Bike boxes

pedalbasher

Any recommendations for bike boxes?

Will be travelling to Spain and Mallorca this year, and hopefully at least once or twice to the mountains in future years.

After a few initial google searches and a bit of review-hunting, it seems the Bike Box Alan is a good choice. Not cheap though at c.£450.

Any other suggestions? I am tempted to go cheap for a soft style bag but ultimately I think it's probably worth the extra couple of hundred quid for peace of mind where my expensive carbon bike is concerned.

Grateful for thoughts / experiences with the Bike Box Alan and other alternatives.

Cheers

sloppyschleckonds

Piece of mind with the BBA, just a PITA to negotiate to and from and inside Airports.

gethinceri

B&W box from Rose, about £160.00

Wirral_paul

I've got a BikeBoxAlan myself - you're right it isnt cheap - but PilotPete (guess what his job is) convinced me in my recent thread about the same. No regrets at all from me.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12961875&p=18781005&hilit=box#p18781005

Consider it an investment - and after seeing the prices they sell for on Ebay, you could recoup most of the cost if you sold it on!!

sungod

bba for me too

mine is a few years old now, done plenty of trips and still ok

uk firm, great customer service

supermurph09

Check out Polaris.

apreading

I just got an Aerus Biospeed for my trip to Tuscany. Much cheaper at £150 from Planet-X. Was convinced to try it by the MANY testimonies on the web, particularly this guy: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/02/how- ... -bike.html

Wont know how well it works for me until saturday!

I must admit to being a bit nervous but there is overwhelming evidence in the land of the internet that I should be OK.

JMcP92

I just got a cardboard box from my LBS and coated the bike and box in bubble wrap. Did the job, there and back with no damage to the bike and saved me several hundred on a box.

Pack your bike properly and don't waste such money

slowbike

We got a couple of Evoc bags - they're not completely soft - have a solid base and use battens to hold up the sides.
With the soft side the only bit I was really concerned about was the carbon levers on my shifters - but a shoe over each gave them protection that I wanted.

The advantages for us are that the bags are light so you can pack more stuff in and they're collapsible so it's easy to store.

sungod

JMcP92 wrote:

I just got a cardboard box from my LBS and coated the bike and box in bubble wrap. Did the job, there and back with no damage to the bike and saved me several hundred on a box.

Pack your bike properly and don't waste such money

so you've not seen the posts from people who had their new bike turn up damaged with holes punched through the cardboard box?

given enough violence nothing can prevent damage, but a cardboard box is at the low end of the protection scale, just above paper bag

insurance will not pay out if the insurer decides packaging was inadequate, even if it did, it won't compensate for the loss of use or ruined trip

JackPozzi

I've used a polaris eva bikepod for several years and not suffered any damage as yet despite witnessing some horrendous treatment from baggage handlers loading a plane at stansted. Can be found for about £200 and while not as solid as a bike box alan it is a fair bit lighter which can be important for avoiding excesss fees depending on who you fly with. Only annoying thing about it is trying to wheel it about can be a hassle as there's not a sensible handle anywhere, but it's fine as long as you don't have to walk too far.

thegreatdivide

BBA for me too. Bought one at the start of last year and it’s been hauled onto planes, trains and stuffed into the back of cars. It’s built like a tank but not very heavy, so it’ll make the excess baggage allowance on bucket flights. Well worth the money.

Dodger747

Evoc bike bag for me. Used mine for around a dozen flights now and still in really good shape.

Not only is it easy to move around [important when traveling with other luggage] but it packs away quite small and fits into small cars.

stueys

BBA for me, very pleased with it.

You can use cardboard boxes and soft bags with no issue. The problem is you may not know if someone damages your frame, carbon can be dropped, show no signs of damage but be weakened.

gsk82

The problem with a cardboard box is that you may get there and find its in no condition to get your bike home.inpaid £430 for a BBA and would get £300 for it on eBay still

apreading

Many airlines will not insure your bike for loss or damage if its in a cardboard box.

British Airways wrote:

We will accept non-motorised bicycles up to 190cm (75in) in length, provided they are packed in a recognised bicycle bag.

Please ensure that you:

pack the bike in a protective case or bag
remove the pedals or fix them inwards
fix the handlebars sideways
deflate the tyres to reduce the risk of damage

See this article for some further information - make sure you follow the criteria for your airline, some will insist on hard sided cases. http://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/roadri ... and-bikes/

top_bhoy

Bike Box Alan may be good, no arguments here from all the comments and reviews that I've seen but they are a bit on the heavy side. Except for that, I would probably have got one.

Not sure if there is something like this available in the UK but I'm considering this to bring my bike over in the summer
http://envirobikebox.com.au/

Someone at work who flies numerous times a year with his bikes suggests the ordinary LBS cardboard bike box or the enviro box (as shown). If I can get it delivered by a courier from Manchester to Glasgow when I arrive (I'm checking this out), I think I'll be going with the enviro box at about 45 GBP.

I'm not naive to think that my bike will be as well looked after as the Australian National Cycling Team but I do think its a decent compromise, especially when it's not carrying a high value bike.

Perhaps Google it and see if there's something similar in the UK.

slowbike

Top_Bhoy wrote:

Bike Box Alan may be good, no arguments here from all the comments and reviews that I've seen but they are a bit on the heavy side. Except for that, I would probably have got one.

Not sure if there is something like this available in the UK but I'm considering this to bring my bike over in the summer
http://envirobikebox.com.au/

Someone at work who flies numerous times a year with his bikes suggests the ordinary LBS cardboard bike box or the enviro box (as shown). If I can get it delivered by a courier from Manchester to Glasgow when I arrive (I'm checking this out), I think I'll be going with the enviro box at about 45 GBP.

I'm not naive to think that my bike will be as well looked after as the Australian National Cycling Team but I do think its a decent compromise, especially when it's not carrying a high value bike.

Perhaps Google it and see if there's something similar in the UK.

Hmm - had a quick look and saw this:

Bike Box Usage Tips

Make sure to cover up any buckles with bubble wrap to avoid damage to the bike box.

Hmm ... if you're having to bubblewrap to protect the BOX then I don't hold out much hope for the bike itself.

top_bhoy

Slowbike wrote:

Top_Bhoy wrote:

Not sure if there is something like this available in the UK but I'm considering this to bring my bike over in the summer
http://envirobikebox.com.au/

Hmm - had a quick look and saw this:

Bike Box Usage Tips

Make sure to cover up any buckles with bubble wrap to avoid damage to the bike box.

Hmm ... if you're having to bubblewrap to protect the BOX then I don't hold out much hope for the bike itself.

Its bubblewrapping the buckles, not the box hence I can only assume its to prevent any corner of the buckle damaging the box when under tension. I don't see any reason why the buckles should require tension anything other than moderate hence I consider the risk as unlikely to occur to the extent where the consequence is a damaged bike. Its all a compromise between, weight and cost...I agree with one thing, probably if I had a high value carbon frameset and wheels, I'd be reconsidering the options.

slowbike

Top_Bhoy wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Top_Bhoy wrote:

Not sure if there is something like this available in the UK but I'm considering this to bring my bike over in the summer
http://envirobikebox.com.au/

Hmm - had a quick look and saw this:

Bike Box Usage Tips

Make sure to cover up any buckles with bubble wrap to avoid damage to the bike box.

Hmm ... if you're having to bubblewrap to protect the BOX then I don't hold out much hope for the bike itself.

Its bubblewrapping the buckles, not the box hence I can only assume its to prevent any corner of the buckle damaging the box when under tension. I don't see any reason why the buckles should require tension anything other than moderate hence I consider the risk as unlikely to occur to the extent where the consequence is a damaged bike. Its all a compromise between, weight and cost...I agree with one thing, probably if I had a high value carbon frameset and wheels, I'd be reconsidering the options.

But - if you're having to bubblewrap buckles to prevent damage to the box then what about all the other hard objects the box is travelling with? ie all the other suitcases & bags ... ? It may be cheap, but it doesn't sound like it's long lived ...

Grill

BBA for me. I've had two frames break in other boxes (B&W and DHB).