How to pack your road bike for a trip abroad

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Your cycling holiday's booked and you're counting down the days until you can jet off. The tricky part you're probably most worried about is taking your bike on a plane with you. We'll explain how to pack your road bike for a trip abroad.

Flying can be stressful at the best of times, let alone when you add the anxiety of handing your precious road bike to the baggage handlers – and incurring unexpected excess baggage fees. So let's get you and that bike to the other side with minimum fuss.

• How to pack your mountain bike up for travel
• Best bike boxes and bike bags
• Six essential tips for booking your first cycling holiday

Bike bags vs bike boxes

Whether you opt for a bike bag or bike box really depends on the amount of travelling you do, and the type of bike. If it’s just an occasional overseas trip then a bag offers unrivalled value, and can be stored more easily when not in use. However, if you travel a lot and want your bike to have the ultimate in protection, we’d opt for a hard case. 

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If you're on a tight budget and can't stretch to either option, try asking your local bike shop if they have any spare cardboard bike boxes. These are extremely lightweight, helping to avoid excess baggage charges, but they definitely aren't as durable, and don't offer anywhere near the same level of protection as a fabric bag or box.

Most airlines require bikes to be either boxed or bagged for travel. A decent bike bag can cost anywhere between £60 / US$90 and £500 / US$900, which we'd say is a worthwhile investment if you intend to fly with your bike often, or even if you regularly transport your bike by train, bus or car. It's also an excellent option for long-term storage.

Hard bike cases offer the best protection, but are a real pain to stash in the back of a hire car or hotel wardrobe. They're also heavier and more expensive: they start at around £299 / $400, and can reach £700 / $1000 for something delux like the Scicon Aerotech Evolution.

How to pack your road bike

1. Remove pedals, seatpost and saddle

2. Remove the wheels

3. Remove the rear derailleur

4. Sort out the handlebars

5. Get the cranks and chainrings into position

6a. Bag it up 

Unless your bag has a hard base then the bike goes in the bag upside down to protect the chainrings. If the bag has padded wheel bags then use these and place the wheels on either side of the bike, staggered for less bulk. 

If you have no wheel bags then follow the padding procedure as with the box, but strap the wheels on the chainside of the frame, staggered for less bulk. It does not pay to padlock the bag, as security may wish to open it – but a ziptie between the zips will aid security and can easily be cut when you arrive.

6b. Box it up

7. One final tip – important

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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