A Mountain Bike, Flight and Tune-up
I’m back in Canada. After an 11-hour flight and another 45-minute flight we’re back in this chilly country. The weather is unbelievable. There was a light dusting of snow last night and we are only a few days away from April. Wow!
The flight was good. We brought home a lot of stuff and had to pay some extra money for an overweight suitcase and my mountain bike. When we arrived to Pearson airport and collected our luggage from the baggage claim, I noticed two items were damaged. First, the baby stroller had an improtant clip busted off, which attaches the base to the seat. Second, the frame on my mountain bike was dented. Oh well, the damage isn’t that bad.
Before departing Nagoya and while checking in for our flight a Northwest airline staff saw my mountain bike and approached me. She said that since my mountain bike was not in a bike box, I couldn’t take it with me. My mouth dropped to the floor and I quickly directed her to the special items page at NWA.com. It states on their website that: “Northwest accepts bicycles only if the handlebars are fixed sideways and the pedals removed or if the handlebars and pedals are wrapped with protective packing material. Northwest recommends bicycles be placed in a bike box.” I had done the bolded and met their requirements, so in the end they accepted my bicyle.
For people who are bringing their bicycle on a flight I recommend turning your handlebars sideways, removing the pedals and placing it in a bike box. You can go to any bicycle shop in your area and they should have old bike boxes that you can take for free. Here is a great website that has a written description on how to box up your bike with pictures.
Now that spring has almost sprung, it is time to blow the dust of your bike, take it to your local bicycle shop and have it tuned-up. There are many bicycle shops in Oakville, such as Cyclepath and Oakville Cycle and Sports to name a few. I have used Oakville Cycle and Sports in the past. Always helpful and attentative. Their cycle shop used to be located in Trafalgar Village. Do you remember that small shopping mall? Now it is still a part of Trafalgar village, but the place is no longer a mall. It is more like a strip mall. I think tune-ups run about $30. I am going this weekend, so I’ll post how much.
Anyone ride in Oakville? Leave a comment and let us know the trails you like to ride on.
