If I wanted to fly to one European airport and fly out of a different one, riding between the two how would you recommend packing the bike for the return trip?

I thought of contacting a local bike shop and getting them to hold a load of packaging for me but its a risk and I’d have to get from there to the airport without a car which sounds difficult.

Seems too much hassle and relying on others is a great way to get let down. So don’t bother.

Get a train back to the original airport so you don’t have to worry about packing the bike at a different airport.

Could do that but where am I supposed to store my packaging? I was thinking of using card and binning it once I got there.

Never done this kind of thing before. Is there likely to be storage for a bike box / bag at an airport for 3 / 4 days?

This is something I’ve been looking at as I’m planning on doing Munich to Venice with Mrs SB this summer.

My current thinking is to use a couple of bike boxes we have kicking around in work, from cycle to work bikes that have been delivered there for the outbound flight and then just buy a couple of bike boxes from the Safe Bag place at Venice Airport on the way home.

not sure how feasible/cost effective this would be, take a bike bag to your start destination and courier the empty bag to your return destination?

Flying with a bike

selkirkbear – the Safe Bag place

Whats this then?

tuskaloosa – not sure how feasible/cost effective this would be, take a bike bag to your start destination and courier the empty bag to your return destination?

Did think of this but not sure sticking an address of Podge, terminal 2, Brussles Airport, Flight MAN123ABC, 21:30 on Tuesday would work. Is there likely to be a DPD (or similar) collection point there?

I’ve never travelled with anything that wouldn’t fit in a standard rucksack so its all new to me.

selkirkbear – the Safe Bag place
Whats this then?

I think he’s talking about those cling wrap places at the airports- they do a bike box Bike Box Safe bag place

This place

Doesn’t look like they have a facility in Brussels though

Eurostar?

Ah, didn’t know them things existed. Will have to see if they have similar facilities for the return leg. Cheers for that.

Not sure how Eurostar will help with any of this being that they don’t go between European airports and don’t like bikes either.

Did think of this but not sure sticking an address of Podge, terminal 2, Brussles Airport, Flight MAN123ABC, 21:30 on Tuesday would work. Is there likely to be a DPD (or similar) collection point there?

Could you get it delivered to your last nights accommodation or is that too far away from the airport?

Too far, planning to get a late flight so I can ride in the day, guessing my last night would be about 100km away.

When I did this I took a soft bag and posted it forward to myslef

I’ve done this a few times now. Flew to Santiago in Spain with bike in cardboard bike box in 2015. Taxi to hotel, Assembled in hotel room and binned the box. Cycled to Biarritz to fly home. They sell cardboard bike boxes at the airport for about 12 Euros and even lend you scissors and tape to pack it with. The people there have been great and the box is HUGE. I pad with sleeping bag opened out inside a bin bag to keep it clean, and a thermarest ridge rest. Google the airport you fancy, they might do this too. Some overseas airlines also provide cardboard bike boxed
S (KLM?).

[video]http://vimeo.com/75001885[/video]

Plenty of examples of flying with bike here at the annual big bike bash.

Not done it myself…. but a mate swears by packing the bike in a large clear plastic sheet (disassembled as normal and lots of zip ties) and tapping up with gorilla tape. He flys regularly (4-5 times a year) like this and hasn’t had his ti Road bike damaged yet.
He says that because the airport staff can see its a bike they take more care of it. You can pack the sheet and tape and take it with you.

Santiago to Biarritz sounds like a very nice route. I suspect mine might be a bit less sunny. I’ll have a look and see what kind of facilities the exit airport might have. I suspect most places will have something but I don’t want to get there and find I’m stuck.

I like the idea of a huge plastic bag but it would make me very nervous.

Is it a full sus bike? If so just unbolt the rear triangle and fork and put the lot into a standardish size cardboard box.

Should be easier to find than a bike box.

Road bike.