bike bags and boxes
Comments
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I've used a bike case (hardshell) on my trips from USA to Europe without much damage. I wanted to post here that I couldn't help noticing how the baggage handlers in European airports seem to handle bike cases and bags with much more care that the baggage apes here. I've had more damage accrued flying domestically than overseas. Saying that, I think you'd be safe with a good quality padded bike bag. If you're coming to the states, then buy a heavy duty bike case.
Another alternative that's really cheap is a cardboard bike shipping box from a bike shop. You can usually get them free, put your frame and wheels in it easily, then fill it with shipping foam, seal it up and your good. Stay with your box when they x-ray it, explain to them what's in it so they won't open it up, and if they do open it up, all the shipping foam (popcorn) will discourage them from digging around to much.
Good luck & enjoy Etape0 -
Have used ProBikeKit bike bag to take my carbon bike to France (seems to be the same bag also sold by Planet X : see who are cheapest !).
The bag sold by Wiggle is about half as big again, which I guess would give more protection but it's bigger to lug about and heavier.
Take the wheels off and put in the wheelbags - I also stuffed some cardboard in for extra protection. Put the skewers in one of the little pockets inside the bag.
Put blocks of wood (or ask nicely at your bikeshop for plastic spacers) in the ends of the fork and rear triangle.
If you have a quick link on the chain, take it off and put it in a plastic bag in one of the little pockets inside the bag.
Take the rear mech and hanger off, bubble wrap it and tape it inside the rear triangle
Wrap cardboard round the bottom of the chainset to protect that and stop it cutting through the bottom of the bag.
Either turn the bars parallel with the frame, or take them off completely and tape to the toptube and fork.
Take the pedals off and put in the little pockets inside the bag.
Get lots of the grey foam pipe lagging stuff from B&Q and put it all over all the frame, use lots of pipelag or bubblewrap to protect the frame from the things you've taken off and have separately inside the bag !
Think about putting some of your clothes inside the bag as extra padding - also means that if your bike arrives but your hold bag is lost in the baggage system, you have a bike and clothes ! (if your hold bag arrives but not bike, you're stuffed anyway)
Or have your shoes and bike clothes in your hand luggage...
I've flown EasyJet Liverpool to Nice and found that the bikebag and another guy's bike (simply wrapped in a big polythene bag !) were the first things out on the conveyor at Nice and looked like they'd been carefully placed on it.
Coming back however, the bag was mixed in with all the suitcases, covered in dusty marks and minor abrasions, looked like it had just been tipped about with all the rest of the hold luggage...0 -
I'm thinking of taking my road bike to Lanzarote in March, & was looking at the DHB bike bags on Wiggle. Is it better to get one where the wheel bags are separate & if so do you then stuff these into the main bag? Advice would be appreciated. I'll wrap the frame & anything else in pipe lagging i think.
AL0
