Bikes/Ryanair

I flew ryanair to Biarritz from Stansted and from Pau to Stansted.

On both trips I took the pedals, off and turned the bars.

That's it.

Nothing else.

No packing, no cardboard, no bubble-wrap, no tape, no splints, no bag.

The bike was treated brilliantly- I sat over the wing in Pau and
watched the baggage handlers treat the bike very carefull- it was last
on.

The lady at Pau checked it was ok, and the security bods queried the
pedal spanner in my hand luggage and that was it.

spindrift said:

I flew ryanair to Biarritz from Stansted and from Pau to Stansted.

On both trips I took the pedals, off and turned the bars.

That's it.

Nothing else.

No packing, no cardboard, no bubble-wrap, no tape, no splints, no bag.

And yet Scottish Citylink buses will only take a bike if it's in a box
or a bag. The notion that someone might want, for example, to take a
bus up to the highlands, get the bike out of the back and set off into
the wilds has clearly not occurred to them.

Maybe if the bike was in a bin liner that would count as a bag...
(there's an ebay opportunity - single-use disposable bike bags, only
available in black, £1.99 + £2.50 shipping.)

Colin

"Colin MacDonald" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Maybe if the bike was in a bin liner that would count as a bag...
(there's an ebay opportunity - single-use disposable bike bags, only
available in black, £1.99 + £2.50 shipping.)

CYC sell see-through ones for use on planes - 4 quid...

cheers,
clive

Ive flown KLM and Easyjet umpteen times with my folding recumbent trike.
Orlando airport is a pain in the ass as they manhandle your bike to god
knows where-before u get it back-very stressfull cost £40 to USA and back a
bargain.
Europe is quite straightforward.
I used to undo both pedals deflate the tyres remove the triple chain ring
and bubblewrap any sticky out bits.
Now I just fold it up put it in my homemade goretex bag reinforced with 3
inch webbing -tie wrap the two loose wheels and we are off.
The zip on the bag goes along the top and is a zip for a boat sail-massively
strong- I tie wrap it shut.
KLM are dead sneaky- they wait to charge for the bike on your return
flight-they wanted 100 euros the last time-I beat them down to 40 .
I now fly with Easyjet dead simple £15 each way.
Trike weighs 20 kilos-20 kilo baggage 12kilo for the trike total 32 kilo s
luggage total 12 kilos left- so I wear all my winter outfit and travel
light.
Tam

"Clive George" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Colin MacDonald" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Maybe if the bike was in a bin liner that would count as a bag...
(there's an ebay opportunity - single-use disposable bike bags, only
available in black, £1.99 + £2.50 shipping.)

CYC sell see-through ones for use on planes - 4 quid...

cheers,
clive

On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:40:42 GMT, "tam" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

KLM are dead sneaky- they wait to charge for the bike on your return
flight-they wanted 100 euros the last time-I beat them down to 40 .
I now fly with Easyjet dead simple £15 each way.

KLM don't allow you to use your main luggage entitlement for the bike
if it's over 20 kilos. When I did (once) need to carry a bike on KLM,
I checked its weight then obviously took the [censored] by going off into a
corner and removing enough parts from the bike to take it under 20kg,
shoving them in a bag, then checked that in separately. Saved me a
few quid, and entirely within the letter (if not the spirit) of the
rules.

They then managed to "lose" it for 24 hours, which was handy as it
meant it was dropped off for me at home instead of me having to put it
back together at Birmingham then carry it and luggage onto the
train...

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:05:59 GMT, "archierob" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Any experiences or comments regarding your experiences of taking bikes
with Ryanair would be much appreciated.

Did Liverpool - Alghero and Pisa - Liverpool in March. Bike bag and
pipe lagging used for protection which was probably overkill in all
honesty. Bike well looked after by the baggage handlers as far as I
could tell although the lass in Pisa took some convincing that I
didn't need to deflate the tyres! Last time my mate went he just
turned up with the bike and took the pedals off and twisted the bars
and also said it came out fine.

Strangely I have never had any bother flying with my trike.
The airlines accept people want to take their bikes.
A fact that seems to have escaped the train owners.
I suspect its about carriage space-which curiously is under more pressure
than astronomically expensive flight luggage space.
It seems aircraft are more available than railway carriages in the UK.
Now Im 60 I only fly direct from Scotland-no more connections for me.That
really makes air travel pretty easy-except when wierdo s crash their jeeps
into the terminal and set it on fire that is.
I am building a new compact trike for city use my present one is too bulky
for the train/lift.
My recent experience of being dragged along the Berlin underground platform
half in the door has concentrated the mind.
A drunk obstructed the entrance-he was nt laughing when I stuck my chain
ring accidentaly in his leg.
Tam

Quoted message said:

They then managed to "lose" it for 24 hours, which was handy as it
meant it was dropped off for me at home instead of me having to put it
back together at Birmingham then carry it and luggage onto the
train...

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:17:47 GMT, "tam" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

A fact that seems to have escaped the train owners.

No, it hasn't, that'd be why bikes are carried for free on pretty much
every UK train, except in the height of the peak where they won't
physically fit because the train is rammed with people.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

tam said:

I now fly with Easyjet dead simple £15 each way.
Trike weighs 20 kilos-20 kilo baggage 12kilo for the trike total 32 kilo s
luggage total 12 kilos left- so I wear all my winter outfit and travel
light.
Tam

Their rules say:

"Passengers travelling with bicycles are recommended to check-in 2
hours prior to departure. Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment
fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight
of the bicycle."

I take this to mean you just get your normal 20 Kg limit and can
forget about the weight of the bike.

Rob

archierob said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any experiences or comments regarding your experiences of taking bikes
with Ryanair would be much appreciated.

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

Rob

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

archierob said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any experiences or comments regarding your experiences of taking bikes
with Ryanair would be much appreciated.

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

Rob

and what about trailers?

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

In article <ba6d0fc8-2a89-439c-91ae-7bf9e63fd5f5
@e1g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

archierob said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any experiences or comments regarding your experiences of taking bikes
with Ryanair would be much appreciated.

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

Not on those two but on BA and SAS (two tandems actually). First thing
is that check in staff will not know what to do and will default to No
most likely if you just turn up. Second, in the helpful conversation I
had originally with BA they said it depended on the plane and the hold
configuration/capacity which varied plane to plane on its feasibility.
So what I do which works very well is to phone up Customer Relations
before I book, discuss what I want to do and then say "As the check in
staff will not know about our conversation could you confirm it with a
letter I can show them to reassure them about accepting the tandems".
Then when you book the flight (do it by phone, not online) ask them to
put a note on your booking file. Then phone back later and check that
there is a note on your booking file and get them to read it to you &
correct if necessary.

It seems a lot of work but its so much easier if the check in staff are
reassured that its OK to let you through and they are not going to get
into trouble for it.

--
Tony

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has
taken place"
George Bernard Shaw

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

tam said:

I now fly with Easyjet dead simple £15 each way.
Trike weighs 20 kilos-20 kilo baggage 12kilo for the trike total 32 kilo s
luggage total 12 kilos left- so I wear all my winter outfit and travel
light.
Tam

Their rules say:

"Passengers travelling with bicycles are recommended to check-in 2
hours prior to departure. Bicycles are subject to the sports equipment
fee and exempt from any excess baggage charges relating to the weight
of the bicycle."

I take this to mean you just get your normal 20 Kg limit and can
forget about the weight of the bike.

This could be an expensive mistake.
If you check Easyjets baggage rules carefully you will see under cycles etc
that your all up weight "free" baggage allowance is 32 kilos this means they
allow 12 kilos for your bike.
However in my experience they just add both together and as long as your all
up total is no greater than 32 kilos you are ok.
KLM are pretty sneaky they do nt bother on your outward flight they get you
coming back.
Tam

Quoted message said:

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

The wife and I have taken our tandem with Ryanair and Easyjet to various
places in Europe (Sardinia, France, Prague) all from Standsted and have
never had any problems. First trip we deligently obeyed the rules on the
website saying that it needed to be boxed. Luckily we still had the box
it was delivered in. This made getting it to the airport a nightmare,
small transit van needed. Baggage handlers were quite surprised with
such a big box for a bike. Once we arrived (Sardinia) we asked to leave
the box at left luggage, but on our return they said "Sorry it was taking
up too much space" and had binned it. We've never boxed the bike since.

I take the pedals and rear chain off. Remove both handlebars and strap
them flat to the frame, with barend gear and brake levers wrapped in
bubblewrap. Wrap the rear deraileur cage in cardboard and strap to the
chain stay. Turn the front wheel 180 degrees, this makes it slightly
shorter overall because of the rake on the forks. And then try and
convince the baggage handlers that the tyres don't need deflating.

We've had to sign a release with Ryanair on the way back from Prague
saying that the bike wasn't packaged properly, other than that both
Ryanair and Easyjet have accepted the tandem with no problems, often with
a story from the baggage handlers of how they once owned a tandem and
what fun they are.

Cost is the same for a tandem as a single bike with both airlines.

Gareth
(planning summer tour back to Europe already)

Quoted message said:

Rob

I probably should have said, that once you've booked online, you need to
phone the customer services number to book the tandem on the plane.

Gareth

Gareth Dawson said:

Quoted message said:

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

The wife and I have taken our tandem with Ryanair and Easyjet to various
places in Europe (Sardinia, France, Prague) all from Standsted and have
never had any problems. First trip we deligently obeyed the rules on the
website saying that it needed to be boxed. Luckily we still had the box
it was delivered in. This made getting it to the airport a nightmare,
small transit van needed. Baggage handlers were quite surprised with
such a big box for a bike. Once we arrived (Sardinia) we asked to leave
the box at left luggage, but on our return they said "Sorry it was taking
up too much space" and had binned it. We've never boxed the bike since.

I take the pedals and rear chain off. Remove both handlebars and strap
them flat to the frame, with barend gear and brake levers wrapped in
bubblewrap. Wrap the rear deraileur cage in cardboard and strap to the
chain stay. Turn the front wheel 180 degrees, this makes it slightly
shorter overall because of the rake on the forks. And then try and
convince the baggage handlers that the tyres don't need deflating.

We've had to sign a release with Ryanair on the way back from Prague
saying that the bike wasn't packaged properly, other than that both
Ryanair and Easyjet have accepted the tandem with no problems, often with
a story from the baggage handlers of how they once owned a tandem and
what fun they are.

Cost is the same for a tandem as a single bike with both airlines.

Gareth
(planning summer tour back to Europe already)

Quoted message said:

Rob

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

archierob said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any experiences or comments regarding your experiences of taking bikes
with Ryanair would be much appreciated.

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

Took a tandem in a box with Easyjet - no problems. Bit tedious dismantling
it at either end though. Box was made out of two of the cardboard boxes
bikes get delivered to shops in (obtained from LBS).

cheers,
clive

Quoted message said:

archierob said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any experiences or comments regarding your experiences of taking bikes
with Ryanair would be much appreciated.

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet

Yes, but it was about 10 years ago. It was easy but the bike did get a
bit roughed up - it came out on the baggage carousel at one end of the
trip (no real damage though)!

James

Tony Raven said:

Quoted message said:

Supplementary question: anyone tried taking a tandem with EasyJet or
Ryanair. We're thinking of doing some touring in Europe next year, and
flying seems the only realistic option. There rules don't seem to make
any distinction, but I wonder if anyone had tried it.

Not on those two but on BA and SAS (two tandems actually). First thing
is that check in staff will not know what to do and will default to No
most likely if you just turn up. Second, in the helpful conversation I
had originally with BA they said it depended on the plane and the hold
configuration/capacity which varied plane to plane on its feasibility.
So what I do which works very well is to phone up Customer Relations
before I book, discuss what I want to do and then say "As the check in
staff will not know about our conversation could you confirm it with a
letter I can show them to reassure them about accepting the tandems".
Then when you book the flight (do it by phone, not online) ask them to
put a note on your booking file. Then phone back later and check that
there is a note on your booking file and get them to read it to you &
correct if necessary.

It seems a lot of work but its so much easier if the check in staff are
reassured that its OK to let you through and they are not going to get
into trouble for it.

Thanks for the advice - when your holiday depends on getting the bike
on the plane, it's nice to know what works.

Unfortunately, according to the Tandem Club, BA have a new limit of
62" which I think would preclude any tandem that doesn't split. (And
recumbents as well? not sure)

http://www.tandem-club.org.uk/_dboard.htm

Rob

In news:[email hidden],
[email hidden] <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine
to tell us:

Quoted message said:

Unfortunately, according to the Tandem Club, BA have a new limit of
62" which I think would preclude any tandem that doesn't split. (And
recumbents as well? not sure)

It's worse than that:

"There is an overall H+L+W of 62 inches, which seems to preclude tandems
(and is a bit tight for a solo) and a stipulation that cycles should be "in
a travel case specifically designed for that piece of equipment".
Apparently, says the CTC, they will accept heavy duty polythene bags, but
there's still the problem of dimensions."

According to my sums, one'll need to take the wheels off the average solo
bike to get it to fit those dimensions. Getting any of my recumbents to fit
would require a major demolition / remolition job.

I wonder what the skiers think?

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
It would appear apparent, to me at least, that dinosaurs were
largely burrowing creatures.