I’m packing for a trip and thought I’d share photos of my BikeBoxAlan Premium Plus. Approx size 56 bike with ~43 mm tires.
I worked as a guide for cycling tours a while back and all the clients who arrived with damaged bikes had soft cases, some damages were fixable on the spot, some had us chasing new parts in remote France, some bikes were ruined, most common damages were rear mechs and handlebars.
The worst problem we saw amongst clients with hard cases was one Di2 bike that went into crash mode during travel…
That doesn’t mean all bikes transported with soft cases will get damaged, many were fine, but the risk is much higher IMO, I wouldn’t use a soft case personally. I have a Scicon Aerotech hard case, used it many times and lent it to friends too and never had any problem, the little wheels still roll as well and the whole thing still looks in surprisingly good shape, just a few scuff marks.
No matter the case type though, one tip to help limit some damage risk: don’t load your case with all your kit/shoes/street clothes and what not, keep it as light as possible. The heavier the case ends up, the more it’s going to piss off the employees who load them on and off planes and conveyer belts, and the less carefull they’ll be.
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Dan is correct in that loading a case because there is empty space available is not a great strategy. The weight limit of 50lbs/22kg is not a goal, there is no prize for 49.9. The ramp agent (Baggius yeetus rampensis) is no fan of heavy bags, but they will only touch that case once in their life. You will have the pleasure of schlepping it everywhere, like in narrow twisting staircases and tiny elevators, taxis, trains, rental cars, etc.
Also, before you close it up, make sure everything inside is anchored and nothing can break free and cause damage. Just because it’s not moving when the case is flat on the floor doesn’t mean it can’t wreak havoc once the case is closed and in motion.
Handy tip for hardshell cases: add grip tape (like stair tread tape) to both sides of the case. ABS and similar plastic can slide if the belt loader is covered in snow or rain, and that reflecty-vested person outside your airplane will probably not dive heroically to save it, especially with a heavy tag.
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It’s so easy to remove a di2 rear derailleur for travel I would highly recommend it. One fixing and one cable to disconnect. No fear of having to reindex.
I typically unplug mine and tape the wire to the seat stay with masking tape. Then I remove the derailleur, wrap it up and tuck it in a bottle cage or somewhere else central in the bag. No crash mode, no bending. Super simple.
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I don’t leave the rear mech in place even when packing my hard S&S case, doing that with a soft case (yes I have one of those as well, been fine for the limited use it has been getting) just seems like asking for trouble.
Removing the Di2 RD is what I’ve been doing (I have the EVOC road bike bag pro). I also do exactly the same thing you did with the Di2 cable: attach it to the seat/chain stay with a masking tape. Since I started using Connex Links with my waxed chain, I also remove the chain from the drivetrain. I would have never entertained the idea of removing the chain if I was still using oil-based lube.
I remove the hanger with the derailleur on it. If it’s not on the frame, it can’t get bent.
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Hump, these videos are awesome, thanks so much for putting them together. I haven’t gotten through all of them yet, but already some great ideas and tips. Thanks!
You, sir, are far too kind. But thank you! I hope they are helpful in some way to everyone who takes their bike on a trip. I also hope everyone takes a trip, not only to explore somewhere new, but also to come home to a new appreciation of their hometown routes.
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I saw in the Daily News that Post Carry Co came out with a new nice looking bag that looks really nice. But who gave the green light on the name? First thing I think of when I hear Loomer a far-right wing US activist. And when trying to find out where else the name could have come from the google search is just filled with articles of said individual. I guess their are worse names, but it feels like kind of a poor choice
Looking for advice from the travel savy crowd on a very large bike.
I am 6’6” ~198cm and have an XXL Scott Addict. I just took delivery of a Orucase Sentinel.
It seems the only way to make my frame fit results in the chainring sitting a little below the aluminum frame. It just barely doesn’t touch the floor thanks to clearance provided by the axle mount “feet.” I can’t move the front axle hole/mount any higher or my stem won’t fit under the top aluminum frame piece, and I am already using the highest rear mount.
I’d like to find a case that will work for my big-ol-bike. What would you do? Should I look for a bigger case/bag/box
Can you raise the rear axle?
Take off the crank? How much trouble that is depends on the crank. I do it regularly for travel with Shimano cranks, and that’s straightforward (I do use an aftermarket preload nut that uses hex instead of Shimano’s weird star).
I’m using the highest setting on the thru-axle mount apparatus. Since i have my seat post put. I theoretically could, but I’m wondering if at that point a differ t case would make more sense?
I looked at the case at Sea Otter last year and thought it was pretty nice with some good ideas. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like if you could raise the rear end up a bit the chainring would clear, and with the seats post out It looks like you have room. Maybe a 3d printed adapter will work?
I bought an Evoc Road Pro case which is pretty easy to use and proteced the bike well so far. 10kg for the case alone.
WARNING: I didn’t have a set of scales and got a shock at the airport (Jetstar Int) as the bike plus case weighed 22kg. I was stung $1000 for that 2kg over the limit (20kg) for oversize luggage.
In Indonesia I was charged $40…Australian airlines are thieves IMO.
We had the original Orucase Airport Ninja cases and replaced them last summer with the Post Carry Transfer Case. I wish we’d done it sooner - as good protection maybe better, lighter and has wheels. In our opinion the new Orucases are too heavy and they’d be a bear to schlep around. We’ve now done an international trip and a domestic trip for two of us (double the user hours) and we’re really happy with these. That’s a total of about 5 segments
The Orucases are much harder to pack especially if you’re adding other stuff because of the top down loading. It’s way easier to have it open flat and load it up.
We have done many trips with the Airport Ninjas and had some damage on both bikes. I think I’d rather have the hard peripheral wall that the Post Carry has than the hard sides but softer periphery that the orucase has. We’re very happy with the Post Carry Transfer Case and feel it is easier to manage while traveling and provides better protection.
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I’ve been pleased with our post carry 135 bag as well. Traveled many times with both mine and wife’s bikes in this bag. Works fine for my needs on fitting both two bags and suitcases in a Camry.
We just moved to a 150 size in order to fit our gravel bikes and larger sized tires. Would be great to fit their new bag but can’t see it working for two bikes in a sedan.
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What’s the wheelbase of your XXL Scott Addict? I have a EVOC road bike bag pro and the maximum wheelbase is 106 cm. I have a XL Specialized Venge (size 58 cm, wheelbase 10.05 cm) and a XL Santa Cruz Stigmata (wheelbase 102.4 cm). To fit the Stigmata, I have to “reverse” the rear axle mount. If you can flip your rear axle mount, looks like it might raise the rear end up a bit.
Santa Cruz Stigmata:
Specialized Venge:
In case I wasn’t being clear about reversing the rear axle mount.
This is your current setup:
Front Rear
(______________)
Reversing the rear axle mount:
Front Rear
(______________(