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Two friends managed to pack their full-suspension mountain bikes into regular suitcases for a trip to Colorado. The key was the 26" wheels and the fact that their bikes could unbolt into several pieces and be made to fit into the suitcases.

Call it "sports equipment" or "trade-show display equipment". Trade-show display stuff is often packed in big awkward hard cases.

For Japan, I brought my touring bike (Trek 520) in a . This was as much because Japanese trains require your bike to be bagged for transport. It worked well and folded down to a reasonable size between uses, but took a lot of disassembly to make the bike fit. If anybody wants to borrow it, drop me a line, it's just lying around.

As for cost, on the way over, I tried the "I have this large checked luggage" line. The clerk knew it was a bike, but let it pass through without a fee. On the way home, the Japanese made me pay $80 cash at the airport, and insisted that The Tires Have NO AIR AT ALL! If anybody asks about your tires, always say you deflated them completely.

I've also successfully used Kalen's bike bag. It's really just taking the stem, wheels, rack, and derailler off. Fork stays, it's not so bad. Went out to RAGBRAI free with the Tardis on AA even though I had to take it to the oversized baggage window at SeaTac. The counter in Des Moines tried to charge me for it but I pulled a "well it was free coming out" and got away with it. The point of the charge is because they're expecting a normal big bike box that requires manual handling. If they just load it onto the conveyor belt behind them don't pay the fee!

If you don't mind even more disassembly (fork removal--you've got a sealed bearing headset right?) it's not hard to out of a bike box. Basically cut off the long end at ~41inches and fold the new ends in to make it shorter. The bike pictured (57cm) fits in the box pictured. I got it down to 66 linear inches. Soooo close to airline standard 62.



However note the fail as Joby mentioned that I didn't flip the box inside out first and it has bike shit all over the outside. Great for customs, bad for arguing I shouldn't be subject to a surcharge.

Also, put your u-lock in your checked baggage. A TSA goon had a problem with mine but thankfully his supervisor didn't!

I have not traveled with it yet, but I did this:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seditiouscanary/sets/72157608544023694/"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/3187731122_ce4dd24e84_m.jpg"></a>

Makes it all fit into a 26"x26"x10" box. You have to take the tyres off, but no biggie.

I bet I can get it into 9".

That's cute, but building up a frame broken down that much will take forever. I've done the S&S thing and the folder thing and I like folders that fold into suitcase sizes very quickly.

That R&E S&S bike looks like a packing nightmare, but I guess the final result will be small.