Bring a bike on Ryanair

Gavb

We're heading off to Carcassonne next month to cycle the Canal Du Midi.
(Fingers crossed for the weather!)
Anyway, we would like to bring our bikes with us rather than hiring.
Does anyone have experience bring their bikes on Ryanair?
They don't exactly fill me with confidence.
We would be packing them in a bike box from a bike shop and hopefully getting one for the way home from a local shop.
The other option is one of these bike bags:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/CTC_Plastic_Bike_Bag/5360041697/
The advantage of these is you can pack it in your panniers at take it with you.
I have read reports that with these bags, baggage handlers see that it is a bike and generally treat them alright - but again, seems a little scary to me. :eek:
Any opinions or advice?
Cheers in advance.

IM0

Ive flown with them loads of times with the bike, a top end carbon bike btw, with no problems whatsoever
something which few realise is that it doesnt matter who you fly with the airport handlers are not airline specific, so if you pay 1000 for a ticket in first class on arab airways your baggage is still handled by the guys who take the passengers who have paid 20 for their tickets

pack it well and it will be fine, dont pack it well and it wont, just an aside there is a max available weight for a bike now so packing your panniers in the box wont work anymore it was a nice trick which worked for me a few times..oh well :rolleyes:

Gavb

me@ucd wrote: »

Ive flown with them loads of times with the bike, a top end carbon bike btw, with no problems whatsoever
something which few realise is that it doesnt matter who you fly with the airport handlers are not airline specific, so if you pay 1000 for a ticket in first class on arab airways your baggage is still handled by the guys who take the passengers who have paid 20 for their tickets

pack it well and it will be fine, dont pack it well and it wont, just an aside there is a max available weight for a bike now so packing your panniers in the box wont work anymore it was a nice trick which worked for me a few times..oh well :rolleyes:

Thanks for that.
What did you pack the bike in?

IM0

a cardboard box from the shop, also in an emergency [the fools on the other end didnt have one at airport when said they would!] a clear big bag like you had there, that was a tense flight home, but everything was fine thankfully!

Gavb

me@ucd wrote: »

a cardboard box from the shop, also in an emergency [the fools on the other end didnt have one at airport when said they would!] a clear big bag like you had there, that was a tense flight home, but everything was fine thankfully!

Yeah I'll do that, good plan, cheers!

colm ó maonaigh

Hi Gavb,
Myself and wife have toured France d last 5 years. I would normally go a week before her to 'get it out of my system' but have always found the flight to be the most traumatic part, never knowing what to expect at the airport. I normally fly to Rennes via Air Lingus. The first year I went to great extremes boxing the bike and then having the problem of disposing of the cardboard in Rennes. Took a chance on way back (from Paris) with the naked bike (saddle lowered, pedals off and handlebars removed and tied to crossbar with bubblewrap and all went well.
Since then I just present the bike at airport as per return trip above but with the handlebars just twisted to 1 side and again never a prob. I always worried about the wifes bike with Ryanair but each time (Nantes, La Rochelle and this year Brest) there was never a problem. I realise you (I) am taking a risk but 2 years ago returning from Santander, in Dublin Airport, as I reassembled my bike, this great big goon of a baggage handler literally threw 2 bikes down beside me which were in shop cardboard boxes whilst ours were just wheeled out.
The real reason for my posting was on foot of your mentioning the canal du midi. This year we did the Brest/Nantes canal (surface fair to good), the canal du Garonne (an absolute dream surface) and then the canal du midi which was the 1 I looked forward to most but BEWARE it is a disatrous surface. If you are taking a road bike (as we did) my advice is to avoid. I was so so disappointed with the surface that after 3 days we abandoned and took to the road.
I am talking here of jungle tracks. No top dressing of any description. Tree roots protruding up to 4/5 inches above ground (spent more time bunnyhopping) plus rocks (I mean ROCKS) all along the track, that is if you can find the track. I truly cannot overemphasise how bad this route is. Whilst the canal is beautiful the track is a disaster.
Having said that, we met many cyclists of all descriptions, many with trailers, and how they made it safely I know not. Btw I had bought the cicerone book detailing the route beforehand and I can only say he was economical with the truth describing the track.
We met an elderly Dutch couple on the tack north of Toulouse who warned us of how bad it was and we thought they might have been exaggerating but unfortunately they were not.
On the otherhand, if you are taking MTB's then perhaps it won't be so bad. We still had a great time and if you need any further info just let me know.
For anybody else reading this, interested in canal routes, I cannot praise highly enough the route canal du Garonne, a route I knew little about before I arrived. From Bordeaux to Toulouse, 3 days of pleasure.

IM0

colm ó maonaigh wrote: »

Hi Gavb,
Myself and wife have toured France d last 5 years. I would normally go a week before her to 'get it out of my system' but have always found the flight to be the most traumatic part, never knowing what to expect at the airport. I normally fly to Rennes via Air Lingus. The first year I went to great extremes boxing the bike and then having the problem of disposing of the cardboard in Rennes. Took a chance on way back (from Paris) with the naked bike (saddle lowered, pedals off and handlebars removed and tied to crossbar with bubblewrap and all went well.
Since then I just present the bike at airport as per return trip above but with the handlebars just twisted to 1 side and again never a prob. I always worried about the wifes bike with Ryanair but each time (Nantes, La Rochelle and this year Brest) there was never a problem. I realise you (I) am taking a risk but 2 years ago returning from Santander, in Dublin Airport, as I reassembled my bike, this great big goon of a baggage handler literally threw 2 bikes down beside me which were in shop cardboard boxes whilst ours were just wheeled out.
The real reason for my posting was on foot of your mentioning the canal du midi. This year we did the Brest/Nantes canal (surface fair to good), the canal du Garonne (an absolute dream surface) and then the canal du midi which was the 1 I looked forward to most but BEWARE it is a disatrous surface. If you are taking a road bike (as we did) my advice is to avoid. I was so so disappointed with the surface that after 3 days we abandoned and took to the road.
I am talking here of jungle tracks. No top dressing of any description. Tree roots protruding up to 4/5 inches above ground (spent more time bunnyhopping) plus rocks (I mean ROCKS) all along the track, that is if you can find the track. I truly cannot overemphasise how bad this route is. Whilst the canal is beautiful the track is a disaster.
Having said that, we met many cyclists of all descriptions, many with trailers, and how they made it safely I know not. Btw I had bought the cicerone book detailing the route beforehand and I can only say he was economical with the truth describing the track.
We met an elderly Dutch couple on the tack north of Toulouse who warned us of how bad it was and we thought they might have been exaggerating but unfortunately they were not.
On the otherhand, if you are taking MTB's then perhaps it won't be so bad. We still had a great time and if you need any further info just let me know.
For anybody else reading this, interested in canal routes, I cannot praise highly enough the route canal du Garonne, a route I knew little about before I arrived. From Bordeaux to Toulouse, 3 days of pleasure.

paragraphs feel free to use them
as for what to do with the cardboard box in an airport? leave it!! the bomb disposal squad will be around soon enough

sy

colm ó maonaigh wrote: »

......
For anybody else reading this, interested in canal routes, I cannot praise highly enough the route canal du Garonne, a route I knew little about before I arrived. From Bordeaux to Toulouse, 3 days of pleasure.

Thanks for that info Colm. I'll be checkin it out. Agree with your description of the Canal du Midi. MTB almost essential if you want to make any reasonable time and enjoy the journey.

paddymacsporran

Buy or hire a proper hard shell bike box, your LBS might have one, if not Wheelworx and cycle superstore hire them. No worries about cardboard disposal or what to do with the bike on the way home. No way I would put my bike in the poly bag....By spending a bit of cash on the proper thing, your holiday wont be ruined by the bike being crushed and the potential hassle of insurance claims, etc.
Airlines go to a max of 750 for claims no matter the bike value, my mate was screwed over on the way back from the etape 3 years ago, his 4k madone was ruined and thats all BA would go to, told him to claim off his house insurance. Also, as Ryanair's cargo allowance of 30kg is generous compared to most airlines, theres plenty room for getting all the luggage packed around the bike. No baggage charges for your suitcase.

Toblerone1978

Hopefully Captain Havoc will be on to explain how he got his bike home from Paris... I wouldn't suggest you do the same!

penexpers

paddymacsporran wrote: »

Buy or hire a proper hard shell bike box, your LBS might have one,

A hard shell box is hardly practical if you are going touring.

hinault

Several of us went to Sicily 5 years ago to celebrate a friends 40th birthday.
We decided to bring our own racing bikes to relive our glorious racing years!

I bought a hardshell case (cost approx €150.00) and chose to fly Ryainair from Dublin-Stansted-Palermo.

Had not difficulty whatsoever : hardshells were x-rayed at each airport with no ensuing problems.

My bike is pretty valuable, so that is why I invested in hardshell.
Don't trust the baggagehandlers.

paddymacsporran

penexpers wrote: »

A hard shell box is hardly practical if you are going touring.

Neither is a poly bag for the return home though, is it? :cool: GavB didn't mention he was touring from the airport did he?

Gavb

Thanks for all the replies lads.
Some food for thought there alright.

@colm ó maonaigh - gutted to hear about the track surface on the Canal, we'll be on hybrids (Felt QX85) so we'll just have to see how we go. If it gets too hairy we can always bail out on to the road.:o
Bringing the naked bike on Ryanair isn't an option, the website says it must be in a bag or a box, but doesn't specify what type.
I rang them up and the girl I was talking to didn't a a breeze what I was on about!:rolleyes:

We are going to a hotel from the airport, so hopefully they'll let us leave the stuff there.

Watch this space!:D

paddymacsporran

Enjoy....!!

Kirbdog

I had two separate bad experiences with checking bikes on in Dublin. The first time I had the bike in a soft shell cover and the bike was badly damaged. The second time I purchased a hard plastic box and the box was damaged. Both incidents resulted in hundreds of euro of damage. The handlers literally must have flung the box into the plane to cause the damage.

Both times the airline refused to pay out and I had to go to the small claims court. I won both.

There is a strict procedure to follow if you have a problem. You should immediately check the bike on arrival and report anything to the airline before you leave the airport. You then need to follow up with a written report and a quote for repairing the damage. If you don't follow the procedure the airline can legitimately avoid liability.

Best of luck!

Gavb

Kirbdog wrote: »

I had two separate bad experiences with checking bikes on in Dublin. The first time I had the bike in a soft shell cover and the bike was badly damaged. The second time I purchased a hard plastic box and the box was damaged. Both incidents resulted in hundreds of euro of damage. The handlers literally must have flung the box into the plane to cause the damage.

Both times the airline refused to pay out and I had to go to the small claims court. I won both.

There is a strict procedure to follow if you have a problem. You should immediately check the bike on arrival and report anything to the airline before you leave the airport. You then need to follow up with a written report and a quote for repairing the damage. If you don't follow the procedure the airline can legitimately avoid liability.

Best of luck!

Thanks, I'll remember that, hope I don't need it!

blorg

I have brought my touring bike unboxed with Ryanair plenty of times although it is possible this is a new regulation. I have travelled with it unboxed with airlines that require it to be in a box, you need to arrive early and be persuasive. Never had a problem. Lightweight carbon racer always in a hard shell but touring bike I have never packed.

Hail 2 Da Thief

Kirbdog wrote: »

You should immediately check the bike on arrival and report anything to the airline before you leave the airport. You then need to follow up with a written report and a quote for repairing the damage. If you don't follow the procedure the airline can legitimately avoid liability.

Good info! Cheers.

fixie fox

Any update on this. Ryanair's website says a bag is needed and there are reports of they demanding a protective / padded bag in some cases. I want to bring a touring bike. A clear plastic bag would be ok biput a box isn't feasible with weight, storing on far side, etc.

Dotsie~tmp

I work as a baggage handler but im a complete bastard. I will steal your valve caps, de-index your gears, reverse you light batteries, peel off your wheel decals and reset you computers odo. And there is nothing you can do about it.