Bike bags / boxes

I’ve booked a week with Bike Verbier in the summer (which I’m very much already looking forward to!!) and will almost certainly be flying to Geneva as opposed to driving. As it will be the first time that I have flown with a bike, Does anyone have any recommendations for bags and / or tips for reducing the likelihood of damage in transit?

Pack it really well!

I’ve always used a bag to transport my road bike as it was cheaper to buy. There are pros and cons of each.

Boxes are likely to be more sturdy but are expensive and harder to get mtbs in. You can hire them though. A few shops near me do it.

If you decide on a bag my tips would be to try and get some really thick card (like a box for a bike frame) to add some structure. A roll mat can also work. I then cover the frame in pipe lagging and protect, remove, immobilise fragile bits. Things like mechs, shifters, brakes.

Loads of guides out there.

Remember you need to get it home so don’t destroy the packaging.

Money no object, Evoc is a brilliant bag. Or any strong bike bag will do, with wheels helps but i managed for 10 years with a plain bag.
If dosh is tight then a box is fine.
its the way you pack it that prevents damage, ive never had a problem with anything being damaged (except the bag its self)

Mike

Spent years flying with my bike in a cardboard bike box. Only damage I ever had was a bent rotor. They are light, but your bike will require more stripping down, and more careful packing.
I now have an evoc bag, which is great, takes five minutes to pack/build now.

Ivegot a bag you can borrow if you collect it, wigan.

Used on my last seven trips to The Alps , Andorra, Italy etc.

It’s kept my bikes safe. Past its best now inside but outside is still good.

I have a cheap bike bag and only gotten one bent rotor, but as mike says “its the way you pack it that prevents damage” I always dismantle all bike parts and use pipe insulators as padding. My mate has an EVOC and I can say it’s brilliant.

Thanks to all for the advice, it seems that getting hold of some good packing materials will be key.
coolhandluke, thanks for the very generous offer. I’ll have a look at costs etc of buying but may well take you up on the offer closer to the time. 🙂

I always just go to the the LBS and see what boxes they’ve got. I used to prefer road bike boxes as they were a bit taller because of the big wheels. Gives more space for packing in bubble wrap or body armour.

On the subject – does anyone know of any shops in the southeast (North Kent / South East London) that hire bags?

TIA

Si

Used an evoc for 3 years now without incident. You don’t really need all the extra packing material as the bag does the work of keeping things in the right place. I do church an old sheet around the bike just for something to keep hotel room floors clean mostly. Can be packed in under 10 mins if I’m going well. Very easy to handle and manoeuvre around the airport too which is important for me.
Bag weight is around 9kg which you need to factor in to your allowance.

I’ve just bought the Evoc 280L one. Contemplated a cheaper one & box case route but decided to bite the bullet. Was recommended by a friend who travels a fair bit and seems very happy with his. Being lighter I can stuff some clothes in there too. So the combination of not paying to check in a suitcase & 10% CRC discount convinced me!

The Evoc ones do appear to be pretty impressive! I do intend to travel more after this trip (assuming there are no ridiculous disasters which put me off) so the cost over the long term isn’t to outrageous.
Forgive my ignorance, but do people generally just check the bags in as normal luggage?

Check with the airline. Jet2 charge £30 each way to take a bike. But as they charge for hold luggage anyway I didn’t think that was too bad. Esp if you can pack some clothes in with your bike.

Forgive my ignorance, but do people generally just check the bags in as normal luggage?

All airlines are a little different, some have specific sporting goods rules so they charge a fixed fee for that. Others do it by piece.

Esp if you can pack some clothes in with your bike.

That’s pretty much what I was thinking. As much as you can fit up to the weight limit combined with the largest allowable hand luggage.
thanks mike, I’ll take a proper look at the terms & conditions of potential airlines.

If anyone ever wants to borrow a bag, I have two (the older PX/On-One ones), located near Malvern, that never get used and are available.

Esp if you can pack some clothes in with your bike.

Be aware that some airline terms do not allow this. Whether or not they actually bother to check is another issue…

are the Evoc ones good for road bikes too, or would you look at a hard box?

The chap who recommended the Evoc to me is a roadie so I assume it’s spot on. I just see it as one of those outlays that should hopefully last year’s as it’s not exactly used every week. Only needs to work the once to earn it’s money!

I’ve used a friend’s Evoc a few times now for both road and MTB, it’s a well thought out piece of kit. Easy to move about once it’s packed and doesn’t take up that much room in the back of a car or on a train.

Just read some reviews, that Evoc bag looks good…. and a Seasucker mount could mean flying with the bike and using a hire car would be a feasable option for a family holiday as i can take the bike out and fold bag up in the car so theres room for all the other luggage

I’ve used an Avenir £70 job on my 29er about a dozen times and it’s probably at the end of its life. It gets good treatment by the baggage handlers as I know them so it’s had an easier life I guess than some.

There are some hardened boxes on Amazon for £150 which have caught my eye recently…. Anyone bought one??

Most airlines treat bikes as sports equipment / oversize luggage and charge extra these days.

Advantage of boxes is that they’re good at protecting the bike e.g. carbon frames from crushing. However, they are heavier and heavier items when dropped hit the ground harder! The only box I’ve ever bought got trashed on the first flight so I’ve stuck with steel or titanium framed bikes and padded bags.

We at biking andalucia in Spain see about 100 bikes a year arrive through the airport, and, in my opinion if used correctly the cardboard box (that bikes are delivered to the shops in) can perform as good as anything. The Evoc makes it easier though the cardboard box is free or cheap and sacrificial. It is a good idea to take a spare mech hanger, also you may want to refer to, http://bikingandalucia.com/useful-information/, 7. Bringing your own bike, and http://roadcyclinguk.com/sportive/travel-air-bike.html/1#BueyZIKV3UhekvI4.97