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Bike holidays are often full of the great things in life - good food, good riding and good friends.

And biking is one of the best ways to explore a foreign country. Writer Ernest Hemingway was right on the money when he said: "It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them."

Yet, all that is moot if your bike doesn't arrive safely at its destination. Horror stories abound of airport baggage handlers being rough with luggage and bikes arriving broken and unfit for riding. Here are some tips.

Use a bike box

This is the best way to keep your bike safe. It protects your bike and other cycling equipment from damage during transport. Like regular luggage cases, there are both soft and hard cases.

The Bike Butler's bike fitter Mervyn Liew advises riders to select cases based on the type of wheels or bike they ride (aluminium or carbon). "Hard cases are the heaviest, but they are not compressible and so offer the greatest protection." A softer case is more suitable for the less-fragile aluminium bike.

Bike boxes are expensive. A hard case costs about $1,500, a semi-soft one, $500 and a soft case, $700. So if you travel only occasionally, it might be cheaper to rent one, says Mr Liew.

Keep it snug

A more economical method is to use a cardboard box. In this case, leave the packing to an experienced mechanic as cardboard offers very little room for error.

If you're packing it yourself, keep things snug with lots of foam padding or bubble wrap. Some vulnerable areas to note are the dropouts, the rear derailleur and the crank.

Chances are that other suitcases would very likely be stacked on top of your bike and the pressure might cause your dropouts to crack. There is a simple solution: Get a pair of spacers for your dropouts from your local bike shop. They should have plenty as new bike frames come with these spacers.

The rear derailleur is also easily damaged. The best way to keep it safe is to remove it and pack it separately.

Baggage allowance

You're almost ready for your overseas adventure. The last thing to note is that many airlines have excess baggage fees for sports equipment like bicycles. Charges vary, so it's best to check with the airlines beforehand.

If you use a heavy-duty hard case, your bike baggage alone might weight more than 20kg.

Putting the pieces back together

Finally, all that effort spent packing is for nought if you cannot re-assemble your bike. You need to know how to at least put back the handlebars, pedals and wheels .

Bike boxes for rent

The Bike Butler

Price: $120-$250 for 10 days
Address: Block 645, Pasir Ris Drive 10, #06-16
Tel: 9668 8934
www.thebikebutler.com

2XSFB Sports

Price: $10 a day for at least 3 days (hard case)
Address: 7030 Northstar @ AMK, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, #02-44
Tel: 6570-9840
www.2xsfbsports.com

Athlete's Circle

Price: $180 for a week (hard case)
Address: 27 Boon Tat Street
Tel: 6372 6388
www.athletescircle.com

This article was first published in The New Paper.

Carriage from cycle

The New Paper | Wed, Jan 25 2012

Bike holidays are often full of the great things in life - good food, good riding and good friends.

Keywords

bicycle

holidays

travelling

Bike holidays are often full of the great things in life - good food, good riding and good friends.

Use a bike box

This is the best way to keep your bike safe. It protects your bike and other cycling equipment from damage during transport. Like regular luggage cases, there are both soft and hard cases.

Bike boxes are expensive. A hard case costs about $1,500, a semi-soft one, $500 and a soft case, $700. So if you travel only occasionally, it might be cheaper to rent one, says Mr Liew.

Keep it snug

A more economical method is to use a cardboard box. In this case, leave the packing to an experienced mechanic as cardboard offers very little room for error.

If you're packing it yourself, keep things snug with lots of foam padding or bubble wrap. Some vulnerable areas to note are the dropouts, the rear derailleur and the crank.

The rear derailleur is also easily damaged. The best way to keep it safe is to remove it and pack it separately.