Any reccomendations on travel hard cases?
 

I'd like to pick up a hard case that doesn't cost more than my bike. I work in the Airline industry so there's no way in hell I'd even entertain the idea of a soft case.

I have this case http://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._20000__400174

Used it to travel from Seattle to Puerto Rico. My carbon bike arrived just fine. TSA did open it but didn't touch anything. I like this particular case because even with the bike, it's still under 50lbs. Some airlines like to stack fees for both oversize and overweight, so if the box is under 50lbs, that's one less thing they can try to squeeze you on.

neneboricua

Thanks. That looks perfect

Like you, I would never recommend a soft case to anyone. A semi soft case, that is a completely different story.

Read my case review below in case it may help you some.
Link

Thanks, great read. Based on what I see everyday, I'm set on the hard case. There is just to much abuse. The Case could be under hundreds of pounds of luggage, fall out of the plane and hit the ramp (regular occurance) They just get beat on. Sometimes not, but this seems to be the exception.

I used a Polaris Bike Pod (6.7kg) flying to Europe return. It is an EVA case so lighter than a hard case, but with better protection than a soft case...

http://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/product/eva-bike-pod

I use this:

http://tricosports.com/travel_cases.html

Works well.

I had that case and had terrrible luck with it. It ws fine as long as you only want to go in a straight line, but if you turn a corner it tipped over. The 3rd time I flew with it, the nylon strap broke.. Yes 3, three, tres, trois flights and it broke.

Luckily, the return policy is very good.

I now have a Trico IronCase, and like it much better. Easier to pull, and seems more durable - only one trip so far, though. I bought it used on Craigslist.

That Trico case seems the most robust but it's massive. I guess this is the trick, trying to find the happy medium between cost and protection. By cost I mean Airline gouge fees. They must smile when they see that case rolling through the terminal

I have the trico case and my bike still gets banged up. There's no prefect solution.

Trico has worked perfectly for me on dozens of trips (now I need to say knock on wood). I've always come in under 50 pounds with all the stuff I put in there. I bought it used on craigslist for $100. One sees them often enough there and on eBay. Before the Trico, I had rented the Thule case and liked that one too; it's a tad lighter.

If you have a van at the other end, then go get a hard case. Those things are huge. Know that you will need an SUV or truck to transport it - they will not fit in a car, even a big one.

That's why after I did a lot of research this summer I ended up buying this EVOC case. I flew to France and back with my bike, including multiple plan changes and loading on and off trains, and not a scratch.

It is not a hard case, but has plenty of solid struts, edges, and protectors - many of which are removable. So I was never really worried about damage. Nice wide wheel base, didn't fall over when going around corners. Lots of grab points too, so easy to handle. And I really like that all you need to do to pack is take off wheels, pedals and the handlebars, and drop the seat, so packing/unpacking is really fast and easy, which is nice.

I know it is not a hard case, but that is not a bad thing. Even though it has a lot of solid protection, when you take out the struts it can fold down, at least somewhat, so I didn't need a SUV/van/truck/bus at the other end. I actually packed a bike rack too, and then I could put the empty case in the back seat of a Megane.

Just an option.

Good point about transport at the other end. I spent the first two weeks travelling in France by train and bus staying in only two villages a week each. I then hired a car for the next two weeks as I was moving around more frequently. I ended up having to pay a little more and hiring a Peugeot Partner as the back seats could fold up. It fitted my bikecase upright aswell as my bike upright with the front wheel off...

The Polaris Pod isn't the biggest case, but doesn't fit in all smaller hatches or sedans.

Not diretly in response to your question, but I find that FedEx will take care of my bike, plus I just send it on ahead. Fairly inexpensive too.

Such as a Bike Pro USA Race Case. https://bikeprousa.com/Race_Case_Features.html

It's a soft case in the sense that it can be rolled up, but with a steel frame, substantial padding and polyethelene walls it offers great protection.

And if you want something cheap, Colorado Cyclist's bike box works surprisingly well.

Bike Pro is good. I have a cheap knockoff (someone gave it to me) and it's been good for many flights, 15-20? Carbon or alum wheels, carbon or alum frames, up to 2 transfers each way, etc. I even have an integrated post (so it's tall) and have shipped the last few times with two sets of wheels.

Here's an article: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/02/h...h-my-bike.html

My wife and I use the Aerus case as described in the link above (and in a dgasmd's review) with our carbon bikes. It's worked well for us. Packed with bike helmet, shoes, and some gear it comes in under 30lbs and is surprisingly easy to carry and maneuver through the the typical airport scenario of shuttle buses, escalators, baggage check in, rental cars, etc.. Way easier than previous hard cases we used. Way.

Good point on size of case and transportation at other end.

When my family and I went to France, I had to rent a passenger van in order to accommodate the bike along with everyone else. Nice thing is that there was so little demand for that type of vehicle that the price was actually lower than some other classes of vehicles!! However, for a recent trip to SF, the price was not in my favor (minivans were $1200+ vs what I got for about $250 for a little more than a week), so, I rode my son's bike, which happen to be out there (and I could adjust close enough to my fit.

I vote for the Trico iron case. I used one all through the 90's and have flown 30+ times with mountain and road bikes with no damage to the bikes. With the case I've lost a strap which was easily replaced and have a crack in one of the corners that doesn' effect anything.

Since you work for the airline do you have to pay the over size bag fee? About 80% of the time I would go to the sky caps for check in and they would say my bike case looks more like a display case. Or they would just check it without charging the fee and give me a wink, wink. So I would give them a $10 tip and they saved me $40. After 9/11 that luxury went away.

Where are you located? I have my case that hasn't been used in ten years. If your intersted we can work something out.

I use a Thule "Round Trip" case I picked up at REI, and really like the protection it affords. It easily accommodates my 61cm frames. I fly Southwest almost exclusively, and they charge $50 each way.

My experience has been that TSA will open the case and look through it, so I always include a photo of the packed bike inside the case so they'll know how to repack it if they decide to take the bike out of the case for some reason. So far, everything has arrived intact and undamaged, with a nice little note from the TSA that includes a phone number to call if you're unhappy with their repacking or if something is missing.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...CIMG6938sm.jpg