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Tips For Flying With Your Road Bike
1K views
Apr 1, 2025
Flying with a road bike comes with a lot of things to think about, and there are so many ways that you can get it wrong. The last thing we want to happen is to have harm come to our beloved road bikes. In this video, Sam Gupta runs through tips to consider if you plan to fly abroad with your road bike.
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0:00
Flying with a road bike can be quite nerve-wracking. I'm sure the biggest concern that we all have
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is ensuring that it makes it to the destination unscathed and in one piece. Baggage handlers
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conveyor belts and internal airport luggage systems all provide for the opportunity for
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your pride and joy to come to unwanted harm. So here are nine things that I wish I knew
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before I put my bike on a plane. The first hurdle to navigate is choosing the vessel to put your bike in
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and happily you do have a few different options. First is a hard case
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Benefits are that they are the strongest and they generally provide the most amounts of protection
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The downside is that they do tend to be heavy and rather expensive
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There are soft bags which come in a little bit cheaper but in some cases might not offer the same level of protection
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Lastly, there's the trusty cardboard box, but this one does come with a couple of caveats
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While they are by far and away the cheapest option, most likely free from a friendly bike shop
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they do have inherent weaknesses to impacts and water damage. Also, some airlines do stipulate that bikes need to be packaged in a recognised bike bag
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If you're heading off on a bikepacking adventure, then perhaps the cardboard box route could be a
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really good way to go because you'll be able to recycle it upon arrival and then hopefully
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track down a new one when you've finished your adventure. Just be sure you have good access to
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plenty of tape, scissors and bike protection. Soft bags alike, the prep is absolutely key to
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making sure your bike has the best chance of a safe journey. Another top tip to ensure the airport
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process is as smooth as possible is to print out and highlight your airline's bike transport T's
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and C's. This will mean that if you're challenged on anything, you can ensure that you are in the
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right. Also, I would suggest that you get measurements of your bike bag or box and have
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those on hand in case they are called into question. If you do want to fly with a hard case
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but you don want to invest in one then hiring is a really good option Again just be sure that that fits within the allowed measurements of your airline because not all bike boxes work with all airlines
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If you do want to see a list of all of our favourite bags and boxes, then I've left a link to our buyer's guide in the description
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If you're looking to fly for the least amount of money, then you may be making a beeline
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for a budget airline. But before you do, be sure to check out their policy on bike transport and
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more importantly, the associated fees. It's not uncommon for more premium airlines to have more
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of a generous baggage allowance and in some cases, not charge you to fly with your bike at all
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meaning that a more expensive ticket up front could actually be cheaper than a more seemingly
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budget option. As I mentioned earlier, prep is the absolute key to giving your bike the best
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chance of survival. We do have a guide on how best to pack a bike, which I've linked below
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but the key takeaways are to remove your brake rotors, your rear mech, handlebars, and seat
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posts. Then cover everything in bubble wrap or foam pipe lagging, making sure to cable tie all
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the loose parts to the inside area of the frame, essentially so no vulnerable parts are left as an
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extremity. Also, be sure to drop the pressure out of your tyres so that they aren't rock solid
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You want them to be squishy enough to be able to adjust to pressure changes and take an impact
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but not so soft that you risk the seal of the tyre breaking, especially important if you're
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running a tubeless setup. When you have packed your bike, you may be left noticing a bit of spare
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space inside the box or the bag. And there are a couple of things to consider here. First
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how much does the entire thing weigh? If it's under 23 kilos, then it could be worth grabbing
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some dry bags, popping some of your clothes in there, and then filling up some of that space
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Again, be sure to check in with your airline because some will only want the bike in there
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Alternatively, you could fill it out with more bike protection in the form of big air bubbles or bubble wrap
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If you do decide to fill it up with any of your clothing just be sure that you have all of your essentials in your carry And in this I would include your shoes your helmet your pedals and a change
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of kit. Because that means if anything goes wrong with your bike and you're left without it for a
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day, you can still go riding. And also, whatever you do, do not put CO2 canisters in your hand
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luggage or in your bike box, because it will only end badly
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if you're hopping to the other side of the world and you're taking a couple of flights to get to
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your end destination using an apple air tag or other tracking devices can be a really useful way
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of keeping an eye on where your possessions are hopefully they'll always be in the same airport
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as you however if you get off your flight and you see your bike is still in the airport you took off
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from, then you will know to get in contact with your airline pretty quickly. Or if your bike has
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ended up in a completely different part of the world, then again, it's great to have that knowledge
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of where your stuff is so you can help the airline quickly track down and get you your stuff
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It goes without saying, but if you're really concerned about what might happen to your bike
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then getting yourself some insurance does mean that if the worst does happen, you'll hopefully
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not be too out of pocket. Of course, there are plenty of cycle insurance companies out there
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like Yellow Jersey Insurance. So if you do want to get some for yourself
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be sure to do all of the research and make sure you get something that's right for you
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Something that I always tend to forget when I go away is to bring all of the right tools
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and spares. Everything that you use to pack your bike, you'll need to bring with you. But also
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it's all the things that would be near impossible to get hold of when you're away from home. So
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things like spare mech hangers, brake pads, and spokes come in really handy should any of those
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things need replacing. A multi-tool with a chain breaker and a widespread of allen key sizes
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would also keep you pretty covered. But if you're left wondering whether you should or shouldn't
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bring something just bring it to be safe Extra cable ties scissors tape and plastic bags are also really good to bring especially when it comes to packing your bike up again
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There's a bit of a hidden headache that comes along with flying with your bike and it's one
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that doesn't even involve a plane or an airport. It's just about getting there in the first place
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Bike bags and boxes take up a lot of space and they are really cumbersome and quite tricky to
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maneuver in and out of cars. You'll then obviously have that same problem when you arrive at your
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destination. So if you're hiring a car or getting a taxi, just be sure that it's of an adequate size
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The last thing that I wish I knew before I flew with my bike was to do my research on local bike
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shops and mechanics. Going somewhere new armed with this knowledge if things were to go wrong
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is really valuable and also it's not just useful for if things go wrong but as we all know local
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bike shops are a hub of knowledge for the best local riding spots and the staff might be able
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to share with you some absolutely beautiful hidden gems that otherwise you may never have known about
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Clearly, flying with your bike comes along with a lot of things to think about
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and there's a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong. So consider this
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If it all gets a bit too much, then perhaps hiring a bike at your destination
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is a better route to go down. If you're heading somewhere with a good cycling culture
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then you'll likely have some pretty good options available to you. I understand that going bikepacking in remote places demands that you bring all of your own gear
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But if you're heading away for a week of riding with friends or just on a solo trip
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hiring a bike really will make life a whole lot easier. Consider this
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How much extra value and enjoyment are you going to get just from being on your own bike
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Let me know down below. Is there anything you wish you knew before you flew with your bike
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If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see you again very soon
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