April 21, 2022
T-3 Pack rats
I chose today to box the bikes. It went pretty well! They both fit with the front wheels removed. I had to remove my front racks too, but I didn't have to remove my seatpost! I had to take it as low as it'll go, and it just barely squeaked by under the top of the box. It should keep the frame from rattling around.
Thanks to Luke at JRA Bike Shop for the fork protectors! I had just enough foam and bubble wrap lying around to cover the other fragile bits and pieces of the bikes. After last year's chainring incident, I've learned that you can never be too careful. I went ahead and deflated the tires, although I'm going to regret it when I have to pump them all up again in Incheon.
I am also trying to take into account the certainty that TSA will open up and rifle through the boxes before they are loaded on the plane. To that end, I've zip-tied the handlebars to the frames and taken other measures to ensure that whatever is removed is returned in the same position. I hope my dull first aid scissors can cut through the zip ties. That will be a story for another day!
Pedals, lights, bike computers, and bolts for my front racks are labeled, placed in a ziploc bag, and added to my trunk bag. I've gone a little overboard with organizing so that I don't have to think so much when reassembling the bikes in a tired and frazzled state.
Another ridiculous thing I do is to place packing tape over all the little rips and dents in the boxes. I guess I do it so that when we arrive at our destination, I can distinguish new box damage from old box damage. I also taped up one of the handles that was ripped. That repair actually serves a purpose.
Tradition dictates that photos of the packing job be taken and shared. The first three are my bike. The second three are Sunyoung's.
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The boxes don't feel too heavy, they have nice handles, and the bikes appear to be pretty secure inside. This is good news both for us and the folks who don't get paid nearly enough to lug them around at the airport.
Tomorrow we go for our pre-flight COVID tests. Fingers crossed we get the results quickly! I also found out that we do need to test again in Incheon. I booked us a test slot at the airport, but we're considering canceling and going to a public health center in the hopes that it'll be free there. It'd be nice to save a few bucks and spend them on our family instead of a swab.
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