Saturday, May 26, 2012

Fly, Land, Bike! Look Ma, no transit, no rental car.

Whenever I fly somewhere, I dream of just landing and riding my bike from the airport. I've been flying with my bike in tow for a couple of years now but, for a variety of reasons chronicled on this blog, that hasn't been practical. Until now...(cue Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" from 2001: A Space Odyssey).

Yesterday, I landed at Ontario International Airport, in Ontario, California (not Canada). I walked off the plane with two modestly-sized carry-ons. After retrieving a typically-sized suitcase from baggage claim, I walked to a quiet corner of the airport. In less time than it takes to rent a car, ~15 minutes, I was riding off from the airport with all my luggage and still cruising at 30kph. Better still, I incurred no additional baggage charges like I did in D.C. recently.


Prior bike luggage travails:
Dream realized! What made the difference this time were some recent innovations in bicycle design: my folding Tern Verge X20 and my brand new Burley Travoy. Both performed superbly:
  • The Tern Verge X20
    • weighs 9.3kg/20.5lb
    • easily cruises at 36km/20mph
    • fits in a regular suitcase.
      Incredible! Here's a link to my nycewheels review where I gush further.
  • The Burley Travoy
    • weighs 4.4 kg/9.8 lb
    • easily attaches and cruises behind my folding bike
    • fits in a regular carry-on bag (included).
Thanks to these innovations, it is a great time to be alive and cycling. Other folding bikes and trailers have come along but few fold/unfold as fast AND perform as well on the road.