Looking for opinions on Scicon AeroComfort 2.0 (or other bike bags)

[fa63]

I am going to be in Paris for about 10 weeks this summer, and want to take my bike with me. I have been looking at different bike cases, and this one seems to stand out for its good user reviews and relative cost compared to some other options.

Anyone here use one? What are your thoughts; worth the money or no?

Thanks.

[skouri1]

I am not sure an S&S will be cheaper. But one thing I did not anticipate was having to get a van taxi to fit my Tri-co case. Meaning it was 50 E to get from the airport to my hotel in Paris. (instead of a 9E metro train ticket)
Add that on top of overweight/ overcharge fees (I paid $100) and you are looking at like 300+$ round trip.

Ultimately, I decided to get an S&S bike. For traveling about a country it is MUCH easier. Packing, however, sucks. though I am only two trips in, so I will need a few more before it pays for itself...

[fa63]

A S&S bike is out of the question, unfortunately. Where I am staying is right off the RER A line, and I am pretty sure I will be able to roll the bike bag right onto the train. But I don't mind even if I have to pay 50 Euros for a taxi since I will be staying for a while.

Delta is going to charge $150 each way for the bike bag. I guess for the price of the bike bag/luggage fees, I could buy a half decent bike when I get to France...

[gone]

OK, I freely admit I've got a conflict of interest here as I have a SciCon Aerocomfort 2.0 TSA that I'm selling once I get around to putting it in the classifieds.

Having said that, it's a great bag. Packs in literally 20 minutes or less, takes 15 or less to put the bike back together (not much disassembly is required so that's probably an overestimate) and does a great job of protecting the bike and wheels. I've used it on two international trips with three destinations (first trip was to/from Australia, second was to the UK then on to Copenhagen) and the bike arrived in perfect condition every time.

Assuming you don't go nuts loading the bag up with shoes/tools/clothes/etc it's pretty light for those times when you have to pick it up and it rolls smoothly at the airport.

OK, if it's so great, why am I selling? I've got an S&S SBti Hampsten and have decided that I'm going to use it exclusively for air travel both domestically and internationally so I don't need this bag anymore.

[Jcgill]

I have an oru case, it works great and is much cheaper than the scicon. It also skirts airline fees, but you need to disassemble you bike much more than you do with the scicon.
I personally could not see buying a case that costs 75-150 dollars each way to use depending on the airline fees. That is why i went with the oru.

[fa63]

Had never heard of the Orucase; just looked it up and it looks like it could be a nice option. I don't mind disassembling the bike at all, and would be nice not to pay any airline fees!

[LJohnny]

About 8 years ago I used a Pika to travel with a bike, it worked well. Well made case, quality materials. Not sure of any changes since then.

http://pikapackworks.com/

[simonov]

About 8 years ago I used a Pika to travel with a bike, it worked well. Well made case, quality materials. Not sure of any changes since then.

http://pikapackworks.com/

I use a Pika. I'm 50/50 for avoiding airline fees. The bag is very good otherwise. The only complaint is the lack of wheels when needing to lug it around an airport for more than 30 minutes.

[fa63]

What are the dimensions on the Pika? Is it under 62 linear inches, or is it possible to avoid fees because it doesn’t immediately look like a bike bag?

[R3awak3n]

Some companies are charging crazy money for any bag, I just flew to Portugal and they wanted $95 for any checked bag. Its absolutely ridiculous... So even if you have S&S it will still cost you $190 round trip. I think if you check in a bag is $100 each way... I bet more and more companies will go this way.

You could always do a cardboard box. I know its a pain to get to the airport and at destination but saves you money on the bag, you barely have to take the bike appart and plenty of space for the TSA ppl to just put the bike back in the bag

[rccardr]

I've used an EVOC bag for several years and MANY trips with a number of different bikes.

Yes, you either have to ship it ahead (cheaper) or pay the airline fee, but never had any damage and the bag itself is still in great shape. Wheels make it easy to pull around, it fits in the back seat of almost any car, and when empty I shove it under the bed in the hotel. If shipping by Bike Flights, they give you a 65 pound weight limit, so can pack all sorts of laundry, pump, equipment, etc. in there to avoid an extra bag.

Just saw an ad somewhere for new ones in red for $375, which is a great price.