Beyond Biking » copy_general_bike

To hire or not to hire?

About 80% of Beyond Biking participants choose to rent a bike with us, mainly for peace of mind. You do not have to worry about taking your bike apart, packing it up nicely in a bike bag, and then building it back up once you arrive at your destination. And most of all, you do not want to run the risk of damaging your bike while in transit. Renting a bike also gives you the perfect opportunity to try something new. On the other hand, opt for a rental and you will find yourself riding something unfamiliar, which may take some time to get used to. (We remark that, due to bike logistics and only for our Utah trip, bringing your own bike is limited.)

If you’re thinking of renting, rental costs – not to mention bike quality – will vary from country to country, so do bear this in mind when making your decision. For each country, the price of bike hire is fixed by our preferred hire partner – Beyond Biking does not charge a mark-up. You can expect to pay a weekly rental fee of anywhere from €100 to €400, whereas airlines will generally set you back roughly €100 each way for an extra mountain bike case, plus excess luggage costs. Do not forget that you also have to rent or buy a bike case.

If you’re about to fly with your bike for the first time, a big question you’re probably asking yourself is “what should of bike box/bag should I get?” Your three main options are a softshell case, a hardshell case or a simple cardboard bike box.

The padding in a softshell case generally does a good job of protecting the bike inside. An Evoc softshell travel bag costs around around €400, which is quite expensive for single use. Beyond Biking offers the possibility to rent an Evoc travel bag for €75 for the week (if available, and only for Belgian residents). A softshell bike case alternative for EVOC is the Thule RoundTrip Traveler.
A hardshell case will do an even better job of protecting your bike, but at the cost of weight and cost. The ‘Thule Round Trip’ case with integrated bike work stand makes traveling with your bike simple, but is pricy (550€). More affordable is the Thule Roundtrip Sport, A UPS/Airline approved heavy-duty travel case (350€). B&W, having a successful history in the case industry for more than 30 years, launched ‘the Bike Guard Curv’ world’s lightest hard bicycle case at 8.2 kg (850€!). Still popular and more affordable are the classic B&W bike box and B&W bike case (prices range from 250€ to 350€). Cheapest in the market are RCP bike boxes (around 200€)
You could also opt to get a cardboard bicycle box from your local bicycle shop. These are the boxes bike companies use to ship their bikes. It’s the cheapest option by far, often free from a bike shop, and with appropriate padding the bike can be well protected.

Bike hire overview

Scotland: 27.5 Merida and mostly 29-er Lapierre Zesty mountain bikes. The price is £175 for a hardtail and £275 for a full-suspension bike for the whole trip.
Utah & Arizona: different high-quality 29-er Santa Cruz full-suspension bikes. The price is $350 for the entire trip.
Morocco: Black Forest Focus mountain bikes. Most are hardtails, 26-ers, although we’re slowly moving towards 27.5-ers. On request, two Focus Super Buds full suspension 26-ers. Bike hire costs €100 for the whole trip. A hardtail will do.
Iceland: Trek 4300 and Trek X-Caliber 29, hardtail. The price is €395 for the entire trip. A hardtail will do.

Flying with your bike

If you want to bring your own bike, please keep in mind that oversized luggage policies vary from airline to airline. Before booking your flights, we strongly suggest that you look up your potential airline’s bike policy so that you can make an informed decision. Once you’ve booked your flights, we recommend contacting your airline to let them know you’ll be carrying a packed bike.

How to pack your mountain bike for a flight?

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