Thursday, October 11, 2012

Precious Cargo


Crossed another thing off the list today -- packed up the bike! Well, I didn't. But Fred and Steve from Just the Right Gear did. My contribution was to bring pipe insulation. I learned that trick from a YouTube video on bike packing. And I took pictures. And I paid attention (as best I could).
  1. Shift to smallest cog (easier to remove wheel)
  2. Remove pedals (had to remove magnetic cadence sensor first)
  3. Take off wheels, deflate tires, remove skewers and rubber-band to wheels
  4. Disconnect derailleur and fasten to covered frame with zip ties
  5. Remove base bar, attach to padded frame
  6. Remove seatpost
  7. Load up the box (shoes, tools, accessories) and cinch it tight
  8. Apply stickers!  (optional, but hey why not)
While they packed I took notes on other things they said to take - my spare derailleur hanger, chain lube, allen wrenches, zip ties, wire cutter.... 

All too often I heard "tighten this up, but not TOO much!"

So simple! All I have to do is reverse the process when I get there. Then unreverse it to come home. Then take the mess back to Steve and Fred and ask them to kindly restore order to my bike.

Thanks to Eric Paterson for the bike box!!

The other night I was on the phone with the airlines to make sure all was cool with checking a bike box. The first person I spoke to said based on the dimensions it was too big and I would not be able to check it!! A moment of panic ensued, then I found the page on special sporting equipment exemptions, bikes among them. I called back. Then they had to check that the small prop plane out of our regional airport could handle it. In theory, it can. It will be $200 each way to take the bike on US Air, in case you were wondering. Air New Zealand is way better -- they include bike boxes as a standard piece of luggage. I was told to request to be present during the inspection of the box, so hopefully I can be.

This doesn't mean bike training is done until I leave, it just means Ace the road bike will be getting out while the Roo will stay safely "tucked in bed."