didn't BC and Tai make a case?

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
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CF could be used instead of Kevlar, without any production changes. CF is triple the price of Kevlar, looks expensive, isn't much lighter, and isn't as tough as Kevlar. I wanted something cheap, tough, and plain looking, but knock yourself out if you want CF. It would look cool.

Rollerblade wheels incorporated half in and half out like on most luggage. The case was reinforced for wheels when I first made it.

I'll see you at IMCAN. That reminds me, I have to find accommodations.[/reply]

Hopefully, I'll see YOU and that bike case in IMCanada as well...

The plans, at least, are something you could sell in the Classifieds (hint, hint) ;-)

The sig line comes from a bumper sticker AND after watching a friend with too many dogs. At dinner time, they all wagged, but no barking...I was amazed.

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Plans? No plans. You saw it all here. Step 1: break your bike down as small as you can. Step 2: measure. Step 3: make and seal plug. Step 4: Layup inside layer, mat layer wheel and strap reinforcements, straps then Kevlar layer. Step 5: Trim, leaving bolt tabs. Step 6: Add hinge. Step 7: cut and glue foam inside. Step 8: profits. Questions? Ask.

I love it! Especially what you said about Hello Kitty stickers, I was thinking the exact same thing for my next custom bike box.

I made my own back in June since I knew I would be traveling a ton overseas, and there was no way my big bulky plastic hardcase + bike inside would be under 20kg (44lbs). So cardboard + pink & purple duct tape + straps =





I love this whole thread actually because flying with a bike box has been the bane of my existence for the last few months of my life--I will probably go to hell for all the very elaborate lying I've done to the check-in agents about the contents inside (it's NOT a bike) and no one has made me open up the box. The TSA people are indeed separate entities and I don't dare lie to them, usually they are far enough from the check-in people and if they want to know what's inside, I'll tell them, but hardly anyone asks.

The cardboard and duct tape have fallen apart after transversing the globe (the box has gone on at least 10 RT flights and only charged once on those mother-effers Delta for $150). The last hurrah was also IM Cozumel but now it's time to make a new one! I've been constantly brainstorming how to make a better bike box for next year. Agree with the depth dimensions--I'll probably go to 10" on my next one, this one was 7.5" I think, and after the wheels finally fell off somewhere between Asia and Europe, the box had trouble standing up by itself.

I went with a standard cardboard box for my P2C (54cm) but am going to make a custom one out of corrugated plastic and perhaps Hello Kitty stickers ;) I'm thinking 40" x 27" x 10", you are right in that the max factor for height is the wheel size. I also thought of not rounded corners but angled corners for the top at least, since I'll be using corrugated plastic. anything to make it not look like a bike box!

anyway nice work and it's great to hear you echo some of the ideas that I've been hashing out for my next project.

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:: I came, I saw, I conquered. then I ran out of money, crashed into a car during an Ironman, and now work a bad-ass job making prosthetic legs for wounded warriors. ::

the blog: My So-Called Civilian Life :: theWongstar.com :: follow me @theWongstar

The fun of travelling with your bike!
I have had success with printing out 8.5 x 11 sheets with "COMMERCIAL DISPLAY" written on them. They don't
seem to charge for these.
I have also thrown in a couple of golf clubs as Westjet airlines expressly don't charge for golf clubs, which also irked me.
In Canada it is only the airlines that care what is in your bag, if it is a bicycle, they want to charge you for it. Once you are
clear of the airline check in, the guys at the oversize baggage don't care if you have a bike or not and they won't charge you
and don't seem to work for the airlines. They will almost always ask you if you have CO2 cartridges though. If your case is so
big it doesn't fit through the scanner then they rarely will see the co2 on a manual inspection. I have also discovered it is actually legal to
bring one co2 cartridge along as long as you say it is for a personal flotation device.

That's pretty freakin' bad ass, bro. How tall are you? It definitely looks WAY too small for a bike to be packed in there, and actually looks smaller than many "normal" suitcases. I dig it.

I have a Trico clamshell as well as an akona. The trico is a bitch and is starting to fall apart. The akona is a beauty (and larger than yours), but still makes me nervous. That case rocks.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Case version 2.0, a Hello Kitty themed case housing a small P3C with 650c H3 wheels.

The form was made of particle board (plastic inside as a release boundry) then fiberglass layers were laminated inside the form, instead of outside the form as had been done on the black case. This controlled outside dimensions which are
29.5 x 25.5 x 7 = 62 linear inches = compliant with airline requirements.

WHOAAAAA!!!! I wants one!!! there is no way I could get my P2C within 62 linear inches. huge props!!!

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...........................................................................
:: I came, I saw, I conquered. then I ran out of money, crashed into a car during an Ironman, and now work a bad-ass job making prosthetic legs for wounded warriors. ::

the blog: My So-Called Civilian Life :: theWongstar.com :: follow me @theWongstar

The 62" threshold seems more of a guideline than a rule. The black case never incurs oversize baggage charges.
TSA searches the black case more often than the Kitty case though. Case profiling? :D

That Hello Kitty theme is a sure way to throw off the TSA fellas. Nice job..!!

Are there any plans in the future to build a two-box design.
Box 1 = wheels. Squared off design.
Box 2 = frame. Maybe a little rectangular.

This will definitely get the 700c bikes into a box without raising suspicion at the ticketing counter. I think Tai built one using corrugated boards, but i'm not sure how many uses he get out of his box. Your build seems to be designed to handle the baggage gorrillas.

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Paul..

so the entire 51cm P3 AND 650c wheels are in the Hello Kitty box? WOW! I loved watching your progress on these boxes!! impressive...

TSA not strip searching the Kitty wasn't a goal, just the unfolding trend. The Kitty face is an international way of indicating "this side up" for times TSA does open the case. Case contents shouldn't matter, but the Kitty case doesn't read as a bicycle. Hopefully, the high visibility keeps the Kitty case from walking off.

A two-box design would cost more each trip, would be less space/weight efficient, and would be unwieldy. Besides, a second piece of luggage us usually reserved for scuba gear, para-glider, or "toys".

The black holds a large Softride with 700c wheels.

A case is in progress that can hold a large triangle frame with 700c H3 wheels. It's a rounded-corner parallelogram, that while technically larger than the Kitty case, looks smaller and is very difficult to measure in the real world.

Great job with both cases!
Did you have to remove the fork of the P3C from the frame to fit in the case?
Do you have any pictures of the bike in the case?

Yes, the entire Cervelo 48cm P3c, 650c H3 wheels, fork, crank, aerobars...the whole bike, shoes, gear, tools, pump...everything needed for a race except helmet is in the Kitty box. Fork and crank are removed from the frame.

There are a few cases being built by STers. Hopefully, they'll post about progress, lessons learned, tips and improvements.

Here's the design of the parallelogram case that could contain a large bike with 700c H3 wheels, and how the design scales compared to the other cases.

  Here's another home built bike case that we were inspired to make based on Damons' work:

In talking to Damon, we decided to use a modified parallelogram to minimize the size. The plug is a foam (pink insulating foam from Home Depot) that was covered with one fiberglass layer. A final layer of foam safe resin was applied to give a smooth finish. after a mold release was applied, we applied a 6oz cloth layer with a .25" scrim cut foam middle and a 6 oz eglass cloth layer on the outside. We put a plastic bag over the wet assembly and pulled a vacuum to get the foam to lay down nicely against the plug. We covered both sides of the plug and overlapped the glass layers along the sides for extra strength. To remove the cured parts, we cut the parts on a table saw and used a air disk cutter to finish the cut down to the plug. It took a lot of hammering and compressed air to get the parts off of the plug as we did not do a very good job of making sure there was any draft to the plug. Here's the plug (black) with the top cover removed.



Here it is with the bike installed. As you will see, we remove the fork, rear derailleur, seat assembly, and cranks. We made the plug a little oversize on the depth to allow a custom trim to the height we would determine by actually putting the parts into the case. The edges were pretty beat up from removing it from the plug as you can see in this next picture.
That edge was removed when we cut down to the correct depth. This one is about 8.5 inches deep. Width and height are about 33" and 26.5" for a total of 68". That is slightly over the maximum for the airlines, but would likely be difficult to measure and argue about with the rounded corners and edges.

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With the disc installed:

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A perspective to show how small the case really is. One thing we struggled with a bit is the finish of the exterior. Damon and others have used the Hello Kitty graphics and those really look good to me. If I were a little more artistic, I may have tried something like that. We started out with a truck bed liner coating as that is very hard and tough. After reviewing that, we decided to try making the case look different than other bike cases and maybe similar to a normal suitcase by covering it with a layer of fabric. This is actually a shower curtain fabric that we glued on with a spray adhesive. This was very easy to do even for someone that had never done anything like it before (me).
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I'll post pics of the finished case when it is complete. We are making two cases to go to Cozumel. The second case is going much more easily and looks better than this first one. This is the first time we have worked on a fiberglass project of any kind. There were definitely times when we thought the part would not not turn out as the foam kept popping up while we were applying the glass and resin. However, once we pulled the vacuum, we were able to smooth it out and any problems are easily fixed with a little reapplication of glass and resin. Quite a forgiving process once you are familiar with the materials involved. It is actually pretty fun to work on these cases as our comfort level has increased.

Big thanks to Damon for all of his help in getting us going on this project and providing help along the way. It is nice to make those kind of connections on ST.

I know my seat is too high....
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Packing the frame between the wheels keeps the box length short so you can travel with a disc or wheels with traditional spokes. Good solution.

Dark fabric, without lines might appear smaller.

Your bike box could house a triangle frame. Sweet!

Craft foam or thin polyethylene foam can be wrapped around bike parts to protect them. Foam is thin, light, and can be taped or glued with contact cement.

Are you going to put a lip inside to align the lid?

Can you post a few instructions for how you made the pink kitty case please?

Have shown the picture to my dad and it is going to be his first post retirement project.

Can't wait to get me one of those!!!!!

Except for the graphics, most steps appear in the thread already. The graphics are up to you. Many fabrics can be used. Pigments can be mixed with epoxy or polyester. Some experimentation is required to get neon colors, and glow-in-the-dark outline.


Break your bike down to a configuration you're willing to travel with. Don't just visualize it. Note the critical packing order. Make a pattern.

Parallelogram layout is efficient for a triangle frame with regular or disc wheels.

If you work inside the form, a rectangular shape is easier to make. If you work outside the form, any shape can be easily sculpted from pink or blue insulation foam.

If you work inside the form, graphics are painted in first. If you work outside the form, graphics are the last layer.

Polyethylene plastic is an inexpensive release agent. Thick sheets can be glued or taped to the mold. Thin rolls can be cut then glued. Some adhesives dissolve foam. Electrical or clear tape can be used if needed.

Epoxy or Polyester resin work. Epoxy is more expensive, but less toxic and less odorous.

Building on a full plug, instead of making each half separately keeps the two halves perfectly aligned.

The closure system is up to you. Straps, latches, Velcro and tape all work.

Putting a lip inside helps with strength and alignment.

The handle and wheel system is up to you. Wheels that stay attached are vulnerable during travel. No wheels, or external, removable wheels seem the best bet.

In reviewing this thread (still the best bike case EVER, imo) I have but one suggestion: The "hello kitty face" is the international "this side up" indicator. Therefore you ought to have a "hello kitty butt" to indicate "this side down" on the other side of the case. :)

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?

Like, Wow! What a complement? You not only like Hello Kitty as a Chester, but you want Kitty back attack.

I hate reviving dead threads, but I cannot PM yet.

Why did you decide on fiberglass instead of plywood? Is there any specific reason why wood (perhaps 3/8" pine plywood) could not be used instead? It would be easy enough to cut and screw together, then add a few dowels for crush support. It would definitely be heavier, but much easier to make and quite a bit less than $150.