Interesting ideas guys. I will look into the Amtrak idea.
Doug, are you sure about 130"? It seems airlines are mostly at 62 dimensional inches (length+height+width). 130 dimensional inches would be a BIG box. The one I'm using to ship this sold bike is 81" (42+30+9). As far as flights vs shipping, JetBlue is only $50, Southwest $75, and United is $100 (but I really dislike United, so I'm not sure about that one). Those are all options and give or take a BikeFlights shipment price (assuming I can get it under their box size limits, as Eric points out). Any ideas on the best cases for large frames? On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 2:31:12 PM UTC-8, dougP wrote: > > Ben: > > Check all the airlines serving your destination but IMHO it's rare for an > airline to be competitive with ground service. On top of that, the > airlines are no more gentle with luggage than UPS & Fed Ex are with > packages. If you take your bike on the airplane, you also have to think > about transporting the big box from the airport to your destination. > Sounds trivial but it can be a hassle. > > Check the current standards but the magic number for UPS & Fed Ex has been > 130", combined length plus girth of your box. I have a hard case that > meets the requirement and my 58 cm Atlantis fits. I have to remove racks > but can still pack them in the box. A 62 might be a snug fit. > > Depending on your needs at your destination, another solution is to track > down a rental bike. This option has grown in availability in the last few > years, and is worth considering if you are doing casual rides in one area. > Of course, if you are setting out on a long, multi day tour having your own > bike is priceless. > > Have not used Bike Flights but they have gotten positive reviews on bike > forums. > > dougP > > On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 1:05:32 PM UTC-8, Ben Miller wrote: >> >> I'm in the process of packing up a bike I sold to another list member and >> also, at the same time, planning a trip that I want to take a bike with me. >> Being a tall person, I love that Rivendell makes large bikes, but when it >> comes to packing them, you run up against the fact that most frames just >> aren't so damn big. >> >> So, anyone have thoughts/suggestions on traveling with your >> larger-than-average-frame Rivendell? Any experience with soft or hard shell >> bike travel cases, for say a 62 cm+ frame? >> >> Also, any preferences on taking the bike with you on the plane vs >> shipping it, say via BikeFlights? I realize this is somewhat airline >> dependent, as the cost on some airlines is just too much for it to make >> sense. But assuming a $100 or less bike fee for the airline, does >> BikeFlight offer anything in terms of piece of mind or insurance? Where do >> you ship it too, if you don't have a contact where you're going? A bike >> shop? >> >> Thanks in advance, >> Ben >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
