Lets talk travel bike cases

[Hawker]

OP, sent you a PM. Wasn't sure I could mention another bike forum here without getting my hand slapped?

[htwoopup]

Originally Posted by Kirk007

not sure this strikes the right balance for you, but super convenient, protective, and only requires a second mortgage: https://www.buxumbox.com/product/ventoux-box/

I use the smaller box, the Tourmalet. You take off the bars (I just take the bars/stem off and pad them/zip tie them to frame), the pedals, and pull the seatpost out. Pretty simple to do. And I use that portable Silca torque wrench to put them back on. That box (the H1 size) is actually smaller than the other ones mentioned by folks above. Although as a hard aluminium case is more of a problem in rental cars than the soft ones that you can roll up but definitely easier than the Alan and so on other hard cases.

I have never had damage from an airline. I did once have damage to the box and a Parlee when FedEx put a forklift through the side of the box but I figure that is probably a kinda odd occurrence. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself.

In fact, I went out and bought two more of their cases for when I fly with/ship bikes. Love them.



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[lavi]

I've traveled to Europe with the Trico. It's not small, but all worked out.

Was VERY lucky to find that our Merc rental hatchback was able to fit two bike boxes and both bikes. We just stood everything up vertical (front wheels off). We were insanely lucky.

No bike fees to fly back from Europe. Maybe it's different these days.

The Post cases look great to me. If I was in the market, I'd grab one of these. Seem to get great reviews.

[R3awak3n]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHXIY3LGZW0

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHXIY3LGZW0

oof.

pro-move: bikeflights ship the bike ahead of you to destination.

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHXIY3LGZW0

Hence why I've used a hard box for the past 20 years. No damage so far!

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

oof.

pro-move: bikeflights ship the bike ahead of you to destination.

too expensive if you ship international though

[herb5998]

As much as there are some poor experiences with anything, I've had two Scicon Aerocomforts over the last 10 years (1 old, one 3.0TSA version). I've never had damage to the bike, and the newer versions come with a lot of well thought out protection for the frame. It takes about 10 minutes to pack, and doesn't weigh too much

[htwoopup]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

too expensive if you ship international though

One thing I discovered is that on the Buxum Tourmalet box (H1 size if your bike will fit in that) is that if you are shipping BikeFlights or ShipBikes (UPS or FedEx) you can remove the caster wheels and supports/post from inside the box and then put the wheels back on when you get the box delivered to you. By doing that you can get the box to be 130 linear inches the way they measure (length plus two times (height plus width)). In that way you avoid the significant upcharge that kicks in over that size that happens with all of the other hard cases that I looked into.


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[hobbanero]

I've used a Scicon gen 2 bag and had enough bad experiences that I can't recommend a soft bag. Always has a brake lever knocked askew. RD was knocked into crash mode once. 2 separate dents in the downtube of my Ti bike (how did that happen?--maybe a side impact that pushed the hubs into it?) 1 cracked seatstay on a carbon bike.

Assume the luggage handlers are trying to kill your bike. Which, by the way, you are paying them to do with the extra fee. I wonder why people hate airlines.

[sparky33]

The Post Carry Case is difficult to pack but easy to travel. I have to disassemble my bike quite a bit to pack it, and the wheel sleeves are best for tires of ~35mm or less. That said, it’s super easy to roll through the airport or put in the trunk of a taxi. Feels sturdy for a soft sided bag. The bag itself folds down for storage too. I really like the Post Carry for traveling with a road bike with rim brakes.

Originally Posted by DWColiins

My one experience with flying to Europe (Norway) is that the airlines have different restrictions on bike cases than North America. Lighter weight and some will only accept hard sided cases.
My three go to cases are a Post Carry Transfer Case ( https://postcarry.co/ ), Thule RoundTrip Sport , and a Thule RoundTrip Transition

The Post Carry is great, but requires bike disassembly. The RoundTrip Transition is a beast of a case (40Lb) but offers great protection.

[rccardr]

My five year old EVOC bag has been used literally dozens of times with various bikes from my collection. Sometimes I ship ahead, sometimes it goes with me on the plane. Never had any damage occur. Takes 10-15 minutes to pack/unpack & set up. Slides under the hotel bed when not in use. Fits in every rental car I've tried. Has wheels and hooks up on my wheeled suitcase so we're kinda like a train going through airports and parking lots.

I'd buy another.

[nighthawk]

Did anyone buy the Post Carry Transfer case and has used it enough for long term feedback? I’m interested in durability on how well it has held up to airline luggage handling abuse.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by nighthawk

Did anyone buy the Post Carry Transfer case and has used it enough for long term feedback? I’m interested in durability on how well it has held up to airline luggage handling abuse.

Mines held up great.

[R3awak3n]

I shoulda have tried it again this summer but here we are.


I have however used it twice and its fantastic. I have said it, to me its easier to pack than an s&s bike because its larger. Some say about taking the fork out like its that big of a deal. Takes 5 minutes. Also I am on a disc bike and it was very simple. I did wrap all the tubes with pipe foam and took RD out which in my case is easy because of etap.

Mine is ready for when we can trave again