How well your bike survives the trip will depend on two things. Number one is how well it is packed and padded. Number two is how it is handled once it leaves your hands. I have received thousands of bicycles in the past twenty five years and I can state with some confidence that any bicycle that I received damaged could be attributed to poor packaging. Let me paint a mental picture. A modern airliner can hold up to 500 people. Each person is allowed two items of luggage and a carryon BAG. Airlines are beating each other to death with price competition and the employees are paying some of the price by being asked to do more and do it faster. Once on the ground, the turnaround time is kept to about an hour. So now you have the BAGgage handlers loading up to 1000 BAGs after first unloading the plane. That BAG/box that has your precious touring bicycle is just another annoying parcel that he has to get on the plane or get yelled at.

My vote would be to find the closest Cannondale dealer and mooch a BOX from him.. My personal opinion is that Cannondale BOXes are the best and if you pack your bicycle is the same way as the bicycle the BOX contained, your bicycle has a very good chance of survival. Murphy's Law states that your bicycle will be damaged at the arrival destination. This is to insure that you will have the most inconvenience at a strange place and putting you at the mercy of strangers.

Actually that may not be too bad, now that I think of it. Some of my best, most memorable times have resulted from the kindness of strangers. That being the CASE live dangerously and BAG it.

I never had a bicycle damaged that I packaged for a customer. (but I did once forget to pack the customers pedals with the bicycle.)
Moseman

I always found two bike BOXes of different sizes. After carefully packing the bike in one BOX (remove rear derailleur, wood block in the front drop outs etc..) I would put it in the other BOX and use my touring stuff (in stuff sacks) as stuffing between the BOXes. Always worked (5X times to Europe).

The last time I brought three bikes and a trailer to Poland without any problems. Now I just take my bike Friday and don't worry at all.

Robert Mink Poznan Poland

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Szukasz firmy? Kliknij http://www.pkt.pl
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This is excellent advice, which I haven't seen previously in the "flying" posts.

Our experience is that it is SO much easier to check in one *large* package than all those little bundles. Easier too to retrieve from the carousel, and to control on a BAGagge trolley.

I would disagree only with packing your helmet - ours are sufficiently fragile that we carry them by hand.

We also carry our tools onto any plane, as - unlike most of our other stuff - they are not (readily) replaceable if they go missing with the BAGgage people. A Duty Free BAG is excellent for this purpose. [but note that some security staff may be suspicious about those tools. -- GF]

/fish/

I've been asked this question so many times that I can almost give my speech verbatim. First of all, don't take your bike to the LBS and have them do it because when you get to where you are going, you will be as uninformed about what to do as you were in the beginning. Besides, the LBS isn't going to be there to BOX it for your return.

It's like making chicken soup, first you need a chicken. First, in this CASE, you need a BOX that fits your bicycle. Bikes aren't all the same size. Remove the front wheel, turn the forks around if possible and let your bike rest on the fork tips. Measure the overall length and from the floor to the top of the seat tube. Do this as far ahead as possible to give your LBS time to find a BOX that will best fit your needs.

With these measurements and a ruler, head for your LBS to get a proper size BOX. Also ask if they will save all the packing stuff that came on the bike they took out of the BOX and open it without cutting off the lid. While you are at it, see if they have an old quick release front hub and skewer. Never saw an LBS that didn't have a BOX full of them. You also need three toeclip straps. With hub and straps in hand, head for your local home improvement store to buy a 6' section of foam rubber pipe insulation with a 1" ID and TWO rolls of heavy duty carton strapping tape.

Remember that practice makes perfect. It will take you at least an hour the first time or two but I can have my bike in or out of the BOX in ten minutes. Try to get in some practice BOXings in before the real thing.

Using a permanent ink, broad tip marking pen, write your name, address and phone number on the INSIDE of the BOX, just below the lid. If you have a business card, tape it to the inside of the lid. Then write your name, address and phone number on the outside of the BOX. Also, put destination phone and address on a piece of paper and tape it to the outside of the BOX like a shipping tag. I know a person who flew to Spain and his bike went on a different plane. When they couldn't figure out where it was to go there, they sent it back to his home.

First you remove all BAGs, front rack if equipped, pump, tool kits and things like that. Remove the computer and put it in your pocket. Put the bike in the big/big gears. I know you don't ride like that but you BOX it that way.

Remove the following items and put in a single pile: Front wheel skewer, water bottle cages, seat with post and pedals. Put one roll of the carton strapping tape in this pile. Put all screws back in the holes they came out of and tighten slightly. Cut sections of the pipe insultion long enough to cover the top tube, the down tube and the seat tube and split them lengthwise on one side (if they aren't already). Cut two more pieces to cover the fork legs and install that old front hub to hold them in place. You also need an old bath size towel.

Turn cranks so the left one points forward. Place the front wheel on the left side of the frame with the tire just behind the downtube shifter lug. Work the left crank in between the spokes. When the tire is resting against the frame, use two of the toe straps to attach it to the down tube and the seat tube.

Remove handlebars, with stem if you have to. Many later bikes have a clamp that allows you to leave the stem in place and just remove the bars. Now here's the tricky part. Find where the handlebars will fit the best. In some CASEs it's around the top tube and others it's behind the forks around the down tube. If the stem is on the handlebars, it will need to be loosened and turned out of the way. When the handlebars are in a comfortable place, attach them there with that last toeclip strap.

There were some black plastic things that came in the BOX. One goes on the end of the rear skewer to protect the rear derailleur, another for the end of the front hub where it rests against the inside of the BOX and one to go into the top of the seat tube.

You should be able to pick the bike up as a single unit and lower it into the BOX with the rear tire fitting into the folded cardboard guide in one end of the BOX. It may take some jiggling and moving things around a bit to get it to fit but if you got the proper size BOX, it will go. Once the bike is all the way into the BOX, put the saddle and post into the space on the right side of the rear wheel. Clean your hands on the old towel. Roll the pedals, bottle cages, front skewer and TOOLS TO REASSEMBLE THE BIKE, along with that other roll of tape in the towel, secure it with tape and shove it down beside the rear wheel on the other side from the saddle. That roll of tape? It's to use when you BOX the bike for the return trip.

All other items that you want to pack with the bike should be rolled in a towel and secured with strapping tape. There is usually room to put things like this between the forks and downtube. The main thing is that you want to have nothing small left to roam around in the BOX. They hate darkness and try to escape through the hand holes in the BOX. I've never found a space for the helmet in a standard bike BOX.

Strap the lid shut using several strips of the carton strapping tape. You can have too few but you can't have too many. Get to the airport half an hour earlier than you would if not flying with your bike. if the gate ape says anything about letting air out of the tires, just say you knew to do that and have already done so. (It's not necessary but don't tell them that)

Don't forget to pack your helmet, gloves and cycling shoes; someone always does.

Get 2 of the largest BOXes you can get, use the 2nd BOX side walls as liners for the first BOX as this helps protect the sides from punctures. Also rummage around for the plastic axle protectors (get 3-4), a plastic fork protector, and tubing cardboard. Also try to get at least one or two small BOXes for storage of small parts such as skewers, pedals, etc..

Buy the following: Plastic tiewraps/or twine. Bubble wrap. Packing tape - clear. 1" hose clamp (for Aheadset’s).

Tape now around the holes of the handle cut -out’s as they tend to get "stressed". Do this now, as it’s easier than after you have the bike in the BOX.

To protect the frame, wrap all painted tubes on the frame and fork with the cardboard protectors, and/or with bubble wrap. Use twine and or plastic tie-wraps (my choice) to secure the tubing protection. Avoid using packing tape for this as the glue gets all over the frame.

Shift the gears so as the deraillers are set closest to the center of the frame, and out of harms way.

Remove the pedals. Use 15mm pedal wrench, or a 6" adjustable wrench. Remember that pedals are reverse threaded. Turn the crank to the 3 and 9 o’clock position. This keeps the crank arms from puncturing the bottom of the BOX.

Remove the front wheel. Remove the skewer and pack the skewer in the small BOX with the pedals, other small parts etc. Tape/tie/tiewrap 2 wheel protectors to the front wheel axle, both sides.

Remove bike computer and store in BOX. Same with saddle BAG. The frame pump can tie wrap onto the frame so it won’t come loose. The bike computer wire will need to detach from the h-bar, unwind it back to the fork and tie-wrap to fork. Retighten the small screw on the computer h-bar bracket.

Remove the handlebar. On a drop bar, release all brake releases, and set the front and rear gearing back to the least amount of cable tension. This helps you get some slack in the cables. Tighten down the stem bolt. Tiewrap the h-bar to the top tube in such a way that the bar ends are facing vertical. Turn the fork 90 degrees, so as to protect the brakes. Install fork protector. On some setups you may have to remove the front brakes to get enough slack in the cable. Don’t forget to tighten the brake bolt nut back onto the bolt, or simply remove it and store it. Tie wrap the brake assembly to the frame

If a mountain h-bar, it’s as easy. Detach bar-ends and pack in parts BOX. Tiewrap bar to top tube with the brakes/shifters facing down. If the cable slots are slotted, remove the cables from the front stops to allow a lot of slack on the h-bar

If using a bike with an Aheadset, you will need to go to a hardware store and buy a 1" hose clamp. Use this to tighten down onto the fork steerer and to keep the headset bearing assembly together. Remember to tighten down the bolts on the stem, and to pack the top cap and bolt into the parts BOX.

Remove the seat and seat post as one assembly. Nestle it into the space in front of the rear wheel and the back of the seat tube. Secure with tiewrap.

Fasten the front wheel to the frame alongside the main triangle, and on the opposite side of the drop part of the h-bar.

At this point the bike and wheel should be a nice tight package, and it should slip nicely into the BOX. If not, you need a larger BOX. Try to avoid overpacking the BOX as this tends to bulge the BOX, and will draw attention from UPS.

Add the parts BOX. Remember to add any and all tools needed for disassembly and re-assembly, including tools and materials used for re-packing.

Insert the side-wall liners. Don’t do this until after the bike is in the BOX as having them in the BOX prior just makes getting the bike into the BOX a hassle.

Tape the BOX securely, add the shipping labels, and off to UPS !

Insure the BOX for full REPLACEMENT value, not what you paid for it !., plus whatever accessories you’ve added.

If you cannot be there to receive, or have no-one/place to ship to, maybe have the local UPS depot hold for pickup. This is a free option with UPS (saves them the delivery cost).