Chain Reaction Bike Bag - or other recommendations?

[marckietan]

hi all
I have signed up do the BUPA round the bay for the first time this year and am based in Sydney....and will probably look at flying down to Melbourne with the bike.

Has anyone used a Chain Reaction bike bag to transport their road bike? any thoughts or views? Should I just use a cardboard bag instead? did it offer good protection and what did you have to take off the bike to make it fit?

thanks

M

[jacks1071]

Soft bags are rubbish on their own, you'd be better off with a cardboard box. I have travelled with a bike in a cardboard box, inside a soft bag. The soft bag made it slightly easier to lug the box around which is about all they are good for in terms of airline travel.

If you want a better solution, take a look at the ones we have:



http://www.pro-liteoz.com/store/index.p ... t&catId=11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Aushiker]

I have flown from Perth to Melbourne to Auckland to Brisbane to Denspar and then on to Perth with my carbon bike in soft bag and whilst I had issues with the bag I will use it again for sure. My bag is a Scicon AeroComfort Plus Bike Bag.



I have also flown with cardboard boxes. I prefer the bag where I will be doing something along the lines of what you are planning, whereas I use boxes if the return is via bike.



That said if you can keep the box for the return flight then that is by the cheapest option.

Andrew

[Ross]

I use a soft case from Wiggle and find it to be great. I have used it for several interstate trips

I have used a hard case once before and found several issues.

1) it weighs 9-10kg on it's own before you put in the bike, some tools (can't have tools in carry-on luggage), maybe a track pump and some bike clothes/shoes you are up to or over 25kg. When I used a hard case to go o/s a few years back QANTAS wanted to charge me $1000 ($100 per kg) for excess luggage. That was just for the Canberra to Sydney leg.
2) It is big and awkward to store when empty, soft cases can be folded up and stored in a cupboard or under a bed
3) With a hard case the bike requires a lot more disassembly. You have to take wheels, pedals, handlebars, seat/post and sometimes even rear derailleur. So this requires more tools to be bought with you, so more weight, and more mechanical knowledge and expertise needed as well. And time to assemble/disassemble the bike. With my soft case the front wheel is the only thing that has to come off.

A friend packed his bike in a hard case last year to got o TDU and somehow he didn't pack it right and it arrived with a cracked frame. That's obviously not a fault of the case but just showing that a hard case is not the magic bullet that some make them out to be.

[scirocco]

Soft cases can be fine, just don't kid yourself about the protection you're getting. If the bike is not too pricey then go for it.

Cardboard boxes are a good compromise: a bit more protection than a bag but not as heavy as a hard case. Bag or soft case, though, wrapping PVC foam tubes around the frame will do more to protect it than the container.

[dalai47]

I have the Polaris Bike Pod, which is an EVA case that the Pro-lite is a variation of. Only real difference looks to be weight with the Polaris is lighter at 6.7kg. All helps when trying to keep under luggage allowance limits on International flights.

Ended up being 19kg with bike and tools last OS trip. Just made sure the frame was covered using slit pipe lagging and reusable cable ties.

[RonK]

I've made more than a dozen flights with a bike in a wheeled soft case (copy of a Scicon bag) without any damage to the bike. First time I put split pipe lagging on the frame, but now I don't bother.

[marckietan]

thanks guys. great feedback from the community as always....for a one off, it looks like i might be sticking with a box or the chain reaction bag (more for convenience than protection).

And yes, will put pipe lagging and cable ties to keep things fixed.

Do you think you have to remove the rear deraileur or do you just pull it up and attach it to the frame with ties or something similar?

[dalai47]

I remove it then wrap in bubble wrap and tape to the frame. Even though my frame has a replaceable hanger and I always travel with a spare hanger...

[RonK]

You should be able to get some plastic dropout spacers from your lbs - new bikes are packed with them and they are usually thrown out with the box.

[jcjordan]

I have been using my Aero comfort bag for three years and love it. It has even managed to survive the idiots at virgin baggage.

[jacks1071]

I have the Polaris Bike Pod, which is an EVA case that the Pro-lite is a variation of. Only real difference looks to be weight with the Polaris is lighter at 6.7kg. All helps when trying to keep under luggage allowance limits on International flights.

Ended up being 19kg with bike and tools last OS trip. Just made sure the frame was covered using slit pipe lagging and reusable cable ties.

We've added a little weight to ours based on what I learned both selling and using the origional Polaris case. There is hard plastic rails under the case to stop it sagging, also to provide protection if you bottom it out.

There is a hard plastic insert on the bottom of the case to avoid the chain ring sawing through the case in the event you don't pack it properly, and we run wheels on the front so you can tow the case without lifting it which is a life saver for your arm.

I also had spacers made up that go on the end of the wheel skewers to support the opposite side of the case so that the case can't be crushed.

The amount of weight that adds is very little. 6.7kg on the Polaris isn't accurate, check on your scales if you like.

I was initially attracted to the Scicon style cases with the metal frame on the bottom as a little less disassembly is required. Given the amount of EVA cases I've sold to people who have that exact style of case already, I'd never use one.

As someone else said above, you are kidding yourself if you think the level of protection is the same.

[dalai47]

Good idea about front wheels and additional design features. I've had to wheel mine at various times from bus and train stations to accommodation - given the molded handle only my arms nearly fell off!

I went with the EVA case because I thought it was a good compromise between weight and protection. I did previously owned a Big Foot Extreme Plus case. Brilliant for protection but weighed a ton empty!

[rifraf]

I'm an aficionado of the cardboard box. Bike shops are often glad to be rid of them and if asked politely will give you one for free or a few dollars for the charity box. Take a six pack with you and you'll have friends for life. I usually manage to scrounge some bubblewrap to protect the frames paintwork from the spokes and/or handlebars and stem. I remove the derailleur to help save the hanger and deflate the tyres.
Saying that, if I get on well with my new Ogre, I intend to look into getting some S&S couplers for it which should see it getting into a large suitcase (I hope) - Oh the plans of men and mice....