Travel tips
Boxing your bicycle
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 crushing under the weight of the bike (± 60 lbs).
Position the chain on the large sprocket and chainring so that you have maximum tension in the chain.
2 Mark the height of the saddle and the position of the handlebars.
Remove the seat post.
3 Remove the handlebars by unscrewing the front plate of the stem, remove the handlebars and attach them to the horizontal tube. Be careful not to damage the sheaths or the cyclometer wire. Rotate the fork 90 degrees. Attach a spacer between the fork legs. Unscrew the pedals. Remember that the threads are reversed on the left pedal, so unscrew clockwise. Once the pedals are removed, put them in a bag and attach them to the frame.
N. B. If you have a full size bicycle box, it is not necessary to remove the handlebars. Just turn them and rotate the fork 90 degrees.
4 Remove the quick release from the front wheel. Attach the wheel to the left 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 should not contain any loose objects (pump or lock) unless they are securely attached to the frame. Loose objects can pierce the box during handling and you may lose these objects.
5 Identify your bicycle box: enter your contact information.
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.).
Reprinted from Vélo Mag magazine.
Equipment column, 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 the 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 bicycle box will be safely returned to you at the end of your trip, whether it's in cardboard or another material.
