How To Travel By Air With Your Bike
The cheapest and best way is to ask your local bike shop for an old packing box. Try and get a good sturdy one, or if you have money to spare, and you travel a lot buy a good quality bike box or bag. The last resort is to bubble wrap it up, it will do the job but the chances are it will arrive with some sort of damage.
Almost all of the major and charter airlines will be happy to take your bike to your destination, some will charge you a fee and others will fly it free of charge. Prices vary from between £15 - £30. Easyjet charge £1 per kilo over your 25lbs allowance. But prices are more then that for return journeys.
Packing the bike
1. Take out the seat post with the seat still attached. Remember to mark the post for attachment later.
2. Slacken the brake cables, so that you will be able to remove the wheels.
3. Remove the wheels, and let the air out of the tyres. Refit the quick releases to the bikes front fork and rear bracket. To make it easier shift the gearing to the big ring and smallest cog, that way the rear wheel will come off its chain and rear Mech easier.
4. Remove the handle bars from the stem, and replace the bolts back in the stem bracket. You may have to remove the bikes computer if you have one.
5. Spin off the bike's pedals, the right pedal turns counter clockwise, left pedal turns clockwise. To save the pedals getting lost in the bike box, re-attach them to the inside of the crank arms or place them in a box, so they will not damage the frame when in transit.
6. Wrap the frame in bubble wrap or pipe lagging; your local DIY shop should have what you need. Pay attention to the rear Mach, crank, forks, and handle bars. Pack under the bikes forks too. Also put plenty of wrapping around the hubs, rear cassette, and crank.
7. Now pack in all your cycling kit, ticking it off your list as you go. That way, when you arrive at Malaga you will not be missing anything like shoes.
8. Now that everything is in the box, make sure nothing is rolling about that could cause damage to the frame, or fall out in transit.
9. Tape up the box with heavy-duty tape. Reinforce the sides and the bottom, especially the bottom. Cardboard will absorb up water and become soggy.
10. Also reinforce the handle areas. Attach your flight and destination info, also mark which way up you have packed the bike. Remember to take extra tape with you for your return journey.
And last but not least stick on a fragile sticker.