Suppose I'm moving from one country to another one, on a different continent. I'm taking a flight with a bunch of suitcases; I may or may not send some boxes using a parcel service or the state post of my country of origin; and I may or may not contract some shipping company for sending more stuff within a joint freight container.

Now, I'm thinking about taking my bike with me. What would be the best method for shipping that? By "best" I mostly mean cheap, quick and safe, in that order of significance.

I'm also open to ideas other than the means of transporting items which I listed above, of course.

  • 1
    Bike bag, pedals off, much as if you were going on a cycling trip at the other end? – Gagravarr Sep 28 '16 at 10:44
  • @Gagravarr: I've never gone on a cycling trip before; at any rate, youre describing how to pack the bike, not how to ship it. – einpoklum Sep 28 '16 at 10:45
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    I'd suggest you start with bicycles.stackexchange.com/search?q=flying and travel.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/bicycles, then let us know what's special about your case as an expat that isn't covered by general bike travel queries! – Gagravarr Sep 28 '16 at 10:49
  • @Gagravarr: I actually tried at travel, they downvoted me and told me to go here... – einpoklum Sep 28 '16 at 12:34
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    Honestly, unless it's a > $3000 bike, the cheapest option in most cases would probably be sell it at buy a new one in your destination. – Danubian Sailor Feb 17 '17 at 8:51

Final verdict: Sell the bike beforehand, even at a loss, rather than taking it with you. Too much hassle regardless of the cost. Like @DanubianSailor says, only for a super-expensive bike is worth considering anything else.


While cycle touring it's common practice to pack your bike up in to a bike box and check it in as luggage on your flight. Most airlines don't charge anything extra for this service, but do check with your airline first.

  • To bring the expatriates angle into it, though, the mention of "hhh" in the question suggests that the baggage allowance is exhausted, in which case the cost of adding the bike box would probably be at least one or two hundred dollars, if it is even possible. – phoog Feb 17 '19 at 16:08

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