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Was walking past my local shop the other day and saw a soft bike bag and a spec comp full susser in it. It looked fairly neat and tidy. I am flying BA if it makes any difference!
However would it be good enough to protect the bike in the airplane, I almost know the answer to that and I expect it to be no as it looked padded but not padded enough to withstand being thrown around by the luggage men.
Any and all experiences regarding flying with a bike welcome!
I've flown with bikes twice. Bag once box once. Never doing box again. Got dropped frm plane and smashed,lost rear brake pads out disc. Bag has only a scuffle in corner which I think I gave it. In. Bag has bike covered in pipe lagging for extra padding. Bag also easier to transport.
Have a look at the Switch-Backs site, they used to have a real good guide to packing a bike. I've used a box from my LBS inside a padded bag for several trips.
Only doe it once.
Got a proper box off fleabay for £50. Bike survive perfectly. Six other bikes went too, all in bags and five of them were unscathed.
However, weight of the box was an issue, fortunatley I went with Emirates and they have a 30kg limit. Turned up with a 32.5kg box and they just waved it through. However, it ws still very tight. Managed to get a spare pair of tyres on in the hand luggage...
Thanks guys the switchbacks guide is very comprehensive but the bike bag I saw definitely did not seem as well padded as what the guy in the pictures using... Hm.
Given the very restrictive baggage allowances on cheap (and not so cheap) flights these days a rigid bike carrier, or the fancy bags like Dakine are just too heavy. IIRC the dakine bag is 8kg empty. Pack as well as you can and cross your fingers.
Flown with BA numerous times with a bike. And other airlines come to think about it.
I always put a bike box inside my bike bag. I've never had any damage to anything. We're talking 30 odd flights I guess maybe more.
One thing to remember is that when you purchse your extra allowance for a bike you get up to 32kg so unless you've got something really heavy you'll get away with it plus spare capacity for kit. Although I always take my cycle clothing etc separate incase the bike gets lost, you can then hire a bike and still wear you own gear!
My Anthem X is 11-12kg didn't even consider the weight of the bag!!! BA says 23kg so it is too close for comfort with a heavyish bag like that.
Get some decent scales and be sure you are near the limit. Read T+Cs very carefully.