Hi

With the annual trip to the alps looming I’m looking at flight bags mainly due to the hassle of hiring them I’d rather buy one as it’ll get used hopefully twice a year…

I know the default answers Evoc but there’s 2 things stopping me

1s the dakine bag at 250 quid it looks just as good n slightly better specs

Or there’s the wiggle CRC one at 125….

Anyone got any real world stories.

Evoc 🙂

The expensive one.

Our daughter has dragged a Polaris Axel Pod around the world for the last few seasons and its still going strong. Its in Whistler at the moment. Will take a 29er Enduro plus what ever she can get in it. Last year she brought back a big rubber dingy in it. They are usually discounted by up to 50% on the Polaris site

I have been using the CRC Pro ( strong word!) bike bag for a few flights and is proving to be durable, its on offer for £169 at the mo.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/chain-reaction-cycles-pro-bike-bag/rp-prod114204

For the money its pretty good, the only downside is depending on how the bike and parts are packed it can be a little wobbly while pulling it along, but ive found this can be solved by putting some extra weight (tools) in the bag that contains the front wheel so it more closley matches the rear

Have used CRC bags x2 for years. They’re robust but the back end tends to flop and have had to build a frame out of plastic pipe and velcro’d it in which solved the problem. When they finally die will be buying Evoc.

Evoc for me, even better if you can get one with the bike stand, makes packing and punacking so much easier.
Never let me down for local Asia travel or for those bigger journeys like a recent Whistler trip, not a scratch or dent.
Customer service is tiptop as well…..though this usualy always relates to people losing or breaking those little front wheels.
CRC used to always have one or two models on sale?

The Polaris ones winning at the moment as it’s under 200quid

Customer service is tiptop as well…..though this usualy always relates to people losing or breaking those little front wheels.

Which little front wheels? I don’t recall ever having had any on mine. Or seen any on other people’s bags.

I’ve looking out for a cracking Evoc deal, deffo want one with the frame

I set up some alerts on eBay and Gumtree a couple of years ago and got a good used Evoc one for about £65. Friends have also had similar success.

Polaris bag here. Well thought out, big enough for a L 29er. Strong but not stupidly heavy. Not Evoc money. We’ve about 4 of them in our riding group an all really rate them. Polaris are a nice company to buy from as well.

I’ve got an Evoc bag that’s probably 6 years old now & it’s done a lot of flights. It’s well & truly battered now.

Would I buy again? No.

Firstly my bike doesnt fit in it without taking it to pieces, neither does my smaller one. They need to be about 10cm longer.

Secondly, I don’t run big tyres, but fighting a 29 wheel into the thing is a right pain.

It’s also a pain in the arse in an airport. A box on a trolley is much easier to move around.

The older Dakine ones that roll on the wide edge are great. Fits my XL Patrol fine with fork compressed. Shock and Cranks removed makes it less of a squeeze. Watch eBay.

Is yours the regualar bag as opposed to the Pro, Hob Nob?

My Evoc Pro bag takes a longest Geometron no issues, I do let air out of the forks though, but no dismantling other than wheels and bars. The Pro does have a bit of extra room inside, not cure it’s 10cm, but usefully bigger

And with the extra wheel, it just rolls through the airport, I usually just give it a wee shove every now and then and then follow along behind it (Can also confirm that I’m one of those idiots who left the extra wheel on when I dropped off the bag – it got broken, and Evoc replaced it for free when I tried to buy a replacement from them)

In short – can thoroughly recommend the Evoc Pro bag, worth the few quid extra over the standard one

peekay

Which little front wheels? I don’t recall ever having had any on mine. Or seen any on other people’s bags.

Looks like this, comes with the Pro bag. Makes all the difference.

I had one of the old CRC bags (they still sell them for £50 at the mo) tbh it was okay. Pretty snug with a DH bike, I think my Enduro style bike now is probably longer.

When I last looked I got the impression you could either spend a lot on a hardcase and risk being over the airport weight limit (again this is when I had a 20+Kgs DH bike) and be safe, or use a soft case and spend the time trying to protect the bike with pipe lagging or whatever.

CYCLE2WORK15 gets you a further 15% off the Polaris site today

Brings the Axel Pod down to £187

Bought a Polaris one.

Like the firm got some shorts from about 97 still going strong so if they have built the bag out of that gusset material we’re on a winner!

Also bought a enduro bundle goddam impulse buy

Thanks for the heads up on that code Tracey.
Bought. 🙂

A couple of our team use bags CRC ones are good but didn’t last long, Evoc much better but as above go for the Pro or it is a bit of a tight fit, the Polaris was the best one, easy fit seems pretty tough, easy to handle.

I use a box but with boost frames/forks these are getting a bit tight and only seem really ok up to medium size and I have to remove the 50T cassette now, can fit a lot of bit’s and bobs in the box and very easy to handle and is more secure.

I’m still in the cardboard box end of the spectrum – taking one to Fernie in a few weeks. I just believe the ground crews take more care with a cardboard box than a hard case.
And they are free at Evans and Halfords!

I’ve got an Evoc bag and used it several times flying to the Alps. Very easy to use, strong and robust and well protected. Also well designed to fit the bike comfortably. I’d recommend one but not sure I’d pay full retail price (I paid £250 in 2016), I think I’d be looking at the Polaris too.