Morelock

Ok, trying to figure out some logistics... I need to get my Fuji, training wheels and race wheels (2x discs) from TN to Mexico without it getting destroyed. Anybody have some suggestions on a case? I want a hard shell for sure... Bikeboxalan looks nice but i wonder about securing the wheels (I guess the extra case for the discs) I guess I'm just resigned to removing the axles from all of them?

Anyone have experience/suggestions/etc. I'll also need to get my track bag/tools/kit/etc (but I can likely get most of that in my check bag)

carleton

Does your bike have an integrated seatpost? Or can you remove it?

If you can remove it, you have lots of options. If you cannot, then things get limited.

I asked this question of a world-level elite, and she recommended Pika Packworks. I had a custom one made for my Tiemeyer (long seat mast). I had concerns about using it for sending a bike across the country for races and moves. It worked no problem. I highly recommend them. I even packed it up and shipped it FedEx for a cross-country move.

That case is now being used by a lady on the US Paralympic squad protecting her $10,000+ LOOK L96 for international travel. If that's not a good endorsement, not sure what is

SyntaxMonstr

I've used an EVOC (wiggle.com | Evoc Bike Travel Bag (280 Liters) | Soft Cover Bike Bags) for two years now with trips to Pakistan, London, Japan, Sri Lanka, and a bunch of other places and it's kept both my road and track bikes (both carbon) in stellar shape. The bag is about 7-9 kg, and has plenty of space for tools, helmet, shoes, and kit. I dunno that I'd feel comfortable loading discs in it, but my training wheels have always arrived true. I believe Zipp makes/made a hard double wheel bag, but I'll have to look it up when I get home.

Also I wouldn't recommend taking your tools/rings/etc as carry-on. An overly cautious TSA agent might confiscate them because they look dangerous (lost a chain whip and allen key set when I was returning from Japan).

carleton

I was able to get frame, training wheels (affixed to the walls), shoes, 2 helmets, saddle, pedals, and track sack inside. If I needed another set of wheels to travel, I needed a 2nd case. I also had a Pika Packworks double wheel bag that I got second hand from a local pro who retired and sold off some gear. It was well-used but held up nicely with age.

carleton

Yeah, the Evoc looks nice.

Cgrubb

I use BikeBoxAlan. Highly recomended, so much so I have three! Have travelled everywhere from South Africa to Australia to UK to Russia many, many flights and so far never had one single issue.

Only tricky bit is what to do if you have a disc. An integral part of the box is the crush pole, but you can’t use the crush pole with a disc.

My solution has simply been to take disc as carry-on - many people don’t believe me, but it fits beautifully in every overhead locker on every plane I have been on and have never once have I been stopped from taking it onboard.

Morelock

Yeah fuji has a removable post.

I like the look of those cases, just not sure how I feel about a soft shell. What happens if the guy loading the plane puts it on the bottom of the stack?

topflightpro

There's a discussion on this in the Road Race Forum: Bike travel case

queerpunk

I've been traveling with a softshell - the OruCase Airport Ninja - for, oh, four years now? Usually about 4 trips per year. Same for my sweetheart. And we've loaned them out a bunch, plus a (mostly) cross-country move. Including disc wheels. The only issue I've ever had was when I packed my road bike so that the chainring was in the bottom seam - instead of being protected by the vinyl, it was just on the canvas. A tooth got bent. A shop fixed it in five minutes.

The thing with this case is that it's only soft-ish: it's got a ton of padding, both high-density stuff and tough vinyl, all wrapped in tough canvas. Since it's soft, everything gets strapped down together and can't move against each other. By comparison I've seen a lot of people pack hardcases so that things are really moving around in there - and that, I think, is when things get damaged. Like when TSA opened my old hardcase and put it back together so that my front wheel's axle put a hole in my rear disc.

For a weekend-long track event I can pack my bike, my wheels, my helmet, my track sack, and my clothes and shoes into my softcase (mostly shoving the other stuff under the downtube or into the rear triangle). When I've brought a disc wheel, I've added some extra rubber padding to each side of it for additional security.

airforce1

I just bought this and will be arriving shortly. i will post on how well it holds up:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...X85FIEDK&psc=1

rensho3

I am old school, or maybe just cheap. I have a Tri double case that I have been using for, oh, maybe since 1998. If you only put one bike in the case, you can get 4 wheels, a pump, tools, gear kit, and maybe a folding chair in the box, all for slightly less than 50 lbs. It's big, and ugly, but I have never had anything be damaged during transit, which includes both across the US and Internationally.

carleton

One of these?

I picked up one from the SlowTwitch forums recently for free plus shipping to get it to me. I haven't traveled with it yet. But, it's very well made.

SyntaxMonstr

Friend's friend is a baggage handler and he said they're generally gentler with soft shell cases than they are with hard shell ones because they know there's less protection in the former. Whereas with a hardshell, it's easier to think "yeah, this is durable" and just throw it around/be rough with it. Might not be true of *every* baggage handler but it seems to be pretty consistent with anecdotal experiences.

Morelock

Good lord that's a piece of luggage although it does fit all 4 wheels nicely it looks like.

I have 0 experience flying with my bike, my thoughts on softshell cases are founded by no evidence... I know every time I travel out of the US and bring back bottles of whisky I have nightmares of the baggage guy just chucking it as hard as he can against something and then getting home with shards of glass and expensive bourbon smelling pants.

As expensive as this trip is going to be, I just don't want to take ANY chances of being that 1 in whatever chance of getting to a foreign country trying to source replacement parts of a pretty rare bike. May be unfounded fear though.

carleton

Think about how many racers fly 1-3 bikes around the country/world every week for road, track, triathlon, MTB, and CX. These are pretty mature systems.

Morelock

fair enough. Thanks for the input guys.

pi03k

I've seen one of Dutch sprinters packing Koga Kimera to Pro Mega Bag

sarals 

Timely thread, thank you. I've been thinking as of late how I'm going to get my bike, two sets of wheels, two handlebars, two seat posts (with saddles), track bag, and two helmets from California to Pennsylvania next summer. I like to plan ahead.

carleton

While we are on this subject, it's generally cheaper and more reliable to ship one's bike to and from an event than it is to fly with it. An airline will lose your bike faster than FedEx will.

I have shipped my bike in a soft case via FedEx before.

rensho3

Yep, that's the one.

Morelock

that was my first thought too.

Quotes ~$600/ea way though from Bikeflights. :/

Baby Puke

Japanese keirin pros use full-on Anvil-type flight cases for their bikes, not lightweight or cheap. However, they are traveling usually every 10 days or so to a new track, so your typical case probably wouldn't last long. The obsessive/wealthy among us might want to consider this option.

carleton

Get the length, width, and height of one of the bike cases you are considering then set the weight to be like 30lbs and plug that into a fedex computer and see what's up. Keep in mind that high rates usually come from abnormal dimensions more than weight. So, don't pick a huge case for this example. Abnormally big things get dinged pretty hard. It only has to be abnormal in one of the 3 dimensions for it to be expensive.

Those are dope.

Morelock

^Thanks, I'll do a little more research on the shipping.

Morelock

Club mate had a Trico Iron case I picked up for $75. Even if I don't use it figured I couldn't go wrong at that price. It definitely is sturdy... and I think with proper padding/taping everything so it doesn't move, it'd be pretty hard for TSA to put it back in any way but correctly. A friend has the Biknd Helium he said I could borrow as well. It looks great but I see a good number of folk have had trouble with the air pockets deflating.

Speaking of Biknd, the Oxygen wheel bag looks like a good setup to take the Discs in since they are separate from each other. It seems like that or the Triall3 Wheel safe pro are the options that would fit... Anyone got thoughts on that? (I guess the Oxygen has the same concern as the Helium)