I bought the Premier Tactical case a couple weeks ago. Have no need to use it for a couple of months but thought I’d provide some initial comments in case any fellow ST’rs are in the process of comparing new cases for next season. I bought the PT to replace my Scicon Aerotech which fell apart after about 13-14 trips. I actually bought the soft-side Scicon Aerocomfort a couple months back and had my P5 damaged after only one trip….decided I needed another hard case. Considered the BikeBoxAlan again but was put off by the shipping charge…..and I wasn’t going to pay the high price for another Aerotech (plus shipping) since it hasn’t appeared they have improved the glaring weaknesses with their “newer version”. So here’s my comparison:
Both cases are pretty much the same size and shape….both have adequate room for my 54cm P5. Scicon pluses….4 solid TSA locks around the case perimeter….very secure from beak-ins. Built in padding around the perimeter of the case…two provided pads for the wheels….and snapped in padding/upholstery built in on one side of the case…..well padded. Has a slot for shipping tag attachment and built in ID tag holder. Swivel wheels on all four corners for easy transport. Minuses: the case is not robust enough in critical areas…..the wheel housing areas are not thick enough…..three of my four wheels punched through the case leaving gaping holes with no way to repair. The wheel skewer attachment holes are also not thick enough…..both skewers punched through after about 3-4 trips. Only two straps to hold bike….both at top of case…..bike “hangs” when case closed.
PT pluses: the case plastic material is thicker in critical areasÂ….wheel housings are more robust with reinforcing insertsÂ….wheels are larger (two swivel-two fixed)Â…..design of case allows basebar to stay intactÂ….wheel skewer attachment holes are deeper to protect punch throughsÂ….three straps (two top-one bottom) to hold bike secureÂ…..ability to carry three wheels. Minuses (only one of which I consider to be a possible potential issue)Â…..the case closes with a full length zipper and has just one TSA lock which is only attached by the rather thin zipper pulls (easily cut if someone really wanted to break in)Â…..Dan advised he is working on this design. Case comes supplied with two full-length non attached foam pads (which should be fine) but no perimeter protection like the Scicon (Home Depot foam padding can cure this issue) and perimeter coverings for three wheels and two skewers. No slot to affix shipping label strap (must stick on case) and a normal ID luggage tag designed to attach to the previously mentioned lock.
Off course, one of the big differences is the cost differential between the two cases (and Scicon charges extra shipping costs….PT shipping is included in price). And Dan seemed to be very customer service oriented when I initially contacted him and asked questions about the case and shared my concerns with him about my Scicon experience……where Scicon “customer service” essentially blew me off when I inquired about the problems with my Aerotech. Although I can’t really take advantage of the “no need to remove basebar” feature because of my P5’s integrated basebar/extensions design, the extra space can be used for carrying other stuff.
Overall, IÂ’m satisfied with the design and apparent quality at this pointÂ…..and will update review once I actually use it at the start of next season. It will take a couple of years to do another 13-14 trips but initial impression is this case made improvements in the critical areas where I had problems with the Scicon and should serve my purposes.
Both cases are pretty much the same size and shape….both have adequate room for my 54cm P5. Scicon pluses….4 solid TSA locks around the case perimeter….very secure from beak-ins. Built in padding around the perimeter of the case…two provided pads for the wheels….and snapped in padding/upholstery built in on one side of the case…..well padded. Has a slot for shipping tag attachment and built in ID tag holder. Swivel wheels on all four corners for easy transport. Minuses: the case is not robust enough in critical areas…..the wheel housing areas are not thick enough…..three of my four wheels punched through the case leaving gaping holes with no way to repair. The wheel skewer attachment holes are also not thick enough…..both skewers punched through after about 3-4 trips. Only two straps to hold bike….both at top of case…..bike “hangs” when case closed.
PT pluses: the case plastic material is thicker in critical areasÂ….wheel housings are more robust with reinforcing insertsÂ….wheels are larger (two swivel-two fixed)Â…..design of case allows basebar to stay intactÂ….wheel skewer attachment holes are deeper to protect punch throughsÂ….three straps (two top-one bottom) to hold bike secureÂ…..ability to carry three wheels. Minuses (only one of which I consider to be a possible potential issue)Â…..the case closes with a full length zipper and has just one TSA lock which is only attached by the rather thin zipper pulls (easily cut if someone really wanted to break in)Â…..Dan advised he is working on this design. Case comes supplied with two full-length non attached foam pads (which should be fine) but no perimeter protection like the Scicon (Home Depot foam padding can cure this issue) and perimeter coverings for three wheels and two skewers. No slot to affix shipping label strap (must stick on case) and a normal ID luggage tag designed to attach to the previously mentioned lock.
Off course, one of the big differences is the cost differential between the two cases (and Scicon charges extra shipping costs….PT shipping is included in price). And Dan seemed to be very customer service oriented when I initially contacted him and asked questions about the case and shared my concerns with him about my Scicon experience……where Scicon “customer service” essentially blew me off when I inquired about the problems with my Aerotech. Although I can’t really take advantage of the “no need to remove basebar” feature because of my P5’s integrated basebar/extensions design, the extra space can be used for carrying other stuff.
Overall, IÂ’m satisfied with the design and apparent quality at this pointÂ…..and will update review once I actually use it at the start of next season. It will take a couple of years to do another 13-14 trips but initial impression is this case made improvements in the critical areas where I had problems with the Scicon and should serve my purposes.