Jeff Ballweg

If you like riding bikes, you’ve probably found yourself getting ready for a vacation wishing you had some way to bring your bike along. We’ve wanted to do some touring or bring our bikes for general transportation or just to take a ride wherever we happen to be. Of course, you can rent bikes, but there’s nothing like your own ride. So if you want to bring your own, you’ve got a few options; you can get a folding bike like a Dahon, have couplers installed in your favorite bike, or take your bike as is, in a case. Dahon’s are a little wonky, especially if you want to do self supported touring, as they often have non-standard parts, little wheels and even if it was perfect, you’d still have to buy one. Couplers are awesome, but you need a frame builder to cut your bike in half to install them, which is expensive, especially if you’re riding an aluminum or titanium bike, so it’s really best to just buy a Co-Motion or Traveler’s Check. Still, in each case, you’re only able to travel with that one bike.

Julie and I decided to go the case route. We settled on a pair of Bike Pro USA Race Cases that we found on Craigslist over the summer. Last night was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to try it out with my 54cm Long Haul Trucker. This bike also has wide Planet Bike Cascadia fenders, a Jandd Extreme front rack, and an Old Man Mountain White Rock rear rack which would all need to come along.

This might be the cheapest way to get your bike on the plane, but there are two things to note before you go this route. First is that the airlines have cranked down on the max size of your luggage, so the case still might cost you extra at the terminal; and secondly, some disassembly is required. It’s not difficult, but its worth looking a look at the process below if you’re thinking about buying one.

So, here’s the process for my bike, season to taste, your mileage may vary.

Surly Long Haul Trucker, in a case.

Tools you’ll need.

• Allen wrenches or multi-tool.
• 8mm wrench. (for fenders)
• 10mm wrench. (for rack)
• Tire levers.
• Pump.

Tools you’ll want.

• Grease.
• Chain Lube.
• 6 inches of string.
• Portable work stand.
• 1″x135mm PVC tube.

Packing the bike.

1. Tip: When you remove a part, put the screws back in the holes they came out of, so you don’t forget where they go or lose them.
2. Put bar-end shifter in the in-line position.
3. Open brakes and remove wheels from the bike.
4. Deflate tires and remove tubes.
   (you only need to do this if you really need every last bit of space.)
5. Remove rear rack.
6. Remove rear fender.
7. Remove front rack and front fender.
8. Brace rear dropout with skewer and pvc tube.
9. Tie derailleur cage to chainstay with string.
10. Remove handlebars from stem.
11. Hang handlebars over top tube.
12. Remove headtube cap
13. Remove stem, flip it and rotate it 180, reinstall headtube cap.
14. Drop seat all the way down.
15. Remove pedals.
16. Place bike in case, fork into it’s bracket first.
17. Place bottom bracket on its platform.
18. Tighten fork skewer.
19. Tighten chainstays to platform with T-shaped bracket.
20. Place wheels on either side of frame, in wheel bags.
21. Racks may fit within each other, upside-down, in rear triangle.
22. Fenders fit within each other, through fork with their tops toward the front of the case.
23. Fold tubes and  tires and put them under the rear triangle, or wherever they fit.
24. Toss your tools in there somewhere they wont bang around too much.

Re-assemble.

1. Tip: Tighten screws finger-tight until the part is in place, then tighten.
2. Re-orient stem.
3. Loosely attach handlebar.
4. Attach front fender at fork crown.
5. Attach front rack to lower fork braze-ons, with fender stays on top.
6. Install mid-blade rack bolts, with three spacers between rack and fork blade.
7. Tighten all front rack bolts.
8. Attach rear fender to crossbars between chainstays and seatstays.
9. Attach rear fender stays to rearmost braze-ons on frame.
10. Tighten fender.
11. Attach lower rack struts to braze-ons on rear end.
12. Attach upper rack struts to brake stud mounted brackets.
    (I have an Old Man Mountain White Rock rear rack that attaches to the brake studs, not the rack braze-ons on the seat stays.)
13. Tighten rear rack.
14. Install pedals.
15. Install tubes and tires. (if you took them off)
16. Release derailleur.
17. Install wheels.
18. Stand over the bike, align stem and handlebars where you like them, and tighten  them.
19. Check that your skewers are tight and your brakes are connected.
20. Go for a ride.

I can put the bike together in about 30 minutes if I do it quickly. If I clean and regrease all the bolts, have a coffee or beer to sip, and drop a lot of screws and tools, I can still do it under an hour, which is a little more realistic.