its not the TSA you have to worry about its the baggage handlers.

I have a Scicon aero that I'll be using for the first time this week. I also bout Albo pads to wrap around everything. I think you'd be ok as long as they are wrapped up...it would take the right amount of force as well as angle to do any damage.

IMO, this is not the case.

TSA *will* open the bag. IME, depending on who you get, there is a solid chance the bag will not be re-packed properly. the more that is stuffed into the bag OR the more the big is disassembled, the greater the likelihood of the bike being left in a vulnerable position within the bag.

all of these bags are designed to take normal hits and protect the bike...IF the bag is properly packed.

that's why i ship my bike whenever i have the option. the bike will likely get some rough handling along the way either way BUT UPS/FedEx/etc do not care about the contents and will not open it.

fwiw, i use a pika pack (shipped my bike MANY times and have flown with it) and have the scicon aero bag, too. i've only shipped that. it is REALLY easy to pack and build BUT the front-end is very exposed should anything go wrong. (mine took a pretty big hit on the extensions and seatpost.)

its funny, as I have been traveling with a Felt DA in a Pika Packworks soft case last 3 years and the TSA guys at LAX will always let me watch them inspect and zip up the case. I've never had a TSA agent open, remove or really fiddle with my bike, and again they were always cool with me being there (next to the scanner area) and if need be re-pack the case.

unfortunately you just can't rely on always being allowed to watch much less touch the bike during/after the process.

rule is they have to be able to see the seams to inspect them from the inside. how they apply that rule is up to each TSA agent.

i wouldn't *rely* on what you experienced being always the case.

again, my reference has been flying out of LAX, which has almost always been hassle-free with SW, which is what I fly predominantly. The TSA guys and gals let me watch, and even invited me to watch until they place the bag on the carousel. .

hope i'm not going out on too much of a limb, but presumably you return from airports other than LAX. :)

on a flight back from europe i did not have a chance to touch my bag as we went through ORD--and i know it was opened by TSA there.

LAX to Milwaukee mostly and, yep never an issue. Europe I can imagine a host of issues. What is odd, the least hassle with security, boarding, anything, has been LAX. Perhaps because they go through so many passengers, but it seems the smaller the airport the more investigative muscle they want to flex.

Although, I do fly back to LA with many a meat and cheese which security always finds interesting.

Probably different depending on airport and time of flight. I just took sw from San Diego to Seattle and requested to be present for tsa to search my bag. Unfortunately, sw said it wasn't possible due to it was 6:30am.

A little bump and refocus - so Scicon is the only one making a case that doesn't require removing the aero bars?

I watched my bike travel in a Scicon last weekend and it was definitely the TSA, not the baggage handlers, who did the most damage. When I opened the bag after arriving home, the bag had been unlocked (but not relocked), partly open, pulled off the back skewer and pushed aside, and all the clips except one unclipped and left down. Thank goodness I bubble-wrapped the bike to within an inch of its carbon life.

I didn't know you could be present when the TSA searches the bag. How do you do that? Do you request it when you check in at the airport?

I have a SciCon bag and I actually have to remove the aero bars on my bike or I can't close the zippers. I used to just loosen them up and bend them down and that would work fine but the gearing cables where getting all stretched out and I got paranoid so now I remove them and zip tie them to the frame. Not a big issue since it takes me 5 minutes to take them off or put them back on.

Some things I make sure to do:
1. Cover the bike with foam/insulating material from the hardware store.
2. Pull all the straps really tight to make sure the bike is firmly in place all the time and tighten the skewers really tight so the bike is securely fixed to the bag frame.
3. The bag has a metal protector in the rear skewer for the derauler but I also make sure to tape it to the chain stay for extra protection. Some people remove it.
4. Remove CO2 canisters. Twice I've forgotten and the TSA held up my bike for 2 days because of it.
5. After everything is in place, I store a bag of stuff (helmet, nutrition, etc.) under the frame, behind the front fork where it is surrounded by the bike and straps. I also zip tie my bike pump to the bag frame.

The bike WILL be opened by TSA. Some airports will allow you to watch while they inspect, others won't. I don't think that is a big concern. I worry more about luggage handlers who throw the bag around like it was nothing and don't care what's inside of it. Almost every flight my bag wheels get fucked up and I've had to deal with it. Once I replaced them (cheap on amazon or hardware store) but this last flight I was able to align them back myself at home and fix the issue. Not once has my bike or race wheels suffered, not even a scratch, so its worked (traveled 4 times with it. Twice to Puerto Rico, once to Mt. Tremblant and this past weekend to Boulder).

Good bag.