We’re looking to pick up a few cases for rentals and I was wondering what the Slowtwitch-brain thinks about modern bike cases. Here are a few requirements:
Needs to be a hard shell so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.Needs to be lightweight - under 50 lbs with the bike packed.Big enough to pack a modern triathlon bike. Some disassembly of the bike is fine (wheels, bars, seatpost, pedals, etc.).Durable enough to handle very frequent use.
What are you using and why?
Needs to be a hard shell so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
Hard shell case doesn’t matter for shit.
Get a soft shell. I recommend the EVOC bag.
We’re looking to pick up a few cases for rentals and I was wondering what the Slowtwitch-brain thinks about modern bike cases. Here are a few requirements:
Needs to be lightweight - under 50 lbs with the bike packed.
What are you using and why?
I have a hand-me down Thule Round Trip hard shell from another professional athlete and it has been rock solid. It is super basic and I load it up with good amount of extra gear to get to that 70 lb weight limit. To me weight is less important than size so I have no idea if I can get it under 50 lbs or not. Only if you can meet the size restrictions does it really matter in my case and this thing doesn’t meet the size requirements to not be oversize.
We have a Trico Iron Case that has been used extensively without issue - after many, many years of use the only damage to it is 1 side, of 1 of the 7 clamps broke. Even shipping my steel bike it comes in under Bike Flights standard 55lb allotment. It packs a tri bike just fine, but road handlebars are a bit tricky. The hard shell construction is certainly why nothing has ever broken, but it also gives shippers an apparent right to throw, drop, and slam it around. I wouldn’t buy another one retail, maybe used, as I’d rather invest in a case with a spine that the bike, sans wheels, mounts to with wheel storage along the side or separate and handlebars inside the triangle/along the top tube.
It may suit your needs, though, as any issue is likely going to be tied to lackluster packing not shipping.
We’re looking to pick up a few cases for rentals and I was wondering what the Slowtwitch-brain thinks about modern bike cases. Here are a few requirements:
Needs to be a hard shell **so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.**Needs to be lightweight - under 50 lbs with the bike packed.Big enough to pack a modern triathlon bike. Some disassembly of the bike is fine (wheels, bars, seatpost, pedals, etc.).Durable enough to handle very frequent use.
What are you using and why?
Just because its a hard shell, doesn’t mean this won’t happen. I’ve seen more damage from opening hard shells cases and moving things around compared to opening a soft shell. Hard cases have hinges so they have to be completely opened up (180 degrees) which greatly increases TSA chances of screwing up your nice packing job. A soft case is just a zipper opening and things can be moved around easily without causing any damage. That’s not to say a soft shell case won’t cause damage when the bag is thrown, dropped, or handled poorly.
I’ve had the biospeed aerus soft shell bag and scion aerocomfort tri bag. I was a big fan of the scion bag but now I am very weary about it. I’ve been looking at getting a biknd helium v4 bag.
Bike Box Alan, comes with an anti-crush pole. Doesn’t make it TSA and baggage handler proof though. Have only flown with it a few times and so far zero issues. I’m able to pack it with helmet, shoes, spare gear, etc. Not sure of the weight though, because once the airlines sees it is a bike, time to fork over the money. I have to take off my seat, rear derailleur, wheels, pedals and fold the aerobars over.
Having witnessed damage to bikes and disc wheels from a soft shell, I’ll stick with the hard case. Like everyone else said nothing is guaranteed against the TSA and baggage handlers.
I have access to a trico iron case, tri all 3 velo and a performance bike team case.
I’ve used the trico and performance case the most.
Trico with my Scalpel 3 in it is 54 lbs. Very durable case. It’s a tight fit but works. Pain to wheel around.
Performance case with my tri bike in it is well under 50 lbs. It’s a bigger case, ok wheels, easier than the trico to move. Not as durable but going strong after 10 flights and 8 or 10 shipments.
Tri all 3 velo with my scalpel in it is 63 lbs. Heavy, easy to pack and wheel around. Bulky to put in car. Protects bike well.
Scicon Aerotech Evolution and the new Premier Tactical case. Both hard cases.
I might be selling my Scicon case. I’m about 4 1/2 hours down I-45 if you have any interest in picking up one that was used about 4x.
To add to the topic of conversation - any cases out there for TT Bikes that you don’t have to dismantle your head-unit/aero bars?
I have a Speed Concept and it’s a pain in the ass to dismantle.
I’ve only traveled via air once for a race (so far) and I ended up using Tri-Bike Transport to shuttle my bike from Boston to Boulder.
Needs to be a hard shell so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
Hard shell case doesn’t matter for shit.
Get a soft shell. I recommend the EVOC bag.Both American and Southwest have punted on damage claims we’ve seen over the years because they implied a hard shell was required, so no cardboard and no soft shell.
While having a hard shell doesn’t prevent them from claiming something else, but it at least rids us of one excuse.
I believe every single airline has a “hard case” clause in their rules. Yes, a hard case might not 100% protect damage but at least you cover that airline requirement. It’s tough shit with a soft case.
Needs to be a hard shell so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
Hard shell case doesn’t matter for shit.
Get a soft shell. I recommend the EVOC bag.Both American and Southwest have punted on damage claims we’ve seen over the years because they implied a hard shell was required, so no cardboard and no soft shell.
While having a hard shell doesn’t prevent them from claiming something else, but it at least rids us of one excuse.
You’ve changed your specification midstream. Last I checked TSA is not American or Southwest. NordicSkier is correct in that TSA is more likely to damage a bike in a hard case than a softcase. And yes, the airlines will use a hard case requirement as their excuse, but again, that is a different damage source. If there is no apparent damage to your case, but the bike is damaged, it’s most likely TSA but good luck proving it. TSA will blame the airline and the airline will blame TSA … either way you don’t get paid. Soft and hard cases each have pros and cons, but you would be better off simply asking ST members which bags they have actually had damage on. The one I’ve read with the most problems on over time is the SciCon AeroComfort.
Needs to be a hard shell so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
Hard shell case doesn’t matter for shit.
Get a soft shell. I recommend the EVOC bag.Both American and Southwest have punted on damage claims we’ve seen over the years because they implied a hard shell was required, so no cardboard and no soft shell.
While having a hard shell doesn’t prevent them from claiming something else, but it at least rids us of one excuse.
You’ve changed your specification midstream. Last I checked TSA is not American or Southwest. NordicSkier is correct in that TSA is more likely to damage a bike in a hard case than a softcase. And yes, the airlines will use a hard case requirement as their excuse, but again, that is a different damage source. If there is no apparent damage to your case, but the bike is damaged, it’s most likely TSA but good luck proving it. TSA will blame the airline and the airline will blame TSA … either way you don’t get paid. Soft and hard cases each have pros and cons, but you would be better off simply asking ST members which bags they have actually had damage on. The one I’ve read with the most problems on over time is the SciCon AeroComfort.How have I changed any specifications? What am I missing? I said it needs to be a hard shell so that the airlines won’t sidestep responsibility. Then I used examples customers have shared of when airlines have specifically denied a claim because, specifically, a hard shell case wasn’t used.
When we rent a case we have a responsibility to the customer to make sure we are complying with airline regulations, and those regulations are that the case needs to be a hard shell case in order for them to recognize any responsibility for damage. If we rent a soft shell and the airline punts because their requirements are that the case be a hard shell, then the customer may hold us responsible for renting them a case that isn’t consistent with what airlines specify. We are trying to protect our customers AND protect their bikes.
My error…call me reading challenged! I was focusing on the capital TSA and not the airlines part of your first sentence.
BTW, I’ve traveled about 16 times with my softside (PikaPackworks) and no issues. And I’m not aware of any uniform “regulation” that says airlines won’t pay for damage if a bike is packed in other than a hardshell, although I’m sure some will certainly argue the point. At bottom is Delta bicycle packing policy as one example:
But I get what you are trying to achieve. I would assume that people renting a case aren’t frequent travelers and may have less experience in disassembly/reassembly. So you probably want a behemoth that requires the least amount of packing effort. That would be the SciCon Aero Tech Evolution TSA bike case. It’s size will cause some financial and other travel inconveniences but it meets your spec.
Bicycle Transport Fees / Packaging Information
150 USD/CAD for travel to all regions (excluding Brazil, Europe and North Africa)150 USD, 175 CAD*, or 125 EUR* for travel to/from Europe or North Africa75 USD for travel to/from Brazil
*CAD amount will be charged exit Canada, and EUR amount will be charged exit Europe.
Your bike must be packaged in a container (cardboard, canvas, hard shell, etc.) in one of the following ways:
handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removedhandlebars and pedals encased in plastic, Styrofoam or other similar material
We’re looking to pick up a few cases for rentals and I was wondering what the Slowtwitch-brain thinks about modern bike cases. Here are a few requirements:
Needs to be a hard shell so that airlines/TSA won’t sidestep responsibility when they open, rearrange, and shut cases causing damage to the contents.Needs to be lightweight - under 50 lbs with the bike packed.Big enough to pack a modern triathlon bike. Some disassembly of the bike is fine (wheels, bars, seatpost, pedals, etc.).Durable enough to handle very frequent use.
What are you using and why?
I’d second the GMAN recommendations on the Scicon Aerotech Evolution and Premier cases. I’ve used Trico, TriAll3, Thule, Ruster and Pika cases extensively over the years. I settled on the Scicon Aerotech style case specifically because of the TSA-Factor. Most of these cases do a great job of protecting the bike when packed correctly, but the TSA involvement can completely nullify good packing.
With the Scicon-style case packing the bike and other contents are easily accessible just by opening the case. Almost every TSA agent I run across during bag inspection comments on just how great the case is for easy inspection. You can still fug things up by adding too much stuff to the interior, but bike, wheels, maybe seat and helmet leave things plenty easy for inspection.
I use the term Scicon style because our two Aerotechs have taken a beating in the last 3 years. I’ve repaired most of the damage, but the latest trend has been for the handlers to drop them hard enough on the wheels to punch the casters through the case repeatedly. I’ve added some extra handles with webbing on the lower part of the boxes to hopefully reduce the handler drops.
For a longer term plan we’ve just picked up two Premier cases which have replaceable caster mount inserts built into the case. This case also provides the option of leaving the bars on the bike if the out to out width is less than about 420mm. The only challenge for a tri bike will be easy extension removal (assuming you aren’t using a Premier Tactical).
What are the bikes shipped from China to the bike shops in? Cardboard bike box with bubble wrap has never failed me.
I received by Premier case recently and really like it. It will be replacing my Biknd Helium that I really like, but its not as nice as the Premier.
FYI, you can request TSA inspect your bike box in your presence so then you can put it back together properly yourself. I did this once back in 2008, the last time I flew with my bike so I am not sure if it is still in effect.
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FYI, you can request TSA inspect your bike box in your presence so then you can put it back together properly yourself. I did this once back in 2008, the last time I flew with my bike so I am not sure if it is still in effect.
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Last IM I did this leaving Panama City Beach, but the TSA person was yelled at by their supervisor stating I was not allowed to touch my bike after it was given to TSA.