If you are traveling by bike, one of your biggest concerns may be the safety of your arrival. The road.cc team has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles on our bikes over the years using a variety of bike cases, bike bags and air cases. We’ve seen what protects bikes from movers and what doesn’t. This is the best bike cover you can buy.
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The best bike bag, box or air case will protect your bike from anything but direct gunfire; it takes as little fuss as possible to fit a bike into it; do not exceed the permitted weight of your baggage; and costs a significant amount of money.
There is some tension between these requirements. Extremely protective cases tend to be heavy and expensive, cheap bike bags won’t protect your bike either. However, if you travel a lot, the best bike bag, case or air case can be a good investment. Nothing ruins a bike ride like leaving the bike on the pavement until it’s cleared away.
Even if you’re not flying, you might need a bike bag, bike bag, or aviation case. Of course, you can keep your bike in the car, but if you also want to pack a lot of other luggage, a bike bag can protect your bike from bumps and scratches.
Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro is our selection of the best bike bags you can buy, lightweight enough to pack and protect your bike while traveling by plane, train or car. It can be easily assembled with four PVC pipes to reinforce the wheel arches and four fiberglass rods to reinforce the ends of the body. There are plenty of Velcro and clips on the inside that you can use to wrap your bike around and secure it inside the bag.
Tester Mike wrote: “The Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro does a great job protecting the bike and stuff. Everything inside is in its place, and after a week of trips by taxi, train, plane, the suitcase is almost not worn out. Signs, lifts, elevators and sidewalks in many countries.
“The standout feature of this bike bag is the detachable front wheel. It attaches to an aluminum handle so the bag can be held horizontally, allowing you to simply place your little finger into one of the top three rails. Point it in any direction. If you are bringing other luggage or children with you, it is perfectly fine to use a short strap that attaches to your belt, wrist, or other luggage to pull the bike. walks down the corridor, and your 23 kg of luggage with the inscription “check me – I’m a cyclist on vacation” meekly follows you.
While it doesn’t fall far behind the price of a hard case, it’s 8kg lighter, giving you more luggage space for other items, and it folds up for storage so you don’t need a huge closet under the stairs.
The BikeBox Alan Triathlon Aero Easyfit Bikebox is a safe, easy-to-pack bike box with a compact design. The wide handlebar section means there’s no need to start taking the bike apart, but the extra volume can cause some problems in the car trunk and when getting on. The Triathlon Aero Easyfit has a clear advantage over other cases as it does not require the removal of the handlebars. This is not only a nice feature for those who are picky about the position, but also that there is no need to disassemble and reassemble the integrated front end – something we are used to seeing on race cars these days.
The Buxum Tourmalet isn’t cheap, but it’s a well-designed bike box that can fit anything a loader might throw at it. In fact, he seems to have survived everything but direct gunfire. It’s easy to pack, and although it weighs 13.3kg, it’s not light.
The Bike Guard Curv is a high quality bike cover that provides superior protection for your pride and joy. It weighs just over 8kg, which is very light for a hard case, but also very expensive – almost as expensive as an aluminum case. During our travels, our bike arrived unscathed, but the lack of support could make it brittle if a lot of weight was placed on top.
The Merlin Cycles Elite Travel Bag packs your bike securely and easily, leaving plenty of room for all the essentials you would normally need on a cycling trip. It has plenty of shoulder straps and handles to move the bag around easily, although some extra wheels can help move it around.
The Elite Touring Bike Bag is great value for money. It is also relatively easy to load into the car and move to the baggage carousel. It fits easily in the back of a Ford Fiesta with the rear seats folded down. Also useful is that when unloading the bag can be folded down to a small size, taking up about a quarter of the space needed when fully loaded.
We have made six flights with the Bonza Bike Box. The bikes went through all these rides perfectly and there was little to no damage to the box.
It is relatively easy to store a bike inside. The printed instructions aren’t great, but a couple of videos on bonzabikebox.com will show you exactly how. It’s pretty standard stuff: you remove the handlebar, remove the pedals, remove the handlebar from the stem, maybe remove the seatpost from the frame (if you have a small frame, you’ll probably put it inside). I won’t go into details, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble.
The B’Twin Bike Bag has a large bike compartment, two wheel compartments and a sturdy base. It weighs 3.6 kg and, like most other bags of this type, comes with a shoulder strap. It’s very cheap and lightweight, but you can add a foam or cardboard backing to it to stiffen it up a bit.
The award-winning Evoc bike bag features reinforced fork attachments, external cargo wheel pockets, small parts storage and multiple handles. It can accommodate even large mountain bikes and folds for easy storage.
Internal reinforcement strengthens and supports the flexible shell, and it rolls effortlessly on a pair of rear wheels when pulled and gripped by the handle. It’s not as good as the Bike Travel Bag Pro in this respect, but at typical retail prices it’s significantly cheaper.
This durable bike cover is made of durable polymer plastic that provides excellent protection for your bike. It is also easy to pack and roll on four wheels with the right bearings. The suggested retail price of £700 is a sticking point, but shop around and you might find it cheaper.
Db Equipment’s Djärv bike bag (previously known as The Douchebags Savage) does a great job of protecting your bike. The inner cage arguably makes it more durable than many boxes and is very easy to assemble and pack. It’s a little tricky to push at the airport and can be difficult to pack into a car – your transmission might need some extra protection – but we think it’s a good choice if you choose it.
Durable, easy to pack and easy to transport, the VeloVault2 bike box from BikeBox Online will keep your bike safe during your flight. It is made from quality components that have stood the test of time. You can also rent them if you don’t want to spend money on one of them.
The durable plastic body features steel buckles to secure the sides and premium wheels for easy movement. You can even choose your own stickers!
You attach your bike to the frame inside this nylon ripstop bike bag and secure it with a strap system. A waterproof PU base and high-density foam padding keep your bike protected.
Because you can’t depend on anyone else to service your bike the way you like. Air travel is when you most often want to store your bike in a bag. After all, loaders are not famous for the skill or dexterity of their movements. There is no disrespect to these guys, but they don’t move every bag and box as if they had a priceless Ming vase in them, do they? If you were in their place, would you? Luggage gets thrown, dropped, or stacked high all the time, and you don’t want your bike to suffer from anything other than enhanced protection.
We have heard of people who thought they would take their bikes abroad in padded bags or bike cartons, but they were wrong. Of course, you can get away from it. You can escape many times. But what about when your bike ended up at the bottom of a pile of boxes while being sorted by a guy who was already late for his shift?
It happens. Indeed, it is. Let’s face it, arriving in the Pyrenees with your bike frame breaking in half is a disaster. In addition to the long-term need to replace the bike, you will also need to save a trip that you have already paid for.
The best bike bags and bike cases can be expensive, but chances are they aren’t as expensive as your bike or your vacation. Invest in something that suits your needs and it will likely last you for years to come.
Lightweight, padded bike bag is easy to store and protect your bike from scratches and scuffs. Plus, they tend to be cheaper than hard cases. Some come with aluminum frames and rigid frame and fork spacers to prevent damage.
Secondly, there are cases made of semi-rigid polymers with good impact strength. In terms of weight, they are somewhere between a soft bag and a hard bike bag.
In addition, there are hard-walled crates that can provide protection from cargo, although they tend to be the heaviest and most expensive option.
For example, the Biknd Helium is essentially a padded bag with inflated sides that protects your bike and folds into a tiny shape for easy storage. You can buy it on Amazon.
In short, hard bike bags offer more protection than soft bike bags, but they are heavier, more expensive, and harder to store when not in use.
All bike boxes and many soft bike bags we know of have wheels that allow you to pull them in and out of the car, around airports, etc., which is much easier than carrying all the weight.
Wheels built into the bottom of the suitcase are less likely to break during transit, and wheels that can be replaced after an accident can save you the hassle of buying a brand new bike case or bag.
Accordingly, you can’t lug a bike bag or bike box anywhere – you’ll inevitably have to lug it up a few steps or over gravel at some point. This is where a carrying handle or strap comes in handy; several options help. Shoulder straps free your hands from the need to lift weights.
Locks may sound useful, but really, how often are you going to keep a bike box full of cargo out of sight anyway?
Okay, it will be separated from you on the flight, but remember that if you check in in a locked bike box and customs officers want to look inside, they will leave the lock open. think about it. They need to be able to check what’s inside, a simple lock won’t stop them (otherwise drug smuggling would be very, very easy). Let it unlock on the plane.
Large enough to carry a bike with ease. If you have a 56cm road bike with a stock seatpost, you are unlikely to have any problems with any of the options.
However, things can get more complicated if you have a very large frame, an integrated seatpost (an extended seat tube instead of a separate seatpost), or a full suspension mountain bike.
Check the minimum size you need before spending money and allow some leeway. You don’t want to take apart every detail and pack the bike with a lot of force; you need something that can easily carry the bike. International travel can be stressful enough without the added stress of packing bikes.
You can usually fit other items in a bike bag or bag in the gaps between the frame tubes, although this obviously adds weight, something to consider when flying. Some airlines, such as Easyjet and British Airways, expressly prohibit anything other than a bicycle from being carried in a bike bag.
If you’re planning on going to the airport instead of using public transport, be sure to make sure your bike bag or bike box fits your vehicle. This is usually not a problem if you can fold down the rear seats.
Oh, and remember, you should keep your bike bag or box somewhere around the house. One of the disadvantages of hard shell bike cases is that you need extra storage space compared to soft bags.
Purchasing a bike bag or bag (see above) that is large enough is an important first step, but beyond that, some options are easier to pack than others.
You must remove the wheel from the bike, rotate or detach the handlebar from the handlebar and remove the pedals (or both). You may need to remove the seatpost or drop it down (depending on the size of your bike). You must also deflate tires in order to fly. (Yes, we know that low tire pressure is not dangerous, but as our commentator pointed out, life is too short to teach airline employees the laws of physics.)
Things start to get annoying if you need to remove the rear gear and/or crank. Obviously, you will have to reassemble the bike at your destination, then take it apart on the way back and reassemble it when you get home. As long as your wrench skills are acceptable, this is unlikely to be a problem. It only takes a few minutes, but it only adds to the hassle and potentially reduces valuable travel time.
You need some way to prevent each other’s bike parts from damaging each other. Some of the wheels are attached to the bike box wall with quick release levers (we had one that was knocked down and damaged this way, so you may want to consider using an old lever for the job), and some to avoid injury, others have their own separate wheel bags, as do many bike bags.
Find alternative storage options for your removed pedals, tools needed to restore your bike, and more.
If you’re in any doubt, you can always protect the various parts of your bike with some simple pipe insulation, a favorite of cyclists at your local DIY store.
Post time: Dec-07-2022
