Did a search because this had to have been covered…but nothing came up.
Opinions on the best bike travel case? Thinking of purchasing one. Leaning towards a hard case…I would rather pay the fees than have my bike damaged. Any recommendations on what has worked well for you?
To each his own but I’ve loved my Ruster Armored Hen House.
I bought a cheapo one and used a crap ton of bubble wrap and foam. It worked fine but was a ton of work getting all packed up secure enough that I felt bike wouldn’t get damaged.
After a ton of research I’m 99% sure I’ll replace it with a Pika Packworks case.
Biknd Helium.
Very happy with my hard case from a company called Bike Box Alan https://bikeboxalan.com/
UK company and they’re fairly expensive here so not sure how competitive they are pricewise overseas but the quality is great. No concerns at all about my bike travelling in that box, so worth every penny to me for the peace of mind.
I like my Scicon Aerotech Evolution hard case.
I use a Scicon aerocomfort triathlon 2.0. I like it a lot, I have a Cervelo P5 with di2 so taking the aerobars off is a real pain in the a**. The great thing about this bag is that I do not have to take the bars off.
I like my Scicon Aerotech Evolution hard case.
+1. After having my frame cracked with the Scicon soft case and getting zero compensation from the airline, I moved to the hard case. A bit more work to pack, but not terrible.
I bought a cheapo one and used a crap ton of bubble wrap and foam. It worked fine but was a ton of work getting all packed up secure enough that I felt bike wouldn’t get damaged.
After a ton of research I’m 99% sure I’ll replace it with a Pika Packworks case.
I’ve had my Pika Packworks for 9 years now…used heavily both internationally and domestic … paid for itself many times over and zero damage. But at 60 yrs old now, I have to admit I am getting tired of lugging it. Fully packed, my bag usually checks in between 32-35 lbs, but it is awkward to carry even with the strap. I would love to have something just like it, but with two wheels in the back end where I could lift one side and roll it.
I’d be happy with 9 years!!
Any idea how often you were able to check as regular luggage and avoid fees?
My obsession to find the perfect bike box lead me to the Biknd Helium. My priorities are (1) protection and (2) convenience. I think the Biknd offers the perfect balance of both. I’ve found the bag well engineered with quality materials and Biknd’s customer service outstanding.
Some Disassembly required, but nothing you can’t handle with some basic skills that you need as a cyclist anyway.
I’d also recommend Albo Pads if you are packing a carbon frame.
Scott
I’d be happy with 9 years!!
Any idea how often you were able to check as regular luggage and avoid fees?
It really depends on the airline…sort of like this:
does the pika come in under the 62 linear inches or whatever the airlines use to determine if it is oversized? Also is it soft sided? Their site isn’t too informative and I’m in the market for a travel case myself. TIA
A few of my buddies have the Thule RoundTrip PRO XT. I would definitely invest in this if I traveled more often. Not cheap though.
does the pika come in under the 62 linear inches or whatever the airlines use to determine if it is oversized? Also is it soft sided? Their site isn’t too informative and I’m in the market for a travel case myself. TIA
I believe it is over 62 linear inches but it has never been measured at the airport or ever declared oversize (i.e., in 9 years I’ve never paid an oversize fee).
It is soft sided, but well padded. To protect the bike, I do the following:
Perhaps overkill, but again, zero damage in 9 years of travel. The hard case will protect your bike from an external impact unless it falls off the luggage cart and is run over by a tug (that happened and is somewhere in ST’s archives). It also will not protect your bike from the largest source of damage…when TSA opens it, stuff moves and then forcefully closes it with parts pressing against each other. TSA leaves a slip in my bike bag everytime and everything is always in place…perhaps all the bubble wrap is a deterrent.
I’d be happy with 9 years!!
Any idea how often you were able to check as regular luggage and avoid fees?
It really depends on the airline…sort of like this:
Very helpful. Still comes out cheaper than Tri Bike Transport it seems.
Biknd Helium.
Agreed!!!
I like my Scicon Aerotech Evolution hard case.
+1. After having my frame cracked with the Scicon soft case and getting zero compensation from the airline, I moved to the hard case. A bit more work to pack, but not terrible.
I’ve had my Aerotech Evolution about 4 years now…probably shipped about 15x. This case, while well designed for protection, has a couple major design flaws. First, the plastic around the holes where the skewers go thru the case and attach to the wheels is too thin and will eventually punch right thru the case…you need to glue/attach washers in this area for reinforcement. Second, the plastic area around where the wheels are attached is also too thin. My case is totally unusable now as the plastic around three of the four wheel housings has completely split and the wheels punched thru the case. And Scicon customer service is worthless…when contacted, they accused me of abusing the case and offered no help. If you Google this issue enough, you’ll find numerous cases of this problem…cannot recommend unless you are ok with a short lived life span for this product.
And to the OP regarding airline shipping, I’ve only used airlines once…to London in 2013. If shipping within the States, I always ship by FedX thru Bikeflights or Shipbikes…ship right from home to the hotel and for a lot less $.
I still like TBT and probably use them about 1 time for every 2 times I use my own case. It’s hard to beat their convenience. There are also a number of regional bike transport services that are more price competitive and have better individual service (e.g., Premier Bike Transport if you live in Florida).
Love my Ruster Hen House. Hands down.