What to do with a bike box?

[Soulboy#1]

Hi everyone.

I'm a newbie in here and so this question might have been asked a few times already. I'm in the UK and I'm planning to cycle the transam trail next May 2017 east to west as this seems a popular direction and time of the year. As I will be flying from London I have a quandary about what to do with my bike box when I get to the US? I'll be heading west so what the hell would I do with my box? Maybe this is a question for any fellow Brits in here, what did you do with yours when you arrived in the US and you were only travelling one way? Any help would be appreciated. I'll probably be posting more questions prior to my off.

Thanks in advance.

[BikeFreak]

I used a bicycle cardboard box which I got for free in a local bike shop at home. That is perfectly fine. When I arrived at Washington Dulles I unpacked my bike close to the entrance of the airport away from all the people. When I was finished I found a clerk and told him I wanted to get rid of the box: He took the box and off I was. Easy as that.

[John Nelson]

Yep, you need a disposable box.

[jrswenberger]

Using bike boxes from bike shops that were disposing them (always free except in Bankok  )...

In Hobart, the airport security guard offered to dispose of them for us!!!

In Portsmouth, our BnB host wasn't too bike friendly. So after building the bikes, we cut the cardboard into smaller pieces, strapped them on the back and randomly deposited them into dumpsters and trash cans over the next hour.

In Oslo, we left them with our friends hosting us...I'm sure their kids loved to play with them.

In Denver, I left it in the luggage security area (@ $10/day) because It was only a few days and DIA is way out there. Storing the box was cheaper than a taxi back out to the airport.

That's all I can recall,

Enjoy the trip,
Jay

[sdotkling]

Ah, but there's another solution, though pricier. Pick a bike shop at the end of your route, and ship them the box. Offer to pay a symbolic amount for storing it (this does not work with small urban shops that are squeezed for space.) Then hire them to clean, tune up and pack your bike to ship home.


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[John Nelson]

Ah, but there's another solution, though pricier. Pick a bike shop at the end of your route, and ship them the box. Offer to pay a symbolic amount for storing it (this does not work with small urban shops that are squeezed for space.) Then hire them to clean, tune up and pack your bike to ship home.

When I investigated this, I found that it was almost as expensive to ship an empty bike box than a full one. So you are right, this is pricier. The cost factor ruled it out for me.

Besides, most of the time, a bike well-packed in a cardboard box travels fine.

[Soulboy#1]

Thank you to everyone who has replied in here. I'll be heading east to west so I'm assuming I would need to find a bike store (Sesttle area) to get a bike box from for my trip back to London?

[John Nelson]

Yes, but finding a bike shop and getting a bike box from them in Seattle is going to be pretty easy.

[PeteJack]

Send me a PM when you are near Seattle. I live near SeaTac airport. If I'm not touring I may be able to help.

[BrianW]

REI is a major US outdoor chain that has bike shops inside. Their HQ is in Seattle and they have many locations around the area. I've used REI before to pack and ship a tandem for me and they did a great job.

But I agree: use a cardboard box and get a new one for the return trip.

[PeteJack]

There's a pile of bike shops near SeaTac  Airport that will box a bike for you: Burien Bikes, REI Tukwila, Aaron's Bicycle Repair. All of which I've used and found to be very good. The handiest has to be Angle Lake Cyclrey Which is just across the street from the Light Rail station one stop from the airport. I've never used them mind so I can't recommend or not.

[jamawani]

I cut my box down into a giant semi-circle on both sides - -
And went as a taco at a costume party at a Mexican restaurant.
I won the prize.

[Rabbit]

Hi there, I'm also doing the Trans Am east to west at the start of May next year - flying out from London. I've been struggling with the same thing about what to do with bike boxes and thinking of bringing the bike over in a (cheap) hard case and then abandoning or giving it away, then boxing it up for the return flight from Seattle. If I thought I could Fed Ex the hard case across country I'd do that but as someone else here has said it may be prohibitively expensive. Either way good luck and I may see you on the road next year!