How Do You Get Your Bike Box to the End of a Point-to-Point Trip? Especially when you don’t live near either terminus of the route? Is shipping the only option?
Dear Boxed-in Biker,
Ah, bike-touring logistics, another of my favorite topics! I’m not a puzzle person (like the actual put-the-physical-pieces-together pastime), but I imagine the satisfaction I get from successfully getting myself, my companions, and our bikes where we need to be, when we need to be there, is a bit like putting the final piece in a 1,000-piece jigsaw.
My very first tour was in Utah. It was a fully supported Adventure Cycling trip that looped through Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument that started and ended in St. George. I popped my Bianchi into the back of my Prius and made the relatively easy day trip to the meetup point, a KOA campground that let us stash our vehicles for the six nights we were away. Then I drove home. It was all very easy. Fast forward several years to last spring’s TransAm Express tour, which started in Washington, D.C., and ended in Eugene, Oregon. My bike and I reside in San Diego. Even if you’re not crossing the country, this is the type of logistical conundrum that can leave your head spinning.
You have a few options for getting your bike to your starting location. If you’re flying, you could bring your bike as checked luggage in either a dedicated bike case or in a cardboard bike box snagged from your local bike shop. On a tour where I’m starting and ending in the same location but still need to fly there, I prefer to use a dedicated case because its wheels make it easier to maneuver through the airport and get to and from my accommodation. If you are spending your first night and last night at the same hotel or hostel, it’s likely that the staff will be willing to stow the box while you’re away. A bike case can be an investment, though, so consider borrowing one if you won’t use it very often.
But back to the point-to-point tour. Yes, you can actually ship your bike case to your end point. Bike shops are a good option for this, as is the hotel where you plan to stay before your flight out. There are a few reasons this may make the most sense. Maybe you feel strongly that your case offers the best protection for your bike or that that aforementioned maneuverability is of utmost importance.
I’ve found, however, that a cardboard box is usually easier. Bike shops often have plenty of them left over from the bikes they sell, so if you contact a shop ahead of time, it can typically set one aside for you. Some shops will charge a small fee (maybe $10), but I’ve found they’re just as likely to give it to you for free. And if it’s intimidating to assemble or disassemble and box up your bike, the shop can do that for you for a fee. Just make sure to let the shop know in advance and allow enough time ahead of your tour or your flight home for them to take care of it.
If you’re crunched for time, another option is to ship your boxed bike (either through the shop’s preferred shipping manner or through Bikeflights) to a shop at your start point and from a shop at your end point. This will give the mechanics extra time to assemble and break down your rig. It helps if you don’t need your bike for a few days on either end of your ride.
It’s also wise to research whether shipping or flying with your bike is cheaper. At one time, shipping was considered more cost-effective because airlines considered bicycles to be oversized luggage and would charge exorbitant rates. Today, however, many airlines consider a bike in a case or box to be a normal piece of checked luggage, as long as it doesn’t exceed their weight limit (often 50 pounds). I had quite the lesson on this during a trip to Hawaii where it would have run $700 to ship my bike but only cost $30 each way to bring it on the plane.
You said that you don’t live near the start or end of your route, but that doesn’t mean you have to fly. If you’re beginning or ending your trip 8 to 12 hours from where you live, one-way car rentals are something to keep in mind. Not only will this make your schedule more flexible, it also avoids all the disassembling/boxing/checking rigamarole that goes along with flying or shipping your rig. You can also utilize a rental to shuttle your bikes if your point-to-point tour isn’t exceptionally long. For example, to avoid flying in and out of different airports, some friends and I flew to Nashville and drove a rented truck to Natchez, Mississippi. We then biked the 444 miles back to Music City on the Natchez Trace.
There are also some great public transportation options, depending on where you’re travelling. I know several folks who have taken trains to the start of a tour, and Adventure Cycling recently published a guide to five tours you can take via Amtrak. Some communities also have super helpful bus systems, like the POINT up in Northwest Oregon or the YARTS in the Yosemite Valley area. It’s usually worth a quick internet search of “bus to…” when you’re starting to dream up your next tour.
Sometimes the logistics involved with a bike tour will be easy. But when things get complicated, try to channel that spirit of flexibility and adventure that you’re already bringing to your bike travels. At the end of the day, it’s all part of the journey.
The post Ask a Tour Leader: How Do You Get Your Bike Box to the End of a Point-to-Point Trip? appeared first on Adventure Cycling Association.
