How to transport Bike across the country on the cheap?

[Juan Pelota]

My beautiful road bike is at my parents house in Virginia. I live in California. This poses a problem as shipping bikes via mail isn't so cheap. My brother is flying out here in a month, would it be better for him to just take it on the plane?

How do you guys transport your bikes?

 

[jmax22]

Well, there are two ways to transport your bike, fly with it or ship it. Most airlines charge between 100-150 one way, UPS depends on the distance. I just shipped mine from Colorado to Illinois and it cost about $80, but took about 4 days. Definitely cheaper to ship, but takes a lot longer.

 

[Guidokcd]

I've heard you can kind of sneak them through the check-in process. Put it in a bike sized box, and throw some other stuff in there with it and say it's camping gear. Make sure it's less than 50 lbs. The box will be slightly oversized, but you'll probably get away with it. Art supplies is another good excuse for the box. Say it's a sculpture. Otherwise, it's a $100.

 

[TheDude]

USPS ground is your friend. If you can let it take a couple of weeks, you can ship cheap. One choice is ship the frame and carry wheels. I shipped a frame to Hawaii USPS for $20.

 

[brianf7]

I shipped a frame from west coast USA to Australia for $100 AUD about $80 usd.

Take wheels out and ship seperatly if too big or heavy.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

My beautiful road bike is at my parents house in Virginia. I live in California. This poses a problem as shipping bikes via mail isn't so cheap. My brother is flying out here in a month, would it be better for him to just take it on the plane?

How do you guys transport your bikes?

Virginia to California. Wow thats quite a long way. Approximately 2,600 miles. Thats a long flight, with the possibility of connecting flights. But it is the quickest method of transporting Your Bike over that distance. Different airlines however will have different weight restrictions and different charges regarding the transportation of Bikes. I would definitely recommend that You have Your Bike transported in a hard case bike box such as the Elite Vaison, for example. A hard case Bike box is the safest way to transport Your Bike by air. Go to http://www.bikeboxalan.co.uk and read what is quoted on their Website about how Bikes are handled at airports. If You have a bike that costs quite a bit of dollar then get a case like one of these. It may cost a bit, but at least Your bike will get there in one piece.