Integrated front end and bike bags/flying

I searched the forums and found a few responses to my inquires but I thought I’d see if a fresh post could generate more recent input.

I want to replace my 2014 Tarmac SL4. I want a modern road bike but I’m concerned about packing a bike with an integrated front end in a bike bag to fly; I fly 1 or 2 times a year with a bike and this year I’ll be on 2, two week trips with a bike. I use a Thule Roundtrip and I’ve been strapping the handlebars on my SL4 to the fork blades.

Is anyone doing this regularly with a Tarmac SL7, Teammachine, Addict, etc.? What’s your routine, if so? Should I just get an aethos?

I recently flew with my SL7 and rented a Bike Box Alan “TRIATHLON AERO EASYFIT BIKEBOX” and it was…wonderful. Bike in (and out) within 5-10mins. Really easy, secure and I had no concerns over protection of the bike itself. Also lots of room to put other stuff in as you desire.

Not cheap, but if I was in the market to buy a bike box this is what I would be getting. Not sure how available they are internationally though…

https://bikeboxalan.com/product-category/easyfit/?v=79cba1185463

As above, I did rent though and paid circa £100 for 10 days worth of hire. So that is an option also if you are only going away a few times and have a supplier local to you - just book early!

Yeah, BBA…I’ve never been into those hard case options. They just seem like such a pain to deal with when they’re not in use. And heavy; my bag weighs 7750 g, whereas the base model BBA appears to weight 11200. Thanks…I’ll think about that.

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Only soft case version I have had experience of where you can keep bars on is the Scicon Aerocomfort… Scicon Sports | Aerocomfort 3.0 - Road Bike Travel Bag - Black - TP053105013

I had one for my previous bike and it was still as easy to use as the BBA box but certainly not as well protected.

Ref the BBA weight, it certainly was not a problem with the airline I flew with (or other airlines my friends have flown with using the same box) but I understand the size could be a hinderance if you need to store it somewhere.

I only flew once with my Specialized Venge ViaS with an integrated cockpit. I used the EVOC Road Bike Bag Pro which is a combination of soft and hard case components. The case is really good and the bike sits reall securely in it without the. red of much additional padding. On the other hand it is really bulky to handle and expensive - and although it can be broken down when not in use - you need significant space to store it. I was lucky to find the bag to rent for two weeks.