Considered one of largest benefits of proudly owning a folding bike like a Bike Friday is the truth that the bike can fold down and match inside a suitcase – thus enabling you to avoid wasting a big amount of cash when touring by airplane.
As chances are you’ll or might not know, most airways cost roughly $80 per course to fly a full measurement bicycle on an airplane. And even at this worth, you continue to should field the bike up, someway get it to the airport, hope it passes inspection, and arrives multi functional piece.
However with a folding bike, you may keep away from all of those hassles.
I only recently returned from a brief journey to Aruba the place I took my Bike Friday folding bike with me for the very first time. I used to be excited to make use of the bike upon my arrival, however was nervous about flying with the bike. What would airport officers should say in regards to the bike? And in the event that they came upon there was a motorbike inside my suitcase, would they slap me with an additional payment anyway?
As we speak, I’m going to let you know about my private experiences flying with my Bike Friday New World Vacationer folding bike.
Earlier than leaving house, I packed the bike up contained in the suitcase after which took a shuttle to the airport. Checking a full measurement bicycle onto a airplane can generally flip into a giant deal, however on this case, the girl checking me in didn’t say a factor. I merely lifted the suitcase containing my bike and trailer onto the dimensions and checked in like regular. I had weighed the bike earlier than leaving house and knew that it weighed precisely 49.8 kilos. On the airport, the dimensions learn precisely 50 kilos (the restrict for a suitcase on home flights).
Total, test in was no drawback. After going by means of safety myself, I headed to my terminal and took a nap as I waited for my airplane to depart
Upon arrival in Aruba, I used to be fearful that my bike wouldn’t be there. I had heard horror tales of individuals arriving on their bike journeys solely to search out that their bikes had not made it by means of safety and had been now hundreds of miles away. Happily for me, the suitcase containing my bicycle spilled out onto the luggage declare carousel with everybody else’s baggage and I rapidly made my well past customs and out into the recent Aruba solar.
This is likely one of the most difficult moments in any bike journey: The place are you able to arrange your bicycle?
The airport was crowded and folks had been dashing about, renting vehicles, hailing taxis, and usually bustling from one place to the subsequent. However I used to be on my bicycle and the very first thing I wanted to do was discover a place the place I might sit down for a half hour and put my bike collectively.
Usually, it’s not a good suggestion to place your bike collectively within the airport or in entrance of the doorways straight outdoors the airport. This can be a recipe for catastrophe! The very last thing you wish to do is take your bike out of the field, begin placing it collectively, after which have police or safety come and let you know that it’s worthwhile to rapidly transfer out of the world. Together with your bike in items, this may be terribly troublesome to do.
As an alternative, it’s worthwhile to search for a spot barely outdoors of the airport… or at the very least in an space the place you’re out of the way in which.
In my case, I walked throughout 2 lanes of visitors and located a small island stuffed with parked vehicles. Below a small tree, I opened my suitcase, discovered that my bicycle was nonetheless in a single piece inside its case… and now all I needed to do was put I collectively. Half an hour later, the bike and trailer had been assembled and I used to be on my solution to the resort.
All in all, my experiences flying with the Bike Friday had been completely implausible. Airport officers didn’t harass me in regards to the contents of my suitcase; my baggage was not chubby or outsized and I didn’t should pay any additional charges to deliver my bicycle with me; and transportation to and from the airport with the bike and trailer was simpler than another journey I’ve made previously.
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