We ordered our tandem from Bilenkey with S&S couplers and haven't regretted it. He's the low cost option for couplers.
Since I already had two cases I opted for couplers when I repainted my Trek(62cm) & converted it to 650b. Learning to pack takes some practice but the travel is hassle free. I looked at all the crate options for a long time and decided against, but in the process learned about shipbikes.com. I used them to ship my frame to Bilenky and found it to be much cheaper than any other alternative, and really easy too. If I were making a long trip I would consider shipping my tandem with them and not worrying about schlepping to the airport or worrying about transfers and damage. They also sell what look like good reusable cardboard boxes. Michael On Thursday, January 2, 2014 1:10:02 PM UTC-5, dailyrandonneur wrote: > > I've traveled with singles and tandems, both full size and S&S. Every > airline is different as another responder mentioned, and they change their > policies from time to time, so nothing is completely static. > > One relative constant has been allowable size for checked luggage, 62 > linear inches. Outside that dimension you typically pay oversize fees even > if you don't exceed the maxiumum weight limit. > > For the occasional trip, there is no doubt that paying the oversize fee > and dragging around a full-size bike box is cheaper. I liked the Crateworks > corrugated plastic box, it is lighter than a hard case but tougher than > cardboard, folds up for storage and can be re-used. > > After a few trips, however, you could end up pay as much in fees as buying > couplers and the S&S case. The advantages of S&S, in terms of reduced > packing hassle and ease of movement during your trip, are of value to me > even if I never fully pay off through travel. This is especially true with > a tandem, where the trouble of lugging a huge box and paying big fees at > the counter isn't my idea of fun travel. > > If you know you are going to travel with a frameset and are getting it > repainted anyway, it's the right time to consider couplers. I recommend > them. > > Ed > Washington, DC > > > > On Thursday, January 2, 2014 11:16:04 AM UTC-5, Kieran J wrote: >> >> Hey Y'alls, >> >> I'm starting to think about air travel with a bike, with the first >> possible destination of the Bay Area this upcoming summer (hoping to >> repatriate the Ram Dawg, at least for a visit). >> >> Do any of you have experience with bike boxes or bike bags, on an >> airline? TSC/ATA cases, fabric bags, cardboard bike boxes even? >> >> At first, I entertained the idea of installing S&S couplers on the Ram >> (it needs new paint anyways) but together, the retrofit would cost large >> $$. So now I'm thinking about just flying with it, as is. The Ram is a >> 66cm, so finding a box that would accommodate its sprawl would be one of >> the chief concerns. >> >> Any good experiences? Things to avoid? Anything to report with >> various airlines' policies and costs, as well? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Kieran in Toronto >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
