soft case (transport) recommendations?
 

My apologies if this has been covered; I tried the search function and have been looking around Google also.

I'd like to put my bike (60cm carbon road bike) in the back seat of my Mazda 3 for a trip. I'm thinking of buying a bike bag to simplify packing and schlepping in and out of hotels. Once I'm there the bike will stay together until I come home. I don't need maximum protection/padding or wheels and would like to keep the cost low. I see a bag on the Performance Bike website that is economical, but the photos don't show anything keeping the wheels from rubbing on the frame.

TransIt Soft Bike Case - Bike Travel Cases

Does anyone have this bag or something similar that could be recommended?

I've had a Performance brand soft case (don't see anything similar on their site now) since 1989 or so and it's been around the block. It's more padded and sturdier than the one you're looking at. For a short trip the one you're looking at would be fine. If you do alot of traveling you would want something better so everything isn't clanking around inside. I have foam padding I use to wrap my frame tubes and cover the open ends of my hubs, a plastic thingy that fits between the dropouts, protective bag for the rear derailleur, ect. Just be real careful because stuff is easily damaged inside there, especially with that cheaper case. Just pad everything even if you have to use old t shirts to wrap stuff up.

Just get a used bike box from your local LBS they usually have heaps lying around from bikes they have assembled. Probably stronger and cheaper than a bag

or just wrap pipe insulation around the tubing, you basically cut it down the side and it will slide over the tops of the tubes and fork's etc., you can get different diameter tubes and cut the length to suit your frame.

60 cm is large for sure, but you ought to be able to just take off the front wheel and squeeze it into the back seat without any more disassembly....might have to get a little creative in the arrangement

I just bought the Pika Packworks to use for my vacations.

Not sure how many hotels you'll be staying in but putting a bike in a bag is a touch more involved than pulling one or two wheels off and putting the bike in the bag. There are a lot of chances to mess things up when you put the bike back together, even if it's just straightening the bars or putting the seat post back in. Even as a long time bike mechanic I try to reduce the number of things that might go wrong on my bike so I try to reduce the amount of disassembly as much as possible.

Traveling in the car, I'd work on reducing what could go wrong. I'll usually remove both wheels and put in the very back of a hatch (your bike may not fit). For the back seat removing either the front wheel only or both wheels should work fine. In fact once you get a no-wheel frame on the (protected) seat you'll find you have quite a bit of room. Put the wheels next to the frame (front wheel first, then the rear, so the cassette doesn't hit the frame).

For rolling into hotels etc generally speaking I've rolled my bike through the lobbies of fancy and not-fancy hotels no problem. Elevators, just get the bike vertical. Practice in your house if you're not used to it. Motels are easier with your own door to the room.

If you're looking to reduce theft visibility or your car will be packed to the gills and you want to reduce the bike touching other things, okay, that's a different story. If it's the latter I use a moving blanket or an old I don't know what to call it but a blanket blanket that's not that thick but thicker than a sheet. It would help with reducing visibility as well although you won't discourage a pro. It'll also protect the car from any marks etc.

As far as the bag that you pointed out I don't have any feedback. In the days of bendable/steel frames some riders actually flew with such a bag, bending the frame back a bit if it got bent.

Not sure if this helps.

Thanks, everyone, it all helps. I'm sure I can swaddle the bike so that I don't get grease on the car interior or rub marks on the bike. The prospect of packing the bike carefully in a case and then being able to get the case in and out of the car easily is attractive, but a case that's cheap enough to make avoiding a small hassle worthwhile may not do the job well enough in the first place. I may be close to a Performance Bike today and see if they have one in stock.

We use Aerus soft cases for our CF road bikes. Total weight is under 35lb with bike and all riding gear so it's pretty easy to carry and maneuver on shuttles, taxis etc. About half the time I don't get charged the bike fee as the agent sees the weight and prints out the tag before looking and seeing how big it is. At that point they ask me what it is and either let it go or redo the tag and charge me the fee. Also, about half the time the bike comes out on the normal luggage conveyor rather than through the oversize window. The only time we use our old hard cases is for shipping the bikes.

Jut get a chain condom

Home

FWIW, I remove the chain and detach the RD from the dropout when packing up the bike. The Aerus case includes a padded bag to stick the RD into that velcros to a seat stay leaving the cable connected. You can leave the chain on, but I find it easier/tidier to use a quick-link and stick the chain in a baggie. I also put a baggie over the cassette on the rear wheel and wipe off the chain ring with a rag.