Airline travel with Creo

[jbblunck]

I spend the winter on Maui. I’m considering bringing my Creo.

I understand that in order to bring the bike on a plane I need to remove the battery. Fair enough, I can check with the Specialized dealer there about hiring a battery. But I understand that I may be able to bring the smaller, supplementary battery with me, depending on the specific airline.

Will the Creo work with the supplemental battery but without the internal one installed?

Is removing the internal battery a user-serviceable option?

Thanks in advance for any traveling advice.

 

[eddief]

I am nearly positive your Creo will run perfectly with the smaller range extender battery and with the internal battery removed. This guy shows how to do it on the Turbo Levo SL. Creo should be about the same. Looks like it can be DIY but a bit daunting:

 

[Brendon@OEB]

I spend the winter on Maui. I’m considering bringing my Creo.

I understand that in order to bring the bike on a plane I need to remove the battery. Fair enough, I can check with the Specialized dealer there about hiring a battery. But I understand that I may be able to bring the smaller, supplementary battery with me, depending on the specific airline.

Will the Creo work with the supplemental battery but without the internal one installed?

Is removing the internal battery a user-serviceable option?

Thanks in advance for any traveling advice.

I doubt you'll like my answer, but you're best off buying a second bike. Dropping the motors on the SL bikes is a pretty big job. Can't comment regarding on the bike working on the aux batt, sounds like others have done this with success which is pretty cool.

Air travel is crazy restrictive with "hazardous" goods. Another option is to ship it via ocean freight, but that takes quite a bit of time and coordination. Could be worth if if you spend lots of time over there.

What part of the island? We used to winter in Paia, loved surfing the south swell and windsurfing there on the north shore in the summer.

 

[rdowns]

I think I would want an electric bike there as well! I think the advice to get a second bike is very good. Could you keep one there ? Or perhaps buy a less expensive one and just sell it when you leave? You may lose a little financially but you wouldn't have to worry about transporting your bike.(or renting a battery)

 

[Scott Adams]

The lead ebike designer for the Creo and SL models from Specialized mentioned in a video some months ago that he was flying to various destinations with two aux batteries and the main battery removed and had not had any difficulties.

If you are spending the winter there, perhaps you could ship your main battery to yourself in appropriate dangerous goods packaging via boat, or just buy a second main battery in Hawaii.

It all depends on how you feel about having your shop or yourself do the removal and installation of the main battery. Some here faint at the thought, to others it's all in a days work.

 

[jbblunck]

Thanks for your responses.

Looks like the motor drop is pretty straightforward. Ages ago in the era of analogue bikes I did pretty much all my own building and maintenance. I'll probably also ask my local shop what they'll charge for the job -- might not be so bad, and then I don't need to re-buy all the tools and stand. In any event, removing the main battery is doable, and I'm familiar with traveling 160 batteries. No need to rent or buy a 320 on Maui -- it's relatively flat where I intend to ride, and climbing Haleakala is likely beyond me at this point. But it'll be nice to have the assist when I need it.

eddief: Great video link!
Brendon: We have a place in Kihei. Missed it all this year and will be happy to get back for the winter.
rdowns: Second bike would be nice but I think I prefer bringing my tricked out Creo. We're only there continuously for four months.
Scott: I've never fainted at the thought of mechanical stuff, though there's been the odd task where I end up with a leftover screw. Luckily, there aren't too many to deal with here.

Best to you all. If you find yourselves near Kihei, HI or Occidental, CA, get in touch!

JB

 

[jbblunck]

One last comment: I found this video showing Creo Battery Removal which looks even easier. I can even dispense with a stand. Woohoo!

 

[rdowns]

Have a great trip!

 

[lexfurther]

How did everything go for you? I ended up doing a couple of similar trips myself, and everything went surprisingly smoothly. I gave the comfort pass https://comfortpass.travel/ a try, and I have to say, it was quite handy. It really helped cut down on the usual wait times, making the whole process feel a lot more relaxed and stress-free. It's a nice little extra to have in your travel toolkit, especially when you want to streamline your journey.

 

[eddief]

Removing the main battery is a bit of an adventure completely doable. Six torx bolts hold it in. You will be reluctant to disconnect the the power cables that go to the motor but each connector is unique and, if you're careful, each one is keyed to go back in its place only one way. If you take the motor out instead of trying to balance it with the cable still connected, in the end, it will work better. There are other things to watch out for like the big battery sliding down in the downtube in the upsidedown bike after you remove the bolts that hold it in. But if take out one bolt and stick a pick in that hole, then it won't slide down. Lastly, the biggest hassle for me was figuring out how to handle the inside "loose" spacer on just one of the motor bolts. You can lose it in the frame when removing the motor (it will come out if you turn the bike right side up). But how to hold it in place when reinstalling the motor took me the longest time to figure out. I used a piece of electrical tape as my "third hand" and that worked just fine.

I have flown both in the U.S. and to Spain with my Creo. It can be an adventure but so nice to have it when touring.