Getting My Trek Mountain Bike Back To The Uk

[Richmeister]

Ive been in Thailand for a year now and to be honest, Im ready to leave. I bought a 13,000bt mountain bike a few months back which Ive grown quite fond to and what to take back to the UK with me but Ive no idea how to go about doing it. Does anyone have any advice or indeed transported such an item before? Ideally, I want to avoid taking it apart as im not very mechanically minded.

Thanks in advance.

[wayned]

Some airlines have boxes specifically designed for shipping or carrying bicycles as luggage, but some disassembly is required. Ask rhe airline, or a freight forwarder.

[necronx99]

Pedals off, front wheel off, turn handlebars sidewards to make a flatpack.

Wrap in thick cardboard.

[Daewoo]

Get a used cardboarb box that a bicycle comes in from a bike shop...

as above;

loosen the handlebars and turn them sideways so they sit over the frame,

take the pedals off, or turn them so they face inwards...

If you have a clip link in the chain remove it...

lower the seat so it is the same height as the highest part of the handlebars...

Cut most of the ends out of the box so that it slides over the frame, and sits on the seat and the handlebars, but allows the wheels to turn, so you can walk the bike through the airport...

Tape the box underneath (behind the front wheel, in front of the back wheel)

The bike will (normally) be counted as part of your normal baggage allowance weight... you will need to drop it at the oversized baggage counter after you check in... just before you hand it over, let most of the air out of the tyres so they don't burst in the less pressurised cargo hold...

The airline is mostly concerned about greese from you bike getting onto other luggage... so you need to cover the chain and hubs are covered...

[Gippy]

Give it a good wash before packing it up. I have been stopped by the 'mud police' a couple of times after collecting my bike from the oversized luggage section of a couple of different airports.

[nocturn]

http://www.google.co.th/search?aq=0&oq=pack+bic&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=pack+bicycle+for+air+travel

[Richmeister]

Thanks for the advice guys. Its really gonna be a pain in the arse disassembling but I guess its the only way.

[necronx99]

Thanks for the advice guys. Its really gonna be a pain in the arse disassembling but I guess its the only way.

Disassembling? You need to move the pedals and loosen 1, maybe 2 bolts, though they probably have quick release. You've never shopped at Ikea have you?

[nocturn]

if loosening a few bolts is an issue, there is a simple answer, take it to probike and pay to have it boxed properly. other end, pay to have it reassembled.

you will have to go to the bikestore to get a box anyways.

re letting air out of the tires, unless you have high pressure slicks, or are shipping a road bike with high pressure tires, you need not let any air out of the tires

[Rimmer]

Taking pedals off really needs a cranked pedal wrench, the pedal on the RH side come off in a counter clockwise direction, the pedal on the left side come off in a clockwise direction.

As nocturn says best is to take it to a bike shop where they have lots of bike boxes and packing pieces, they will charge you a little for the service.

Trust me I know about these things, I used to own 5 Mountain bike stores in Singapore

[nocturn]

agreed that pedals are counter threaded, but i have always used a crescent wrench to remove pedals. cranks require a special puller. looking at my shimano spds (cleated pedals for laymen) they will come off with a hex key, albeit probably not easily.

but that is moot, take advantage of cheap labour one last time and have the bike shop sort it out. especially if you don't have the tools or aptitude. the fact that you are asking how to indicates you should probably just cough up the bucks.

besides it will be a nice welcome home to compare the cost of reassembly back home with what you paid to have it prepped for shipping

[CWMcMurray]

IF a remember correctly, I had a bike shop int he US breakdown and pack my bike and it cost about USD 30 and had a bike shop in Thailand do the re-assembly for about 300 THB

[astral]

It will probably be at least £30 in the UK

[jimwass3]

International Bicycle Travel - Clearing "Customs"

I will be travelling Bangkok to Philippines back to Bangkok with my bicycle.

How do I avoid paying "customs duty" upon arrival in Philippines and the on my return to Bangkok?

Jim