My old 10 speed Claud Butler has been checked-in loads of times.

I got some funny looks from fellow travellers at the check-in desk when I first started the malarkey nearly thirty years ago. Back then it was quite a uncommon thing to do. In fact several agents got a shock and didn't really know what to do with it. I didn't even dismantle it or bother putting it in a box and never had any problems...only one broken spoke in around thirty flights. ^