Any tips on air travel with your CruzBike?

[jeffssmith1]

I'm in Colorado and I am thinking about buying a Q45 and I've read Maria and Jim's article on packing it in an Airporter Slim case. I've been riding a Bacchetta Corsa the past 20 years.

Has anyone else done this for air travel? Did you bring a rack and panniers in a separate suitcase? Was it difficult to re-assemble in a hotel room?

Many years ago I flew with a mountain bike packed in a big cardboard bike box to London for a solo ride across the UK. I'm thinking another such trip, perhaps in the Netherlands, might be fun.

 

[BendBent]

You should consider putting your Corsa frame and fork in a snowboard box. My preference is to put the wheels and rack in a separate duffel, and consider using smaller wheels if you have disc brakes. Your panniers and clothing can pad and protect the frame and wheels. Be sure to remove the rear derailleur, which can be left hanging by the cable.

I have flown with my QX100. Both QX100 and Q45 disassemble into multiple pieces that are easy to bundle together and fit in many different types of suitcases. Q45 has multiple clamps as part of the front mechanism, and these clamps are very fragile. Be sure to loosen or remove all of them when disassembling the bike.

I highly recommend you try riding a Cruzbike for many miles before you take it on a trip. Make sure to ride with panniers as well. It's a very different experience.

I have also flown with Volae Century take-apart, and Trident TWIG folding, both modified to use 20x20 wheels and pivot steering such as TCYCLE FLEXSTEM.

Here are other ideas, but they are not yet on the market. https://www.bentrideronline.com/mes.../3055559-please-help-improve-these-folding-re
cumbents

 

[3bs]

flying with full size v20 i use a hard case. when i fly with the 406 v20 i use cardboard. counts as std size.

 

[jeffssmith1]

BendBent, which case did you pack your TWIG in for air travel? Or did you use a cardboard bike box?

My Corsa doesn't have disc brakes so I can't easily switch to a smaller wheel set. I've read about people shipping a Bacchetta frame in a snowboard case and then packing everything else in a big case.

3bs, which hard case do you use with your v20? And for the 406 v20, did you just use a cardboard case from a bike shop?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Giloun]

I've shared my experience with Q45 in a cardboard box before:

Packing Q45 in bike box with minimal disassembling

When I packed for my tour in Korea a few months ago, I used this approach with minimal disassembling. The internal size of the bike box: 138 x 22 x 79cm. I take advantage of the hinge at swing arm and split the bike into halves. I kept both wheels intact in order to minimize disassembling. Of...

forum.cruzbike.com

 

[BendBent]

For my TWIG, I just used two large duffel bags. However I have read it will fit in a Airporter Slim case.

I first changed out many of the TWIG’s components to match my long legs and rough riding style. I then cut sturdy cardboard tubes to protect what I thought were vulnerable parts of the frame when packed in a large soft duffle bag.

Components:
TCYCLE FLEXSTEM with custom cut 1.125 aluminum riser tube.
Handlebar from an old MTB with minimal bend on the bar.
Stem: 50mm 5 degree rise.
SRAM BB7 disc brakes.
20-Inch front and rear wheels with 62-406 Schwalbe SuperMoto tires.
Ten-inch chain tubes.
Old Man Mountain rear rack attached at the seat strut bolts.

The frame was fairly easy to pack and unpack because it fit in my bag without removing the fork or rear rack. I did remove the wheels, rear derailleur, steering pivot bolt, stem, and seat.

I cut 3-inch diameter cardboard tube into lengths slightly longer than the parts to be protected. One tube over the right fork blade, one over the boom, and one over the end of the main tube that receives the boom. Each tube was taped in place with 3M clear packing tape.

For a future trip, I think it would be fun to bring my Q45, particularly for a flat geography like the Netherlands. I am still working on customizing the Q45.

 

[danhunt56]

I took apart my Quest and put it in a large suitcase that came with my Bike Friday. I happen to have a second suitcase that was big enough for the 26” wheels. For travel they recommend 24” wheels that would fit the whole bike into a single suitcase. I brought a short wheelbase recumbent in a regular bike bag designed for air travel to Italy. The bag was pretty beat after the trip, several holes. But the bike was fine. I removed the boom on that one. After everything I have done to the Quest that is probably what I would do with it now. The Thor seat is quite bulky.