I'm a student traveling to the US and I wish to carry my old bike with me as checked-in luggage on my flight to the US. I want to know in what capacity can I bring it with me such that it is exempt from duty as my personal item (and whether that's even possible).
I tried to look at various sources online to figure out in what capacity I could bring such an item into the US. The customs and border protection website guidelines and FAQs are quite ambiguous and confusing, and I didn't find a single answer that differentiated between residents and nonresident visitors. Apparently residents are be able to return with a bike without having to pay duty if they used it for more than a year. However, there was no clear mention about nonresidents bringing in a bike. There was a mention about visitors bringing motor vehicles temporarily, for one year, but certainly a bicycle isn't a motor vehicle, and nor do I plan to bring out of the US with me every time I exit the US (which would be an unnecessary hassle and waste of luggage space).
There was an article about people moving to the US being able to bring personal effects, but I'm not sure I qualify as moving since I am not going to be a resident, but only a temporary nonresident student.
The harmonized tax system suggests an 11% duty on value for bikes, but my bike is several years old (not recently purchased) and I don't plan to sell or gift it to anyone - it will be my personal belonging throughout.
At this point I am confused about whether or not I can bring my bike to the US as a nonresident student, and whether it qualifies duty-free.