I am moving back to Australia in a couple of months and planning on taking two bikes with me (tri and road). Has anyone had experience with any of the double bike cases? I was considering the tri all 3 sports case but would appreciate any advice from those with experience.
thanks!
I’ve got a Tri All 3 double bike case. It’ll work, but it’s a tight fit, especially when you have larger frames. Check your weight with both bikes in it as you may get pinged for both bike charges AND overweight charges getting out of the US.
It flies as 1 bike case not two, both international and domestic, or so it has on the 6-8 flights I’ve flown the double case.
It packs a ton of shit, but assume that TSA is going to put the lid on wrong, even when you have something that says this part of the top needs to align with this part of the bottom.
I thought it could have been a bit more durable, after about 2 flights the rails inside were bent a bit & I had to replace 2 of the wheels after 5 flights.
I don’t think the Tri all 3 double upright case is a durable as a clam shell case. But if you’ve got 2 bikes 1 case is easier to manage then 2 cases I’ve found. Especially when flying solo, 2 bike cases is a BIG PIA
Thanks Brian. My main concern was weight limits, the case is 35lb per their website and was thinking the upper limit of 71lb per piece could be easily exceeded.
If this is a one-time trip and you don’t own the bike case yet, wouldn’t it be less expensive to ship your bikes via UPS/Fed Ex?
Just a thought…
My teammates and I use cardboard boxes to transport our bikes, which you can pick up free from bike stores and dispose of after each flight. Haven’t heard of bikes getting damaged this way, as long as you remove the rear derailleur.
I know one teammate has taped two such boxes together and incurred only one bike charge (and no overweight charge, since the cardboard is so light).
http://accelerate3.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/antwerp-70-3/
Not even near the 71# weight limit. Of course with 2 bad ass Lucero’s in there, the airlines paid us just to transport it.
You never did get down here to ride Lemmon 
I was actually considering the cardboard box option. Shipping the bikes seperately is another option, but you are looking around 400-500 per bike to Australia, advice is that its cheaper to take the bikes with you.
Shipping them is very expensive. I think we were quoted ~$600 RT for shipping the bikes to Belgium and that was shipping them through Trisports.com which got us much lower rates then walking into a store and shipping them.
USAirway charges $125 iirc.
Pika Packworks out of Salt Lake city made me a double bike bag with wheels which weighs in at 14lbs. I have taken two bikes on many flights with only standard bike charges. I’ve even put my tri bike and MTB in, as well as two tri bikes with 6 wheels.
It is a softcase but comes with very nice velcro on pads and has great padding. I’ve used it for over 15 flights with no issues at all. I previously had a TRI ALL 3 double case before the airlines got so sticky with weight. It cracked which propogated along the bottom and made the case useless.
I recommend the double EEP. Ask Mark to put wheels on it for you as it’ll be a hassle without the wheels. http://pikapackworks.com/
The big question now is if its worth investing in a case for a single trip, but I could always sell it afterwards. Sorry I didnt get a chance to ride Lemmon and then have a beer or 10 with you. If you ever feel like a trip to Melbourne…
Thanks for that info Seth, I may have to give them a call tomorrow!
I used my double on a lot of single trips. Makes packing for a race super easy. Lots of space.
Qantas actually sells their own cardboard bike boxes for around AUD15 at airports in Aus. If you’re flying with them out of the States, and your local airport is one of their hubs, give them a call. I’ve used them about 6 times, and never have had any problems. They are wide enough I didn’t even need to remove pedals, and the wheels sat snugly each side of the frame.
Just flew Qantas (& Alaska Airlines) Vancouver-LAX-Sydney-Perth with 2 bikes, in cardboard boxes. Old roadie and new P3.
They charged me for both bikes, but it was only $52 per bike, for the whole trip.
Bit of a hassle getting 2 bike boxes through customs in Sydney, and make sure you keep your receipts otherwise I think Qantas domestic would have charged me for the Sydney-Perth leg. Make sure when (ok if) you pay when you first check in, that you have paid for the whole route.
Good luck, pack them with lots of padding and line the inside of the boxes with extra cardboard if possible.