Hi folks,

I travel quite a bit with work, and have started to take a mountain bike more frequently as there really are awesome trails all over the world. Was in Dublin a few weeks ago (you may remember my broken rib thread!) and Ticknock was a hoot and easily reachable form the city. Flew back to South Downs area for a meeting and brought bike, that was a superb idea.Texas and Massachusetts last couple of weeks and there was a huge scene with fun trails in both places.

For Dublin/UK I took one of my own bikes, for US I rented there and it really curtailed the experience. I am v tall, and heavy, so getting a bike to fit is unlikely + rental range was limited and rather ‘basic’. More travel coming up, would love to take my bike and make the most of any opportunity to hit foreign trails. MTB folks tend to be hugely welcoming and generous with time too.

So, do any of you travel on flights and stay in hotels regularly with your bike?

Ideal bike bag/box? (current soft bag is a pain in terms of bike-disassembly required and is on last legs)

How handle hotels? store bike in bag in room? Lockup somewhere?

Any other thoughts?

input gratefully received!

It sounds like you’re an ideal candidate for one of the hard shell bike boxes available.

You fly often so the expense can be justified, it will protect your bike from the many encounters with airport baggage handlers and to a hotel it will appear as just another (odd looking) piece of luggage that can go in your room.

I do it a lot, mostly UK but occasionally elsewhere.

Hotels in the UK usually don’t care – you are a paying customer, they look after you.  Very occasionally they ask to keep the bike in a storage cupboard, but mostly mine goes in my room.  I use a soft bag – goes across the back seat of my car nicely.

I have flown with it a lot in the soft bag and been fine – but for work, you need to be a little careful.  Some airlines don’t charge, some do and you might fall foul of your company’s expense policy.  Although I found out that mine is far more generous than I had thought, we can claim for two check in bags! Most airlines take a bike as one of those IME.  We also get to use proper airlines rather than being forced to use budget ones, which helps.

The biggest issue I’d foresee is how to get from the airport to wherever you go.  I took mine to Sweden quite a few times, and I had to negotiate.  For example, the client’s policy (in Nordics the clients use corporate travel agents to arrange everything) was to share taxis, well that’s not possible if you have a bike bag. Also I had to leave it in the hotel and have the taxi take me via the hotel to pick it up after work on the way back to the airport.  Not a problem in multi-lingual Sweden but could’ve been harder elsewhere without the local language.

I’d suggest a better alternative if you can afford it is another bike with S&S couplings installed, because you can then get it in a normal suitcase and it’s just normal luggage.  This would be ideal I reckon.  I’ve heard of people like airline pilots doing this so they can ride wherever they go.  But it still means you can’t ride to and from the airport on the bike.  It’d be even better if you could ride to the airport, fold the bike and hop on a plane – never tried that though!

Oh – my colleague has a Moulton that goes in a suitcase – he took that to the US for work FoC and had some ace gravel riding on it.  Would be a good solution for that kind of riding.

I do this occasionally. Use an old soft bag and my tatty hardtail. Some airlines are ok, others are a PITA. For instance KLM won’t let me use my free checked bag allowance for a bike bag, so it has to be paid. This can some times be pretty expensive. Business flights for me tend to involve a transfer somewhere. Often this is Schiphol, so that’s ok. But CDG is notorious for losing and mangling things. I try to avoid CDG at all costs for various reasons, occasionally it can’t be avoided. I will never take a bike through there.

S&S couplings are an idea, though many modern hydroformed frames wont take them. Have you thought about a Pole Evolink? Expensive, but they’re specifically designed to circumvent crappy airline rules.

sounds like you could do with an Ibis Tranny

I travelled a lot between Helsinki and the UK, usually with a bike. I would put my bike in an ice hockey kit bag and declare it as “sports equipment”. It travelled as my checked luggage. However, I had a Cotic BFE at the time which was tough as nails.

If i remember right, there are hard “suitcases” available for the 26″ Ibis Tranny which look less like a bike box and will allow you to sneak it on as regular luggage. The other benefit is that airlines often treat bikes as last priority; i.e. if they’re struggling for space the bikes are removed first and flown to you on a different flight.

Alternatively, the Finnish bike company Pole claim that their full sus bikes are travel friendly, as the frame can fold on itself by removing a bolt. Their bikes are a bit marmite and expensive.

Take up BMX, there are various BMX bags designed to look like a zipped up golf or hockey bag.

Might be harder to explain the likely injuries in meetings though!

In terms of bags for travel Evoc is the best as far as I’m concerned.  Takes me ~15 minutes to pack / unpack and it’s all very well designed.  It is not subtle on being a bike bag though and so all of Molgrips comments would apply regarding travel / storage etc.  The few times I’ve traveled on business with the bike I’ve rented a car as well which makes the logistics easier (as well as travel to trailheads etc).

There’s an airline pilot dantsw13 on here who did/does drag his bike around with him. See if he pops up or tap him up via the messenger system.

Best bags are by all accounts EVOCs or the plastic shell ones like BikeBoxAlan. If it’s in a box/bag it’s just luggage in the hotel but taxis might be an issue. When I had a dabble at Uber earlier this year in US with a family of five we just requested UberXL which are larger typically 7 seater vehicles for about 20% more with plenty of room for massive bags.

Moulton – WTAF?

if they’re struggling for space the bikes are removed first and flown to you on a different flight

This can happen – happened once when I went to Sweden, I was only there for two days and it came just in time for me to go home.  It only seems to happen to me though when I am late for check-in.  Something to do with the manual handling required taking too long if you’re cutting it fine.

S&S as mentioned above, we have rigid 26″ S&S bikes which pack into large (but “normal”) suitcases which have travelled round the world with us.

Must admit they are not the fastest to build up and also it’s a big heavy case to lug around but doesn’t require any unusual process in travelling and has enabled us to ride in wonderful places. The bikes also take racks and panniers which is obviously great for touring. Any decent hotel will stash the cases while you go off for a day or twenty on a tour. If you want to do “proper MTB” on FS bikes then maybe not quite what you are looking for but the compromises have been fine for us.

I fly a fair bit too. For me the problem is that I already have a check-in bag that is on the heavy side due to a few tools and cables along with safety shoes means I can’t stuff everything in hand luggage plus bike bag.  If you get business class travel this will not be a issue.

Stick with one airline group and get up in the frequent flyer plan as a second bag comes free fairly quickly.

I use an evoc for simplicity, with a ratchet multi tool and 8mm for pedals you can be out in under 20 mins, it’s also good for keeping the bike in the room. Never had an objection to a bike in a bag in any hotel. Pedals and rotors in hold luggage for weight splitting of you can.

It’s good when you can make it work, had 4 weeks ss in roto, crankworx in whistler, red bull rampage, raced enduro and in places I’d never had got to all with work travel. Bags been around the world about 4 times now and was getting used nearly monthly at one point.

I do this fairly frequently.

It means that if I end up stuck in California for a week with nothing to do but attend meetings, eat and drink, then at least I can get some bike rides out of it, and not return home having put on several pounds and seen my resting heart rate go up by 10 bpm (yes, this has happened).

BA and Virgin will take a bike for free if going premium; with Norwegian I get enough points to cover the cost of a bike.

I’ve done the bag-in-polythene-bag thing a few times with BA and Virgin, which seems to work really well – you can then cycle from the airport (always entertaining, not always stress-free). However, I was advised by the Gatwick baggage handlers that they won’t take these anymore – they need to be in a proper bag. I don’t know if that’s true or not.

If not doing that, I use a soft bike-bag – one of the CRC ones, which is relatively light (6kg) so I don’t run into excess baggage problems. It’s starting to fall apart now, but I’ve never had a problem with damaged bikes. But it isn’t really designed for 29ers, so packing can be a royal pain as you have to take everything apart to fit it in.

I’ve never had a problem with transport at the far end, usually using Lyft or a rental. But the UK end can be annoying if the limo company insists on taking an MPV to be able to fit your bike, and then you have to somehow justify why you need an MPV rather than a regular car. Taking the train solves this, and avoids going on the hateful M25, so that’s a bonus.

Smashing stuff folks, good to hear of more travellers who follow this path.

Deffo want to take my hardtail (29+) or full sus (long 29er) for Mtb fun, and please don’t suggest that I need a new bike 😂

I have good status with Star Alliance, that usually gets me the bike on free, and BA business gives me an additional 32kg bag for free (flying business to UK recently with BA was cheaper, due to free bike, than Ryanair/easyjet etc – madness, and rather nice!)

Thanks for the tips, looks like the Evoc bag might be a good one, I see they do an XL version for fat bikes, that should cover the bases. Quite like the idea of not having to take my discs off/on, which I currently do – this is a PITA!

On the hotel thing: do you take your bike to the room and keep it there (thinking about generic corporate hotels like Marriott etc)?

When its in the room, do you keep it in the bag? leaning against a radiator?

Do you phone ahead to the hotel to check their policy?

Stop questions, just interested to see what folks do to make things as easy as possible. with big trips there are often so many unknowns to juggle that sometimes I don’t take the bike. But if I do, it is always massively rewarding.

Oh, and I absolutely hear you on CDG. Absolutely the last, worst option!

I lost the habit of travelling with my bike a long time ago, but never had any problems in hotels with a hard shell bike box. No-one ever complained about the bike in a hotel room and I even left bikes (in the box) at hotels I used regularly between trips to save lugging it backwards and forwards. The only issue I ever had was lifts. Understandably, smart hotels aren’t that keen on their paying guests being confronted by a face full of front tyre when the doors open and you’re stood in there with the bike on its back wheel. Generally it was easiest on check-in to ask if they were OK for me to use the service lift, and to get them to show me where this was on the ground floor.

top tip, cheers -m-

The evoc works well as a store case just leave the bars poking out and it will be fine, nobody ever asks a question. Expect someone to ask if it’s a piano in the bag at the airport

Oh, and I absolutely hear you on CDG. Absolutely the last, worst option!

CDG <-> Orly transfers. PITA

I have travelled a small amount with bikes, always using soft bags. Can’t justify one, but they look like the business.

have travelled a bit in the UK and taken my bike for after work riding; always left bike in room or back of hire car with no trouble, but I make sure the bike is concealed from prying eyes if possible and try not to take the mickey, if staying inside.

travelling to Geneva with the Mrs and we are going business as I have a companion voucher with BA and somfligts were only £50 each, rtn.

does everybody always take rotors off with soft bags – I have always done so but my brother never used to bother and just lobbed his wheels in with the discs still attached?

does everybody always take rotors off with soft bags –

Yes, it doesn’t take long and rotors are not always easy to find. I just have a couple of sets of bolts and replace then when they are looking chewed.

I just leave the bike leaning up in the room, never been questioned.

I always remove the rotors, but that’s because I can’t get everything to fit otherwise. One of the joys of the road bike is that it’s so easy to put in the bag.

I’ve stayed in Hilton properties (Hampton, Garden Inn, Doubletree) in the US and just had a built up bike in the room. No-one has said anything about it. I never asked if it was ok, but I did use the stairs rather than the elevator.

The evoc works well as a store case just leave the bars poking out and it will be fine

^ This. You can leave the pedals and bars on, and just pop the wheels off.

For fussier hotels, you can wheel the Evoc bag downstairs, pop the wheels on and leave the bag at reception while you’re riding.

Hotels in Whistler have a bike concierge at reception who’ll just take your bike at the door and store it for you… wish that was the norm everywhere!

For some reason I particularly loath frequently taking off/putting on rotors. I think its the shallowness of the torx bolt head, resulting downward pressure and stability required, combined with the fear of rounding it. Stressful!

Do always remove them for when bike is in the big old DHB soft bag though, first time I didn’t both discs got properly warped.

Evoc bag should take away the need to take them off, might try it for the first trip but take spare rotors just in case

Great to hear of Hotel experiences, thanks for those insights. Sounds like I was fretting for nothing.

Cheers all!

I have a titanium-framed Ritchey Breakaway CX clone, fits in regular-size case so no oversize baggage hassles. Put two pairs of tyres – road and CX and you’re free to chose where to ride. You also don’t have the hassle of trying to fit a huge case in a hire car either.

Hmm, there really is a lot of love for getting a travel bike – nooooooo 😆🤯

I’ll bear this in mind in 12mths or so, lets see how things go with the Evoc and either of my current bikes at the moment.

I do see the appeal, it is logged in the memory banks 😀

I don’t always have a bag, sometimes I’ve gone by train and ridden to the hotel. I always just stroll in with bike, noone says anything. Well, a couple of times it’s been questioned by lower staff members but always overruled by the management. But that’s happened like twice in about three years’ worth of stays.

I even saw a bloke ride his Brompton up to the reception desk and fold it there and then. Cheek!

I travel a hell of a lot with work and luckily get to take my bike most times.  I generally take my gravel bike these days as that gives me more options for riding, so I take a Scicon box (bike is currently packed in it for a recce trip to Japan).  I just leave my bike built up in my hotel room and have had no issues.  Although we do tend to take over entire floors or entire hotels – so maybe that helps…

But I’ve also used an Evoc for many years, so as above can thoroughly recommend one.  I used to always take rotors off because I’ve seen too many pringled rotors from robust baggage handling and luggage hold stacking.  It only takes a few minutes to take them off and put them back on again (centre-lock even quicker).

I love getting to a completely new place and going for a blast and explore – especially when its winter here and warm and sunny at my destination.  And as you say get to meet some great people.

For some reason I particularly loath frequently taking off/putting on rotors. I think its the shallowness of the torx bolt head, resulting downward pressure and stability required, combined with the fear of rounding it. Stressful!

Take spare bolts not rotors and work out the torque needed is a lot lower than you think.

Or use centre lock rotors perhaps.

I was looking at flight case parts suppliers the other day, considering making my own bike box.