https://www.premierbike.com/products/bike-travel-case


The best there is.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

as a former premier bike case owner, why do you think its the best there is? and im not saying that from a jaded perspective, i sold my case with the bike that it came with in order to pass the love on to a "
used" owner.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

My armored henhouse was great when I wanted to travel with my 2013 Speed Concept or a standard road bike (i.e., CAAD10). I would break it down and reassemble whenever I got to where I needed to be. I only got dinged for a bike fee once in at least 20 trips with it.

I purchased a *almost* brand new Speed Concept and purchased the Scicon TSA Evo case as I didn't feel comfortable putting a $7k bike in a soft case. I traveled with it twice. I took my four hours to put the basebar back on. The brake cable flopped out of the basebar and was an absolute nightmare to reassemble. I promised myself that I would find a case that doesn't require removal of the base bar.

I know there is another Scicon case specifically for triathlon bikes, but it's soft shell. The premier bike, to me, offers the least amount of disassembly (i.e., take the wheels off) with the most amount of protection.

Plus, there isn't a case I've seen that I can travel with my normal wheelset plus a disc wheel for race day.

Huge caveat* - I haven't traveled with it yet, but we'll see come May 13th. (Hopefully).

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Evoc Road Bike Bag Pro

Hybrid soft/hard case that can work with dimensional and weight limits. Allows you to keep cockpit and RD intact.

Also buy the Bopworx RD protector

i've owned this one as well as the Hen House

https://www.ebay.com/...icycle-/333807916734


Someone gave me the below. The below is the best one of them all. You don't have to disassemble your bike that much. You can put a lot of stuff inside with your bike. It is very easy to push and maneuver around airports. I have made a few trips overseas with it and love it. The only draw back is it takes up space in the car, so if you are renting a car, rent a bigger one.

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My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

fyi, your link does not match the linked case at all.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

not the original poster, but we found it satisfied the important needs we had:
- hard shell
- big enough to minimize disassembly
- light enough to stay under airline weight requirements in most cases
- sturdy

All the other hard shell options were too heavy or too small. Soft shell options were a non-starter since airlines wouldn’t own any responsibility for damage when using a soft case.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

Another vote for Premier.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Maybe I should have been more clear. The link as well as the Hen House, I own. The one in the picture, I didn't provide a link, but is the best one of the bunch for me :)

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My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...s%20slowman#p7216021

Check this case out that Dan and I got a great deal on, checks all the boxes and about as light as you can get and still be a hard case. We've sold several dozen already and a few a week now, not one complaint thus far..And you will get most your money back on the first free flight too!!

If you need to take 3 wheels, one of them being a disc, just take the disc as carry on - safest place for it. Fits snugly in all overhead lockers. I made many international and domestic flights with my Zipp Super 9 this way. Never a problem.

I can only speak from experience. I have a Thule Round Trip Transition bike case which l purchased 6 years ago, it was not cheap but neither was the price crazy. I am based in the UK but compete in the USA and Europe. The Thule case regularly goes trans Atlantic and so far, no problems or breakages !

It has a fixed rack in the bottom of the case which you attach the bike to. I have carried 2 x sets of wheels in there, spares, tools etc. I pad the insides with cheap outdoor garden seat cushions, they get lobbed in and out quickly on inspection.

Its a slightly bigger case to wheel around and can be heavy - depending on how much stuff you have in it !

In the time that l have had the case, l have watched friends change their bike boxes from one make to another and still not come close to the Thule box - it just takes the travelling in its stride.

We had one like the 4 wheeled "hard" case pictured, from TriSports I think. It is flimsy. It is heavy. It is hard to stow. It doesn't fit well in cars. It can't fit on some regional planes. Its biggest problem is that baggage handlers think it is much stronger than it really is. It needs an internal cross bar or two to handle significant side loads. We had a bike almost destroyed the last time we used it. It survived, but we took it as a warning. Now we use an Evoc.

I've had no issues using a TriAll3 case on multiple trips. More recent versions have an internal cross bar.

It is absolutely the easiest case to pack because there is minimal disassembly (see link/instructions, pics).
https://triall3sports.com/...stomRoad-Packing.pdf

It is very easy to store additional stuff into the case - toolkit, helmet, pump, clothing, etc. etc. But the more you put into the case, you may exceed weight limits and incur overweight fees. It think it's 35lbs empty. It is physically larger than other so fitting into a tiny rental car may be an issue (as mentioned). But it is very easy to wheel through airports or train terminals - simply tow it behind you with the leash or push it in front of you like a shopping cart. Convenient flat top allows you to put your smaller carryon's on top while moving it. With the bike unpacked, the top half of the case fits into the bottom half so easy storage in a hotel room as well as an open catch-all.

While I haven't used this case, I've seen it in action. The rack doubles as a repair stand... which is very nice for repairs or adjustments when re-assembling the bike.

To the OP, if you're a member of a bike club they may have various cases available to borrow/use - where you can "sign-it out", or borrow from someone that owns one. Also, your local bike shop may have cases you can rent. Either a cost-effective option if you don't want to buy your own.

I travel a lot with my bike. I have two different hard cases. Both are good. I'm sure you'll have tons of options from other posters, I would just advise if you plan to fly make sure you can get everything in the case for under 50 pounds. I have the Delta credit card to my first checked bag is free. A bike on Delta is considered a checked bag if it's under 50 pounds. As long as my case with the bike is under 50 pounds it flies everywhere I do for free. If it was over, it would cost me $40 each way. Good luck.

Fitting in rental cars can be a big issue, especially if you travel with more than 1 person or to some international destinations where larger cars are uncommon.

Unless you want to pay over weight fees, you need to keep the packed case under 50 lbs. So subtract the weight of your bike and anything else you want to put in the case to find the max weight of an acceptable empty case. You can pretty much write off almost all hard cases by that standard.

I traveled extensively for years with a Pika Packworks softside and never had any problems because I used fork locks, removed the DR, inserted plexiglass sheets into the sides and lots of bubble wrap. It typically weighed in between 32-35 lbs packed but was awkward to carry especially for anything more than a few hundred yards. I sold it a few years ago because I was getting too old to lug it around. I bought a Thule Roundtrip Pro XT which is a hybrid (hard bottom with wheels on one end) and it has been a delight since I can easily roll it through the airport. This one weighs in at 42-45 lbs packed.

I've never bought the argument that a hard case is essential especially after seeing one that slid off the baggage cart and was run over by a tug on the tarmac - crushing the case and the bike inside. But really, TSA is the greatest danger to your bike. If you have a hard case and your stuff moves around when the bag is opened for inspection, TSA can damage items inside when they force your case closed. From cyclingtips.com:

"Those hard sides may be good for protection, but it’s important to keep in mind that they’re also kind of slippery. According to one baggage handler, hard-sided cases can slide off of baggage conveyor belts and get damaged, whereas soft cases are more likely to stay put. The more strictly defined interior dimensions of hard cases make them trickier to pack, too – and not just by you, but also by airport security and customs agents who probably won’t take as much time to put everything back just so. Despite the ample protection afforded by hard cases, the downsides are often too numerous for riders to justify."

Unless you want to pay over weight fees, you need to keep the packed case under 50 lbs. So subtract the weight of your bike and anything else you want to put in the case to find the max weight of an acceptable empty case. You can pretty much write off almost all hard cases by that standard. //

I was going to mention this when I saw someone post a 35lb case, no way to get that on free under the sub 50lb limit now. The hard case I posted in my answer is about 26 lbs, so virtually every bike these days would make it under the limit. And since most bikes are around 17 to 20 lbs, room for helmets, shoes, maybe a wetsuit and pump too if you are riding a lighter one. And it fits great in the back of tiny cars too, slim like a suit case.


Anyway an option for those in the market, and about 40% off normal prices...

Rather than answer the question with brand X, here's what I think makes the best cases:

hard case. padded.

is easy to close so TSA close it correctly after inspection

minimal disassembly. you don't want stripped bolts or bent RD hanger etc, in a hotel room the day before a race.

Whatever fits those criteria. Buy that.

This. With most airlines in the USA now offering bikes without an additional fee; they no longer cover any damages to bikes not in a hard case thus any hybrid or soft case better he packed extremely well because they aren’t liable.

They aren’t cheap but without a doubt the best is a BikeBoxAlan Triathlon Easyfit. With a bike it will fit under 50lbs and depending on your size, virtually no disassembly and no touching your aerobars/derailleur. Worth the investment.

This is what I have been using for the last few years - https://www.biknd.com/...ium-v4-travel-case-4

It's a cross between a hard-shell and softshell.

It's light enough that you can pack a decent amount of stuff in the case and keep it under 50lbs. Rolls well and is super maneuverable around the airport. Because it's semi-soft, you can fit it into cars and trunks and places that a full on rigid case may not go. Ounce the bike is out it takes up less space in your hotel room. Has enough room to bring a full second set of wheels, if that's a feature that is helpful.

The only downside is that if TSA or other Security do open it up and are a bit careless, packing it back up, the protection the case offers may be compromised.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I use an evoc pro for traveling with a MTB and it's been great. No bike damage so far. Easy packing and unpacking. TSA looks inside each and every time. If I were set on a hard case, https://www.buxumbox.com/ looks to me like the best one out there.

I also have an airport ninja sub62 that I use with a travel bike with S&S couplers. It seems sufficiently protective, and despite the additional disassembly required, putting the bike back together only takes 30-40 minutes. The smaller size is nice when lugging it through an airport or hotel. That's a regular road bike though, not those weird aero bar bikes y'all love.

I second the BIKND bag. I had the original I purchased it must be 10 years ago and was still functional but was tired and upgraded to the V4 a couple of years ago. It's small enough I can place it across the back seat of a car so is rather helpful getting to the airport and packs up small at home for storage.

And it takes two sets of wheels...