Freighting Bikes to Canada - advice?

[Kitoff]

Hi all,
I'm going to Canada in May for six months of riding/working with a few friends. We've all got a bike or two to take with us, and as we are going to be well loaded up with gear already, we may need to look at freighting our bikes across separately so as to avoid horrendous baggage fees. Has anyone had any experience with air freighting bikes to overseas destinations?

 

[ASSMOSIS]

Get a Brompton or Birdie folding mountain bike and take it on as carry on....

Problem solved!!!

 

[Kitoff]

Thanks Herron. Now go put it in your ass. Maybe Brompton can make a DH folding cycle...

 

[arpit]

1 Karpiel Armageddon
2 door hinge kits
1 screwdriver
1 hacksaw

Make one yourself.

Airfreight can be very expensive. Is sea transport an option? Have you checked Air China? I hear they let you take quite a bit of baggage...

 

[arpit]

1 Karpiel Armageddon
2 door hinge kits
1 screwdriver
1 hacksaw

Make one yourself.


I don't think the folding bikes mentioned would be too bad for downhill . People often opt for smaller (24 inch) wheels for increased strength. Imagine how much stronger 12 inch wheels are!
Airfreight can be very expensive. Is sea transport an option? Have you checked Air China? I hear they let you take quite a bit of baggage... Over 70 kilos... Per person.

 

[peanut]

Check with the airline about sending it as "unaccompanied baggage", alot cheaper than excess baggage, usually takes a couple of extra days to arrive after you have.
If theres a group of you going weigh all your stuff and pool your baggage together at check in, there may be enough kg's left to get 1 bike on the flight and then everyone can split the cost of "unaccompanied baggage".

 

[BJ-]

Freight for a bike to canada is ALOT of money. Youd be much better off forking out the money to take your bike with you on the plane or have the airline send it over a few days or hours behind you.

Freight to the US is $250+ for arrival within a week...

Anyways, good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Nebuchernezzer]

What's the go with the unacompanied baggage?
You check it in when you arrive at the airport but it just arrives whenever they have space to throw it in a plane?

I'm heading to Japan for a year and want to take my two bikes with me...

 

[peanut]

What's the go with the unacompanied baggage?
You check it in when you arrive at the airport but it just arrives whenever they have space to throw it in a plane?

I'm heading to Japan for a year and want to take my two bikes with me...

basicly yes, that's how it's done although it usually arrives 1-3 days after you do.
It's important to check the requirements with the airline before you get to the airport though.

 

[JimT]

Hey Kitoff,

I flew to Canada with China Airlines. Their baggage allowance was two pieces to 32kg each. So I took a suitcase and a bikebox. Both came in at just under 30. Check with your airline as to what you can take.

As for the box, I just got a cardboard bike box from my LBS, added some foam core to the inside for additional protection, and taped it up well. I didn't have any problems.

Have fun.

 

[BrindiCruiser]

JEtta may be the ticketr

There is a company which does excess baggage called Jetta. They used to be quite reasonably priced to send things from Australia.

BUT I lived in Vancouver during 04, and found it quite hard to organise frieghting the bike home for a reasonable amount.

However, the good news is that being a nth american city, you get two bags and each bag can be up to 32kg, which is quite a lot.

 

[Kitoff]

Awesome, I'm going to be flying China Airlines must likely. Sounds like they do have fairly generous baggage limits! I may end up taking one complete bike and one frame if I canh organise a hook up for a parts kit over there. Thanks for all your advice.

 

[BrumbyJack]

However, the good news is that being a nth american city, you get two bags and each bag can be up to 32kg, which is quite a lot.

Air Canada have just dropped their bag limits to 23kg each.

We've just got back from 6 weeks over there.

Air United is still 32kg, but they don't do the internal flights if you are going further than Vancouver.

Check in at Calgary and Vancouver is hilarious, they just ask you if your bags are overweight We had to weigh one bag in Calgary and they were sure it was overweight and oversize, but it was neither. They missed the really heavy one In Vancouver they just asked were they overweight and I said no, pointed to the one they picked out in Calgary and said they'd weighed it and it was 48lbs (about 22kg). She laughed that they actually went to the bother of weighing it in Calgary!!!! They did point at the one that was overweight, but I just said it was underweight.... and we walked through

 

[peanut]

Awesome, I'm going to be flying China Airlines must likely. Sounds like they do have fairly generous baggage limits! I may end up taking one complete bike and one frame if I canh organise a hook up for a parts kit over there. Thanks for all your advice.

go lighter on the clothing side, once you go to a store like MEC in north vancouver you'll wish you left most of your clothes at home.
They sometimes have really good deals on parts also.
There was(last time i was there) a 2nd hand sports store just north(300m) of the cove bike shop (in Nth Van- not deep cove!), which had a shite load of good 2nd hand parts going cheap.

 

[Big_Al]

Try looking at DHL or UPS couriers.. They fly things all over the world im not sure how much it would cost though

could also go snail mail with the ships

 

[Nebuchernezzer]

Who does sea freight?
A quick look around on the interweb this morning didn't really net me much except if i wanted to ship a whole container.
Of course i might just suck at teh interweb.

 

[mr ufo]

Having travelled with my bike to canada a few times I have either used qantas or air canada . if you are a member of the Q frequent flyer program
you can carry 2 items of luggage with one bicycle classed as 1 item of baggage. if you use the airlines that are associated with Q for internal flights
and ticketed all the way thru to your destination , your bike will arrive with your luggage at no extra cost .

i have used the Q service and never had any dramas