as they look more innocuous that way.

PS I’ve flown with my bike into Marrakech before and there is no oversize luggage counter on the way out and they insisted on putting it on the belt with my bags. Check on arrival about this and make sure you know where you have to take it on departure.

PPS: You can buy booze at the Carrefour on the edge of Marrakech and nowhere else – we drew many jealous glances from our fellow guests on the hotel terrace when we produced 3 bottles of Bourdeaux to go with dinner.

With Easyjet the bike box can weigh up to 32Kg but your combined luggage limit (assuming you’re paying for a hold bag as well) is 50kg so if you’re maxing out the hold bag (limit 20Kg) then stick with 30Kg max in the bike box. I’d guess the box + packing will be around 5Kg so leaves you a bit extra for tools/pump/helmet/pads/shoes. In theory nothing but the bike should be in there but as long as it’s not over 30Kg and you’re not taking the piss too much (e.g. not paying for hold bag and everything packed in it) they don’t seem to mind. Weigh it before you go though as over 32Kg and you’ll be leaving stuff behind or transferring it to your suitcase (assuming it hasn’t already disappeared down the conveyor belt from the check-in desk).

30Kg max in the bike box.

Because airport kilos are smaller than the ones you have at home.

Bike box, two rolls of duck tape, wrap the beast totally

I gave mine a coating of PVA for waterproofing. Cheap and light.

Geneva’s trolleys and doors aren’t very compatible with large bike boxes. Luton’s are even worse.