Bringing A Bicycle Into Thailand

[Hanuman2547]

Back in November 2018 I packed up my old 2002 LeMond Zurich triple (52/42/30 - 12-25 9sp cassette) and headed off to Thailand.  I packed it in pipe insulation and bubble wrap.  Took off both wheels, handle bars, seat post, and pedals.  Individually wrapped each piece.  I used a soft sided bike travel case.  I reinforced it by cutting out cardboard from an old TV box.  It made it a lot stronger and added a lot of protection.  I also added some T-shirts and bike clothes for additional padding and to keep items from sliding around.  Arrived in Bangkok and breezed through customs.  They didn't even bother to stop me despite having the one larger than usual checked bag.  I flew on EVA airlines from the USA with a stop in Taipei.  At check-in in the USA I didn't have to pay an extra fee for the oversized bike bag.  It was not overweight and they just counted it as one of my two free checked in bags.  The bike now remains in Thailand as now I don't have to drag a bike back and forth between countries.  Someday I'll upgrade and bring one of my carbon fiber framed bikes to Thailand.