I had a rotor take a fair warping on a shorthaul flight using that same case. If it's not too much drama it'd not hurt to take them off. If not, pointing them inwards is probably the best option.

Big warning when using that bag. I bought it for my BMC TMR (size 56) and it didn’t fit properly (though it should and does according to Scicon’s measurement tool and their utterly useless customer “service”). The front ends of my fork chafed against the inside of the bag,
making a hole in the bag (inside-out) and wearing the paint off the fork.

Make sure the fork does not touch the front of the bag. If it does and your bike gets damaged it is apparently either your own fault or the airline’s. No matter what. On the return trip I added a lot of padding around the fork to protect it.

No problems with the wheels/disc rotors or brake units, however.

Yea I always just turn my rotors inwards and have zero issues with my biknd helium. I like to stick those little caliber stays into my my calibers, the ones that ship with new bikes, just to keep the pads from rubbing or being jostled around too much. Although I've never had any issue when I didn't use them. More just me being overly cautious.

You'll be fine if you back it well.

I used this exact bag with my C'dale EVO disc on a 10,000mi round trip with 6 total stops earlier this year. I flew AA and the bag/bike/tools comes nowhere near the 50lb weight limits imposed for additional fees. It did have to go onto the over-sized baggage area, however, I did not pay anything additional for this. The bag was inspected both times by the TSA. I have a regular skewer in the rear and a thru-axle up front. They could not figure out the front and the back was never put back properly after their inspections. I removed the discs as I did not want to risk a slightly bent rotor as the clearances are tight. I packed them in thick cardboard and rubber banded them up in book form. This went into the bag they supply with the case between the fork and the crank. I also put a small pedal wrench in there as I would never put pedals in the bag. I also had some pipe insulation laying around that I cut into strips for the seat stays, forks, etc. I also had tubeless tires with sealant and I aired them down to 15lbs pressure to retain the seal and sealant. I also brought with me a small Lezyne aluminum floor pump. I also removed the derailleur from the hanger at the rear and tucked it between the chain stays, wrapped in bubble wrap.

I also packed all the tools I use to dis-assemble the bike in small baggies that went in the supplied bag. I had a great experience with it. YMMV.

I have this bag and used it once last fall. I left the rotors on and they were fine.
I found It helpful to practice packing and unpacking the bag several times in the weeks leading up to the event. In my case the front fork wasn't the problem, but the rear derailleur cage was a tight fit -- finally I figured out only way to make it fit was put chain in the small ring in front, not big ring as they say. Putting spacers in the disc brakes as was mentioned is a good idea. You need to get some pipe insulation or something to use for extra padding. The handlebars are a vulnerability. I found one of the brake hoods rotated in when I arrived at my destination, had clearly taken a hit, fortunately easy to rotate back and no damage this time. Next time I'll tape a stick or something rigid across the handlebars for reinforcement. On the plus side it was very easy to wheel around and travel with this bag, and I absolutely loved not having any reassembling to do on arrival in the hotel room, and even more so loved not having to do any disassembling after being exhausted from completing my event.

While I don’t have that case, I have traveled with disc brake bikes many many times.
I ALWAYS take off the rotors. Every time. Without question. If you have center lock, it’s a 30 second job. 6-bolt? Maybe an additional 60 seconds. It is very much worth the minimal time to arrive with a bike that is functional.

Also, be sure to put some spacers in your brake calipers (assuming you have hydraulic brakes).
Then, I recommend re-threading the centerlock or 6-bolts into the hub during travel to avoid them getting lost when TSA inevitably takes apart your case. Lastly, I place my rotors between two sheets of cardboard and tape it together, like a sandwich, for a bit extra protection.

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Alex Arman

Strava