Multimodal - Packing a bike for a trip with several different transport stages [duplicate]

Question

In few months we are going to visit Japan to cycle the 88 Temples pilgrimage there, and therefore we want to take our bikes with us.

Neglecting the transport from home to the airport, I will need to carry the bikes first on the plane, and then from the airport to the starting point, either via train or bus, with the constraints that the bikes must be covered and shall not exceed certain dimensions, else they won't be ammitted on the transport (and the train/bus crew is very strict on the size fitting).

I booked a direct flight to minimize handling at airport, but still I am not able to decide among the various options for packing them (taking for granted that the bikes will have the wheels removed and tightened to the frame before packing):

1. Use two hard bags:

   Plus: good protection of the bike during the flight

   Minus: hard to store for the flight back, rather expensive, won't allow usage in-between in case we decide to take train or bus

2. Use two soft bags covered with Fragile labels

   Plus: lightweight and easy to carry along, less expensive than hard bags, can be used also for taking the bikes on the train or bus no matter when it happens during the trip

   Minus: do airport operators care about "fragile" bags?

3. Use cardboard boxes

   Plus: they come for free, good protection

   Minus: likely single use only, where to find a new pair of boxes in Japan (both bikes are XL, not really the common Japanese size), won't allow usage inbetween in case we decide to take train or bus.

Talking with a friend who is often travelling on airplanes with his bike along, he always used a simple home-made soft bag with no labels, which led only to a bent derailleur gears after several trips. In my case the derailleur gears will be protected by the dissasmbled rear wheel, but I am still concerned about the carbon fork, which is not really keen to take strange impacts. Another one told me he found a kind local who accepted to keep his cardboard box at his place for the entire lenght of the trip, but I'd rather not count on lucky meetings to plan this trip.

Answer 1

This is how I travelled with budget Wizzair from Malmoe to Warsaw:

Three bikes were wrapped with stretch foil, with almost no disassembly, just handlebar turned by 90 deg.

One bike was totally disassembled, including derailleur removal, and put in soft bicycle-bag.

No damages were observed.

Answer 2

I'd prefer a hard case myself, especially if the bikes are expensive. The big advantage of cases is that most come with wheels, which is handy for making the trek from the airport to the hotel. Regarding the cases, you can store them either at your hotel, hostel, or at the baggage storage services (which might get expensive for multiple days). There are now hostels and hotels who cater to the bike crowd so you might want to explore using them.

For cardboard boxes, they might actually survive in good enough condition to use on the return trip. Bring or buy lots of duct tape. Transporting a bike box from place to place is a pain because they don't have wheels, be sure to also get a trolley:

And being a Brompton fanatic, I have to ask if you've considered a folder. My Brompton fits in a custom hardcase that I bodged together in my workshop for less than 100 euro/dollars. The beauty of folders is that you can declare them as "circus equipment" and not bicycles, so you don't get hit with the bicycle surcharge. This is my brompton travelling as regular luggage in its case (no wheels, so I have to use a folding luggage cart like the above):

Finally, you have one other option:

4. Rent a bike. There are numerous bike rental places in Shikoku. Japan has finally realized that bike touring is a thing and there are numerous bike shops, bike rental places, bike hostels, and so forth in Shikoku. They may also be amenable to storing your case/bag/box.

Answer 3

Check with your air carrier, they may refuse liability for any bike not packed in a cardboard or hard sided bike case, which may limit your options, assuming that's something you care about:

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/baggage/sports.aspx

United is not liable for damage to bicycles that do not have the handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removed, handlebars and pedals encased in plastic foam or similar material, or bicycles not contained in a cardboard containers or hard-sided cases.

The one time I took my bike overseas (in a hard-sided case), I regretted it. It's expensive ($200 each way on United) and inconvenient -- I had a hard time finding a cab that could hold us and our two bikes (we ended up taking 2 cabs to our first night hotel, fortunately our hotel helped us find a larger cab to take us to the start of our biking journey) and we had to deal with lugging them around on the last few (non-biking) days of our trip. A bike case takes a surprising amount of room in a small hotel room.

Now I spend some time researching quality bike rentals and only carry my pedals and helmet along. It's much much more convenient. And if for some reason we change our plans (like, say, due to a injury), we don't have to figure out what to do with our bikes.

If you plan on multiple overseas bike trips, another option would be to get a quality folding bike that fits into a suitcase sized case. A friend that does this regularly did that -- I think his bike is a Brompton. It's a pretty decent bike, I've ridden on some century rides with him and he has no trouble keeping up or doing the distance, so it seems like it would be a good option for travel, and if it saves $400 per trip in oversize bag fees, it wouldn't take many trips to pay for itself.