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Ryanair and bike parts in hand luggage question…

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  • October 24, 2014 at 11:42 am #22631
    Daveyraveygravey

    I’m off to Pescara in Italy with Europe’s most on-time airline (ta-da!) on Wednesday next week. I’ve arranged to hire a road bike and am hoping to climb to the Blockhaus and get some other rides in.

    My Italian isn’t great, but I have spoken to the shop where I am picking up the hire bike from, and know I have to take my shoes and pedals. I may also take the usual spares you’d take on the bike on a long ride in the UK -an inner tube, tyre levers, patches, glue, pump. Do you think I’ll have any problems getting on the plane at Stansted? Are they going to react like I am a suspected terrorist?

    I may also take a water bottle, and some small battery lights. Again, will that be ok?

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Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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  • October 30, 2014 at 7:27 pm #818931
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    Daveyraveygravey

    Got a call from my mate the
    Got a call from my mate the night before who can lend me a bike so hardly had to take anything – result! Lovely day out today despite epic fail on Il Muro di Guardiagrele – couldn’t go straight up as the front wheel was lifting couldn’t zig zag as I couldn’t make the turns! And after we bailed out had a crash going down because it was SO steep!

    October 28, 2014 at 4:57 pm #818929
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    Marauder

    I have had no problems the
    I have had no problems the last few years I have hired bikes when abroad.
    Why don’t you stay on the safe side and keep things like multi-tools and glue etc in the hold luggage and anything else stuff them in the water bottles and keep in you hand luggage.
    At least everything is safe and out the way and only a little weight is taken up in suitcases.

    Also make sure bike computers have some battery power available so they can be turned on and tested if required.

    October 28, 2014 at 1:18 am #818927
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    giobox

    Daveyraveygravey wrote:big

    Daveyraveygravey wrote:
    big mick wrote:
    Put all your gear in a case and check it In.You wont have any problem but tools in hand luggage is a no no. :H

    Big Mick, I also posted this on the Pistonheads cycling page, and have had 10 replies. Yours is the only one that suggested it could be a problem, and the only one that suggested checking a case in. Apart from the fact I won’t on principle check a case in with Ryanair (extra cost, hassle, delays both ends) I’m only taking plastic tyre levers and something that is obviously a pump. I’ll let you know how I get on next week!

    It’s kind of at the discretion of whomever is working at the security check point – current TSA rules in US prevent tools or blunt instruments longer than 7 inches (I’ve read of someone bringing a Stages crank arm back from the USA in hand luggage that fell foul of this one!). In UK airports there’s a ban on tools or instruments with a shaft longer than 6cm.

    As you can imagine, what falls foul of these rules is open to a fairly wide interpretation, a pump could potentially fall foul of the 6cm rule. Whether the security person would care/notice is another matter. Big Mick has a valid point.

    October 27, 2014 at 11:48 pm #818925
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    wknight

    Don’t forget that you can’t
    Don’t forget that you can’t take any of those gas canisters to blow up the tyres

    As a former frequent flyer, the best way to avoid any hassles with your luggage is to check it in. There is no fight for the overhead bin space.

    As other posters have said, if anything possibly resembles a weapon it will be confiscated and that will be down to the airport and the security staff on duty

    October 27, 2014 at 11:41 pm #818923
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    gr3g0ree

    Multitools and Allen-keys are
    Multitools and Allen-keys are not allowed, however, if you are taking a bottle use it and stick some stuff in. I took 2bottles with me and filled it with GPS+bikecomp with attaching mechanisms, gels, recovery sachet, spare batteries, HR monitor, vitamin tablets, panadol đŸ™‚ . Didn’t try to get any multitool in, but if you have a basic one, you can afford to loose, might be worth trying to ‘hide’ it away.

    October 27, 2014 at 11:38 am #818921
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    glynr36

    SlowCoach wrote:I had an

    SlowCoach wrote:
    I had an allen key multitool and metal tyre levers confiscated from hand luggage when going in the other direction (Rome back to the UK). I think they were having a bad day though. Funnily enough, the tube of patch glue didn’t seem to bother them though.

    I’m still trying to work out how you could hijack a plane with a set of tyre levers or a 5mm allen key…

    Potential use as a weapon I’d imagine.
    The rules are the rules, you’ll never win arguing with airport security unless you want room with out a view!

    October 26, 2014 at 8:55 pm #818919
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    drfabulous0

    SlowCoach wrote:I had an

    SlowCoach wrote:
    I had an allen key multitool and metal tyre levers confiscated from hand luggage when going in the other direction (Rome back to the UK). I think they were having a bad day though. Funnily enough, the tube of patch glue didn’t seem to bother them though.

    I’m still trying to work out how you could hijack a plane with a set of tyre levers or a 5mm allen key…

    Use the allen keys to dismantle enough of the plane so you can get to the landing gear, then threaten to lever the tyres off.

    October 26, 2014 at 7:53 pm #818917
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    David Arthur @davearthur

    You can’t take multi-tools on
    You can’t take multi-tools on hand luggage – I checked the regs for hand luggage with an airline earlier this year that I flew and it specifically detailed multi-tools not being allowed in the cabin

    Any good hire bike shop should be able to set you up on the bike so you shouldn’t need any tools with you really, and some hire places supply bikes with a loaded saddle bag so you don’t even need any tubes, levers or glue. Really you shouldn’t need to take glue and patches on a cycling holiday, spare tubes are enough

    Pedals and shoes and bottles aren’t a problem though in hand luggage. Easiest thing is to just stick it in the hold luggage if you’re already checking a bag in

    October 26, 2014 at 7:34 pm #818915
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    Tony Farrelly

    Daveyraveygravey wrote:big

    Daveyraveygravey wrote:
    big mick wrote:
    Put all your gear in a case and check it In.You wont have any problem but tools in hand luggage is a no no. :H

    Big Mick, I also posted this on the Pistonheads cycling page, and have had 10 replies. Yours is the only one that suggested it could be a problem, and the only one that suggested checking a case in. Apart from the fact I won’t on principle check a case in with Ryanair (extra cost, hassle, delays both ends) I’m only taking plastic tyre levers and something that is obviously a pump. I’ll let you know how I get on next week!

    We went with Ryanair on our recent trip to Italy and most of the team here have flown on trips with them and taken pretty much all the items you mention and more. I’d agree with the poster above who thought the only thing that might possibly be a problem would be the glue. I’d take pre-glued patches too.

    I’ve taken multi tools and plastic tyre levers and in my experience as long as the multi tool doesn’t have something on it that could obviously be used as a weapon you should be okay. That said, I did have a multi tool that was basically a set of Allen keys and which had been lying unused and forgotten about in my rucksack for months taken off me at Milan airport a few years back.

    Finally on checking luggage in on Ryanair, on our last trip a couple of weeks back we checked bags in for the first time ever with them – it was £15 each way, it did save some hassle and didn’t cost us any time. So few people actually check bags in with them that they were pretty much out and on the belt by the time we walked in to the baggage hall In Bologna. It was still a very cheap flight – 4 blokes + bikes and bags for £699 return. The bikes cost more than we did.

    October 26, 2014 at 6:40 pm #818913
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    Daveyraveygravey

    big mick wrote:Put all your

    big mick wrote:
    Put all your gear in a case and check it In.You wont have any problem but tools in hand luggage is a no no. :H

    Big Mick, I also posted this on the Pistonheads cycling page, and have had 10 replies. Yours is the only one that suggested it could be a problem, and the only one that suggested checking a case in. Apart from the fact I won’t on principle check a case in with Ryanair (extra cost, hassle, delays both ends) I’m only taking plastic tyre levers and something that is obviously a pump. I’ll let you know how I get on next week!

    October 25, 2014 at 6:34 pm #818911
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    big mick

    Put all your gear in a case
    Put all your gear in a case and check it In.You wont have any problem but tools in hand luggage is a no no. :H

    October 24, 2014 at 5:02 pm #818909
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    SlowCoach

    I had an allen key multitool
    I had an allen key multitool and metal tyre levers confiscated from hand luggage when going in the other direction (Rome back to the UK). I think they were having a bad day though. Funnily enough, the tube of patch glue didn’t seem to bother them though.

    I’m still trying to work out how you could hijack a plane with a set of tyre levers or a 5mm allen key…

    October 24, 2014 at 1:59 pm #818907
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    3cylinder

    It’s obviously a good idea to
    It’s obviously a good idea to measure the set up of your regular bike for saddle height and reach etc; a top tip is to set up a piece of knotted and looped string to match these dimensions – it’s portable and makes the hire bike set up a doddle.

    I forget where I heard this, but I have used it and it works a treat.

    An empty bottle should be OK, but perhaps stick with one you don’t mind getting confiscated if security are having a bad day.

    October 24, 2014 at 12:09 pm #818905
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    pirnie

    I’ve taken shoes, pedals,
    I’ve taken shoes, pedals, helmet, saddle, saddlebag (with pretty much the above contents) and seatpost through security at Manchester and Newcastle airports, as well as Alicante, with no problems at all. I’d double check the regs for patch glue though. They can be fussy about flammables and you might be safer to buy some preglued patches. One of our group did get some funny looks when their bag was searched and pedals were found but they let them go through.

    The bottle will be fine so long as it’s empty đŸ˜›

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