Travel tips
Packaging your bike
Are you going on a cycling trip and need help preparing your bike for air transport? Here are our tips for packing your bike!
Materials required
A box with maximum dimensions of 60" X 32" X 8"; Allen keys; pedal wrench; scissors; tape; tie wraps; spacer; Styrofoam plumbing sleeves to protect tubes.
Box selection and disassembly
The box shown below - generally available from bike shops - is smaller than the maximum size accepted by airlines. It requires removal of the handlebars, as indicated in step 3.
Using a maximum-format box - sold at the Maison des cyclistes - all you have to do is turn the handlebars.
If you are travelling on a tandem, with a quetzal or any other atypical bicycle, or if you are travelling with a rigid box or bag, please let us know.
How to proceed
1 Leave enough pressure in the tires to prevent them from collapsing under the weight of the bike (± 60 lb).
Position the chain on the large sprocket and chainring to ensure maximum chain tension.
2 Mark saddle height and handlebar position.
Remove seat post.
3 Remove the handlebars by unscrewing the front plate from the stem, remove the handlebars and attach them to the horizontal tube. Be careful not to damage the sheaths or the cyclometer wire. Rotate fork 90 degrees. Fit a spacer between the fork legs. Unscrew the pedals. Remember that the thread on the left pedal is reversed, so unscrew clockwise. Once the pedals have been removed, place them in a bag and attach them to the frame.
N. B. If you have a full-size bike box, you don't need to remove the handlebars. Simply turn it and rotate the fork 90 degrees.
4 Remove the quick-release from the front wheel. Attach the wheel to the left-hand side of the bike. Slide the bike into the box, including the saddle, pedals and all accessories to be attached to the frame. Use Styrofoam plumbing sleeves to protect the tubes. The box must not contain any moving objects (pumps or padlocks) unless they are securely fastened to the frame. Loose objects can pierce the box during handling, and you risk losing them.
5 Identify your bike box: enter your contact details.
Only the bike and its accessories (helmet, lock, water bottle) may be packed in the transport box. Airlines reserve the right to open the box at check-in to check its contents. All contents other than the bike and its accessories are forbidden (clothing, food, etc.).
Reprint from Vélo Mag magazine.
Equipment section, Spring 2007. Author: Mathieu Fagnan
FAQ
Is the bike box supplied for air travel?
The cost of transporting your bike is included in the price of our VQV travel packages, but the bike transport box is not.
However, you can buy them at the Maison des Cyclistes (where our agency is located) or in any other bike store.
Where can I get a cardboard box to transport my bike?
You can buy them at the Maison des Cyclistes in Montreal or at any bike store.
We advise you to call them for information, and above all not to wait to buy them at the airport, which could delay your departure. It's important that your bike is already packed before you get there.
What happens to my bike box once I arrive at my destination?
Depending on the trip and itinerary, we may leave the boxes in the hotel or the guide may carry them in his car throughout the trip. In all cases, your bike box will be safely returned to you at the end of your trip, whether it's in cardboard or another material.
