Help save my bike from baggage handlers (hack needed)

Take off bars and (with padding) zip tie to the top tube? Depends on the length/flexibility of the cables if it'll work though.

It's how my new Van Rysel bike arrived, fully assembled (in the biggest box I've ever seen!) apart from the bars attached to the top tube.

You may have to undo some / all of the bar tape but could you loosen the levers and rotate them inboard so the shifters can't be pressed from the sides?

BikeBox Alan do an "easyfit" box now with a one piece padded cell to accept bars without the need for removal, you could rent one of those? I've got one,  I'll lend you mine for a nominal fee. The hard plastic shell should mean that nothing can get pressed accidentally. I've used mine 3-4 times so far, no issues. 

Or is there any way of bracing the bag fractionally further out using some kind of lightweight plastic / aluminium frame to create a "box" around the bars? 

I travelled last year with a hired Bike Box Alan Road Easyfit and my gravel bike levers still got pushed in (although were undamaged). Definitely loosen the lever clamp and the bracing is a good idea. If it's a separate bar/stem you should have enough slack to loosen the bar and rotate it down a bit (then tighten it again) as that should give a smidge more clearance for the levers?

I guess you could look for a rigid plastic container/box that you can cut down (as long as it's the right width to cover the bars/levers then trim what you need so it sits flush on the stem and doesn't have much at the sides)

bars off seems to be the packing standard, my latest bike arrived that way. Mine were sort of inside the forks (but it was an emtb)

you could maybe get 90mm/110 drain/soil pipe to make covers to slip over bars/levers or get pair of bark busters/mx handguards and see if they would fit on the bars whilst going down the outside  of the levers (but having been on a surf trip to Morocco and seen the number of people who wheeled broken boards to customer services) I’d probably try to hide the bars in the bag

A long pipe 150etc , 2 end caps, across with cut outs for bars ???

Remove bars and pack at side of bike...remove as much risk as possible.

I've had hard cases before - and saw BA drop it from hold to ground and get the corner smashed...they did give me the money for a new box, but it shouldn't have been dropped. The soft cases I've got have had far less damage done to them.

As much padding as you can around the bike and remove the end bits and get them padded up as well.

I'm not paranoid, but I am convinced it is going to get thrown around and not really looked after, so don't be shy in going overboard with padding.

Pipework to force out the ends and sides is a good idea as well...can you get some pipe and corners to allow you to build a frame around the bike and bits inside the bag? Might help keep the shape and reduce risk of bits being pressed.

Interested in this post as have been looking at those Scicon soft bags, specifically the one like the OP that keeps bars on and has extra padding. It also is designed for keeping rear mech on. Both of these elements worry me… 

People suggesting removing bars probably don't have fully integrated cables - there's often not enough slack in the brake hoses to get the bar and stem off and rotated (you need to do the stem as well if the cables go through it), hydraulic couplers can solve that but aren't really worth it unless travelling often

Oops, I seem to have posted before seeing that the photos are demonstrating the suggestion I was proposing!

Can you find some big blocks of polystyrene (say from a TV box) to go over/around the bars/levers? 

1. Wrap your bars, cables etc in cling film and put them in the position that they would be in within the bike bag
2. Place a big cardboard box over the bars/bike
3. Spray expanding foam in to the box
4. Use a reciprocating saw to cut the cardboard box, foam and bike in half
5. Remove the bits of bike from within the foam
6. Buy an identical new bike and it should perfectly fit your protective mould.

Simple option might be to use an old duvet or something similarly soft with sufficient give and squash to create a cushion around the bars. Should still have enough compression to allow the bag to close but with enough padding to absorb any sideways force before it gets to the point of activating (or damaging) the shifter...

Posted by: BigJohn

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Oops, I seem to have posted before seeing that the photos are demonstrating the suggestion I was proposing!

Yeah. I've already cut five pieces of piping to size and added T junctions to the ends to spread any load.

I'm running one zip tied in place inside the shifter levers, though I'll experiment with the exact position (my flights aren't for a couple of weeks)

There simply isn't enough "spare" brake hose to enable me to remove bars AND swivel them into a safer position. I even checked with my LBS whether they could replace the hose with a longer one but there isn't enough space inside frame or forks to accommodate the extra hose. 

@crazy-legs : thanks for the offer but I'm not flying out of the UK

@iainc : if you get one of these bags, you'd definitely want to remove the rear derailleur as it's in a very vulnerable position. Thankfully, mine is AXS so very easy to remove (and I'll probably remove the chain as well). Also, Scicon sell a padded cover for handlebar/shifter which is designed for extra protection. Unfortunately, it only fits bars up to 45cm and mine are 46cm AND flared...😕

If your bike fits, I'd recommend the latest EVOC Road Bike bag over this Scicon as it has a hard clam shell type top, but the EVOC can't accommodate my wider bars either....

I'm REALLY regretting buying a bike with hoses routed thru the head tube....😡

https://youtube.com/shorts/CeOj4Xr0bh0?si=JlJLsVKDjyaUSsdD

Seems like I'm not the only paranoid cyclist using these bike bags....

What about hiring a hardcase bike box ?. Pretty much designed for aircraft holds and not really that expensive

There was also another company, that did a triangular shaped box(cardboard) that was specifically for roadie bikes with the bars still in place.

Sorry, cant remember the name of them, but at the time i remember it looked ideal.

...Found it. They're called Aircaddy

Those AirCaddy boxes seem insanely expensive for what they are.

Anyway, I've got a bit carried away with the uPVC piping:

When I flew with a bike to Atlanta with a soft case, I went to B&Q and bought some polystyrene insulation sheets and gaffa tape.

I then cut the sheets to fit the bike and sort of turn a soft case into a hard case.

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