[Sportsandrec] Traveling with bikes and tandems

[Lori M. Miller]

Kelly,

It's always good to swap stories with cycling enthusiasts. When I first got 
into racing I was lucky to have several experienced cyclists around me who 
shared endless knowledge, and helped me learn the ropes. It's certainly not 
a cheap sport, but an awesome sport in many ways.

And hey, I heard today that Jet Blue is flying bikes free with the passenger 
for a short time.

Lori
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thornbury, Kelly" <kthornbury at bresnan.net>
To: <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 2:29 PM
Subject: [Sportsandrec] Traveling with bikes and tandems


> I've only traveled with a tandem a couple times, but have dragged my 
> single bikes all over the world, and here's what I've run into in the 
> past:
> Amtrak- Amtrak actually had (and I don't know if it is still in effect) a 
> policy that said that bikes were allowed on their trains, but you had to 
> pack it in one of their "approved" containers, but tandems were not 
> allowed...If you already had it packed in a container they approved of, 
> they probably wouldn't know the difference.
> Eurorail systems- In Europe, where biking is much more "accommodated," 
> most trains have special sections designed for holding bikes, but I 
> honestly never traveled with a tandem then. For those of you looking for 
> an adventurous vacation...A Eurorail pass (allows for nearly unlimited 
> travel on most trains throughout western Europe for the length of the 
> pass) and your bike...You bike most of the day, and catch the train at 
> night where you can get a decent night's sleep. Where ever you wake the 
> next morning, you start out again. Every couple days or so you hit a 
> hostel or hotel. Not only do you get to see Europe on your bike, but the 
> added adventure of planning out your day based on where the train took you 
> in your sleep. Recommendations include a fairly heavy credit card, 
> traveling light (although, we did store some items in train station 
> lockers where we knew we would travel through again, and mailed items to 
> us general delivery to towns we knew we would visit), and lots of good 
> maps.
> Airlines- Many airlines had a similar policy, but again if they didn't 
> notice there was no foul. As for being charged for a single bike, I have 
> been charged, then later not, on the same airline. Officially many 
> airlines had an additional charge for a bike, but if the ticket agent 
> didn't really know better, you could get away with a lot. When I moved 
> back from Europe years ago, I was allowed two suitcases on the 
> flight...one contained my clothes, and the second contained two bikes and 
> an additional frame (back when 75 pounds was the baggage limit). While 
> this particular airline had an additional charge for bikes, the ticket 
> agent was unfamiliar with a bike bag, or what the name "Look" or the 
> cycling graphics on my oversized bag represented.
> The more I read about S&S, the more I'm looking into buying a frame with 
> the couplers installed. Two pounds on a bike already weighing forty pounds 
> or more is not really noticeable...about the weight of one and a half 
> waterbottles, and I wear a Camelbak and "prehydrate" anyway.
> Thanks to Ron and Lori for your views, and anyone else I forgot to 
> mention.
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