Bike Box Alan or Evoc and Large Road Bike

Bullet1

I'm taking my 60.5cm Dogma on a flight later this year so just after some advice on bike boxes.

Firstly is BBAlan twice as good as the Evoc with the road bike mount? The Evoc appears to be slightly bigger but obviously hasn't been thrown out of a moving car at 50mph without any problems to the bike?

One of my main concerns is the level I'd have to strip my bike down to pack it - in particular with the BBA - Happy with the wheels, seat post and handle bars, however on the BBAlan website and admittedly on a 29er it took complete removal of forks and potentially the derailleur? Anyone any experience of packing a large road bike frame into a BBAlan

When I get to the airport I'll need a quick turnaround as my bags will go on the transfer coach whilst I cycle the transfer, therefore getting my bike quickly rebuilt before the coach leaves.

Any thoughts & advice much appreciated!

Bullet1

......one other question - will I need to remove or disconnect the Di2 battery?

fenix

Taking the rear mech off is always sensible. Keep the cable connected and tuck it out of the way.

Why do you need to cycle from the airport? Are you leaving the bike box there?

Reassembling the bike isn't something you want to rush. and I believe the battery should go in your hand luggage if practical.

Bullet1

I'm away on business in Montreux and flying into Geneva - time is limited with the exception of the arrival day and departure day so taking the opportunity to cycle the 100 k each way round lake Geneva on the way to and from the airport.

pblakeney

Bullet1 wrote:

I'm away on business in Montreux and flying into Geneva - time is limited with the exception of the arrival day and departure day so taking the opportunity to cycle the 100 k each way round lake Geneva on the way to and from the airport.

Hire a bike.

sungod

^^^this, for two rides it's too much hassle taking a bike on a trip

anyway...

i'm 188cm tall, my frame is large (custom so no listed 'size'), but it fits in the bba case ok - i've got the version for large frame, i think they change the position of the strap anchor points

i don't need to remove the fork



lots of bubblewrap and stuff in there to act as padding to stop anything that comes loose bouncing around and causing damage

i've found it best to remove the rear mech, a removable link on chain helps too (chain goes in a chain box underneath the foam padding, the pedal wrench is under there too)

Bullet1

PBlakeney wrote:

Bullet1 wrote:

I'm away on business in Montreux and flying into Geneva - time is limited with the exception of the arrival day and departure day so taking the opportunity to cycle the 100 k each way round lake Geneva on the way to and from the airport.

Hire a bike.

Did think about hiring, however 5 day bike hire would cost £120 or so. Plan on buying a bike box for ongoing future use anyway so no additional cost there so to speak. Cost of additional baggage also covered FOC (mate works for airline)

pblakeney

Bullet1 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Bullet1 wrote:

I'm away on business in Montreux and flying into Geneva - time is limited with the exception of the arrival day and departure day so taking the opportunity to cycle the 100 k each way round lake Geneva on the way to and from the airport.

Hire a bike.

Did think about hiring, however 5 day bike hire would cost £120 or so. Plan on buying a bike box for ongoing future use anyway so no additional cost there so to speak. Cost of additional baggage also covered FOC (mate works for airline)

I meant 2 x 1 day hires.

undapressure

Thule Roundtrip Transition. All you need to do is remove the wheels and the stem/bars to get the bike in, much easier than a BBA. Also has a collapsible workstand for building your bike at the other end which is great. Slightly taller and wider than the BBA.

AK_jnr

I have a BBA and never remove my RD. One thing that panicked me the first time I used it was that my cable outers were quite short when I tried to twist and turn my bars to put them in the box. Luckily it went in ok as I wouldnt of had time to re do them. Love the box though. Great investment.

Grifteruk

BBA is a quality piece of kit - 4 trips so far with no issues whatsoever so its now paying for itself over and above hiring a box or any cheaper options which get beaten up.

Easy enough to leave the fork and rear derailleur mounted. It even takes my Wilier with integrated seatpost without any hassle.

I tend to take the bars off at the stem plate and place them out of the way. Get a pack of cable ties for trip out and trip back and you can easily tie down anything that feels like its loose. Having said that with a pile of bubble wrap and clothing packed in and around I am yet to have any cause for concern (other than the airline losing it ).

rpherts

Has anyone taken one of these (Bike Box Alans) on TGV trains in France? Do they fit easily into the luggage racks?

thegreatdivide

I've never taken one on the TGV but if I'm taking the train and the BBA then it gets booked into the guards van. It's too big for a UK luggage section and there's no way it could go into the overhead ;-)

fenix

Can't remember how big the TGV luggage space is but apparently you can : http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/plann ... rains.html


Large suitcases and small bags

There are special areas for outsize luggage on board the TGV. These are located at the entrance or in the middle of the coaches. If you prefer to keep your bag with you, place it in the luggage rack above your seat.

What types of luggage are accepted?
Hand luggage only is accepted (suitcases, travel bags, rucksacks) on board the TGV. In addition to bags and suitcases, you can also take the following items on board: skis, pushchairs and dismantled cycles in a bike bag, and watersport boards (which must be easy to carry and place in special areas).

Label all your luggage
For security reasons all luggage must be labelled.
The traveller's full name must be legible on every item