I have a 68 182. I'm pulling the trigger on a new hardtail mountain bike and I'm wondering if anyone has pics of how they mount their bikes in their plane.

I'm thinking of taking out the back seat & mounting a bracket on the floor, so I can take off the front wheel and place the front fork in the bracket.

Thanks for any pics and/or suggestions

I wouldn't worry about a fork mount on the floor...there's really no reason for one.

If it won't fit with the front tire off, take off the back tire and put the frame in upside-down.

If that doesn't fit, take off the handle bars and front fork and lay them aside with the cables connected...super simple, and your bike shop will show you how to do it if you're unsure.

With extended baggage I can get two fatbikes, two people, plus beer and water and camping gear for a week in a 170, so you shouldn't have a problem with one bike. Just get used to smaller bags for the rest of your gear so they can fit around your bike. Bikes don't weigh much, but they take up a lot of space.

Good idea on removing both tires and flipping it onto the seat & bar. Most likely it'll be two bikes as I'll be bringing the wife or a buddy. Thanks

Don't do it, bikes and airplanes don't mix!

Kidding of course, they go together great. Nice packing job Hammer! You seem to have that 170 fully utilized like I do my much smaller S-7S, we're getting max bang for our flying buck. My Montague hardtail folder's quickness in deploying has spoiled me, I'd find it hard to mess with taking the rear wheel off, folding the handles bars etc. In less then 3 minutes after shutdown, I am riding off, and that's with the (minor) added complexity of it being an ebike. This let's me use the bike for very short trips, as it's no big deal getting it out. BUT, if a little disassembly and a bit longer time to put things back together means the difference between taking a bike and not, for sure it is well worth it. I keep some lightweight surgical gloves in my bike bag, in case I do have to mess with the chain, depending on what chain lube is used it can get pretty messy.

I submitted this blurb to the Montague bike company blog a few weeks ago, after riding them for over 20 years now (3 different Montagues in two different planes) I figured I owed them, for the expansion to my overall flying experience they have provided. https://www.montaguebikes.com/folding-bikes-blog/

I have Atlee Dodge folding seats and can put my Mt bike in my plane without removing tire or handlebar or nothing, its a long travel full suspension bike, I only drop the seat post.
Second bike fits by removing the front tire and dropping the seat.

Before I had the Atlees folding seats, seat was removed for every Mt bike trip.
With that said.
One time I had 3 passengers, plus myself, and I removed the wheels and handlebar and it fits in the cargo area.

“Sniff”, I once had a Montague folder until one of the kids left it at the skate park. Now on a hard tail Cannondale 29er. I throw it in the back of the Citabria removing seat and front wheel. Just a bungee to hold it in place.

Depending on how nice the bikes are, I woudln't be flipping them over and transporting them on the bars and seats. That's a recipe for a screwed up seat, torn grips, bent shifters, and snagged cables.

It wouldnt be much work to get a front fork bracket from a local bike shop and fit a section of plywood or 1x6 across the floor in such a way that it doesnt move. Or better yet, pick up some bolt holes in the floor to lock it down. This is what I plan on doing.

My wife and I did the folding bikes for a few season (Dahon) and they really are nice to fit in the plane.
Ours were the ones with little wheels and they were pretty squirrelly to ride tho. The bigger wheel ones are quite nice to ride tho.

Bagarre wrote:Depending on how nice the bikes are, I woudln't be flipping them over and transporting them on the bars and seats. That's a recipe for a screwed up seat, torn grips, bent shifters, and snagged cables.

It wouldnt be much work to get a front fork bracket from a local bike shop and fit a section of plywood or 1x6 across the floor in such a way that it doesnt move. Or better yet, pick up some bolt holes in the floor to lock it down. This is what I plan on doing.

My wife and I did the folding bikes for a few season (Dahon) and they really are nice to fit in the plane.
Ours were the ones with little wheels and they were pretty squirrelly to ride tho. The bigger wheel ones are quite nice to ride tho.

??? Not my experience at all. A reasonable amount of care has to be taken (like maybe loosening the shifters so the weight of the bike doesn't lay directly on them, or putting a foam block under the bars), but those components are pretty tough...they were designed to support the weight of a person riding on top of them. Our bikes (nine at last count) run from three to eleven-thousand dollars each, and they all get transported that way, both in the plane and in cars. Never had a problem yet.

Come to think of it, for years I carried my high-end mountain bike on top of my Yakima kayak rack by putting it upside down on the bars and seat and strapping it down...never had any damage.

For good bikes, get a bike-specific torque wrench for reassembly...that's where damage is most likely to occur.

Disassembled fat bikes in Death Valley:


For a quality folding bike, look at Bike Friday. Yes, you can build up a $6,000 clown bike, but they can be built up much less expensively, too. They're less capable as a mountain bike than the Montague, but they fold up smaller...just depends on what you need.

I made these blocks that mounted onto the seat rails. I did have access to a complete machine shop, so it was relatively easy to make them.

Thanks for everyone's tips.

I'd like the atlee dodge seats but they are not in the budget and Ii'm happy to hear how your bike fits.

Dog pilot, your mounts are slick

I'm buying a Santa Cruz Chameleon, hardtail, size large and I'm trying to decide between 27+ vs 29 in wheels. It's a hard choice as they both ride nicely and I'm so excited to be getting a new bike!

27.5 on my Santa Cruz have been awesome, I’m pretty tall and it’s a very nimble bike

Go for a 27.5 , more fun to ride.
Here you can see 2 people 2 bikes, full gear, my bike is just standing, we put some bubble wrap and the bags between both bikes.
Flying to ride its a win win trip.

.

I have the plane's Montague folder and the fat bike, both 26", and both for specific uses. Then there's my work ride: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... rane+ebike

In some ways it's my favorite ride, though I ride it the least, and only in town, I think those larger wheels is why. If I didn't have the constraint of having a small plane, I'd go 27.5". You guys talking so casual like of just having to take the front wheel off to carry one or even two regular/non foldering bikes, along with all your other gear AND a passenger, almost make me want a larger plane.

[img]/img]

Here you go:


Approved for commercial operations in NZ. Seems like it would be a fantastic amount of drag.

I just pulled the trigger and ordered the chameleon with 27+ wheels. Should have it in the next two weeks Thanks again for the tips

You can fit 2 laying flat on the floor with a moving pad between them, plus enough gear for a week or more of camping in the back. Three without gear. No racks needed. Quick release seat fixtures are nice for the task.

lesuther wrote:You can fit 2 laying flat on the floor with a moving pad between them, plus enough gear for a week or more of camping in the back. Three without gear. No racks needed. Quick release seat fixtures are nice for the task.

That's a good set-up. I worked with a mountain biking outfitter in Kathmandu that transported bikes by laying them flat in a lorry with foam mattresses between them. You cannot imagine a more brutal ride than a Tata truck on Nepali roads, but there was very little damage to the bikes, even with a couple dozen of them in the truck.

Regarding the 29" vs 27.5+" debate...many bike frames will accept either tire size, so with a second set of wheels you can swap back and forth. It's not an inexpensive option, but it's there. 27.5+" is much better in soft conditions, while 29" is quite a bit more efficient if you don't need the floatation, or don't mind being a lot more careful with your lines. You can't really go wrong with either, and everyone needs a quiver of bikes anyway.

For people carrying only one bike and want to mount it upright, the Kuat Dirtbag is a inexpensive fork-mount that would be pretty easy to jerry-rig into an airplane. I use them lots of places, but in the airplane I just set the bikes in and secure them with baggage.

http://www.kuatonline.com/dirtbags

Soooooo.....

When and where is the fly and ride event????