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Flying with your bike (29er ht), to the canaries, the go-to bike bag is either the chain reaction cycles version or an evoc?
Does it still matter whether it’s hard or soft case?
I'm looking to shift an Evoc one if you're interested? Has taken my Trek Stache (29+) so should be roomy enough.
@honeybadgerx if the OP isn't interested in yours, then I would be, ta
Apologies for the hijack @greatbeardedone
I've used a CRC one several times and it was fine, but I did put the time in adding extra padding, so I'm now looking to upgrade to hopefully less faff + more peace of mind.
There's a lot of CRC and Evoc bags it there. Be sure to mark your bag or box in a way that makes it easy for you to identify it. I went on a holiday to Bike Village where one of the other guests managed to leave the airport with the wrong bike, because someone else had arrived at Geneva airport with their bike in an Evoc bag that was the same colour as theirs.
does anyone make hard boxes for big mountain bikes?
I must have flown 20 times with my bike (in a padded bag, a bit like an evoc) - never a hint of damage. I do a lot worse in a bike park than a baggage handler ever will
Buxum.
That will soon replace my Evoc Pro
I hired an EVOC bag last trip, I thought it was really well designed and put together. Bike survived too.
Good point on marking the bag so it is easily identifiable. When I collected my bag last time there were about 10 black EVOC bags so would be easy for somebody to leave with the wrong one.
I kinda think that if the bike on a plane is going to get thumped or squished hard enough to damage it, then it really doesn't matter what kind of box/bag its in.
To that end - it really deosn;t matter. I've flown lots with bike of the years (pre-covid) as it took it with work. I used for about 10 years a massive and shitty cheap CRC one, recently upgraded to an evoc. It makes bugger all difference to in flight 'safety' what bag as long it's packaged sensibly.
Evoc bag is an absolutely dream to manoeuvre and move about in comparison though. So that does make a difference. (FWIW Ive got the XL one)
FWIW a chain reaction bag, and probably any similar is an absolute nightmare to pull for any distance without it flopping over.
@jonnyboi beat me to it.
The ones with the skate wheels just at each corner of the bag are a bit of a nightmare to take any distance, although there is a knack to it.
The Evoc ones roll better and are more stable when packed I think.
I don't think mountain bikes need that much protection when flying, they're not delicate things.
I use a cheap as chips Leisure Lakes one that's about 20 years old, never had a problem yet and it's been used loads both by me and a mate.
It's worth asking round any riding buddies to borrow one, after all for most people it just sits in the garage/attic for ~50 weeks per year gathering dust.
I rented the Dakine bike bag for an Alps trip last summer and it was absolutely fantastic. So much easier to use than the EVOC bag my girlfriend borrowed. If I were to buy a bag, it would 100% be the Dakine one. It's pricey so worth seeing if it's on sale at all but I really liked it.
Thank you.
Seems like the best option is to try to hire the Dakine version (if only for the stability), and take time to pack the interior carefully.
Hopefully, I’ll get away at the end of the season😊😊😊
Can anyone recommend where to go for bike bag hire?
Seriously, try Facebook marketplace or eBay. Loads of people who invest in a bike box end up renting them for around £30 a week
I would recommend an Evoc bag. I do add an extra bit of padding, but I’ve probably flown circa 20 times with it without any damage. It’s a very well thought out product
Seriously, try Facebook marketplace or eBay. Loads of people who invest in a bike box end up renting them for around £30 a week
That's how I ended up with my Planet X Deluxe bag, rented it off someone, it got lost in transit and they wound up the business before I got it back (thanks to them I may add).
Really should scrub his old postcode off now I think about it...
When I last looked it was pretty awkward to get into the weight allowance with a lot of hard cases, and that was with a pretty light for the time 26er.
Some carriers are 20kg. Surprisingly Ryanair is 30kg.
Used soft cases for years never had an issue.
A 23kg limit will be tight to get in with any bike/case, the evoc bags are the best part of 10kg
When I flew easyjet it was 23kg for a regular hold bag but 32kg for bike bags. Worth double checking though.
Using your std hold luggage allowance with BA, its 23KG. very tight to get down to that weight with an MTB. I had to remove shock, rotors, pedals from bag and put in cabin bag. However, BA never checked the weight anyway.
The new EVOC pro bags have a pull out tray that the bike sits on. Very fancy and excellent stand for assembling the bike. I have an older EVOC, so was a bit jealous of the guys using their new bags. They also have an additional removable, single front wheel to help cart the bag around - some good improvements
32kg for bike bags
Shh, don't tell anyone, but last time we checked in, that was a "soft" limit anyway.
My approach has always been CRC bag with a bike shop bike box inside, plus bubble wrap/ pipe lagging around critical bits. But probably a hard case is a lot less work!
If you decide to buy secondhand, double check the model year (Evoc).
We have travelled for a few years with (5 year old) EVOCs and my Large Yeti SB6 fits OK but my new 29r Ripmo does not.
EVOCs have changed size over the years - probably only an issue at the larger end of the bike size.
I've got a couple of the early EVOC semi rigid bags with which i've flown 50+ times with no issues, and have loaned to mates a few times.
That's including road bike, 26er (i've had them that long), tt bike, big enduroy bike, XC bikes and airlines from BA to some of the real budget airlines. Inside Europe, out to the US, Oz (not my bike, but loaned the bag to a mate).
TBH most of it is about how you pack, discs off, rear mech off, front and rear drop outs packed out properly, brake calipers spaced out, levers turned in if needed, forks reversed. Lagging on the sensitive bits and a nice thick bit of cardboard down each side of the bag, i even made a paper template to cut a piece of card to each side so it fits neatly! Even done long bus and (occasional) train trips with the bags.
(Mostly mediumish sized bikes, 53cm road, medium or 17/18" mtbs)
@vmgscot my Stumpjumper Evo only fits in my ancient bike bag if I have it in the steep and high geometry set up.
EVOC bag here with one of the fancy stands ( https://www.sigmasports.com/item/EVOC/Bike-Stand-Pro/X8FS), as above, pack sensibly and you should be right.