I used the cheapo CRC bag for a trip earlier in the year, but I’m now thinking of something a bit easier to pack.

It will be for road bike use primarily, but with the potential of an MTB alps trips.

The Evoc is looking good at the moment http://www.wiggle.co.uk/evoc-bike-travel-bag-special-edition/

or the Polaris http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=18012

Anyone any experience of these? What about hard cases?

TIA

EVOC is ace, easy to pull around as well. Very easy to pack, about 15 mins for me.

Undo handle bar stem and place under down tube, leqaving all cables on
drop saddle
pedals off
putt all bits in the internal compartments including tools you used
put bike in and strap down
add helmet, shoes and camelbak

job done 😉

that polaris one isnt a true rigid box, its more of a stiff type foam. If its for a carbon road bike i think i’d go for a full on hard case.

bikeboxalan ones are very good
http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/
(suposed to be able to get a mtb in one as well, but pricey (although they hold prices really well from the 2nd hand ones i’ve seen). You can hire them from bikeboxalan. Check the dimensions though, i measured it and it wouldnt fit in my car. Supposed to be mega toughh though.

Polaris also do a full hard case one,
http://www.pod-it.co.uk/
i used that for my carbon road bike this year (hired one) and they are pretty good, but i think you’d struggle to get a mountain bike in one.

Problem with full hard cases and mountain bikes is the weight. A proper hard case is about 10k (some are more), so with mountain bike in you may be over the weight limit.

Will the evoc fit a DH bike?

I’ve got an Evoc. I was really impressed. We got those as a heavy bike and a hard case would have gone over the weight limit. Only used them for one trip so far and one of the plastic pipe that reinforces the wheel area got crushed. I’ve replaced them will ally tubing so I’d expect that to be a lot stronger.

Loads of room left in the Evoc so I’d imagine a DH bike wouldn’t be an issue. Took my Turner 6 pack (medium) no problem. I’ve seen people with hard cases have to remove 140 mm forks from trail bikes before.

Fits my Zesty no problem, bike + helemt + shoes + camelbak + tools = 24Kg

Easy Jet limit anyone bag 30kg. I throw in my biking clothes and washbag, few other essentials in hand luggage (30lt day sack) and I save on hold baggage. Lets be honest how many holidays have you been on and used all the clothes you packed? 🙂 Merino T’s help 😉

I went for a CRC cheapo to save weight more than anything ,plus
a couple of people I know have had their hard cases bust by enthusiastic baggage trolls.
I live under the delusion that the baggage monkeys will treat a soft bag different (in a good way).
So far so good 🙂

I dunno haw big a zesty is, it’s 140mm isnt it? My tr40 has fox 40’s and 8.25 inch rear travel, its fitting the forks in I’m worried about.

hmmm evoc website claims fits all dh bikes and 29ers. Almost ready to press the buy button..

I took a fully kitted Medium Intense 951 with Boxxer forks to Morzine in an Evoc bike bag, with plenty of room left over to cram in body armour, full face helmet, tools and all my riding gear for the week. (It wasn’t going in a plane this time, so weight wasn’t an issue).

The bag is far easier and quicker to pack than the CRC bag I had before, as well as being much easier to pull around. I bought it after Easyjet destroyed my second CRC bag in less than a year!

Expensive, but well worth the money IMHO.

Wheelz that’s an informative pic, plenty of height for the forks there. But where are your wheels?

edit – just looked ont he evoc website again, I see where the wheels go.

The wheel compartments are one of the best things about the bag. I got a set of Deemax wheels (150mm rear) with 2.5 Highrollers in the wheel compartments with no problems, although I did have to let a bit of air out of the tyres first.

+1 for the Evoc, been through the hands of Thomson to Bulgaria & Easyjet to the Alps, easy to pack, and pull about, doesn’t seem to have incurred any wear. either the bag is awesome, or the baggage handlers have upped their game.. its not the cheapest of bags, but protected my bike and wheels well and that in my eyes is worth every penny.

Actually, one of the best things about the wheel compartments is that you don’t have to mess about taking your discs off (and then putting them back on again when you arrive), as they’re protected by the tubing used to reinforce the bag so can stay on the wheels.

Having said that, I hate removing/mounting discs so much that my do it all bike that I usually travel with has Centrelock hubs for exactly this reason!