Bike Transport Boxes

MikeyOz said:

Looking into a good Bike Box for travelling; so does anyone here,

have one ?
Brand, model ?
comments either good or bad, most appreciated

I have a Scicon Aero comfort bag. This is a soft bag with an internal frame, which the bike attaches with quick release skewers. It has a guard for the derailer to protect it from bending.

Advantages: soft bag is lighter than a solid box. It is flexy, so you can put extra things in there. It stores better when not in use, you can also squeeze it into some car boots. It's cheaper than a hard case. The bike doesn't require complete disassembly.

Disadvantages: it is soft, so you need to use padding to protect the bike from rough handling. It is also wise to loosen shifters, handlebars, seat posts and anything else that could be bent if bumped around. It is also not waterproof - a little spray or drizzle is ok, but a tropical downpour on the back of the baggage cart at Brisbane airport could be problematic...

Hope this helps...

Ritch

MikeyOz said:

Looking into a good Bike Box for travelling; so does anyone here,

have one ?
Brand, model ?
comments either good or bad, most appreciated

I have one. Its a bike shop brand. Cardboard. has done trips to japan
and london.

Dave

"MikeyOz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Looking into a good Bike Box for travelling; so does anyone here,

have one ?
Brand, model ?
comments either good or bad, most appreciated

--
MikeyOz

borrowed a mates 'bigfoot' branded bike box for when i went to london and
france..
apart from one of the boxes wheels falling off just outside paddington
station🙁 there were no marks on the bike whatsoever and it didnt cost me
any extra fee's in baggage weight
things to note:
dodgy wheels
no locks (it has these strap things to close it)
the case is basically 2 sides, one side slides into the other and the straps
tie them together, this is very clumsy and takes a while to get right
they cost a heap (around $600?), i think phantomcycles sell this particular
brand..

I made one for about $100 and it's beaut. It's side-opening, which is
much easier to load than the cardboard boxes you can get from a LBS for
free. I got the idea from Excelsports, which used to sell them.

I got a large sheet of Corflute from a signwriting supplier. I cut it
into two pieces, then folded it to make two 'boxes' with three sides
each. One half is slightly larger than the other, so it slides over its
mate. Vacuum tends to hold them together.

In the folded corners, I left tabs and used Tarzans Grip to glue it up,
then taped it to smooth off edges that might catch and tear. You could
also rivet it. I got three sheets of foam to put on the sides and
between the frame and wheels. The dimensions are around 1200x785x280 I
think. You lay one side down, put in foam, put in the frame etc.
another piece of foam, the wheels, another piece of foam and then the
other side slides over. Lastly I lash it with some straps - as much for
carrying as holding it together.

It's cheap, light, strong, fairly durable. Saved about $400+ over a
store-bought version. I've used it for a dozen flights and it's hardly
worse for wear.

If you want to email me for some pics, add 'ike' before @.

Donga

Donga said:

I made one for about $100 and it's beaut. It's side-opening, which is
much easier to load than the cardboard boxes you can get from a LBS for
free. I got the idea from Excelsports, which used to sell them.

I got a large sheet of Corflute from a signwriting supplier. I cut it
into two pieces, then folded it to make two 'boxes' with three sides
each. One half is slightly larger than the other, so it slides over its
mate. Vacuum tends to hold them together.

In the folded corners, I left tabs and used Tarzans Grip to glue it up,
then taped it to smooth off edges that might catch and tear. You could
also rivet it. I got three sheets of foam to put on the sides and
between the frame and wheels. The dimensions are around 1200x785x280 I
think. You lay one side down, put in foam, put in the frame etc.
another piece of foam, the wheels, another piece of foam and then the
other side slides over. Lastly I lash it with some straps - as much for
carrying as holding it together.

It's cheap, light, strong, fairly durable. Saved about $400+ over a
store-bought version. I've used it for a dozen flights and it's hardly
worse for wear.

If you want to email me for some pics, add 'ike' before @.

Donga

I use a Qantas bike box. It cost me about $15. I take off the front
wheels and use a little fork protector cap that came with the bike. On
my tri bike, I loosen the handlbars and rotate them down, so I don't
need to take the profile bars off. I take the seat off my tri bike
because it's got bidon cages behind it that don't fit. I leave the
pedals on and just tuck a towel around them so they don't poke through.
It's incredibly quick and I've had no problems.

Tam

Donga said:

I made one for about $100 and it's beaut. It's side-opening, which is
much easier to load than the cardboard boxes you can get from a LBS for
free. I got the idea from Excelsports, which used to sell them.

I got a large sheet of Corflute from a signwriting supplier. I cut it
into two pieces, then folded it to make two 'boxes' with three sides
each. One half is slightly larger than the other, so it slides over its
mate. Vacuum tends to hold them together.

In the folded corners, I left tabs and used Tarzans Grip to glue it up,
then taped it to smooth off edges that might catch and tear. You could
also rivet it. I got three sheets of foam to put on the sides and
between the frame and wheels. The dimensions are around 1200x785x280 I
think. You lay one side down, put in foam, put in the frame etc.
another piece of foam, the wheels, another piece of foam and then the
other side slides over. Lastly I lash it with some straps - as much for
carrying as holding it together.

It's cheap, light, strong, fairly durable. Saved about $400+ over a
store-bought version. I've used it for a dozen flights and it's hardly
worse for wear.

If you want to email me for some pics, add 'ike' before @.

Donga

I'd be interested in some pics and more design info. I'm after
a box so I can take a bike when I go and see the TdU next year.

Anyone else going?

DeF

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MikeyOz said:

Looking into a good Bike Box for travelling; so does anyone here,

have one ?
Brand, model ?
comments either good or bad, most appreciated

When I traveled to Perth with my roady last summer, I took
it over in a box (cannondale, but I burnt the logo off! big
boxes, cracknfails ...) from my LBS - free.

On the way back, I bought a qantas box ($15 from memory) and put
it in that.

Commercial bike bags range from $300-odd plus ... IMO, unless you
travel a lot, not worth it.