Having a Bicycle While Enjoying a Future European Journey

Mike,

We've taken our bikes across the puddle seventeen times now over the years for multi-week or longer trips in Europe, Asia and Africa. It's the only way we travel on vacation. And since they're custom touring road bikes, we've never even considered renting bikes abroad and, thus, have no experience doing so. However, if you wish to take your own, read on. It's simpler than you may think, as the airline handles the bikes from end to end. You just pick them up in your final destination.

Until 2008, bicycles packed in either a hard shell case or in a cardboard bike box (or even once in a heavy duty airline-provided plastic bag) went without charge as checked baggage on all international carriers serving the U.S. Prior to then, the maximum weight limit was a generous 70 lbs., and the total linear measurements of the box or case was quite sufficient, if they even existed at all.

Since then, most carriers - most of the time - have assessed a bike fee (the word "collusion" comes to mind) ranging from around $30 to, in one or two cases (Alitalia being the worst) $400, each way; the weight limit has been universally reduced to 51 lbs. (23 kg); and the total linear dimensions of the box range from the physically impossible (62 inches - Alitalia who didn't care, plus a few others) to a quite generous 112 total inches or more (British Air, SAS for example). We've found that 91 total linear inches is the minimum box size for our 22" frames; that leaves some wiggle room and prevents hub skewers from poking holes in the box because it's too narrow. Fully packed, our boxes come in around 45-50 lbs., thus avoiding any excess baggage charges.

Still, we've taken our bikes to Europe on SAS and British Air a few times in recent years without any charge. It was only in 2019 that we paid our first ever bike fee of $40 each way on British Air. Quite reasonable, but not as good as free!

The bottom line: Airlines can and do change their weight, size and fee policies whenever - usually when they feel it will benefit them. British Air's no-fee policy lasted some five or six years as I recall, though the weight limit remains 51 lbs., and the maximum box size is still ample.

The wise thing to do is to check those policies (and read them carefully) on various carrier websites well ahead of your travel date, print them out and then call to confirm before booking. Some websites bounce you back and forth between the generic baggage policy page and the page for sports equipment, so be sure you're clear on what their stating. We've even seen the maximum box size dimensions not even mentioned on a few sites!

Let me know if you'd like to know more. I'm glad to help.

You can only take bikes on trains that are designated for bikes. Roll the bike to the train car, they load it on, tag for the designation. It varies somewhat from train system to train system. Generally you cannot take a regular bike into a standard train car. Rentals are OK but not terrific. We take our own head gear for rentals. Our bikes fit into a large, legal size, non-descript, hard side, suitcases so we just take them on as luggage and store in the luggage area at the entrance to the car. At 45 lb the suitcase is a little heavy to handle but it rolls. When riding between locations the suitcase converts to a pull trailer for our clothes and stuff. It doing a circle trip we switch to panniers and leave the suitcases for later pickup. Dragging a trailer is bit of a pain. Mountain bikes, especially with full suspension, are overkill for most of Europe so what you really need are traditional touring bikes. Great way to roll through the country side.

The bikes go as checked luggage on the plane. Only once was challenged for a surcharge and refused to pay as it was just a suitcase. The supervisor agreed and checked it through. However, the suitcases are always opened by the TSA. Not by European security as they are used to seeing bikes. Generally we will taxi to our hotel and get organized at the hotel. However, there have been a couple of times where we find a quiet corner at the airport, unpack the bikes, organize the trailers, and ride from the airport. And once we did in reverse. That attracted a lot of attention that we didn't need. Now we do a nice taxi ride to the airport or on a train.

Ufkak,

We fly in and out of the same city, stay at the same B&B at the beginning and end of our trip and leave our bike boxes with our hosts. On the few occasions when that wasn't possible, we just got new boxes at the airport or a bike shop when the trip ended.

David and Frank, excellent information. It sounds like the baggage charge is doable. I can imagine the cost range varies with all carriers. I actually searched Delta out of curiosity yesterday for their policy and didn’t find specific bike costs under their sports equipment page. I’ll put a little more effort in researching each US carriers websites soon. I’ve seen hard Both shell cases and boxes. That too is doable.
I realize our mountain bikes are overkill for most of our ideas, but it sure would be nice to ride the countrysides in Holland or along the Rhine/Mosel/Danube Rivers on our own comfortable equipment. Additionally, while my wife relaxes I could actually mountain bike in places like Boppard, Bavarian Alps, Dolomites, etc.
I’d also like to research quality bike shops and see what it would cost for weekly rental of quality bikes. Maybe a three week rental option in a bike oriented city like Munich, Zurich or Utrecht would allow us to fan out from their with our itinerary and return. Lots of possibilities and plenty of time to plan unfortunately. Keep the great feedback coming!

Normally I'd say it's hardly worth the trouble of taking a bike across the atlantic, but if you are avid mountain bikers and have good bikes it sounds like it can be a good idea for you. But it also depends on where you are going, I agree that your bikes are probably overkill in the Netherlands where there are good bike paths everywhere and almost no hills. But if you want to do a bit of off road biking, you might want to have your own bikes. And depending on the airline it might not be that expensive (I checked SAS' rules out of curiosity and they clearly state that there are no extra fees for bikes as long as they fit within your baggage allowance).

Regarding bikes on trains, it is hard to give general advice as all operators have different rules. In some countries you can bring a bike on all trains, in others you might only be able to do it on regional and local trains, you might be able to do it whenever you want or bikes might be banned during rush hour traffic. In some areas you might be able to bring them on local buses as well.

There are currently some Americans riding around France on their own bicycles. They even have camera crews and support vehicles following their every move. They're not doing too well, though.

......Out of curiosity for those who travel with bikes, do you store the hard shell box somewhere? ...... As I stated before, we use a large, regular suitcase so we do not have a box to store. When riding between locations the suitcase converts to a pull trailer for our clothes and stuff. It doing a circle trip we will switch to panniers and leave the suitcases for later pickup. Dragging a trailer is bit of a pain and personally think the bikes handle better with panniers. But also our bikes are custom touring bikes designed to easily handle a hundred pounds of gear.

I think the key question is-- Are you interested in doing multi-day, self contained, bike rides or simply day trips on a bike? If it is day trips, then the rental option is adequate. You don't need the greatest equipment for a day's ride.

I used to be able to get a plastic bike bag or cardboard box provided by the airline at the airport. A couple of times I shipped the bike back( once fron Frankfurt, once from Gatwick ) without a bag/box with no damage. But that was too many years ago.

Stephen -- Those days are long gone. It was easy -- pull the pedals and turn the bar, and you were good to go. Given how crowded planes are these days (or were), I am not sure I would trust my bike to a plastic bag or even a cardboard box.

PS -- Just went back and re-read original posting. (Probably should do that more often instead of letting other answers influence my answer. ) I see that the OP is only interested in day trips. If it is just for a few day trips, then I don't it is worth dragging a bike from the US. Or the hassle of moving around Europe with your bike if you are not riding it regularly. Bike theft is a bit of a problem so I would stick with rentals. We always went to the closest shop and took what they had. They were decent hybrid, cruising style of bikes. Comfort wise they were OK for 20,30 miles but I would want to try to do a century on one.

I had the same experience with cardboard boxes from the airline but that was back in the 70's! This takes me back to American Youth Hostel Bike trips when I was a teenager and now I feel really old. I've only done local bike rentals in Amsterdam and Beaune/Burgundy so I can't be much help. There are many bicycle tour companies that off several levels of service, I'd check "self guided tours" for starters. Now that I think about it, my wife might even like one!

Richard,

Quelle une small world indeed! With which AYH council did you take those bike trips? I worked at the local council in Washington, DC in the 1970s-80s and had the pleasure of taking Bill Nelson's Leadership Training Course. What a fun week that was!

I've used cardboard boxes on all but three of my foreign trips and never had any problems beyond the rare hole poked in the box by the hub skewers or a chainring. Padding all the critical components and securing the padding with tape and rope works quite well. Even that old plastic bag survived the trip unscathed. I sold my hard shell case when the airlines all dropped the maximum weight limit to 51 lbs.

Anyone remember airline personnel requiring the tires to be flatten so that they didn't explode? Another urban legend. Lost that argument more than once. Logic and science does not always prevail.

Yes, I agree with those who say that a dual-suspension bike would be somewhat out of place in Holland, - even with lockouts, it just doesn't seem to make sense. The country is flat as a pancake.
If anything, I'd consider buying a bike there. Some of their traditional makes (batavus, kona, gazelle) are really nice, built like tanks, and make great commuters. The do cost an arm and a leg, though...

Frank,

They're still occasionally telling us that urban legend too. Neve had an inflated tire blow at 35,000 feet.

Your replies are enlightening. The long term (3-4 weeks) rental option seems to make the most sense for areas we would like to ride. Our bikes might be overkill for the majority of paths in and around Dutch towns, Bavaria, Rhine/Mosel area, Burgundy and the Wachau Valley for example.
Now the challenge is to find bikes with multiple gears.

..... Now the challenge is to find bikes with multiple gears. .... THAT is the least of your challenges. Every bike we have rented had multiple gears. I actually prefer the multi gear hubs that are common.

I bet David is with Adventure Cyclist.

Frank's bike sounds similar to the a folding Bike Friday with trailer kit for the bike's "suitcase".

I met a retired German couple when we rode the Oregon Coast from Astoria to the California boarder. The German couple rode Bike Fridays and towed their hard shell case with trailer wheels. We were riding our road bikes with a SAG support carrying our luggage and camping gear. The Germans were camping self-contained and road the same daily mileage and camp stops. They started in Seattle/Canadian Boarder and were planning on ending in San Diego/Mexican Boarder. They said that they road their Bike Fridays on one adventure each year.

We bought our Bike Friday folding tandem from a retired United Airline pilot and his wife. The bought the Bike Friday tandem with plans on European cycling trips taking advantage of his retiree flying privileges. The Bike Friday tandem made one trip to France but as a loan to a mutual friend. My United Airline friends with the folding tandem found it easier to just rent a tandem in Germany. They sold us their Bike Friday Tandem and bought a non-folding tandem.

We did two weeks of bike touring in Germany but left our Bike Friday home. We rented two singles from the bike touring company and were happy with the rental bikes. They were touring bikes with 38 mm tires, lights with generator and luggage rack with a bag. (We were luggage supported with hotel/inn overnight accommodations.) My 23 mm high pressure bike tires would not have survived some of the rough roads and cobbles.

Frank,

Close, but no ice cream cone! Longtime member of Adventure Cycling Association (Adventure Cyclist is the magazine) and sometime volunteer. Not on the staff.

It was a good try. There is a David on the masthead of the magazine.