@@bkxc Here is another way to remember the difference between Slovakia and Slovenia: you can have an Italian Pizza on a Slovenia beach. Slovakia is landlocked. they are across Austria from each other
I saw you at SFO with Sarah a while back, you were super cool. So awesome to see you in the real! The best thing about flying out of SFO is the Amex lounge! Keep up the great work🚲🚲✈📹
I have flown multiple times with Alaska. They count bikes as a normal piece of luggage, no extra charge, and have never arrived without my bike. So far it's been good. Doesn't fly everywhere, but for where it does, it has been great. Highly recommend Alaska
Hi - flying out from San Francisco direct to Switzerland with Edelweiss - Sport Luggage normally is for free. I’ve traveled with this company several times out from Switzerland and just had good service. Cheers and keep on pedalling
I’ve stayed at that same Moxy hotel in Munich (near the airport). It was during Oktoberfest, and that was the closest room that I could get to the city. My wife and I had our 3-year old daughter with us. Luckily I had hotel points, or it would’ve cost me thousands of dollars. Fond memories.
Hey Brian, so good to see that you enjoyed Europe. I wish I knew that you would travel via Munich (my hometown). We could've arranged something here as well. Maybe that is something for the future! Thanks for your effort to provide us with this great content. Best regards!!
Years ago I did a ton of research and found prices for bike bags on the major US airlines and made a video about it... I'm sure it's changed since then, and international is probably a different story. But I recall with Alaska Airlines it was only $25, and there were some others that just treated it as another regular bag, so it was whatever the price of an extra bag was. Have you ever used Bike Flights? I did one time when I flew to Phoenix from Dallas. On the way there, the bag was $150 on AA, so I set up Bike Flights for the return and I think it was like $60. In many cases, I think using Bike Flights will be the better/cheaper option. Only downside is you'll have to drop it off a few days before you leave, and won't get it back until a few days after you arrive back, so it could cost you some rides at home.
I think a few of the airlines have adopted the "it's a normal bag" feature, but it's never an airline I'm flying! BUT, over the past year I decided to go all in with Delta, do the AMEX card and all that and I managed to get Gold status. So now I have free bags and my bikes count with that. But when it counts the most there's no Delta to use!
Glad you recorded this somewhat soon after returning from the trip to capture the saltiness from travelling. Thanks for the laughs (although at your expense)! That the Ripmo V2s with blacked out Ibis logo?
As stressful as it is. I really do appreciate seeing videos like this. Because I am going to be taking a trip to Ecuador someday soon. And thank you for helping me prepare for this trip. This is a question for everyone. Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s safe to deflate the Tires on your mountain bike before getting on the plane, correct? Thank you BKXC
No need to deflate them. The bags are in the pressurized area of the plane, so the only benefit is that they may take up a little bit less space (if your bag is built especially tight). But other than that, there's really no need. Cabin altitude is usually around 7000-8000feet, and you wouldn't expect your tires to explode at that altitude anyways
Travelling was a breeze for so long now it's a freaking nightmare... Going to Peru for 3 weeks, not bringing my bike, I'll rent :) Hey what happened to the IBis logo on the bike?
Wow, that's some expensive baggage. I flew between Canada and New Zealand on Air New Zealand many times and my bike was treated as an extra bag. It was way cheaper than renting a bike. That was pre-pandemic before things went completely insane like charging for carry on bags! Things have probably changed for the worse.
Bike bag counts as a normal bag on United as long as it's less than 70lbs. If you get one bag free (or more) because of status, it doesn't cost a think any more. Prob doesn't work for Int'l, but...
I fly air Canada and from Winnipeg to Toronto, Vegas, Vancouver, London England, Osaka, Japan and soon Munich German 50 dollars each way Coming back from Japan the bike stayed in Vancouver a extra day
FYI, LOT does not charge for bikes as long as they do not exceed a standard luggage size (which most packed bikes dont), it’s their explicit policy. I’ve had the luggage people in the US be very confused at that multiple times, but usually going through the terms of carriage with them convinced the most stringent of customer service people.
Thanks for sharing the problems with traveling with the bike. So what’s the alternative; ship it via bike flights to the destination, if so, anything to watch out for?
Don't fly with your bike on Lufthansa... they are the worst, in my experience... I've never had issues with United, British Airways, or American Airlines... they just treat them like 2nd checked bag, and if you buy an international flight ticket that comes with 2 checked bags, you're good to go... you only have to pay an overweight fee if they are over 23kg (I also use the EVOC bags). That being said, it can still be cheaper then renting a bike locally for the whole time abroad, and with your own bike, you have something you know fits, and is comfortable.... Renting bikes can be hit or miss if you are particular about components (EG, I really don't like SRAM brakes, bars tend to be too wide on rental bikes for me, etc)...
The number one wildcard is the bike arriving damaged as well. I've done REALLY good without having random brake rotors bent or anything major. But my buddy Jame on our Peru trip had his rear wheel absolutely SMASHED in transit. So they had to go find a new wheel in Peru and it wasn't easy!
Is it possible to rent bikes on any of these trips ?? I know most rentals are probably pretty beat but at least u could ride- I’m thinking of going on a few trips but don’t want to go thru the travel hassle of lugging and losing my bike lol Thanks for the great videos 👍🏼
Man....this mess gets me to never think of flying with my bike...then you have bike damage...missing/stolen parts......Almost might be worth it to just rent a bike at your destination...but damn everyone would surely want to ride their own bike! Great looking Hero dirt! On top of all of it, you don't even have your bikes back yet??? I hope you get both bikes back and they are all complete they way you packed them!
Wow im surprised they charged you so much for the bikes, last year I went to Costa Rica from Munich and they charged me 100 euros with airfrance, on the way back I think it was united and they didn't even charged me the bike, they said that the system was saying to charge me zero dollars and got a receipt for that amount 😅
Actually, that's the new name the Czechs have been calling THEIR country for awhile now. Look up any game they have played in the IIHF World Championships or Junior Championship and you'll see the announcers address that issue. Sorry you didn't get the memo. Brian is 100% correct, and good for him to call it by its new name AND its older one for viewers like you who didn't know. Btw, it's spelled CZECHIA with an "H", not a "K".
Yeah, it's a relatively new development. I think it actually happened when I was there the first time, four years ago, but everyone was dismissive about it. But that kind of change takes a while to take hold in the hearts and minds of people. I try to use both so I'm not confusing but also being accurate. It's even on Google Maps!
lol what? I ALWAYS fly lufthansa because I never pay a red cent for the bikes, it counts as luggage. (I fly out from europe, so maybe rules are different)
Hey Brian! How does it feel to say “everyone speaks English” when the rest of the world learn English and Spanish.. and German (depending on where in the planet you live)
Pretty tough these guys pay thousands of dollars to have you and your wife come over there in hopes to attract riders from The USA and elsewhere and you spend the first ten minutes complaining about how awful traveling is there. It’s quite a thank you to your hosts. Sounds to me like you got a nice free trip. Maybe just start with Thank You and leave off your personal travel challenges. I’m sure you were treated amazing by two really nice guys trying to grow their small business.
