Help Me Bring My New Bike Back From the States (i Need a Broken Bike)

ok well i'm going to NYC soon, and I'm going to have a new bike built up waiting for me when I get there. Now i'm going to be ridding it about while there (which I'm hugely looking forward to, and suggestions of nice places to ride to welcome) but then I've got to bring it back.

So I've been having a read of several threads and one (seemingly fool proof) idea was to take a broken/beater bike to take with me and then bring the new bike back, which solves customs problem. But also worried that I might need a hard case. Cause I've seen what the baggage handlers do to those bags, even when they say fragile. So any suggestions? saw this one that looked like a good value hardcase

ps. almost missed the point of the thread, does anyone have or know of anywhere i could get or anyone who has a broken/rusty/free bike

just so you know, no matter how well you pack it, they are likely to open your case. luckily the case (much like the one in the picture) stayed shut with its two remaining clasps.
[let me clarify: the clasps were broken to start with, i tied the case shut with bungee cords, tape, nylon straps. when i landed at gatwick, it was in a very different state, though closed and with nothing missing. i consider myself lucky. the case is in an attic in wolverhampton, otherwise i'd offer it]

also, i only flew with a bike one way (JFK to Gatwick), and there were no questions asked. don't see why it should be a problem for you. also, with that case, i managed to pass it off as a normal suitcase and didn't have to pay the extravagant bike fees, just $25 overweight

i use one of these - £180 from http://www.probikekit.com

major advantage is they fit into the back of a saloon car fine [taxi to airport] and they weigh 7kg, not 13.5kg which is a major consideration when you're flting to anywhere that's not the US as all the airlines have clamped down on baggage limits and you can't carry them under the old 'sporting goods' waived baggage these days

well luckily i'm flying with virgin so they allow "one piece of sporting equipment" but I agree that the polaris one being lighter would be better (just for getting around I guess) So in peoples experiance, i should be ok taking the bike just one way? but the case there and back?

dont see the point of bring one out so that you can bring one in. customs or airline do not record what you bring out anyway.

ill be in SF and NY in april and also considering of buyin a bike there. plan is, to use it there so that it looks like it's mine and that ive travelled with it. ill be bringing my old pedals/shoes, and maybe old tyres and saddle to complete that 'used' look.

in packing it, ill use a stock box from a LBS. double up the cardboard and some bubble wrap and clothing. cheap and tougher than any softcase bags! i know a couple of tightarses who frequently travel to the continent this way...and that's with their £2k roadbikes

Yep, I would go with the standard cardboard bike box - most are super strong (and free) but if you are worried get two (one smaller) and double it up with some more folded picecs 'across' the inside to stop squashing and use a roll of gaffer tape around the whole box.

i'm a bit worried that as its a college trip I might not have time/be able to find some boxes and cart them across the city, also i'd like to think that if something looks like a bike (bike box etc) then at least baggage handlers might be a bit more careful with it, some of them must cycle.

hi,

I take my bike back and forth. So does LeCar all the time. It's never been a problem. You are allowed to buy a bike, ride it in NYC and bring it back here as a personal possession. There's no problem I've ever heard of there. Especially if there's a bit of dirt on it.

The problem lies in bringing back something all packaged and shiny that you're clearly going to sell.

That's something you can't do and they'll charge tax on.

I always go with a bike box. I take everything off my frame (ie bars, peddles, wheels) and pack them in as well. I wrap everything in my clothes that I'm packing and plastic carrier bags. I put a bit of foam, bubble wrap where things might get injured, and I cut the box down to under the normal baggage requirements (easier with my small frames). With bigger frames use one box for the frame and another for bits, and keep them both below regulation sizes.

I haven't ever been charged extra and my boxes have never been opened. They ask me what's in it and I say "my whole life" or "an old bike frame" or the like.

Because I pack all my clothes around my frame I save on other baggage and weight, and my bike has extra padding.

I hope that helps.

What's wrong with taking an empty box? I suppose you could get a £20 bike from gumtree, then give it to a tramp bum when you're over there.

thanks roxy, that has put my mind to rest. many thanks.

Cutting to the chase, what is it you are buying? Share the lust with us.

'trying' to buy has become the new phrase, It was going to be a EAI bareknuckle frame, Surgino 75 cranks, phil wood hubs, velocity fusion rims and a few other bits, but unfortunately we're having a bit of a problem sourcing a Bareknuckle frame in 56cm, the shop who is building the bike now can't get one till end of march/april, which is too late for me. So trying to find one someone where else that will post to them. Fingers crossed i'lll manage it

good luck mate, thebikebiz usuly has a lot of eai stuff on hand

yer, emailed them and business cycles so hopefully i'll get a reply later on today.

you hear form the insurance company yet?

yer its all pretty much done and dusted, fingers crossed the cheque should arrive today. Because she admitted full responsibility (and she was a new driver) they didn't fight anything, they said yes to the quote for the replacement frame, forks, wheel etc. gave me a bit of compensation for the hassle and the best bit, because there is a 3 month wait on getting my replacement frame built, they gave me some extra to 'buy another bike to use in the mean time, then when you get you other one back you can just throw it away' only enough for a halfords bike but as i was going to get the bareknuckle anyway its certainly made it cheaper for me.

nice one glad it worked out well for you.

I've got a hard shell case you're welcome to use. I've been very casually meaning to sell it for a while. But I'm such a nice guy I'm happy to loan/rent/sell - just so long as it gets used rather than collecting dust in the corner of my bedroom.

When I've used this case for transporting bikes it's always been via the USA and with their generous 2x26kg bag allowance (used to be 2x32kg) I've never needed to explore things like the free sports equipment allowance. And it does weigh a bunch (like somebody mentioned above - it could be around 13kg-15kg on it's own - without the bike inside). Luckily my bike is titanium so still fits the allowance for one bag :-)

It is oversize though - so allow a little more time for drop-off and collection at either end.

email me at joachim (at) paradise (dot) net (dot) nz if you're interested.

(edit: hmm, maybe it's now 2x23kg)

Just been reading though this as I'm considering a similar daring act.

Am I right in that, as long as you bring it back looking used and not all pristine in it's original box, you should have no trouble. This is irrespective of whether you took an old beater out to dump, as it's not as if the import guys are going to remember your face flying out 2 weeks ago?

I'm guessing it's cheaper to get hold of the actual bike bag/box out there too....

Anyone else brought a bike back from the states?

Make up a fake invoice for your bike. If you get stopped at Customs, show them it. The chances of them phoning up the 'shop' and asking whether you bought the bike from them are so tiny that it's not worth worrying about

joachim, do you still have that bike bag for sale, tell me more,please!

dont see the point of bring one out so that you can bring one in. customs or airline do not record what you bring out anyway.

ill be in SF and NY in april and also considering of buyin a bike there. plan is, to use it there so that it looks like it's mine and that ive travelled with it. ill be bringing my old pedals/shoes, and maybe old tyres and saddle to complete that 'used' look.

in packing it, ill use a stock box from a LBS. double up the cardboard and some bubble wrap and clothing. cheap and tougher than any softcase bags! i know a couple of tightarses who frequently travel to the continent this way...and that's with their £2k roadbikes

I'm from NYC and I do this exact thing every time. as long as you take the time to wrap up your bike and cut down the box to fit around your frame snugly all should be fine. I just had a bike built for me in Brooklyn and I'm bringing it back in Sept. just take your time doing it and you will be fine.