Thanks for your thoughts, I did try that. Didn’t seem to have that much of impact on the chainring height.
My wheelbase is 1036mm
I did message Orucase directly and they provided some guidance on padding the chainrings. But said that it looked like a good fit to them. So I think I’m gonna run it as is.
Depending on how DIY oriented you are, another option to protect the chainring is to buy a sheet of Kydex (available online, pretty inexpensive) and use a heatgun to form it around the crank arm and chainring. It’s pretty easy to do by hand. I use these in our S&S-style cases to protect other things from the chainrings. But out a lollipop shape about 2x the width of the crank arm and 1/2-3/4” larger than the diameter of the chainring, then “ease” the heat in. As the plasttic softens, you can press it in to shape and pull gently to make a C-shape that snaps around the arm, and a couple intents to snap over the teeth to hold it in place. You and also reheat and reshape mistakes.
“I did message Orucase directly and they provided some guidance on padding the chainrings. But said that it looked like a good fit to them. So I think I’m gonna run it as is.”
I’d expect Orucase suggested their Frame Protection Kit set which includes a wrap for the chainset? The kit is expensive but well designed and easy to use once you have done it once and figured out the sizing for all the pads for your frame(s) - attaching everything with velcro straps is brilliant. OTOH, it’s hard pressed for me to say that Orucase’s design is 5X better than Post Carry Company’s Frame Wrap and Chainstay Guard set (yes, I have that set and used it with my Airport Ninja before Orucase came out with theirs)
Anyone have any recommendations for a travel case for wheels? I don’t think my 303 S XPLR / 2.2 wheels will fit in my Scicon Road travel case (previous use with TB 2.1’s was tight). And I would like to have a backup set of wheels for the event I am going to do on hand just in case of bad weather.
I will be using this on a plane, not just in a car. Any input appreciated!
Tri-All-3 sports makes 2 wheel cases that show up on the used market. One holds 3 wheels and looks like the demon spawn of a bundt cake, the other is a big square case (I use these for S&S bikes). Both are bombproof.
Jumping in as someone who has been lurking this thread for a while while researching my first travel case purchase.
I’m leaning strongly toward the Orucase Sentinel for my size Small, Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2 Di2 (2023) with a 17.5" seat tube and 39.2" wheelbase. My wheels are the Giant SLR 2 36 Disc wheels with GP 5000 S TR 32mm setup tubeless. A few specific questions before I commit, particularly for anyone who has used the Sentinel with a compact road frame:
Seatpost in or out? My bike has an internal Di2 battery in the seatpost, so removal is something I’d really like to avoid. Has anyone with a small road frame confirmed the saddle clears the top roll cage bar with the post lowered but not fully removed?
Pedals on or off? Leaving them on would be ideal, but curious whether SPD pedals (I have Favero Assioma MX-2 SPD) cause any clearance issues with the wheel bags.
Remove the rear derailleur or leave on? I know many of you remove it regardless of case type as standard protocol. Is that still the recommendation with the Sentinel given the roll cage protection, or does the cage make it genuinely unnecessary?
Is the Orucase Disc rotor protectors worth it? They add 9 oz and I’m already tight on the 50 lb limit. Is this something Sentinel users are actually running, or are the wheel bags doing enough of the job on their own?
Fabric durability – anyone with 10+ flights on the Sentinel? There are early reports of the outer fabric tearing after just a couple of flights, and I’d love to hear from longer-term users before committing.
Happy to share the notes I’ve pulled together on this if useful to anyone else going through the same decision.
I will only comment on #4 - Orucase’s disc rotor protectors. Yes, they’re seemingly expensive for what they are, but as with all the Orucase stuff I’ve owned, well designed, easy to use and very much doing the job that needs to be done. Prior to getting them, I would always remove the rotors before putting the wheels in the case as obviously bent rotors are no fun. I looked into alternatives including 3D printing my own, but even in that case it would take a non-trivial amount of good quality filament to print and not really saving a ton of money.
I bought two of the Sentinel bags and just used them for the first time for Mid South. Answers to your questions:
My wife’s bike is a small and the seatpost stayed in, in fact I didn’t even have to drop it. I ride an XL and had to take mine all the way out.
both bikes left pedals on, no issues with SPDs.
I took the derailleur off and strapped it to the chainstay, IMO not worth the risk of bending your hanger even a bit on such a bumpy ride. Would probably fit without doing this but I always do it.
I just use the wheel bags and had no issues with rotors after two flights, but FYI with the bags all packed up without any additional gear, we were both over the 50lb limit. This really bummed me out as there’s basically no way I could get either of our bikes to ever get under weight, and with my old bag I was far enough under to also add my helmet, clothes, bottles etc. Luckily since the bag is so oversized, no one even bothered to weigh it at the airport so I didn’t get dinged with fees, but seems like this will be a dice roll every time.
No long term experience but the fabric doesn’t seem any less durable than my old bag.
All in all, I really like the bags. Coming from the EVOC bike travel bag pro it’s a LOT faster to get setup, but also way bigger with the bars on. both our bikes now have integrated routing which necessitated changing setups, but in the end the bags are way more convenient across the board. The biggest (major) downside is that i’m basically always going to be overweight, so we’ll see how that goes.
The frame doesn’t sit on the very bottom of the bag when it’s loaded in. There is about 25mm clearance between the bottom of the frame and the bag, so there should be no contact with the chainring. Can’t believe Orucase folks didn’t tell you this.
This! I also ended up with a Sentinel because I’m 6’4” and thus have big bikes. There’s a good 1.5” of clearance below the lower rail of the frame and the (hard) bottom of the case.
I’m quite happy with the case, though it is large enough that I would need a minivan or truck to move it around with the bike in it. I just don’t think I’d be able to get any of my bikes in some of the more compact options like the Post Carry.
For refernce, Alaska Airlines say they don’t charge overweight or oversize for “sports equipment” and I didn’t get charged, but I had to show one of their bag drop attendents the policy on my phone and get a supervisor involved to make that happen the first time I tried it.
I don’t have a Sentinel so I can only comment on #4. I think they are worth it. They are essential bomb-proof and I have traveled with them on four flights across the Pacific without any issue. I have the EVOC road bike bag pro, which is kind of a hybrid hard/soft case. The “hard” portion of the case protects the cockpit, while the rear end of the bike is protected by something very similar to the BarNone Handlebar Expansion Protector on the Sentinel.
