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  • How much for a bike bag?
  • damo2576
    Free Member

    Looking at bike bags which seem to vary wildly in price.

    I need something that will allow by bike to go safely on a plane.

    Any idea how much I need to spend for something good enough? Or any particular recommendations?

    RobHilton
    Free Member

    I’ve got a Merlin one – does nicely
    http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop/Accessories/Bike+Transport/Bike+and+Wheel+Bags/Merlin+Padded+Bike+Bag_1536.htm

    Whatever you go for I’d recommend getting a cardboard bike box (free from good LBS) and cutting it to fit in the bag for extra rigidity.

    clubber
    Free Member

    Mine’s similar to the Merlin one. Cost similar too though 10 years ago. No problems yet and I’ve flown a lot with my bikes.

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    trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    *cough*

    http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/airport-monkeys-trash-bike-what-legal-rights

    Soft bags are useless. Hard shell case or nothing.

    http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/Product/21132/bike-transport-case-black.asp?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=pricecomp&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping

    Seems expensive, but not against the cost of a holiday and a broken bike and all the hassle of sorting it out. Your choice.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    Soft bags are useless. Hard shell case or nothing.

    Been on a few trips abroad with friends.
    We all use soft bags & it makes a total of 8 return trips (so 16 individual opportunities for our bikes to be trashed) and not had one issue with the bikes.
    My bag has a small tear in it as does a mates, but they can be fairly easily repaired.

    I agree that a hard case is better, but not that practical in all situations (live in a flat, no garage, no shed, small car etc) and they weigh quite a bit so you can’t pack as much in them.
    To say soft bags are useless is over-dramatising things a bit.

    As mentioned with a soft bag – it’s worth getting hold of a bike box to cut down & slip inside. Makes it more rigid and a lot easier to manoeuvre.
    I always go for the overkill approach to packing so my bike is pretty well entombed in a mix of bubble wrap, pipe insulation & packing foam.

    There is a risk associated with letting baggage handlers throw your beloved bike about, but you can minimise this by packing it well (and getting it adequately insured).

    EDIT – I should have said. I’ve got a Brand-X (I think) bag from CRC. It’s the same as the CRC one just a different colour and is fairly sturdy. Cost about £60.

    Munqe-chick
    Free Member

    Thing you hvae to think about with the hard case is how much it’ll ramp up your weight limit and on some airlines now it’s very tight/close what they allow.
    We fly at least once a year if not twice with bikes in big padded bags and never had a problem with anything broken or damaged. mr MC packs the bikes and he is very meticulous, discs come off, read mech comes off, twist handle bars, pedals off, wrap the tubes in pipe lagging, then put various bits of extra cardboard around delicate bits and it’s great. Just make sure you look at the dimensions on the bag, we alwyas thought they were pretty much the same size however Mr MC bought one that was monster and the most recent bike bag he bought from Merlin was a baby bag. It was fine for my bike but he couldn’t get his in there. 9 times out of 10 your bike will be fine.

    Out of interest where are you flying to and with what airline?

    trailofdestruction
    Free Member

    To say soft bags are useless is over-dramatising things a bit.

    Ok, maybe a bit ott, BUT, my expensive and fragile bike in a soft bag being slung in a cargo hold underneath 50 fully loaded suitcases. No thanks. I agree that storage space is a premium that not every body can afford, and that buying a case is going to work out expensive if you’re not going to be travelling regularly, but do you really want to take the risk ?

    How about hiring one for your trip ?

    http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/#hire

    utangvegas
    Full Member

    I have taken my bike to a number of countries to race and ride and so far this best bike bag I have used.

    http://www.silverfish-uk.com/products/1172-evoc_bike_travel_bag.php?r=3m2d0b16s0

    Over the years I have have used bike boxes (hard case), bike bags with and without wheels and also good old card board bike box from the back of bike shops.

    First you want good protection of course where you do not need to take loads of extra padding and foam as it is a massive pain sometimes on the return leg when you forget the tape!

    Things to also consider are storage both at home and away as hard cases take up room in your shed/garage plus when you get to the other end trying to fit them in a hire car can be a nightmare. When I last used a hard case I had to rent a 4X4 to get it in but by using a softer bag like this I got my bike in a ‘Clio or similar’ saving me cash plus the bag lives under by bed out the way.

    Also think about time to pack your bike up safely as waking from the last night party late can make for some dodgy packing on the return leg. Been there and done that!

    I 100% recommend something with wheels and is easy to move about. This means changing terminals, getting the bus or just getting to the check-in desk with all your bags so much easier. Carrying a bike 1 mile in a bike box in the South of France afternoon sun is no fun what so ever, trust me!!!

    I hope this helps.

    utangvegas
    Full Member

    Oh and price. I always think about the cost of my bike and how much I would have to pay for new wheels/ fork legs if they got damaged. My bike is worth a lot to me in cash and riding on arrival so do not be afriad the spend as most good bags/ cases last well.

    I once arrived in Canada with a massive hole in my the card board box I was using and 1 x rotor missing. Trying to locate a new one was a massive pain plus they had dragged the box across the floor and worn the bottom of my fork leg flat!!!!!

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    I have an Evoc and it’s pretty good protection-wise, not bombproof though. Also used a DHB hardcase one which was OK but too heavy and hard to pack.

    One thing I would recommend is getting one with wheels on the bottom, even if you can get a trolley easily at the airport there’s still quite a lot of walking/lugging about required.

    ltheisinger
    Free Member

    I’ve got the CRC one and travelled with it many times – like previous posts the advice is to put a cardboard box inside for extra protection & rigidity. Traveling again with mine to the USA this year and have no worries about doing so!

    CRC Bag

    geoffj
    Full Member

    I’ve got the CRC bag linked above, and whilst its OK, the floor isn’t very stiff, which makes using the rollers difficult. Plus, the front handle is too low which means it becomes unbalanced when trying to lift and pull it.

    I think I’ll be looking at hard cases now.

    ltheisinger
    Free Member

    geoffj – Member

    I’ve got the CRC bag linked above, and whilst its OK, the floor isn’t very stiff, which makes using the rollers difficult. Plus, the front handle is too low which means it becomes unbalanced when trying to lift and pull it.

    I think I’ll be looking at hard cases now.

    I found that by putting the bike in a certain way around (can’t remember which way now?) it made a MASSIVE difference to the balance – I think it was ‘forks nearest the pull handle’? Also the cardboard insert made a massive difference! For the money I was very happy!

    ononeorange
    Full Member

    We’ve got two of the soft ones (Evans and Leisure Lakes branded) but they’re both really the same. Been on a number of flights and so far bikes have been fine. I picked them both up off ebay in the autumn which is when they seem to go for a song, although that’s probably not much use to you now.

    Agree above that just putting the bikes in properly protected with cardboard etc pretty much gets you to your weight limit.

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    I’ve got the best soft bag I could find, the evoc. I’d love a hard case but the combined weight would mean that I wouldn’t be able to get my bike on any flight. Plus they can be a bit tight on space for some bikes.

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