I’ll be doing some traveling with my bike this year and looking for opinions on bike bags/boxes. I don’t have too many preferences, but I have integrated handlebars/stem so Ideally would like to keep them attached. Also, some travel will be cyclocross related so it would be nice if I could fit at least one extra wheelset in the case (looks like the Evoc pro bag can do this?). No real preference between hardcase or soft.
Any thoughts/experiences/recs, positive or negative, are appreciated
i’ve had several over the last 20 years but the Bike Box Alan has been the clunkiest and most stress free. Some airlines now won’t cover damage costs if the bike is in a soft case. The downsides are cost/shipping and the size (that can affect rental cars on the destination end). The upside is that it has taken the worry and fuss out of bike travel - pedals, wheels and derailleur come off. that’s it - sometimes not even the derailleur. i can fit several wheels in it as well.
I still have my Biknd Helium but don’t really see a case where i use it over BBA. I probably need to get rid of it.
I’m looking for a bag too. Bike flights doesn’t allow scicion bags because they keep the handlebars on and so they find a lot of issues with broken parts. I’d assume it would be the same for the EVOC road bag pro.
just an fyi.
I did rent an EVOC bike bag pro (had to take of handlebars) for Leadville and it was great.
Evoc Bike Bag Pro has been my choice and I think will probably be the most popular choice if I had to wager - although not sure which models allow you to leave handlebars on - Probably the Road Bike Bag Pro. I’ve stayed under weight limits with my XC bike with room to spare every time I’ve used it. I have the model with the stand for securing the bike which is really convenient.
The problems with something like the Bike Box Alan (which I’ve looked at multiple times) are weight - could put you over airline weight limit which can result in big charges, and it doesn’t collapse down or store well at all. Basically - you need to have space to store it, and fit it in any rental car you get wherever you’re going (get a minivan or SUV pretty much every time). If you can stay clear of weight limits and the storage / size works, it will be by far the easiest for actual travel and keeping your bike safe.
So - will you ever travel with a MTB? Just road / cyclocross? Make sure you answer that first and get a bag that fits everything. Are weight limits a factor for the airlines you use, or are you okay paying overages? Storage / collapsibility an issue?
I almost bought the Bike Box Alan, but I couldn’t get over the $500 for shipping to the US. Seemed just too costly. Ended up going with the Scicon AeroComfort. Happy with the choice so far. It takes me about 15 minutes to load and unload the bike. The loaded bag wheels great and typically weighs in at around 40-lbs when loaded. It rolls up for fairly compact storage when I’m at home or at my destination. I agree that it offers less protection than the BBA, but I’ve had no issues so far and have no regrets.
I have a Bike Box Alan. Everything has been going great so far. However, I don’t have a Tri Box, so I always have to remove the handlebars. No problem at all.
I just got a Thule Roundtrip case last year. I’ve been a long time proponent of hard cases, but decided on going with the Thule which is kind of a hybrid….sort of soft case but with rigid side panels which I feel give adequate protection over a true soft case. You do have to take the bar/stem off, but just enough to lay it sideways against the bike/fork, and it doesn’t have to be as particular as in a small hard sided case. Also can leave the deraileur on no problem, so just handlebars and pedals and tires off.
And it stores in a much smaller size folded down when no bike is in it than any hard case.
I got the mountain bike version, so it fits everything from road bike, gravel bike with MTB tires, to my full sus mountain bike. Might even fit an extra set of wheels in, but I haven’t tried it. And there is just enough flex to the sides that I’ve been able to slide it in most car trunks, just need to have the back seat folded down.
Does anyone have any horror stories with soft cases? I have used a Thule hard case for about four years now, my road and hardtail fit tight but its pretty TSA-proof. However, the case itself is fairly heavy, so I can not take anything beyond the bike itself, no tools etc, and my full suspension will not fit. Could see the value in a soft case in the future, just worried about damage…
+1 for Bike Box Alan. Travelled many times to Mallorca/Gran Caneria/Tenerife. Yep, it is clunky and heavy but it is pretty much bomb proof. I have the regular version, remove bars, pedals, rear mech, wheels, easy enough.
I’ve the Roundtrip as well and can recommend it. I also have the MTB version and when using it for my ‘cross or road bike I can include the added workstand thing without going over the airline weight limit.
I’ve used the Dakine bike bag and the regular Evoc, but I like the Orucase B2 the best. Fits my FS MTB, although I have to pull the fork in addition to wheels, pedals, and rear derailleur. I leave the handlebar attached to the stem, and I don’t really mind pulling the fork as it gives me a chance to re-grease the headset. The B2 is about 2/3 the size of the Dakine and Evoc, and balances nicely on the rear wheels, making it easy to maneuver and easier to get into rental cars and taxis. Plus it’s about 18#, making it relatively easy to stay under 50# loaded (including tools) if needed.
Counterpoint. I had the Orucase B2, sold it and moved to the Evoc Bike Bag Pro and prefer that, and still no problem staying under 50# with my XC Bike including the tools I need to re-assemble.
Pulling and reinstalling the fork is doable, but it was a pain to be forced into it… Especially as you get into bikes with some level of internal cable routing.
I, and a few friends, have the Buxum box cases and they are outstanding. Not cheap, but only cry once. I also found them to be very helpful and responsive when I was asking questions. They also asked me my travel plans to ensure I got my case in time.
I’ve probably got 100+ flight legs across my four Dakine Roller Bags (mine, my wife’s, and both kids’) and have had zero damage. Every trip includes flights to and from Durango, CO on tiny regional jets (I wince imagining the baggage guys forcing them into cramped cargo holds). Road bikes and mountain bikes. Light enough to carry some extra gear. Highly recommend them.
Back when we were traveling we used pika packworks bags. Never had any problems, but of course that’s just the luck of the draw. We liked that they were lightweight and malleable which made getting on shuttles, fitting in taxis and rental cars more feasible. For mtb had to take the fork off. Here’s an ancient DC Rainmaker article on essentially the same bag: Biospeed Aerus Bike Case Review: How I travel with my bike | DC Rainmaker
Any issues with it only having two wheels? some of reviews come down harsh on the roundtrip and the two wheel thing seems to be a big thing for some people