Airport Transfers with a massive package?

What day?
I'm flying out of Manchester on 13th and I live between Sheffield and the airport...

And I have an estate car...

It's usually fine unless they gather the whole team round to admire it during the frisk. I find that a bit awkward.

*Didn't bother reading the OP

Massive package?
Surely the issue will be with over interested security getting handsy

Don't take a suitcase and a bike box. Get the remaining luggage onto your person (ie in a rucksack). You'll need 2 hands for the box

Better luck next time Graham 😁

I can either get the train or use one of those airport taxi things.

I've used both, and train is normally the better option really, storage is pretty straightforward if you avoid the rush hours  I'd be travelling the day before, and as you're coming into Piccadilly, it's easy to transfer to tram to go all the way to the airport, and there are hotels on site. Unless you're a stress-traveller, it'll be a piece of cake, surely?

@joshvegas - dammit so close

I was flying once and carrying a few extra print items for an exhibition stand. Transport had been arranged for me in Barcelona but I think the size of my package had been somewhat exaggerated as I found myself the sole passenger aboard a 52 seater coach. 

Could you get a taxi/limo?

It's expensive, but means you will have someone with a car/van show up at your front door, take just you and your bike (and no-one else) to the airport and drop you off at the entrance to departures.

Flying with a bike is stressful enough without having to worry about how to get to the airport.

Or cycle there from Sheffield over the Pennines with the bike bag in a rucksack.

The Hope Valley line is used to carrying bikes and there's usually a big empty space for them in one of the carriages, which the box will go in easily.

I can't remember if you have to change at Piccadilly to get to the airport or if there's a direct train, but its a bit of a yomp from the airport station to the terminal from memory.

Can you borrow/rent a bike bag with wheels on? Pretty sure 18Bikes in Hope have Evocs for rent, which will make life easier.

Fun fact for you: the moving walkways from the station to the terminals at Manchester airport are never working. At least, never in all my many travels there, often with bikes. And it's quite a long way to haul any amount of luggage. 

A bike in a bike bag with wheels and a backpack on is a sweat, but manageable. I did once bring a gravel bike in a box back on the train (with a backpack, not a suitcase). That was very very hard work, only doable because the bike was very light. Big bike boxes do not fit easily through many lifts and doors at the airport on luggage trolleys. I've found it easier to abandon a trolley and just drag the box. Though it's not at all easy!

I have had no problem getting bikes in boxes or bags onto the shuttle bus that collects from the free drop off - if you can get a lift to there (I know you said you can't!) it's by far the easiest option in my experience.

If you can get yourself a loan of a bike bag, be warned, it'll be a fairly extensive dismantling job to get a gnarpoon in one. Rear mech and bars off I would think.

I have stayed in a hotel at the airport for an early flight once, the rest of the time I just get a late train there, drink a beer, and have a nap on a bench or the floor. If you go for that option, be warned that it's pretty cold in the terminal at night and there are almost no facilities for food and drink. The newish budget Ibis is little more than a bed and a shower but clean and adequate.

Hope that helps, good luck!

What day?
I’m flying out of Manchester on 13th and I live between Sheffield and the airport…

And I have an estate car…

So close. I'm flying on the 12th. Not going with Switchbacks are you?

Don’t take a suitcase and a bike box. Get the remaining luggage onto your person (ie in a rucksack). You’ll need 2 hands for the box

My case is a cabin size roller case which is small and easy to handle. Full face helmet in helmet bag will be hand luggage. Exact organisation to be confirmed.

I’ve used both, and train is normally the better option really, storage is pretty straightforward if you avoid the rush hours I’d be travelling the day before, and as you’re coming into Piccadilly, it’s easy to transfer to tram to go all the way to the airport, and there are hotels on site. Unless you’re a stress-traveller, it’ll be a piece of cake, surely?

I've priced up train and hotel and it won't be too bad. Leaving at about 7pm the night before. Getting a lift to the station will be the issue.

Could you get a taxi/limo?

It’s expensive, but means you will have someone with a car/van show up at your front door, take just you and your bike (and no-one else) to the airport and drop you off at the entrance to departures.

Might email some local companies today and see what they say.

Or cycle there from Sheffield over the Pennines with the bike bag in a rucksack.

Assembling bike and riding the return journey is not out of the question. Never really bothered what happens on the way home with only work to look forward to.

Can you borrow/rent a bike bag with wheels on? Pretty sure 18Bikes in Hope have Evocs for rent, which will make life easier.

Top shout. I'll query that, thanks.

massive package

Show off.

oldnpastit
Full Member
Could you get a taxi/limo?

It’s expensive, but means you will have someone with a car/van show up at your front door, take just you and your bike (and no-one else) to the airport and drop you off at the entrance to departures.

Loads of Merc V-class airport companies around here (for the record, nowhere near Sheffield or Manchester). Assuming they'd be happy to move a rear seat out of the way it'd be a really simple option. Probs even get complimentary water out of it

Who you flying with? If you do the stay over the previous night, do the twilight check in.
Makes things considerably less 'hassly and stressfull' in the morning. Just get up, have breakfast, walk over with your hand luggage.

Where are you heading to? I'd seriously consider hiring a proper bag. I've used an old bike box that my alpine came in twice. The first trip was ok, the second we got rained upon and the box just fell to pieces while I was out in Spain. It didn't actually get wet, jut the increased damp in the air killed the cardboard and that was that. Ended up having to pay for next day* delivery out to Ciclo.

The other issue was the boxes used for modern bikes are considerably larger than the outsize luggage x-ray machines at Malaga airport so on the first trip I got ushered into the bowels of the place to a giant cargo hall where they had an x-ray machine capable of taking an elephant. Took an extra hour of stress.

Even with an evoc's great wheels and handle placement it's still a right pain in the arse lugging it and a week's worth of kit around the short distances in a terminal. No way would I want to do that on public transport with a cardboard box.

I'd also price up an uber or pre-booked minicab.

*yeah right, there is no such thing in Spain. Took 3 days!

My case is a cabin size roller case which is small and easy to handle. Full face helmet in helmet bag will be hand luggage. Exact organisation to be confirmed.

Unless all you are doing is crossing the pavement from a taxi into the terminal, you will want two hands for the bike box or bag. Even proper bike bags are not one handed jobs over any distance, they wobble.

Getting from the airport train station to the airport itself is relatively easy, and I think that they do have trolleys on the platform that you can take to the airport, but you need a pound coin for them.

A slight fly in the ointment is that they don't have the travellators switched on in the transfer tunnel.

I've done it with a bike in a cheap old bike bag with wheels, but which is really hard to roll. It was a bit of a PITA, but doable. Then again, I've dragged the same bag across Paris.

I've never had a problem with bike bags on trains, as long as the train isn't over-crowded.

Manchester Airport Station is 85 miles or so* from the actual terminal. The travellators don't work, there are escalators / lifts off the station and then in/out of the terminal. It's all very shit. You will need a box with wheels.

*it just feels like that when you're walking it - it is literally the exact opposite side of the airport

Also, the train from Sheffield to Manchester Airport requires a change at Piccadilly where I can absolutely guarantee that the platform you arrive on will be nowhere close to the platform that the airport train goes from (if it's a through train it will be the absolute hell of Platform 13/14 up and down lifts). You will also have either 8 seconds or 2hrs between connections, there is never an in-between.

Firstly, try and hire a bike box - 18 Bikes in Hope do them, you could maybe try Cy at Cotic Bikes as well, he's not far from Sheffield. Or https://bikeboxalan.com/hiring-a-bike-box/?v=79cba1185463

Secondly, get there the night before and - if possible - do the evening drop off service with the bike then stay on one of the many local hotels, they all have regular airport shuttles to the terminals.

Or ask nicely and I might consider giving you a lift, if I can tie it in with my own flight out of there on 13th.

Unless all you are doing is crossing the pavement from a taxi into the terminal, you will want two hands for the bike box or bag. Even proper bike bags are not one handed jobs over any distance, they wobble.

yeah this was my point. I travel quite often (~3-4 times a year) with a not-massively-heavy bike (<30lbs) in a proper bike bag with wheels. Even with loads of practice, and the proper kit, getting it through an airport is a massive ballache. I wouldn't even dream of trying to get it through the airport and another bag. Bike boxes\bags tend not to go on luggage trollies easily, its generally a faff. if you've only got a small amount of hold baggage stuff it in the bike box around your bike and have one less bag (and one less bag to pay for)

*it just feels like that when you’re walking it – it is literally the exact opposite side of the airport

It's actually half way between the two terminals (counting terminal 1 and terminal 3 as one since they;re in the same building), perhaps slightly closer to terminal 1. Having once been dropped off at the wrong terminal and having to run from T1 to T2 via the station with suitcase,  skis and ski boots, I can confirm it's quite a way but not really that far

My LBS rents out bike travel boxes for £45/week - hard boxes, multiple handles and wheels.

No idea what the limit is on bike size, but might be worth looking into.

Doesn't solve your massive package issue, but might make it easier when you get there.

How about:

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Use gaffa tape to secure.

Take some spare tape for the return journey.

AFAIK there's no hard bike box that a modern mountain bike will fit in without significant dissembly.

WRT Manchester Airport station, it really isn't that far from the airport. Having said that I wouldn't like to do it with a box and a suitcase.

OP an advantage of having a bike bag is that you can  throw the rest of your stuff in it as well in a few stuff sacks, as long as you don't take the mick.

If I knew back when I bought my bike bag what I know now (how much use it would get, I've lent it to friends), instead of the cheaper version I'd have gone for the fancy EVOC one. There's a good reason you see so many of them at airports at bike holiday destinations.

OP your other option would be to get a very cheap/lightweight bike bag (I think EVOC do a bare bones one) like was used on the Switzerland by train video and dissemble and pack your bike in the check-in hall.

My mate who works at Heathrow swears blind that the big padded bike bags and advice to use them on the internet are all a conspiracy by "big bike bag" and that they really aren't needed, especially for burly mountain bikes.

One of the nutters who did pedal transfers between the EWS stages had a very lightweight multi-use bike bag that he used for plane journeys too.

Getting a lift to the station will be the issue.

Local taxi-cab: "Hi, can you send a bigger taxi, or a mini bus as I've got a big bike box." It won't be the first time they've had that request

You will need a box with wheels.

Or an airport trolley as has been suggested?

The airport taxi thing will usually be a Transit minibus or similar. This means I might have to squeeze in with a bunch of innocent civilians on their way to Spain or be turned away with my unwieldy package.

I'd forget that.  I've been in the position of needing a taxi to the airport and multiple minibus / people carriers turning around when they see a bike box.  Big vehicle, but full of seats innit.  Book an estate car taxi and slide the box in.

As above, box and suitcase is a non starter.  Fill the bike box to the limit with your stuff then rucksack if poss.

Assuming you have a space to store it, have you checked Planet X or CRC for a cheap bag?  I've been using a £35 Planet X bag for about 15 years now, with a trip most years.

Local taxi-cab: “Hi, can you send a bigger taxi, or a mini bus as I’ve got a big bike box.” It won’t be the first time they’ve had that request

nearly every cab will fit a bike box + one passenger, just drop the rear seats - I've had mine in the back of many a prius etc. The driver is often grumpy about clearing his collection of crap to one side of the boot, but so be it 🙂

Hire a bike at your destination?

nearly every cab will fit a bike box + one passenger, just drop the rear seats – I’ve had mine in the back of many a prius etc. The driver is often grumpy about clearing his collection of crap to one side of the boot, but so be it

I've booked a couple of airport taxis from mine to Manchester and always stressed during the booking that it MUST be an estate car, it will need to fit a bike box in it. No, a bike box, it's not like a suitcase, it's twice the size. Yes, that big, Yes, so it'll be an estate car then? Excellent.

And then someone turns up in a bloody saloon car and gets really annoyed.

Eldest_oab and 5 flatmates all took the bus and tram to Edinburgh Airport. The buses rightly asked them to be only two people at a time, the tram was less bothered and so 4 piled on one.

Have you a trundly bag or a box sans wheels?

What about this for help transporting the bike box around the airport/train station? https://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the-bike-box-roller-converts-your-cardboard-box-into-a-travel-case-on-wheels/

One way, one day car rental, pickup in Sheffield, dropoff at airport?

Ask the minicab company to send a people carrier?

I d make the bike box into a rucsac with ratchet straps, or strap to side of bike. Take last train the night before, spend all night in terminal cleaning bike.  Be first to check in next morning.

Spend saved cash on holiday.  Night cleaner in airport will even tell you best place to sleep.

Spend saved cash on holiday.

This is always the issue isn't it. You find super cheap flights online - how the hell can it be cheaper to fly from the UK to Spain than get a train from London to Manchester?! - and then discover that the cheap flights require expensive airport parking or an expensive airport transfer or an expensive airport hotel....

JE James have bike boxes for rent and they're spitting distance from my house so I'll ask in there. I'd rather give the money to 18 Bikes but they're miles away.

One way, one day car rental, pickup in Sheffield, dropoff at airport?

That's not a bad shout. I just looked it up. Collect from down the road on the way home from work, drive door to door and drop off for £100 each way. No cheap but surely the minimum possible amount of faff.

What about this for help transporting the bike box around the airport/train station?

This is actually the kind of thing I had in my imagination! Looks like a major ball-ache in reality.