When riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, you’ll definitely need a bike ;). Renting is not an option, and neither is buying one local. You’ll want to have the bike upfront so that you can get used to it, make it comfortable, and get the correct bags, tools, and spare parts. So, the bike has to come along. In my case along on the plane (Amsterdam > Calgary) and shuttle (Calgary > Banff).
When looking at information about taking your bike on the flight (in my case on the KLM website), it will show the below information:
“Your bike should be packed in a bike box or other type of packaging specifically designed for bike transportation. The bike, including packaging, may have a maximum weight of 23 kg and a maximum size of 300 cm (length + width + height). Make sure that you turn the handlebars lengthways along with the frame and that you remove pedals and other parts that are sticking out. We also recommend that you deflate the tyres, so they won’t get damaged because of the pressure drop in the hold.”
https://www.klm.nl/en/information/baggage/special-baggage
The ‘packaging specifically designed for bike transportation’ could imply different methods: a cardboard box, a specific box for bikes, or even a bag / sleeve / cover which just goes your bike. The last option will protect your bike not as much as a box, however, the ground crew notice it is a bike and hopefully handle it a bit better compared to a box that is just thrown into the cargo hold like any other cargo (meaning a lot of other stuff can be placed on top of the box). I have chosen the cardboard box. My tour is not a round trip, so I cannot store a dedicated bike box somewhere and re-use it. I also did not opt for the sleeve because somehow I feel it offers less protection even though a box will be handled rough.
When I visited one of the Decathlon stores in the Netherlands I asked them for a bike box. They had two sizes and I could take whatever I wanted. I choose the biggest one with the idea I could change it a bit and make it to my needs. However, it was not the strongest box, and when changing its dimension it would not get any stronger. All-in-all a weak box. I found there is a huge difference between a (larger) box used for a normal city bike and a slightly smaller box used for MTB / road bikes. These are quite a bit stronger. So I got a box from a Cannondale road bike from a local bike shop. A bit smaller, but still sufficient (and easier to handle) and much stronger.
By the way, I do not only require this box during my flight, it is also required for taking the bike with me on the shuttle bus from Calgary to Banff. So, at the airport, I quickly need to assess the bike in the box for any damages, leave the bike in the box, and move on to the shuttle service.
For my return flight, I have several options. I can’t take the box with me on my bike. However, I am not riding alone and at the end we will be picked up by the same person who is bringing my riding partner to the start. So, we’ll try to see if the box can be taken home and brought back to the end-point. That way I would be able to re-use the box. This would be the most ideal situation. Alternatives would be to approach local bike stores for a bike box, or get cardboard boxes from other stores and use a lot of tape to make it somewhat usable.
The week before my flight to Calgary I decided to pack my bike into the box. It will always take longer than expected (especially the first time). There are many examples to be found on the Internet about boxing your bike so I read a few to get an idea. I removed the front wheel so that it can be placed alongside the frame and fork. I also removed the handlebar so that the fork could be rotated 90 degrees (and a rotated handlebar would make the total length too long for the box). The saddle also has been removed. I had room to lower it but did not do that for two reasons: 1) the nice part of the seat post would go into the frame making it full of grease and maybe scratches, and 2) I would have to remove the seat bag harness. After this, the bike fitted perfectly in the box.
The total weight if the bike, including some bags and harnesses, and including the box was almost 18Kg (40lb). That left room for about 5Kg (11lb) of additional gear, for example, gear that is not allowed in carry-on baggage. After that it took some testing, doubting, etc. to get a good balance between what to put in the bike box and what to take as carry-on baggage.