I am going to travel with my Softride overseas and need to pack it. Which system works well for you? I am lousy at putting things together (more often than not stuff that used to work under my workmanship doesn’t or not as well). I would like a case or bag that I would have to do a minimal amount of dis- and assembly to the bike.
I Europe they seem to use a lot of the soft case material, here in the Sates I have mostly seen the hard cases, I am open any box or case that’ll do the job for a clutz.
I have a tri-sports case for my softride rocket. (Size Medium) It fits in just fine. I have to take the seat off of the beam though. When flying I don’t want to disassemble the beam hardware because that has to be put back with a torque (sp) wrench. Otherwise if fits just fine. I like the case. It is a hard side and there is plenty of padding inside for all the necessary stuff. I hope this helps. Good luck.
I just lower my beam all the way. What I suggest is that you take a razor blade - scribe a line on the rotating retension pivot…to the frame. This will enable you to line up the two scribed marks and get your beam exactly to the same position it was at prior to the move. Remove your seat and the seat mount (electrical tape to mark position for and aft, another scribe line to indicate tip). I would also remove the bars and wrap them up in bubble wrap - tape to the frame between the beam and down tube. Remove pedals and rotate the fork to point back towards the BB. I like to put my wheels in wheel bags and put them into the box much like a new bike ships to the IBD.
Trico Ironcase. Insideout rents them, if they are all rented out, you can borrow mine, provided you put a sticker from the destination on it. I have a Tri all 3 too, but it’s a double case. Same deal there.
I’m out of town until Monday. I can help you pack your Rocket any time after Monday night. I’ve pretty much gotten this down to a science after my season this past year. Do you have a torque wrench that measures inch/lbs.? If not you’ll need one. Check out Craftsman online at Sears.
Send me a PM and I’ll give you my phone #, or just call Beaman or Pam at ISO.
I flew with my Softride Powerwing (curved beam) for the first time this summer. (Ironman Canada - flew Indianapolis to Seattle, drove to Penticton) I rented the large Tri All 3 case hard case. After 3 days of trial and error in packing it at home, here are a few things I learned:
Take as many measurements as you need to be sure you can match your setup - this will depend on how much you have to disassemble - mine were:
a. Fore/aft, seat clamp on beam - wrapped duct tape around beam to mark the front edge of the clamp before taking off the clamp. (I did not remove the saddle from the clamp)
b. With the bike upright (not leaning) - distance from a specific point on the saddle to the ground - used to set beam height (this can be done alone, but is easier if someone can hold the beam position while you tighten the bolt).
c. Note how your brake and shift cables cross each other - which goes on top, outside, etc, so you can get them the same when you reassemble the handlebar and aerobars.
d. Stem insertion if using a quill stem - either put tape on the quill or note the insertion mark on the stem.
e. If you remove the handlebar from the stem (I didn’t) measure the distance from a specific point at the front of the bar to the ground so you can get the same angle when reassembling.
f. If you remove the aerobars from the handlebar (I did), measure from a specific point on the aerobar to the ground so you can get the same angle when reassembling. Also, measure the distance between the aerobar clamps.
I bought both bubble wrap and foam pipe insulation, and found that in most cases the pipe insulation worked better. I used the pipe insulation on the fork legs, (removed) handlebar/stem assembly, (removed) aerobars/bar end shifters, (removed) beam, and as many parts of the frame as possible. My rule was to cover any place where metal or carbon fiber could possibly move and make contact. Yes, I went overboard, but with that large case I was already looking at an oversize/overweight baggage charge so more foam didn’t make much difference.
Use duct tape to fasten your pipe insulation in place, then take a permanent marker and write the name of the part on the duct tape. When you get there, use a hobby knife to cut the duct tape rather than tearing it off - that way you will have your protective foam pre-labeled so you can re-use it quickly on the return trip. Pack an extra roll of duct tape for the return trip unless you know you’ll have time to get a roll at your destination.
Make sure to pack all the tools you’ll need to reassemble the bike at your destination. Also pack grease and chain lube. Make sure to pack the same measuring device you used to take your original measurements. Also, if you’re riding the Powerwing (Classic TT), you’ll need two extra pivot pins to replace the one you had to remove to take off the beam - one to use at the race, and another to put in when you get back home. You might be able to reuse them, but I feel safer having a new pin with fresh ridges.
I put small parts such as bottle cages, pedals, and computer (in bubble wrap) in a shoe box. Also, I put any bolts I removed, such as the aerobar bolts or cage bolts, plus the chain (cleaned) in labeled ziploc bags and put them in the shoe box. The SRAM chain with the removable link helps here. Most of your tools should also fit in the shoe box. Put bubble wrap, socks, etc in the box so nothing moves around too much, duct tape it shut, then find a spot in the case where it doesn’t have much room to move and duct tape the box to the case.
Once you get all the bike parts packed, fill as many spaces in the case as possible with soft items such as leftover bubble wrap, foam, or workout clothes in trash bags. The idea is to minimize the possibility of items bouncing around and causing damage. Another benefit is that anything you can get in the bike case is something you don’t have to pack somewhere else.
Once you get everything packed, make a few notes about what goes where in the case. If you’re repacking the bike after a hard race, your memory might be a little shaky. Nothing elaborate - something like “beam - bottom front right - clamp goes front”. A few polaroids or digital pictures could also help.
If your case has wheels, make sure they work (I replaced one on the rental case - glad I did) Also, add more straps to supplement the ones that come with the case. With the new airport security, they will almost certainly open your case, so locks and duct tape on the outside probably aren’t a good idea any more. A few extra straps increase the chance that the feds will fasten enough of them properly to keep the case together after inspection.
When you get the case packed, weigh it to make sure you’re not over your airline’s absolute maximum - you’ll probably have an overweight charge for checked baggage, but there’s a maximum weight over which they’ll make you use air freight. In my case (American Airlines) the maximum was 100 lbs - my case was about 90.
This might be more information than you need, but most of it is simpler in practice than it is to write about. It worked for me - the bike made it to Canada and back undamaged and worked flawlessly during the race.