Taking a bicycle back to the UK with Ryanair

Hey everyone,

I sadly have to leave Berlin to go and live in London. Cause I'm only wee, I've always had a problem with my little hands and proper hand brakes so I'm going to buy a bike here and fly it back over, as we don't have the footbrakes very often. It'll only be a crappy one cause I want one I don't have to worry about getting stolen in big old london, but wondered if anyone had any advice on getting it through ryanair restrictions. I have searched and read the forums, but wanted to specifically ask about ryanair. They say that it 'should' be packed in a bag or box, but I've heard that the baggage handlers much prefer it if it's easily rollable and visibly a bike, so it gets a bit better treated. Has anyone experienced this positively or negatively?

I've taken a folding bike (in a bag) with ryanair, no problem. However I think with a regular bike, you'll need to remove the wheels.

Also, a friend had an unfortunate experience when taking a bike with Ryanair, it fell off the luggage trolley and was run over, so i'd make sure it was in a regular shaped box or bag

deflating the tyres in a must!

Is it really worth the hassle if you haven't already bought a bike? You can get back pedal brakes in the UK, admittedly they are not as common, but they are available.

I've taken bikes before on other airlines. Some make you take the pedals off & turn the handle bars round so as not to take up so much room. Other airlines just take it as it comes. Depends on the airline . . . . . ...

No need to deflate the tyres as the hold is pressurised

I know that. You know that. Some jobsworths at the airport don't, and according to other forums which have discussed this subject it's easier to just deflate them a little (you can hide your sighing with the sound of air coming out the valve) than teach physics to a baggage handler.

I take my bike with me on vacantion trips several times a year. But I don't know of any airline that would take bikes unprotected.
US airlines offer you against a fee a cardborad box.

In Europa I purchased a bike bag from Stadler
Bike Bag

Still, I need to take the wheels out, as well as remove the pedals.

thanks guys, i still haven't bought the bike, but i'm very tempted. I probably am being fairly stupid, but we just don't have the same kind of bikes in the uk and they're so much nicer to ride. Apparently the footbrakes are illegal by the way, i was in a bike shop in cambridge which i thought was my best bet. ai, what to do, what to do...!

Do you have to fly Ryanair? I brought my bike with me from London to Stuttgart on BA, and simply rode my bike to the airport.

Once there, I removed the pedals and turned the handlebar through 90 degrees. No box, no bag, nothing. The "oversized baggage" area took it no questions and there was no charge. It arrived in Stuttgart with no damage.

Edit to add: I doubt coaster brakes (I think that's the correct term) are illegal. What might be illegal (and also quite dangerous) is to only have a coaster brake with no other brakes, as they can fail.

Or you could buy one in the UK.

http://www.bobbinbicycles.co.uk/range.html

You could PM nowandlainers, she works for RyanAir "customer service".

yes I do thanks nemmy

Taking a bike on Ryanair
from ryanair.com travel questions

Can I bring my sports equipment or bike?

Sporting equipment including but not limited to large fishing rods, golf clubs, bicycles, scooters, fencing equipment, surfboards, bodyboards, snowboards and skis and large musical instruments including but not limited to harps, double bass and drums are inherently unsuitable for carriage by airlines operating fast turnarounds such as Ryanair. However these items may be carried in the hold of the aircraft in addition to your personal checked baggage allowance upon payment of an additional discounted fee per item, per one way flight if booked online. If the item is not booked until arrival at the airport or through a Ryanair call centre the full fee will apply.

Due to space restrictions, we recommend that all sports equipment is pre-booked online or through your local reservation centre, as not to do so may result in the item being refused carriage at the airport. If the fee is not paid at the time of booking or on your outbound it will be charged for on your return journey.

Special advice for the carriage of bicycles
The pedals must be removed (or fixed inwards) and the handlebars must be fixed sideways. The bike should be contained in a protective box or bag. It is not necessary from a safety perspective to deflate typical tyres found on bikes and wheelchairs for carriage in the hold. However, to eliminate the small risk of them being damaged by bursting, you may wish to deflate the tyres. Understandably this decision may be influenced by how easily the tyres could be inflated upon arrival.

the charges are here

now having said that in a unofficial way why not leave it in the box that it comes in and put it together when you get home..

Sowwee, only trying to help!

ohh and my bill is in the Mail...

I took my bicycle with me to a trip to London with Air Berlin and will do so again this September on my trip to Edinburgh with Germanwings. You have to pay and book extra for your bicycle. Here is my quick and dirty packaging solution:
Turn the handle bar to aling it with the bike, lower the saddle, un screw the pedals and let some (!) air of the tires (you want it to be still fit to be pushed). Then wrap all tubes, the handlebar and the rack in bubble wrap. Done.
This is what it looked like :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiexano/45676224/