Have Bicycle, Will Fly, Or Will I?

So, you’re planning your cycling trip and trying to work out what you need to take with you, and what it’s all going to cost you.

Whether you’re organising things yourself on an ad-hoc basis or through a tour operator, you might want to consider your bicycle more carefully.  Most organised cycling trips don’t provide bikes as part of the trip, nor indeed for hire. So, you either have to bring along your own, or find one to buy or rent in the local market. But, it isn’t always easy to find a good quality bike, especially in many Southern hemisphere countries.  So, you’ll probably need to take your own bike with you on that cycling trip! So, exactly what’s involved in flying with your bike?

Well, up to 2007 it was simple really. You just checked in your bicycle as accompanied luggage, making sure that your combined baggage was under your luggage weight allowance and number of bags, and off you went! That’s right, most airlines didn’t bother charging extra for your bike!

Now  some airlines charge up to between $300 to $600 to carry a bicycle. This can be 30-50% of your normal ticket price! Airlines who charge high fees include, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Delta.

Making this charge doesn’t really make a lot of sense financially (there aren’t too many people carrying bikes), nor indeed is it likely related to weight. But with the financial reality that many airlines find themselves in, I guess money from anywhere helps the bottom line! It is not always obvious what these charges will be, as they appear to change frequently. So definitely check before booking.

As I mentioned earlier, it is not always possible or convenient to arrange a bicycle rental at your destination, as those which may be available may not be suitable for long-distance use over unsurfaced roads.

Before you make your flight arrangements you will need to investigate your airlines bike carriage policy. Yep, they’re all different! Some airlines are still free, whilst others charge a good portion of your flight cost for the luxury of bringing your bicycle with you. There are also differences between overseas and domestic flights. Carrying a bike on most domestic flights will definitely cost you Dollars, but some international flights are still free.

General Requirements For Flying With Your Bike

Most airlines require your bike to be packed for transport. Some require special commercially available cases to carry your bike. Whilst others provide large clear plastic bike bags. You will usually have to fold your handlebars to be parallel to the body of your bike frame. Some airlines also require advance notice if you intend to travel with your bicycle.

It is also possible to just send your luggage and bicycle to yourself at your final destination. This can be done with a door-to-door shipping service with UPS, DHL The Luggage Club and other specialist carriers.

Be aware also that many airlines will no longer allow pressurised  items on board, this includes tyres, CO2 cartridges and gas-filled shock absorbers. So, you need to keep this in mind when deciding what bicycle configuration to bring with you.

Camping Out By Bike For Beginners

For many there is nothing more liberating than packing up the camping gear, jumping on your bike and taking off for or weekend. Many are put off this style of camping and biking because they imagine it is too difficult. A bike is made to carry a person, not a plethora of pots, pans and sleeping gear.  It is a common misconception that camping with your bike is difficult.

The only must have items that you need to transport with you on your bike is a sleeping bad and a tent.   Of course, there are many other ‘luxuries’ you could take such as a thermal pad, but these, while nice are not necessary.   To transport your tent, sleeping bag and other essentials, you will need to hook up a rear rack and side panniers to your bicycle.  Secure everything with bungee chords, just to be safe!  Touring bikes are designed to carry panniers so that your heels do not make any contact with them when cycling.  These are far better for camping than racing bikes.

Use the pannier to carry clothing, bike tools, spare tubes and of course rain gear if required. Position your tend and sleeping back on top of th rear rack.  If you are really stuck for space or a touring and camping for a long period of time you might consider a trailer for your bike. Bike trailers are becoming more and more popular, especially if you are riding a recumbent or tandem.  .

Those new to camping by bike may get surprised when they first mount the bike after it has been packed up. Be prepared to adjust your body to account for the amount of weight on the back.  Typically you will find that the front wheels rise up and twist quite suddenly when your first try to mount your packed bike. Once you are actually on the bike and riding you will find this far less of a problem and your body will automatically adjust itself to carrying the extra weight on the back.    Those who camp regularly with their bike will often have a lowrider rack mounted on the front with a set of small panniers attached.  This distributes the weight more evenly and makes for a far more comfortable ride.

New bikers will also need to be aware of the excess weight when it comes to increased speed and acceleration. You will need to ride more slowly to take account of this. You will find it more difficult to accelerate.  Riding in the hills will be hard work but touring bikes have lower gears to help with this.  Generally, it is not much more difficult riding a bike carrying your camping gear than riding a regular bike.   If it all gets too much, sometimes the best solution is to get off and walk. Avoiding an injury is priority and nothing is worth the risk.

One final piece of advice … if you are camping out, invest in some high quality rain gear. Any experienced rider will tell you that this is one area not to skimp on.   At some point during your journey you are bound to be hit by a mass of gray clouds reading to rain down on you.  Having quality rain gear means you can cycle through it relatively comfortably, without having to run into the tree for shelter or suffer a cold or flu.

Learn How To Adjust Your Bike To Your Body For Touring

Before you set off on a bike tour  or any journey that requires you to be in the saddle for long periods of time, learn how to adjust your bicycle to your own body.  Doing this will help you enjoy your bike tour and avoid aches and pains in places you never knew existed.

Adjusting Your Seat

The first thing you need to adjust on your bike is the seat height.  The simples way to do this is to position your bike next to something you can grab to keep balance.  A wall, counter or door frame will do fine. Jump up on your bike, wearing shoes that you would expect to be touring in, and make sure that you and your bike are directly upright. Put you heel down on your pedal while in its lowest position. The optimal height for you bicycle seat is at a level that allows your leg to extend fully to the pedal in this position.  This avoids any pain to the knees if you are pedaling on the balls of your feet and allowing your legs to do take on most of the work.

If you seat is not properly adjusted to your own body and is too high, the back of your knees will ache when your ride over a period of time and you will have extra movement in your hips as you strain to extent your leg to the reach of the pedal.  This back and forth rocking motion will set you up for an uncomfortable ride.   On the other hand, if you seat is too low, you will have a different set of problems.  You may experience excessive burning in your legs.

To be sure that your seat is perfect for you, take your bike out on to the road. Adjust and ride until you get it just right. You may need to bring an allen wrench if your seat does not have a quick release adjustment.

Adjusting Your Handlebars

The optimal position for handlebars on a bike is either level with or a couple of inches below the height of the bicycle seat.  Positioning your handlebars above your seat is not generally recommended as it can lead to excess strain on the body and an uncomfortable bike ride.  The higher up the handlebars of your bike, the further back your body is pushed. This forces excess pressure onto your hips and butt . You will find yourself bouncing high and feeling every tiny bump on the road!

If you are  adjusting your maximum speed, you need to position everything so that your bike is a flat as it can be. Adjusting your handlebars below the level of your seat may seem uncomfortable at first, but before long, you will find your body settling into it and as your speed increases, your will find yourself become more aggressive with your cycling.

If you are touring on your bike and plan to cycle in a more relaxed, leisurely fashion, raising the handlebars of your bike above the level of the seat, may be the best option.  In this position you will have more comfort but less speed that you will get with the handlebars below the seat.

In short, depending on what type of touring you are doing on your bike, you may need to adjust your seat to suit your preferred style.  On any given tour, you could find yourself adjusting your bike several times, as you choose to either cycle slowing through the hills or more aggressively on long stretches of open road!

The Right Bike For A Bike Tour

Different kinds of bicycles are available for different types of cycling. You can easily find a bicycle that suits your budget as well as your needs. The touring bicycles are used by people who like to carry camping equipment, food and clothes and travel to different places. Racks or Panniers can be found in the front and the rear and these help in storing all the extra equipment. They have a leather wheelbase, mounting points for mudguards and also place to store water bottles because bikers can get thirsty very easily.

There are three kinds of touring bicycles namely road, recumbent and tandem bikes. There are advantages as well as drawbacks to each kind. Once your need for a bike is understood, you can search through all the different styles of bikes offered by each company and find the one that suits your needs the best. While selecting a road-touring bike, you would like to choose one, which is light as well as strong and sturdy. This will need a longer wheelbase so that you can ride comfortably and there should be storage space for all your equipment. The tires of these bikes should be able to ride comfortably on unpaved roads but they should not become slow on the pavement. Mounting points for fenders and racks should also be available. Fenders help in saving you from flying rocks and water sprays.

Recumbent bicycles – ‘Recumbent Bicycling news’ will tell you the latest happenings in the world of recumbent bicycles. Recumbent bicycles might look a little different but once people try them they get addicted to them. These bikes are now considered the most comfortable bikes, which can be used, on the roads today. They have an aerodynamic design, which makes them very fast. The steering works differently over here and the starting and stopping methods are also different and the methodology to climb slopes and hills is also very different.

There are two different methods to steer a recumbent. ASS or above seat steering has the handlebars above the seat. In this position, the bike gets an aerodynamic configuration since the arms are held in front. Then there is USS or Under Seat Steering. Here the steering equipment is below the seat of the rider. This does not have an aerodynamic design, as the hands will be at the sides. If you want to go on a tour with your recumbent, then you can take a trike, which is a bike, which has three wheels. This creates more room for your camping equipment and this bike has 72 gears, which makes pedaling very easy.

Tandem Bicycles – These bicycles are slowly becoming very popular. Though the weight increases in this bike, the effort is greatly reduced. But the space to store your camping equipment is also reduced. The experience of mountain biking on a tandem is totally different. The person riding in front is known as the captain and the person at the back is known as the stoker. Tandem bikes are the perfect option for people who have physical disabilities but they still want to enjoy the bike riding experience. This is also perfect for people who cannot see and they can ride in the position of the stoker. Many couples also enjoy riding on a tandem and they can talk to each other using communication headsets.

May 11-15 is the official “Bike To Work” week—with many designating Friday as the official day to hop a bike and pedal to work. Many cities throughout the country have scheduled local celebrations to encourage commuter cycling to work and/or school. So breath deep—our air should be cleaner this week! This event has gained growing popularity throughout the country over the years and continues to gain momentum in cities such as San Francisco, St. Louis and Austin, to name a few.

If you choose to participate in “Bike to Work” week, be sure you and your bike are ready to roll with the proper safety equipment.

Head and Tail Light—In case your biking in low light during the morning or evening, be sure you have dependable lights affixed to your bike. Your head light serves as a way for your to be “seen” rather than to “see”. It should be a white light that is bright enough for motorists to notice. Make sure it’s properly charged and check the run time so that you’re not unexpectedly caught in the dark with no head light.

Making yourself visible to motorists from the rear is vitally important, as well. Your tail light should be red (blinking or fixed light) and either affixed to your bicycle seat post or your backpack. Most tail lights last for a hundred or so hours, but you should keep some extra AA batteries on hand…just in case.

Rain Gear—Don’t forget to pack a windbreaker or rain poncho in case the weather gets cool or rainy. It only stands to reason that if you bike regularly, you’re going to run into rain at some point. The appropriate rain gear can make all the difference—especially if you’re biking to work. Soggy clothes are uncomfortable and may leave a bad impression with the boss or, worse, your clients.

Frame Tire Pump—This is an all important piece of equipment that should always be with you when biking. It’s inevitable that you’ll have a bike flat at some point, so be prepared with a good pump and patch kit.

Biking to work or just around town is a great way to “go green”, get exercise and enjoy the sites and your surroundings. Being prepared for troublesome situations while biking will allow you to relax and enjoy bike touring or just pedaling around your neighborhood. Enjoy National Bike Month!

If you are planning an extensive bike tour, possibly crossing different borders or countries, it is likely at some point that you will need to box your bike for travel to get it from point A to point B via train, bus or plane. There are some general rules associated with traveling with your bike and they may vary with each carrier.

As a rule, carriers will require that your bicycle is boxed and packaged for transport just like any other piece of luggage. For this reason, you may find that large bicycles, tandems or recumbents cannot be transported via plane, bus or train. Before traveling with a non standard bicycle, check each carrier’s individual policy regarding bike packaging and transportation.

Many of air and rail carriers offer boxes for sale at the terminal. To be sure that there are some available when you arrive, call the carrier a couple of days in advance to be sure that you won’t be disappointed when you arrive. If there are available when you call, ask for one to be reserved. Bus companies don’t usually provide boxes for your bike. The advantage to using boxes supplied by the carrier is that they cannot claim that the box is too weak for your bike.

Most of the boxes are designed so that minimal amount of dissembling is required. Usually you will need only to turn the handle bars and remove the pedals. Note that tools are not available at the terminals which means that you should carry the correct wrench you need for doing this.

Traveling with your bike by air will mean that you incur an extra charge for excess over the limit baggage. This sum can be substantial, as much as $120 depending on who you are traveling with and to what destination. The excess baggage charge does usually apply to international flights. Smaller commuter planes do no have the capacity for transporting bikes and often you bicycle will be shipping off on a different flight.

If traveling by train, your bike will be transported in the baggage section, assuming that you are not traveling with a folding bicycle. Not all stations will have baggage facilities so double check that both the station at which you are disembarking has baggage facilities or you may be left chasing your bike to another station.

Traveling by bus with your bicycle poses some problems. Bus carries do not keep bike boxes in stock. Often you will have to call the bus company well in advance of your planned trip to organize your bike to be transported by box. You will then need to provide your own box, either buying a box in a bicycle store, buying one at a rail terminal or airport or making your own.

Some final tips when boxing your bike.

Allow some extra time at the terminal or station to box your box. An hour should be sufficient.

Take photos or your bike before boxing it (without the panniers) and also take photos of the content of the panniers. This is a precaution should your bike suffer any damage in transit.

What’s involved in planning your bicycle tour?

How you approach planning your bicycle trip will determine how enjoyable it will be for you.

If you are going with a tour operator it is usual that your trip will be planned from the point where you meet your operator on the ground. They will do their best to allow for different ages, and preferences. They will also usually have years of experience doing this. So, the operator will know what works and what doesn’t.

If you’re going on a cycling trip by yourself, however, you will have to take your own cycling experience and ability into account when planning your trip.  If you’re going with a group then you will need to take everybody’s age, stamina and cycling experience into account.

You could start by checking out your local library or bookshop where you will doubtless find some books on camping and cycling.

But, leaving aside the books, the basic things you need to take into account include:
Do you prefer the company of a group or people, or are you happy to go it alone?
What distance can you comfortably cycle each day?
What kind of bicycle do you usually ride?
How fast can you cycle?
Do you prefer back roads or paved roadways which go through bigger towns/villages and which allow more comfortable accommodation and prepared food?
Do you prefer rougher country roads which are more off the beaten track and will require you to camp out and prepare your own food during your trip?

The type of bike and tyres you use will decide some of these decisions for you! Using a racing bike with suitable tyres will restrict you to main roads, and towns, which will add to your costs – accommodation and food, and restrict your route. Your tyres will also determine what load you can carry – light weight tyres = light weight load.

Heavy weight tyres, which are great for rougher terrain, are not the best for long trips.

A middle ground of middle weight tyres will allow for camping and motel accommodation, and some scenic route travel across country.

What Distance To Travel Each Day?

You are generally better to underestimate the distance you think you can travel earlier on in your trip. Usually about twice the distance of your usual daily trip is doable. As your tour progresses you will build up strength, but you will also feel tired each day from the previous days cycling. A good average distance might be 11 – 15 miles an hour depending on how long your trip is! The distance you can cover in a day will be determined by your fitness. If you can comfortably cover 40-50 miles a day, then settle for a target of 30 miles per day at the beginning of your trip and see how you do.

Some Things You Should Take With You

What equipment you bring will be largely determined by whether you decide to camp or stay in motels.

• Rain gear.
• A number of changes of clothing (outer, inner, socks, underclothes) and make sure it is kept dry!
• Water bottles, 2 or 3, and filled regularly.
• Hat or bandana to protect your head, face and ears and to help you be seen by motorists.
• Remember insect repellent.
• Travel vaccinations are a must for some destinations.
• If you’re going to camp, then get some camping experience first!
• For camping you will need at least a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, stove, fuel bottle, one large pot, can opener, matches, and knife, fork, spoon.
• Lotion sun screen, chap stick.
• Tools you should carry include – screwdrivers – flathead and Philips, a crescent wrench, Allen wrenches, and tire irons. You can get kits with these at your local bicycle or hardware store.
• Bring a map with you. You can get adventure maps which map out complete cross-country routes for you to cycle.
• Mapping software can also help in planning your route.
• A GPS device could be handy to take with you.

As a final preparation make some smaller trips before you go away. This will allow you to test yourself, your bike, and camping. You should build yourself up physically before attempting any kind of long road trip. Trips of 10–30 miles duration are good for pre-trip preparation.

Finally get your bike completely overhauled and do a complete regrease of your bike.