How to travel with a bike

By plane 

Before you get to the airport, check your airline's rules for flying with a bike. Some airlines count them as a piece of luggage, regardless of dimension, and some airlines have a fee for sports equipment. 

It’s best to check and purchase any extra baggage you need before check-in. As a rule of thumb, most low-cost airlines will ask you to pay extra for sports equipment and this will typically cost between 50-100 GBP/EUR per flight. Check out the policies of key airlines below. 

Airlines require bikes to be packaged for travel. This can be in a purpose-made bike bag, or a cardboard box. Take the wheels off and let the air out of the tyres, and turn your handlebars 90 degrees for a great fit in a cardboard box. Remove the pedals to slim down the width. Pad it out with styrofoam tubing, or put all your extra clothes and bike accessories in with it. A lot of local bike shops will package your bike for you for a small fee, if you feel like you want a pro to do it.

By car

Travelling by car? Well, you have a few options for carrying your bike. You can buy a ‘clip on clip off’ rear rack that will attach to your boot. If you want a more permanent solution, roof racks are a good choice, and can hold multiple bikes. Of course, if you have a bigger car you can often just pop the front wheel off the bike and throw the whole thing in the back. Bring a blanket to cover it, and make sure you don’t leave a bike on the outside of your car unsecured.