Bike Bag

bhickey
bhickey Posts: 49
edited April 2008 in Workshop
I'm about to buy a bike bag for a trip to Spain. I don't expect to use it a lot over the years so don't want to spend a fortune. I've narrowed the list to 2 - Ultrasport (formerly Neil Pryde bag) and Chain Reaction's own brand bag. Both look similar but there is a £20 price difference. Cycling Plus rated the Ultrasport bag 'best buy' in a recent test, CRC website carries lots of, mainly favourable, reviews on their product. Can anyone help with comments on either, or preferably both, please ?

Thanks

Comments

  • itisaboutthebike
    itisaboutthebike Posts: 1,120
    Hi
    have a look at the Edinburgh Co-Op bike bag - most of the current('old' ones) are now too big for current(new) airline size regs, but the Ed Co-op bag (£70) is smaller to fit in with the new size regs.
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Surely the airline regs are for hard cases? A bag is soft and can be folded over altho' best to check the small print. My SciCon is within the airline limits as is the Planet X bag we have.
    M.Rushton
  • itisaboutthebike
    itisaboutthebike Posts: 1,120
    I think anyone would find it hard to fold over my Gill bike bag as its very padded - folding the ends (if it wre possible) mite blow the 'width' limit !

    I believe a lot of the airlines(need to check the airline you're travelling with etc) have reduced thier size limits for bike bags an a lot of the 'old' szie bigger bike bags (like my Gill) - hence me recommending the Ed Co-op bag which is smaller but can still accommodate a fair sized racing bike. I'm gonna sell my Gill and get one of these.
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    This size thing with bike bags has got me a bit worried as well .I've got a Neil Pryde bag
    (88cm x 128cm x 23cm). Ryanair are giving the following figures as max for luggage: 81cm x 119cm x 119cm.
    There aren't many bike bags with these dimensions, and I would imagine no boxes. Even the Polaris bike Pod is taller.
    Surely they can't be enforcing this. I've tried to contact Ryanair about this and found no email address and haven't managed to get through on the phone.
    I want to get this sorted before I go to the Pyrenees in September.
    http://lakescyclist.wordpress.com/
  • itisaboutthebike
    itisaboutthebike Posts: 1,120
    the edinburgh bag is 106x69x28 to comply with the new airline std's.

    And before anyone aks - I don't woth for Ed Bicycle Coop !
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Nickwill wrote:
    This size thing with bike bags has got me a bit worried as well .I've got a Neil Pryde bag
    (88cm x 128cm x 23cm). Ryanair are giving the following figures as max for luggage: 81cm x 119cm x 119cm.
    There aren't many bike bags with these dimensions, and I would imagine no boxes. Even the Polaris bike Pod is taller.
    Surely they can't be enforcing this. I've tried to contact Ryanair about this and found no email address and haven't managed to get through on the phone.
    I want to get this sorted before I go to the Pyrenees in September.

    They have their dimensions wrong. The 119 is h or w and the 88 is depth. BA have the dimensions in the correct order. E-jet just have a max.weight limit. Bags are easier to pack handle whereas the hard cases obviously don't flex.
    M.Rushton
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    I've just spoken to someone at Ryanair (at £1/minute), I was told that their max dimensions don't apply to sports equipment, as long as they are reasonable. My Neil Pryde dimensions are acceptable to them . I just wish I had that in writing, but there isn't an email address to contact.
    http://lakescyclist.wordpress.com/
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    BA state a dimension on their w/site but have a special section for bikes and state they accept a bike in a bag/hard case/folding bike in bag
    M.Rushton
  • itisaboutthebike
    itisaboutthebike Posts: 1,120
    Best be on the safe side and get an Ed Bicycle Coop bag !
  • bhickey
    bhickey Posts: 49
    referring to the original question I started this post with.....Nickwill - I note you have the Neil Pryde bag, can you comment on quality/durability please ?

    Thanks

    Brian
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    My personal view is that you are better off with a hard case or nothing; bike bags are difficult to handle compared to a bare bike and the handlers fairly feck bags around. A bare bike they can (and do, in my experience) wheel around. This is just a personal view having flown a number of times with a bare bike (but never one in a bag.)
  • itisaboutthebike
    itisaboutthebike Posts: 1,120
    However very few airlines (if any now) will not allow bikes aboard that aren't in a bag.

    Prior to 2004 I flew all over Europe with a 'bare' bikes, however since then very few airlines (if any now) will not allow bikes aboard that aren't in a bag of some sort.

    When we flew to Geneva (with Easyjet) to go and watch the 2004 Alpe TT we put our bikes in heavy duty see-thru plastic bags taped up with duck tape and Easyjet were ok with it, and re-used them on the way back (altho I had a might barney with the geneva check -in desk but they eventually relented). Whether this would be allowable (by Easyjet) now I'm not sure.
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    Sorry for helping to take the thread away from the op.
    I've found the Neil Pryde bag to be very good. I've been abroad several times, and neither the bike nor the bag have suffered any damage (that's probably blown it!).
    I would recommend it.

    I've always used pipe lagging on the bike, removed the rear mech and used large quantities of bubble wrap to fill out the bag. I've also lined the bag with the cardboard from a used bike delivery box. After all that has been done, I've had a semi rigid, extremely well padded package, which I've always thought I could probably drop from the top of the stairs without damaging the bike. The bag is probably almost as solid as a rigid case, considerably lighter, and arguably much better padded.
    It also takes a while to pack, but so far it seems to have been worth the effort.
    Having spoken to Ryanair, I also feel reassured that it will still be ok in terms of dimensions. I note that British Airways are more explicit in that they say that they will carry any recognised bike box or bag.
    I suspect, in reality, that this will be the position of most airlines.
    http://lakescyclist.wordpress.com/
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    Good point although I have done it recently and with major airlines (Ryanair and Aer Lingus). I think it can be down to the airport as much if not more so as the airline. Most recent flights with bare bike were Ryanair and Aer Lingus in July/August 2007. Dublin-Biarritz and Santiago-Dublin. There can also be a variance between what is said on the website and what transpires at the airport, although Aer Lingus maintains that Amsterdam is the _only_ airport on their entire route network that requires bike packaging for bikes originating there.

    I would suspect in general that the max dimensions only apply to the stuff you aren't paying a specific extra fee for and so wouldn't apply to bikes on any airline that charges for them specifically. (Specific bike fees are a hell of a lot lower than excess baggage.)
  • musto_skiff
    musto_skiff Posts: 394
    Do you have to book you bike bag in or do you just turn up at the check-in with it?

    With skis I have always booked the skis when booking the flight at a rip off price of £15 per pair usually,
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    musto_skiff wrote:
    Do you have to book you bike bag in or do you just turn up at the check-in with it?

    With skis I have always booked the skis when booking the flight at a rip off price of £15 per pair usually,

    Ryanair charge £25 for a bike if booked in advance, and more if you leave it till the day.
    http://lakescyclist.wordpress.com/
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    musto_skiff wrote:
    Do you have to book you bike bag in or do you just turn up at the check-in with it?

    With skis I have always booked the skis when booking the flight at a rip off price of £15 per pair usually,
    As Nick says, you will generally get it cheaper if you book in advance. I have heard reports of people blagging their bikes on for free but on the flip side you could really be stung; Iberia once sought £250 from me for bikes already paid for (check-in were treating the bikes simply as excess baggage.) Personally I find flying with a bike stressful enough without the worry.

    There is also generally a limit on the number of bikes per plane (around six I believe.) This usually isn't a problem but if I have heard of people having issues when flying over for a sportive; even trying to book in advance the plane was already full.

    www.bikeaccess.net is a good resource to get a general feel for how it can actually work (can be different from the actual regulations.)
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    I flew Easyjet Liverpool <-> Nice last year using a PBK bike bag (same as PlanetX I think) and will be using it again Ryanair East Mids <-> Rimini next month.

    I had lots of pipe lag over all the tubes, rear mech and chain removed, bits of wood in the fork ends, bars off and tied to forks, lots of cardboard round the chainrings, etc

    You pay an extra (£20 ? I forget) each way for the bike on Easyjet, which gives you an extra 12kg in addition to your 20kg baggage allowance.
    At Liverpool the computer showed I'd paid online for the bike, so they just weighed it and my hold bag and checked the total was less than 32kg, no problems.
    At Nice, nothing on the computer to say I had paid for the bike so I had to produce a website printout showing I'd paid, then they weighed my hold bag against the 20kg and didn't bother with the bikebag - could have had anything in that !

    Arriving at Nice, my bikebag and another guy's bike - packed 'nude' in just a big plastic bag, pedals removed and bars turned-round - came out first on the conveyor, looking like someone had placed them on it.
    Arriving at Liverpool, my bikebag came out on the conveyor mixed-in with all the suitcases and bags, covered in dirty marks and minor scuffs : the bike was OK but clearly it had been chucked-about with all the other bags.

    I wouln't fly Ryanair out of Stansted though : I've met several people now who've told me horror stories about them.
    It's not apparently Ryanair but their ground handling agent at Stansted, it's as though someone makes an active decision to try to damage bikes, smashes tough bike boxes, tacos wheels, etc
    Ryanair charge you £25 each way to fly with the bike, but then make you sign a disclaimer exempting them from liability for any damage to it...

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