Any alternatives to S&S cases?

[Nags&Ducs]

Originally Posted by eddief

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/co...-video-review/

As far as soft side cases go, this one is pretty nice. But at $400, I think I would rather she'll out the extra $$$ to get the S&S 12" wide case.

Originally Posted by eddief

https://www.bikebagshop.com/racktime...ck-p-1611.html

I have a Tubus rack and it doesn't fold. I'm pretty happy with the quality of the Tubus, so I won't be switching to the folding rack. I suppose I could take it off the bike when traveling but I still have to find room in the case somewhere and I can't see it fitting in the standard 10" case.

Thanks for the ideas though! I appreciate everyone's thoghts and suggestions.

[foo_fighter]

The S&S backpack case is ~$250.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by foo_fighter

The S&S backpack case is ~$250.

I'd be interested in hearing from someone who has used this. I have the hard case & it works, but the soft one looks interesting. Enough protection? How's it to carry?

[Nags&Ducs]

Originally Posted by makoti

I'd be interested in hearing from someone who has used this. I have the hard case & it works, but the soft one looks interesting. Enough protection? How's it to carry?

Yep, I'd be interested too! I have always wondered how well a folded up soft case would fit on the back of the rack when we are touring, since there would be some situations where we wouldn't want to bring a hard case, such as our last touring trip to Estonia. We stayed at different cities every night so a hard case would have had logistical challenges.

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't even think about a hard case but consider only soft cases. I don't know of many situations or trips where we would want the hard case, now that I think about it some more.

[weisan]

I have bikes in my current stable with the different configurations:

S&S Coupled
Ritchey Breakaway
Bike Friday
Foldable

When I traveled overseas with my bike, I decided to go with AirCaddy, it requires minimum dis-assembly if any and personally I felt it provides maximum protection as in, hand it off to the airline luggage handler and forget about it.


I did paid for oversize luggage when we flew on United. But when we flew with Qantas, it was free. There's something nice about the Aussies, they seem to appreciate bikers a little bit more.

Technically speaking, I could have saved some money by breaking my bike down and using the intended case that meets the airline restrictions.

But in the end, I made a judgement call based on time, money, logistics, portability, safety (bike protection) etc.

I know...i always thought it's a bit weird to see people who has a break down bike and not use the "breakdown" function.

But so much of that decision is circumstantial. Every one of those trips that we took, we honestly thought that we would be staying put in our new place for good and so I want to make sure that my dedicated bike get to its destination in one piece and in flawless condition. To me, the Air Caddy solution seems to fit the bill. The other alternatives involving bike cases seems to me always involve some degree of risk and unpredictability.

I may be wrong in that I may be giving Air Caddy too much credit or placing too faith on it but that's how it went down - three separate overseas trips using the exact same box, zero issue, not a scratch, and it was a breeze putting the bike back together....put on the front wheel, raise the seat post, flip up the handlebar, tighten the stem front plate bolt, pump up the tires - and off we go.

The ONLY issue I have with this approach is ...the Air Caddy box is HUGE and it takes up space in the car, make sure you pre-arrange the proper transportation when you get to your destination.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by Nags&Ducs

Yep, I'd be interested too! I have always wondered how well a folded up soft case would fit on the back of the rack when we are touring, since there would be some situations where we wouldn't want to bring a hard case, such as our last touring trip to Estonia. We stayed at different cities every night so a hard case would have had logistical challenges.

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't even think about a hard case but consider only soft cases. I don't know of many situations or trips where we would want the hard case, now that I think about it some more.

The pictures on the S&S site made it look like it got down pretty flat. I could see a lot of times this would be really helpful.

[JLP]

I've used the backpack case. It packs easily because of the little give. I even layered closed cell foam between some of the bits. I would never use it as a backpack. I bought a little wheeled cart from the local office supply store, and I strapped it to that to wheel it around. Then the wheels went in another bag. It works, but it was not the best. Fortunately I got a good deal on one of the wheeled soft cases.

[bikinchris]

Some people cut their rack and use compression couplers to reassemble it. Kind of like a small S&S coupler in brass. Fenders can fit under the tires sometimes, but that may require taking the mounting hardware off the fender.

I ride a bike with a steer tube too long to fit without putting it partly crossways in the S&S box. So I had Bike Friday split a handlebar for me. That way, I have a lot more options to pack the bike.

I sold a 12 inch S&S case on Ebay a while back after being charged by the airline for an oversized package. I got hosed badly. I think it sold for $50.00.

[Exonerv]

These are not inexpensive and appear less than ideal for larger bikes, but they appear to provide an alternative to coupled bikes.

http://orucase.com/products/the-airport-ninja

[paredown]

There used to be a seller on eBay with a generic case that was a match for the S&S--but I don't see any listings, either active or completed.

For the life of me, I can't remember the last time I saw them, since I have been looking at S&S stuff for what seems like a lifetime--and I have still not purchased anything.

[adampaiva]

i have the 10" s&s case and fit this setup
20140721-P1040858.jpg by adam.paiva, on Flickr

I have to pack the panniers separately, put those into a duffel bag which I took as a carry on but was able to fit the front lowrider and rear carradice rack into the case. It was not terribly easy but I did get it to fit. Rims are wide Velocity dyad touring rims and 32c tires. Racks have to come off completely but I dont see it being possible with any case unless you do so.

Personally I would not even think about trying to deal with fenders. Unless I'm moving somewhere for a few months I just would not want to bother with putting the fenders back on the bike for a week or so of riding as its always a pain.

[Nags&Ducs]

Originally Posted by weisan

I have bikes in my current stable with the different configurations:

S&S Coupled
Ritchey Breakaway
Bike Friday
Foldable

When I traveled overseas with my bike, I decided to go with AirCaddy, it requires minimum dis-assembly if any and personally I felt it provides maximum protection as in, hand it off to the airline luggage handler and forget about it.


I did paid for oversize luggage when we flew on United. But when we flew with Qantas, it was free. There's something nice about the Aussies, they seem to appreciate bikers a little bit more.

Technically speaking, I could have saved some money by breaking my bike down and using the intended case that meets the airline restrictions.

But in the end, I made a judgement call based on time, money, logistics, portability, safety (bike protection) etc.

I know...i always thought it's a bit weird to see people who has a break down bike and not use the "breakdown" function.

But so much of that decision is circumstantial. Every one of those trips that we took, we honestly thought that we would be staying put in our new place for good and so I want to make sure that my dedicated bike get to its destination in one piece and in flawless condition. To me, the Air Caddy solution seems to fit the bill. The other alternatives involving bike cases seems to me always involve some degree of risk and unpredictability.

I may be wrong in that I may be giving Air Caddy too much credit or placing too faith on it but that's how it went down - three separate overseas trips using the exact same box, zero issue, not a scratch, and it was a breeze putting the bike back together....put on the front wheel, raise the seat post, flip up the handlebar, tighten the stem front plate bolt, pump up the tires - and off we go.

The ONLY issue I have with this approach is ...the Air Caddy box is HUGE and it takes up space in the car, make sure you pre-arrange the proper transportation when you get to your destination.

I have a B&W full size roadbike case on order that I think I'd rather use than the air caddy, since both will get tagged with the up charge, and both will require logistical challenges of stowing or transferring to final destination

Originally Posted by Exonerv

These are not inexpensive and appear less than ideal for larger bikes, but they appear to provide an alternative to coupled bikes.

http://orucase.com/products/the-airport-ninja

I can't see how this is less than 62". It seems too wide and and the length/width dimensions seem too close to 26". But it's a nice looking case that's for sure.
.

[jbay]

A few random comments and observations:

- It's much easier to pack a bike into Co-Motion's Co-Pilot case than into S&S's hard-shell case. There's enough give that I can fit 700x32s without deflating the tyres.

- A hub like a DT, which allows you to pop the freehub body off without tools, makes it much easier to fit everything in.

- As Coluber42 says, fenders are easy enough to fit in around the wheels. If you want to cheat, Crud RoadRacers are super easy to pack and will work with tyres up to 30mm wide.

- To the OP, Seven made me a rack that comes apart, to ease that part of the process. Previously, that was always the trickiest part of the puzzle.



-- John

[jbay]

Originally Posted by eddief

isn't it the end to end axle dimension that's the limiting factor with the wheels. The rims seem to be a skinny plane in my box. And are there not multiple positions you could use for the rear triangle so the immovable parts are not on top of one another? Just curious.

Agreed. I don't see the rim width making a difference (and I use wide ones myself). Tilting the wheels in the case or, better yet, using a hub which allows you to remove the freehub body easily, can make a big difference.

-- John

[donevwil]

Originally Posted by Nags&Ducs

I have a B&W full size roadbike case on order ...

Which B&W are you getting ? If the trapezoidal "Bike Box" I strongly recommend adhering lid closing instructions to the lid for TSA folks. Too many latches broken, hinges tweaked and boxes left open & taped shut on my trips. When closed properly it's an awesome case that is easy to haul (relatively) and fits a huge bike, it's just not the most intuitively obvious to open/close for some.