Bike Box - packing hacks please

[rugby bloke]

Tomorrow I will be packing my bike into a bike box ahead of my trip to Spain. As it has disc brakes and through axles it seems it won't be as simple as it should be. The online videos mainly refer to bikes with QR and certainly the Bike Box Alan seems to be designed to accommodate wheels with QR skewers.

Hacks I have found so far - use the QR skewers from a spare bike. Luckily I've got my old Carrera for this purpose.
Replace the through axles to strengthen the bike when its in transit.
Use a folded up business card to prevent the gap between the pads being closed.
Remove the discs

Is there anything else I should be considering ?

 

[biggs682]

I always cover as much of the frame and forks with foam piping as i can to help it avoid any in transit damage

 

[rugby bloke]

I always cover as much of the frame and forks with foam piping as i can to help it avoid any in transit damage

Thanks for that one, I've got a load of packing material lined up to go. This serves a double purpose, any spare bubble wrap will be given to my daughter to combat her GCSE stress !

 

[ColinJ]

I unbolted my rear derailleur each time I flew with my bike, wrapped it in bubble wrap, and tucked it out of harm's way.

Someone on one of my Spanish holidays had his derailleur severely damage his bike due to rough handling on his flight to Spain. It almost wrecked his holiday too, but he was a VERY lucky man - story HERE!

 

[rugby bloke]

I unbolted my rear derailleur each time I flew with my bike, wrapped it in bubble wrap, and tucked it out of harm's way.

Someone on one of my Spanish holidays had his derailleur severely damage his bike due to rough handling on his flight to Spain. It almost wrecked his holiday too, but he was a VERY lucky man - story HERE!

Thanks, I am thinking about this - there seems to be mixed advice when you watch the various videos. Sounds like it may be worth the extra few minutes fettling.

 

[CXRAndy]

Take your rotors off, take your derailleur hanger off. Pack the wheels with something in between the rims to stop scratches and frame. If you get a fork spacer to protect fork ends. let your tyres down half way and retighten. Put all small bits in well sealed bags or containers. Fill all the available spaces with helmet, bottles, tools. bubble wrap everything delicate. use zip ties on the case clamps.

dont, dont tell checkin youve got battery or more than two co2 refills

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Plumbing cladding.

 

[Cycleops]

I wonder what the airline is going to charge you? They are now trying to make extra money on all sorts of things. The last time I brought a frame over they wanted to charge me extra if it was a complete bike even though it was within my allowance.

 

[rugby bloke]

I wonder what the airline is going to charge you? They are now trying to make extra money on all sorts of things. The last time I brought a frame over they wanted to charge me extra if it was a complete bike even though it was within my allowance.

I've already booked the bike box onto the flights. I cannot remember the exact price but I'm pretty sure it was as mush or more than my ticket !

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Plumbing cladding.

Fitting a tap to the bike can help with hydration in hot countries like Spain.

 

[Cycleops]

Fitting a tap to the bike can help with hydration in hot countries like Spain.

If you have SRAM etap you get one built in.

 

[Nebulous]

I wonder what the airline is going to charge you? They are now trying to make extra money on all sorts of things. The last time I brought a frame over they wanted to charge me extra if it was a complete bike even though it was within my allowance.

I wonder what the airline is going to charge you? They are now trying to make extra money on all sorts of things. The last time I brought a frame over they wanted to charge me extra if it was a complete bike even though it was within my allowance.

I went to Gran Canaria 2 years ago and was charged £25 each way for a bike. They wanted £45 each way for an extra suitcase! Decent bikes were about 25-30 euros a day to hire, so I bought a box and gladly paid the airline. Two people in the airport asked me if I had a piano in the box.

 

[Globalti]

First time I took a bike to Spain in about 1993 I just removed the pedals, turned the bars sideways, dropped the seat post and dropped it on the large luggage belt. Never thought of using a box and that would have been problematic because I cycled straight from Malaga airport to the Sierra Nevada.

You should see how they transport thousands of bikes from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the Cape Argus race, which has 32,000 riders. You take your bike to a collection point and drop it into a box, get a receipt then hundreds of boxes are packed into removal trucks, which drive down in convoy. At Cape Town you go and unpack your bike then the whole operation is reversed after the race. Amazingly slick.

 

[wyre forest blues]

For the thru axles I use a short length of 15mm plastic plumbing pipe between the forks and re fit the thru axles through the pipe. The pipe keeps the forks from being damaged if an impact pushes them together. The pipe needs to be the length of the internal distance between the forks.
I also completely remove the rear derailleur and wrap it in bubble wrap, strapping it to the frame with tape. I'm considering removing the chain which would make it easier to maneuver and re-fit the rear derailleur on arrival. Quick link to re fit the chain. Foam piping to all parts of the frame. Pack with helmets, shoes etc to prevent movement.
The wheels are in wheel bags and as I have a hard box I dont take the rotors off, but use bubble wrap to protect them.