Getting S&S coupled bikes through airport security?

I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

Thanks,

Ray

Ray Swartz wrote:
I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

yep. it's easier now than it used to be. they use the sniffers more often
than unpacking. i haven't had a problem in over a year. i would still
highly suggest putting a step-by-step guide on how to pack, tho and ask
the counter if it's worth having it inspected in front of you. but most
of the time they just run a sniffer through the bag (mine has been opened
but not unpacked within the past year or so).
--
david reuteler

Ray Swartz wrote:
I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

yep. it's easier now than it used to be. they use the sniffers more often
than unpacking. i haven't had a problem in over a year. i would still
highly suggest putting a step-by-step guide on how to pack, tho and ask
the counter if it's worth having it inspected in front of you. but most
of the time they just run a sniffer through the bag (mine has been opened
but not unpacked within the past year or so).
--
david reuteler

Ray Swartz wrote:
I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

I do this every month or two. I don't recall the bike ever making
it through without the case being opened, but I haven't had any
trouble with the bike since I started packing it in a hard case.
I don't think they actually unpack the bike, though I leave packing
instructions, including pictures I took of the process, on top of
the mess just in case.

When I used a soft case the front rim (i.e. the last thing that
goes into the case) would often end up needing to be trued when I
got where I was going. I doubt that this was the fault of the
inspection, but it did make me want to watch what they did to the
bike when they opened it up. I asked a number of times for the
case to be inspected in my presence, but was told this was not
possible (on the airlines I usually fly on at least).

So, while you have absolutely no control over what they do to
the bike, they don't seem too agressive about rearranging stuff
in the case and I've not yet had anything broken in transit.

Dennis Ferguson

Ray Swartz wrote:
I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

I do this every month or two. I don't recall the bike ever making
it through without the case being opened, but I haven't had any
trouble with the bike since I started packing it in a hard case.
I don't think they actually unpack the bike, though I leave packing
instructions, including pictures I took of the process, on top of
the mess just in case.

When I used a soft case the front rim (i.e. the last thing that
goes into the case) would often end up needing to be trued when I
got where I was going. I doubt that this was the fault of the
inspection, but it did make me want to watch what they did to the
bike when they opened it up. I asked a number of times for the
case to be inspected in my presence, but was told this was not
possible (on the airlines I usually fly on at least).

So, while you have absolutely no control over what they do to
the bike, they don't seem too agressive about rearranging stuff
in the case and I've not yet had anything broken in transit.

Dennis Ferguson

I've had no trouble on a couple of domestic flights. In Philly my case was
opened and my wife's was not. The bikes and other contents were almost
identical, possibly the luck of the draw, possibly my Brooks B-17 setting
whatever it is that chocolate is supposed to set off. That last bit is pure
speculation and the consensus in the NG was that it was luck of the draw. I
don't think the bike was taken out though, the case was just looked into.

I do have pictures of the packing sequence taped inside the lid and a note
asking that I be paged if they find it necessary to open it.

Tom Gibb

I've had no trouble on a couple of domestic flights. In Philly my case was
opened and my wife's was not. The bikes and other contents were almost
identical, possibly the luck of the draw, possibly my Brooks B-17 setting
whatever it is that chocolate is supposed to set off. That last bit is pure
speculation and the consensus in the NG was that it was luck of the draw. I
don't think the bike was taken out though, the case was just looked into.

I do have pictures of the packing sequence taped inside the lid and a note
asking that I be paged if they find it necessary to open it.

Tom Gibb

Ray Swartz wrote:

I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

Thanks,

Ray

I have placed a notice inside the case stating that it is a precision
bicycle carefully packed, and improper repacking could damage the
bicycle. I include my flight schedule and cell phone number and ask to
be contacted by paging or cell phone if there are any problems.

While our cases have been opened in the past, the contents were not
disturbed. I pack the front wheels in a separate case, so I don't have
the problem of getting the top closed over the front wheel.

I also put yellow zip ties through the hasp. These can be easily cut by
Homeland Security, but at least it lets me know that someone has opened
the case. On our most recent trip, I also used the zip tie to secure a
tag to the case on which I had written with a felt point: Bicycles,
open carefully. The cases (with one exception, see below) where not
opened. On the return, one case which was delayed for two days from
London Gatwick to Cleveland, Ohio was opened -- I presume by U.S.
Customs, since there was no Homeland Security Notice in the case. The
contents were no disturbed.

Also, on this last trip I had taped an additional notice to the inside
top with a picture of my wife and myself with our bicycles stating that
we were off on a bicycle trip to the Baltic countries, and that the case
contained our bicycles, etc.

The purpose of all of this is to discourage them from unpacking the
case, and removing the padding, by telling them up front what is in the
case.

--
Cheers! OliverS
When replying personally, remove "_nospam_"

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of
the human race." HG Wells

Ray Swartz wrote:

I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

Thanks,

Ray

I have placed a notice inside the case stating that it is a precision
bicycle carefully packed, and improper repacking could damage the
bicycle. I include my flight schedule and cell phone number and ask to
be contacted by paging or cell phone if there are any problems.

While our cases have been opened in the past, the contents were not
disturbed. I pack the front wheels in a separate case, so I don't have
the problem of getting the top closed over the front wheel.

I also put yellow zip ties through the hasp. These can be easily cut by
Homeland Security, but at least it lets me know that someone has opened
the case. On our most recent trip, I also used the zip tie to secure a
tag to the case on which I had written with a felt point: Bicycles,
open carefully. The cases (with one exception, see below) where not
opened. On the return, one case which was delayed for two days from
London Gatwick to Cleveland, Ohio was opened -- I presume by U.S.
Customs, since there was no Homeland Security Notice in the case. The
contents were no disturbed.

Also, on this last trip I had taped an additional notice to the inside
top with a picture of my wife and myself with our bicycles stating that
we were off on a bicycle trip to the Baltic countries, and that the case
contained our bicycles, etc.

The purpose of all of this is to discourage them from unpacking the
case, and removing the padding, by telling them up front what is in the
case.

--
Cheers! OliverS
When replying personally, remove "_nospam_"

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of
the human race." HG Wells

Ray Swartz Wrote:
I will be taking my S&S coupled touring bike on its first
international flight in a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone has
had any problems getting a bike packed in a hard case through security
without problems.

My concern is that it will be opened and unpacked and the "inspectors"
will not be able to get it repacked or will cram everything back
together and ruin/destroy some of the bike's parts.

Has anyone done this lately?

Thanks,

Ray

Some smaller airports conduct baggage inspection right at the check i
counter.I experienced this in May of this year at the Colorado Spring
airport.
My mountain bike and whatever else I had that wouldn't fit in m
suitcase was packed in a Trico Iron Case. I watched as two securit
people opened the case and did a very thorough examination of th
contents without rearranging or removing anything. They took smal
paper dics, and wiped everything inside, and then put the disc in som
kind of sensor. I gather this is some sort of explosive, or radiatio
detection procedure.
Bottom line is, these people were pros, and if I hadn't seen them ope
it, I would never have known they did.(Except for the tag which the
apply after inspection.)

Da

--
Dan Burkhart