Seamless and simple experience flying in/out of Copenhagen airport with my Cielo

Unsurprising given the country’s cycling addiction, but still true: Copenhagen Airport is super bike friendly hub for traveling in and out of Europe and made my trip really worry free.

SAS airline does not have a bike surcharge and the staff is really accommodating in the airport. I packed my bike in a castoff bike shop cardboard box here in Washington DC where I live, and then took the metro to Dulles airport for a direct flight IAD-CPH. Picked up my bike at odd sized luggage, took it through customs boxes up. Built my bike back up in the arrivals area in CPH, left the empty box in the recycling. Rode straight out from the airport onto a bike path and did a chill two week tour of the Danish countryside. The weather was a bit iffy so I decided on not tenting it but instead staying at farm stays and rural cabin AirBnBs. This meant my load was a bit lighter.

At the end, just rode back the airport and for 200 DKK (twenty bucks-ish?) in cash, this company called Airshells will sell you a new bike-sized cardboard box and even help you pack and tape it if needed. Box dimensions 75 in x 8 in x 39 in. . I broke the bike back down, then check the box back through to the States. Picked it up in odd sized luggage at Dulles. It totally worked! Amazing!

Photos of Airshells and mellow Denmark cycling:
1. My bike of choice for this chill trip, my Cielo Cross with Enve fork (I put black tape over logos as a low tech theft deterrent). The packs I used are a Revelate seat bag, an Epic frame bag that kinda fits but was made for a different bike, and two Mtn Feedbags. I also wore a small backpack. Admittedly not the perfect bikepacking rig but I just love riding it so much. Steel is real, baby!
2, 3, and 4. Packing the bike for return to USA, this is the box that Airshells sells and two photos of the Airshells shop itself. My main tip is to email ahead of time to confirm opening hours on the day you are needing them— oddly they were closed for several hours during midday.
5 and 6. Scenes from the ride: a car-free neighborhood in Copenhagen proper, and a forest in Funen.

by bridges-build-burn