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Hope to get away on a few holidays this year with the bike and I've been looking at bike bags. Would like a few opinions on what's good and what's not or is a good old cardboard box and pipe lagging the way forward?
I've got a soft bag, its a crc branded one from about 3 years ago, its got a hard base with wheels, massive inner pockets and wheelbags. Whilst I like it, every time I've been to to the alps (4x by plane) my mates have all had cardboard boxes and my experience was no better than theirs... Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't buy a bag, a box is fine.
I think having a bag makes you feel like an international jet setter, and that was probably the desire for me that pushed the bike bag purchase.
cardboard box from bike shop...free, although you should give them a box of biscuits in return
Don't by a hardshell box/case the weight tends to be so great that it's difficult to get everything under the 32kg limit plus most are too small for a FR/DH mtb.
I have found [url= http://www.postpack.co.uk/ ]this place[/url] that makes custom boxes and I have found that with both wheels / bars / pedals / saddle off and some pipe lagging / thin card my big 29er fits in a 44x32x12" box that is much easier to handle than a "traditional" bike box which is always too long for trollys and if put sideways take out people left and right 🙂
Cost about £25 plus pipe lagging / card sheet / axle spacers....swap for doughnuts at the local bike shop.
With the bike, helmet, saddle bag its under 20kg all in (limit for hold luggage on Qatar cattle class!)
SSP