We’re staying at a Disney resort. I expect there are paths linking to the whole Disney world. I expect the paths will be great to follow and am looking forward to the riding most of all on this vacation.
I checked with the airlines, the largest size check in bag allowed without additional charges is one that the length plus height, plus width is sixty two inches or less. To my surprise it looks like I can fit my 29" uni in a box that is 27" x 27" x 7" = 61" if I let the air out of the tire. Cool! (Now to find a box and cut to size a box.)
I called Disney and they allow riding along the resort paths. Asked them if I could bring my own bike to ride around the resort and paths, they said “yes.” Then I asked if a unicycle was considered a bicycle? Funny they answered, “A unicycle is considered a unicycle sir, and you can ride a unicycle at the resort”. Good answer.
I don’t expect they’d allow a unicycle in any of the parks, but that is fine with me.
Reality is setting in when I think of all the stuff I need to bring in addition to the uni, Helmut, clothing, air pump, and tools. But I think it will be worth the trouble.
Other folks must have done this, is this gonna work out well or what?
I stayed at the Hilton in the Disney World resort. I didn’t find any good paths. Riding around the resort wasn’t much different from riding sidewalks anywhere else. Don’t ride around the actual parks or Downtown Disney- they’ll throw you out and try to write you a ticket like they did for me.
I use a 24" for travel because it fits in a normal suitcase. I’m curious as to how you are going to build a perfectly sized box that is sturdy enough to protect the wheel.
Hey Boo,
I remembered reading your post about them giving you trouble in the park, so I wrote that off immediately.
I hope I can make a good box, sounds easy, but then, I haven’t done it yet. I’ll post a picture. I’m keeping a look out for a good sturdy box to modify. The trip isn’t until May, so I have some time.
So a 24" fits in a suitcase, makes me wish I had one of those guni’s even more. I woudn’t like riding distance on anything less than a 28", and would love to have 36" wheel (or equivalent) on the trip.
It has been about 15 years since I went to Disney World. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge where they rented bicycles and there was a path to the Fort Wilderness campground. If things have not changed, that might be a good place to ride but I don’t think the trail was very long.
With a 29er you might be able to ride the Disney roads between hotels. Find out which hotels rent bicycles and they will likely have bike trails.
Don’t worry about all the extras… the unicycle is by far the biggest thing you’ll have to “lug”. You can pack the rest of the stuff (minus the helmet) in the same box as the uni… stash the helmet in your carry-on bag and you’re set! Helmut might need his own ticket, however.
Today ordered a wheel bag. Rome bag, they will match the ebay price of 29.99 I choose this one for the shoulder strap, and that it holds 2 700c wheels with tires. I hope there is room for a wheel and the frame. Places that sell wheel bags say the these soft bags are not good for air travel because they may not protect the wheel well enough. I’m bringing my least expensive uni, and hoping for the best.
Did ‘Google Earth’ of the Disney Resort area, they are surprising small, and well isolated. Originally, I thought the resorts were all connected and I could could spend hours in the early morning exploring different resort areas. Now I see that the riding loop will be short, only about a mile. I’ll just have to make a few loops.
I had called/surfed JetBlue web site, checked their baggage restrictions. It sounds like the wheel bag will be right at the size limit, they explained that unless it weighs near the 50lb limit, or is obviously well over the size limit there probably won’t be a charge. So I think I’m OK.
Ha! I’m never sure how to spell helmet. Thanks for pointing this out. And I’ve been on my best behavior knowing unibugg is on this thread, since she has caught me mixing hopping with hoping.
Now we have a name for the uni on the trip, ‘German dude’.
You do know that you are required to post about all the unicycling you did on the trip. Methinks if you throw out a hat near some tourists and ride around you just might be able to earn enough to make a little dent in the cost of entrance tickets. They have gotten EXPENSIVE!
Those wheel bags look like they’re intended to protect wheels from weather, and other stuff from the wheels, but don’t look like they’re intended to do much in terms of air travel. I use these big pieces of luggage with wheels and zippered extensions that can hold up to three unicycles, but on our flight home from Moab, the Delta check-in lady warned us that starting the next day (April 1, think about it), they would be cracking down on the size restrictions. That bag runs oversize unless both extensions are closed. This is possible if I’d taken the frame off my Wilder but I’d left it on. Anyway she said in future, that bag would be $150 extra due to its size. Same for Nathan and Beau’s unicycle-shaped bags, which don’t even weigh that much. Nathan’s reply was simple and to the point: “Then I guess I won’t be flying Delta again.”
The Disney resort area is, like the rest of Florida, pretty flat. But there isn’t much to look at in the resort area, just hotels and signs while the more interesting areas, like Downtown Disney, are off limits. You could probably cruise through the parking lot though, without incident. Otherwise you’ll probably be riding on sidewalks or along the sides of the road, and the scenery might actually be more interesting outside the Disney area, along one of the touristy main roads with all their big and bright attractions. The resorts are connected, but probably not by bike path, which is what would leave you riding along the roadways. And since it may all be private property, they may reserve the right to ask you not to ride in there.
If you want a longer ride you might do better by going outside into one of the neighborhood/cond-hood areas nearby. For example, if you cross over Highway 535, north of I-4, you can go down Palm Parkway. We stayd in a condo along there once, and it was a nice, more peaceful area. If you go a few miles east along the Osceola Parkway you’ll get to my uncle’s house. He lives just a few blocks from Gatorland.
But use caution: a high percentage of the cars around you will be rental cars, with people who don’t know where they’re going. Also I don’t remember noticing many (any?) cyclists along the roadways in the area, so expect people to not be looking out for you or knowing how to treat you.
A lot of the Uninam riders threw their Cokers into soft bags and they faired well. Just put a piece of cardboard on either side of your wheel and it should be fine… after all, your wheel is built to hold 150+ lbs. of rider plus various stresses; it should be able to handle the rough treatment given by the luggage monkeys.
The biggest danger to luggage in air travel (or UPS, for that matter) is in the automated portion of their journey. That is, when they’re in the conveyor system that takes them to the correct part of the airport for loading or unloading. Beyond that you have pretty good odds that a circular piece of luggage will not be piled at the bottom of a bunch of regular suitcases that could smash the spokes.
In my “normal-looking luggage” bags I use pieces of camping mat or other lightweight foam on the outside to protect (and conceal) the contents. I believe it’s still better for airline people to not know there are wheels in there…
Here’s a series of pictures of how I pack for a unicycle convention. Though the bag could still be subjected to crushing forces like any other piece of luggage, so far so good, in many, many flights all over the world.
The other advantage to odd-shaped luggage is the hope that it will get more hand treatment, and less automation.
The Disney Parks are expensive. We think we have a reasonable rate that the resort, and don’t plan on visiting the parks, except to once or twice hit the water parks. The water parks cost less than the other parks.
I’m still waiting for the wheel bag to arrive, then I’ll see how well that works out. Adding round cardboard pieces on each side of the wheel sounds like a good idea.
The flight is a direct Jet-Blue, smaller plane, flight to/from small airports, so I think the luggage will be handled better than worst.
The hub of the 29" uni I’m bringing broke Sunday. The crank threads of the cheap Sun wheel broke off the axle. So UDC to the rescue, ordered a UDC hub, spoke set and KH rim. Now the uni I’m bringing is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
John Foss, you win on packing unicycles. That case is huge, but I’m still surprised that you can get three in there. I continue to plan to take the 29" with me to Disney, but no longer think it will be the great place to ride I had thought it would be. I’ll googleEarth along the directions you listed.
I am sure you will find some enjoyable riding there, I bring a uni with me everytime I travel, even when traveling for business I can get an evening ride in or something.
Enjoy
The wheel bag arrived today. It’s made to hold 2 wheels, up 700c in size. It’s made with a strong material with 1/4" padding in both sides walls. Comes with another round pad for between wheels. Has a zippered pocket, handle and a shoulder strap. Seems to be made very well.
To pack, I separated the wheel from the frame, and pedals from the wheel. Turned the seat 90 degrees so that the width of the fork was in line with the length of the seat. Put the wheel in the bag, added the extra padding for between the wheels. Pushed the frame up against the pad so the cranks are between the forks. Luckily my frame is short enough that with the seat still in the frame the overall length is the same a the diameter of the wheel. Expect that I’ll need to wrap the frame ends to keep from scratching the wheel rim.
Had to let the air out of the 29" tire, to fit the wheel with tire in the bag. I may remove the tire next time I pack it.
Some pictures, Each of the pictures of the bag has the unicycle inside.
yeah its definetly easier and will protect the rim a bit more, do you have to deflate the tyre on planes anyway, because theyre preasurised and could burst at high altitude? Ive never been on a plane so would never know, but my 20’ is deffinetly coming with me when i go to cyprus:D so it would be usefull to know
We always drive down to Disney when we go so the travel thing is not a problem for us.
But I have taken unicycles to Disney and rode around the resorts. It’s quite a lot of fun. Some people will assume you’re part of the entertainment there. Enjoy!
I was thinking about removing the tire from the rim because even deflated the tire seemed to put a lot of pressure on the bag’s zipper. While the zipper is good and sturdy, I worried it would be the first component to break. Since then I have tried putting a tie-down strap around the circumference of the tire (while on the rim), and pulled it tight to compress the tire. That works out well, in fact now I can get the wheel in the bag all the way off to one side, so that there is no pressure against the zipper. Great.
I don’t know how much tires/tubes expand with airplane flights. Since I’ve never heard of a problem with that, I guess it’s not a problem. At least as long as you don’t put a tight nylon strap around the wheel. Won’t the pilot be surprised!
