Source
r/cycling•
SCMatt33

Travel Bag/Box suggestions

I’m going to travel with my bike a couple of times next year for the first time. I was lucky enough to win a pair of anytime domestic plane tickets (USA) and since I’m single, I was able to split it into two trips. The flights are on American, who looks to have a pretty good policy on taking bikes. Since it’s two trips, and I’ll want to keep doing it in the future, I want to invest in a travel case, rather than do the cardboard box thing. I’ve looked at old threads, but haven’t found anything definitive, especially since bag models are always changing.

From everything I’ve read, TSA inspections are pretty much guaranteed, so I’ll want something that won’t confuse a TSA agent and lead to my bike getting crushed when they try to close it up. Also, American’s policy lets me essentially treat it as regular checked baggage for cost purposes if it fits under 50 lbs and meets decently generous volume requirements. The weight limit and TSA stories would make mean lean towards a soft side, but wanted to hear what Reddit has to say about good cases for US domestic travel. Also, since I got the flights for free, I’m a little more willing to spend up for the case of that makes a big difference.

Posted Dec 23, 2023, 3:18 AM UTC

110
velvet_scrunchies•

I have an EVOC soft bag and flew from the west coast to North Carolina for a gravel race and had no issues even with a layover. I did bubble wrap everything however. It was a little over 50lbs but the airline didn't charge me extra.

3
SCMatt33OP•

What kind of bike did you travel with? I have heard some things that soft side can ultimately be better because its simple, and gets handled a little better, but I still get afraid of crunched carbon. I don’t mind bubble wrap and an overweight charge if absolutely necessary, though I’d hope I can sneak under 50 with a bag. Did you put extra stuff in there, or just have a heavier bike?

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velvet_scrunchies•

It was a canyon grail and a grizl, the grizl is carbon, no issues with that. We were able to put a few extra things in there like helmets and shoes, but I weighed on a scale at home to see what would fit and stay under 50lbs, not much!

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No_Balance8590•

I like my cycling deal hard sided bag. I add padding inside and also made blocks of wood for the dropouts.

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SCMatt33OP•

What kind of weight do you end up with after all the padding and wood block?

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No_Balance8590•

Under the limit by far. The pads weigh almost nothing. The blocks I made by drilling a hole length wise through an old shovel handle. I run the thru axels through them and screw them in the fork and dropouts.

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BD59•

The problem with a good bike travel case is that they cost as much as an entry level bike. And then there's the TSA wanting to f*** with your stuff, and then not repacking it correctly. So you need a case that protects the bike, is easy for TSA to inspect without removing anything, and is foolproof for closing it back up, without costing a fortune or weighing a ton.

The Thule Roundtrip Transition fits the bill for protection, ease of inspection, and being pretty foolproof, but weighs something like close to 40 lbs and costs a $1000.

The Bike Box Alan is better weight wise, and is much less expensive if you buy it overseas in England, but the shipping cost if you have it sent to you from England is crazy expensive.

Maybe the Cyclingdeal case from Amazon is the best compromise.

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SCMatt33OP•

I don’t mind the shipping cost if it’s the right case. It still looks cheaper than the Thule even after all that shipping, and the difference on American for over/under 50 is $70 per flight, so $140 for a round trip, so it would be $280 just for the two trips to send something over 50, which pays for the shipping right of a bike box Alan if I can stay under 50 lbs with it. The bigger issue is all the disclaimers about customs delays. I have some amount of time as my first trip is in early April, but “customs delay” sounds like something that could inadvertently turn into months over weeks.

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[deleted]•

[removed]

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Amazing-League-218•

Problem with a case is what to do with it at your destination. You can unpack your bike at the airport and leave a cardboard box behind. I find soft totally unacceptable. It offers little to no protection. And if you have a CF bike, you're asking for trouble.

BTW- you might want to look into insuring your bike for its replacement value, if possible.

Bike shops usually have lightweight plastic spacers for your dropouts. Also plastic disc's to protect your brake disc's. A few extra pieces of card to go between wheels and your frame are also helpful. And don't forget to remove your deraileur. You can tape foam around it and let it hang in the box.

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