Eeks

Just came across this. He seems way too calm. But what a mess they’ve made of the bike.

i’d be a bit annoyed, possibly even miffed, but hardly my ‘worst nightmare’…

Looks like it’s fallen off the baggage cart and been dragged along, Nasty.

Realise that I signed away my rights for expensive gear on most airlines and call the insurance company that I use because they cover my gear away from home and in transit. Then demo some bikes and decide what new bike to get. Hardly a nightmare

The handlers should definitely take better care but I would be inclined to agree with Air Canada that the bag was not suitable for the job. I’ve never really felt soft bags are a good idea for air travel. Every bike I have seen damaged in transit occurred while it was in a soft bag.

I can’t believe they refused that claim 😯

Look at the state of his bag:

“the damages results from the inherent defect, quality or vice of the baggage”

What exactly do they expect bags to be made from to be able to survive that?

I’ve had one of those ded heavy hardshell bike cases irrepairably damaged in transit. Bike was unharmed and they did replace the case.

I’d be far more irritated with the mendacity and buck-passing than with the damage, certainly on the way home from a trip.

But ultimately, it’s just stuff. Baggage-handlers don’t really care about your stuff and things do get broken.

😕

Had a very minor version of this happen.

The stem top cap and some of the steerer tube was ground away from I guess being dragged along the tarmac by baggage handlers.

On the flipside I took my bike out to Australia and back, with extended stops in Malaysia on both legs, so four long haul flights.

I just used a really basic soft shell bike bag and it was absolutely fine.

The nice Aussie border patrol people even gave it a free wash for me (it was the days of foot and mouth in the UK)

“i’d be a bit annoyed, possibly even miffed, but hardly my ‘worst nightmare’…”

seriously? give me 5 minutes while i ask this bin lorry here to reverse over your bike and then drag it a mile down the road.. and then tell you ‘sorry man, nothing to do with me’

i would agree that perhaps a bad injury should be considered a nightmare for any cyclist but this incident is clearly horrific to any normal person.

I’m not sure my worst nightmare would be my bike getting damaged.

this incident is clearly horrific to any normal person

I’m not normal then. That’s a damaged bag. War crimes, child exploitation, people trafficking are horrific.

I think it’s an Evoc bag. I’ve used one for 20+ flights with no issues. If my bike was damaged like that I’d be damn annoyed but then would claim on my out-of-home insurance.

If that’s your worst nightmare you’re in for a hell of a shock.

I feel so good I can’t afford expensive bike! 😆

I’d be taking that up with Evoc – they might want to know that they’re bike bags are not fit for purpose… and should only be used for display purposes.

This is why you insure your belongings for travel.

Sure it’s upsetting to have it happen but really it’s just an opportunity to get a new bike.

“I’m not normal then. That’s a damaged bag. War crimes, child exploitation, people trafficking are horrific.

I think it’s an Evoc bag. I’ve used one for 20+ flights with no issues. If my bike was damaged like that I’d be damn annoyed but then would claim on my out-of-home insurance.”

good for you. The point of the story is the company’s treatment of the matter. The story makes clear the bag was in perfect condition if we’re to believe him and the photo’s all point to damage sustained TO THE BIKE that is WELL beyond what he could have reasonably expected. They, Air Canada, refused to see that as their problem. I think in the context of piss poor customer service, the use of ‘horrific’ is justified here. No one is killing babies or conducting “War crimes, child exploitation, people trafficking” that is true, but lets not inflame the discussion with BS comparisons like that..

I used to transport lots (30+) windsurfing boards and attendant kit to assorted locations 3/4 times a year and bring it home. After about 20 years I reckon the flight induced damaged was about 6 boards. The luggage would last about 10-15 trips on average. Single board bags lasted well, triples less so. The airlines aren’t bad but a heavy bag meeting a tired minimum wage baggage handler isn’t going to have a great day. Keep the bag weight to a minimum and pay a bit more for excess rather than pack everything into the bike bag. Lots of handles on the bag to make it easy to handle.
Accept that bike bags are consumables.

I’d go and get me some of them there slat hoofing boots and set to work, or cry.

Air Canada have “re-opened” that lad’s case. Seems hsi social media approach worked

It’s in the T&Cs of most airlines that they will only pay out something like £250 max for a lost bag. I was surprised, I can’t imagine how they get away with it tbh. If they break your shit, they should pay.

However, I have other insurance that covers it, as should everyone who travels.

First time I flew I followed the airline instructions and used their own provided cardboard box as I couldn’t afford a bag at the time. The box got shredded, and I saw from the plane the baggage handlers dragging it around rather than carrying it.

The nice Aussie border patrol people even gave it a free wash for me

When I travelled during F&M my bike had some light dirt on it, and they *detailed* it for me. It was never so clean before or since.

Just adding my voice to those with a more actively imaginative sub-conscious:

my worst nightmares are way, way darker (and weirder) than having my bike wrecked by an airline.

but this incident is clearly horrific to any normal person.

Your use of the word “horrific” does make you look like a bit of a drama queen.

I would be. Dry annoyed at the incompetance of the airline, but ultimately see it as a great opportunity to get some bike shopping done at someone else’s expense (insurance company or airline, not too bothered who pays as long as it’s not me)

It is not however “horrific”

I think a soft bags fine for travelling if your unloading loading yourself but for air travel I’d always want a serious hard shell..

Travellings hard on luggage best to hire a hard shell….If your holidays revolving around a piece of equipment then you’ve got to attempt to ensure that it gets there in one piece or your not going to have much fun.

Have had slightly bent chain ring didn’t twig it until got fed up of dropping chain……

I think a soft bags fine for travelling if your unloading loading yourself but for air travel I’d always want a serious hard shell..

As said on previous threads my bike flies in an evoc bag more than most people sit in the seats. No issues, this was a damaged by mishandling but for me that’s what my insurance covers.

It’s very shit that this guys bike got destroyed.
But as previously said it really isn’t your worst nightmare.
Drowning, losing your kids in a car accident, getting a fatal illness, add more here as the list is endless. That’s his worst nightmare.
Having a martial obejct smashed up? I’m very sure he’ll get another.

When will people understand that baggage handlers don’t work for airlines, they work for airports?

I’ve taken my roadie to South Africa three times in a dhb hard shell case and although on one occasion the handlers smashed the case by, apparently, dropping it on its end from a height, the bike was still unharmed. Air France bought me a new case and I gave it to the friend who had lent me the case, then kept the broken one and repaired it.

I have an evoc. About 15 flights so far. The outside ripped on the second flight. I fixed it with some tenacious tape. No problem since then. It’s a great bit of kit.

I reckon most people on here would be more upset if their car got scratched.

globalti – Member

When will people understand that baggage handlers don’t work for airlines, they work for airports?

You pay the airline to transport your bag, They contract out the baggage handling – how that work is done is still the airline’s responsibility, your “contract” is with the airline

That is true but if you want to transport a high value or fragile object you have to take some responsibility yourself as well.

wow. If anything I’m impressed at the steely level-headedness of the STW members here who place so little care in how they’re treated. I’m glad you’d not be fussed if something like this happened to you, I really wish I could just bend over and let a company treat me like that.

+1 jam bo,worse things happen at sea….. 😕

Or maybe some of don’t feel the need to apportion blame to someone else for everything that happens. If a mate put a jar of pickled eggs in his luggage and it broke I’d be think what an idiot, not aren’t the baggage handlers shocking. My ski bag is well travelled looks a bit like the bag in the pics now. This is not news to me. No way would I trust the my bike to the same fate.

I’m not sure my worst nightmare would be my bike getting damaged

Ah, but what if it was damaged by snakes, big angry snakes that slither around and bite people?

@nickjb the mechanism of the damage, to his bike (or your curious pickled eggs…) isn’t important here- the way that he was treated IS. You mention yourself you wouldn’t trust transporting your bike in a similar way so surely shouldn’t this lack of trust in the company be the issue? Should we not expect a certain level of treatment and not just put it down to some other guy’s tough luck and ‘shit happens’?

“…don’t feel the need to apportion blame to someone else for everything that happens” thats cool, but its CLEAR AS DAY he has been treated especially badly in this instance. I think its perfectly reasonable to expect some wear and tear when transporting heavy fragile goods-and to take precautions but the state of this is terrible and beyond what i would consider reasonable.

Should we not expect a certain level of treatment…

We do.

We know our stuff will be treated fairly badly, so we pack accordingly and have relevant insurance 🙂

I think everyone here would be pissed off with the situation.

But we are all really reacting to the drama queen language.

“Horrific”, “Worst nightmare” etc

It’s not my worst nightmare because there are no clowns in it. But that doesn’t mean it’s fine. You accept reasonable handling and reasonable responses but this is neither, I’d have been unhappy about the damage but then bloomin incandescent when they blamed the luggage.

The Evoc bags are clever but they never really seem that tough… I use a combined soft bag/cardboard box number, and then a huge amount of packaging and padding inside… They had a pretty good go at it last year and destroyed all the runners and wheels which must have taken some force, but nothing that got throught the packaging. But I don’t know how well it’d deal with this, it’s all designed to suck up normal slinger abuse, being thrown out of planes and that, not for being run over by a truck which seems like a pretty safe assumption.