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Bikes ready for loading at Cork Airport. And Pat. |
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We recently went to the Algarve for a cycling trip, and brought our bikes with us.
We booked our flights with Aer Lingus; the site has instructions about how to book bikes on the fllght. Once we had the confirmation email from Aer Lingus for our tickets, we rang the customer helpline. After a bit of a delay we spoke to a customer representative who booked our bikes on to the outward and home flights.
Make sure to check with your airline before you book tickets; there is a limit to the number of bikes which can be transported on each flight. In the case of Aer Lingus flights to and from Europe this limit is currently five.
BIKE PREPARATION
In the case of Aer Lingus flights to Europe, the bike has to be prepared as follows:
The front wheel should be removed; we used a skewer and old axle or length of plastic pipe to brace the front forks. Those of us with carbon forksa also braced the forks about halfway down their length; we used a shaped piee of wood for this.
The handlebars should be in line withthe top tube, but a the front wheel is off ithis is simple. In the case of dropped bars (racing bars) we turned the handlebars downwards to wrap around the top tube.
We also used tie-wraps to hold the rear mechanism (derailleur) againsthje chain stay; this was to keep ot out of harms way while being transported.
The font whelle was then braced against the main trianglof the frame.
we also lowered the seat to the minimum height, reversed or removed the pedals, and wrapped the shifters in rags or plastic. An important point is to let most of the air out of the tubes, and to bring a suitable pump to put it back in! If you have any queries on any of this please email us.
BOOKING IN
Atthe airport, book in as normal. Once you have your boarding car, go to the custoer service desk to pay for the bikes and get a receipt for the homeward trip. We found it easier to book the bikes on both outward and home flights, this saved time and hassle i nFaro.
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