rudi-h Posted April 5, 2011 Share I'm tired of sukkeling along with cardboard boxed for flying my bike around. I'm willing to pay a couple of bucks for a decent carrying bag / box that I can use to transport my bikes wherever. Any suggested brands or types? Where can I find it? How much can I expect to pay? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastapouch Posted April 5, 2011 Share was thinking the same thing... but cardboard box = R0.00, Hardcase : R4000 + (thats a lot of cardboard boxes, whiskey, etc)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudi-h Posted April 5, 2011 Share Wow, I hoped that i could buy something for about R1k... I had to buy a cardboard box for Argus (R60) and it was virtually disintegrated by the time I got back, which got me thinking along these lines. I also happen to fly my bike somewhere at least once a year, so maybe its a worthwhile investment @cervelo: are there special arrangements for bike transport to IM as the case is with Argus? or do you just rock up with your bike and hop on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBoy10 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Got a rather new box from Cajees and it still looks fine, you should not be paying for the box, most shops give them away! Cyclelab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minion Posted April 5, 2011 Share I've been using a Race Case Compact and it's held up well. It's great for occasional travelling and when packed properly, it protects your bike well. It's now a fully hard case, but has a rigid structure. It's a very good compromise between protection and weight. They go for about R2600-R3000, new. The only problem I've had with it is that it's not the easiest thing to pack and unpack. My one has the opening at the top, so it's a bit like performing keyhole surgery. I see that on newer ones, the whole side opens which would make things a lot easier. I'm doing a lot more travelling now, so I'm looking for something that's easier to pack. I had a look at a BikND Helium at Finish Line Cycles and I was very impressed with it - expensive, though. There was an interesting article by DC Rainmaker the other day on bike cases. He reckons that, in the US at least, excess baggage charges are so high for heavy, hard shell, bike cases, that it actually makes financial sense to get a lighter, softer case and pay the extra money you save on overweight charges to insuring you bike e.g. one broken rear derailleur every four flights may cost less than four x overweight baggage charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastapouch Posted April 5, 2011 Share Wow, I hoped that i could buy something for about R1k... I had to buy a cardboard box for Argus (R60) and it was virtually disintegrated by the time I got back, which got me thinking along these lines. I also happen to fly my bike somewhere at least once a year, so maybe its a worthwhile investment @cervelo: are there special arrangements for bike transport to IM as the case is with Argus? or do you just rock up with your bike and hop on?No special arrangements because the airlines can deal with a couple of 100 bicycles. Rock up at the airport and off you go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranswurm Posted April 5, 2011 Share I have a hard case for years and it takes my road or mtb fs xl.Wheels I carry seperately in wheelbags My son travels all over with his bikes and uses a Giant cardboard box.It is thicker than others and we tape it completely with that packing tape.In fact you cannot see the box anymore.Never had a problem.In fact he is in the UK with his Morewood now and flew Emirates.No charge for bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-FELT-the-FORCE Posted April 5, 2011 Share I have a hard case for years and it takes my road or mtb fs xl.Wheels I carry seperately in wheelbags My son travels all over with his bikes and uses a Giant cardboard box.It is thicker than others and we tape it completely with that packing tape.In fact you cannot see the box anymore.Never had a problem.In fact he is in the UK with his Morewood now and flew Emirates.No charge for bikes. Please tell me how he got that right?? I am flying Emirates to the UK in July and they want to charge me R600 p/kg!! NOT impressed. They told me that only golf clubs can go over as sporting equipment!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranswurm Posted April 5, 2011 Share Please tell me how he got that right?? I am flying Emirates to the UK in July and they want to charge me R600 p/kg!! NOT impressed. They told me that only golf clubs can go over as sporting equipment!! I said to my wife that they would charge him.She checked and they confirmed it was sporting equipment.Gave him 20 or 30 kgs ..not sure...and that was that.He flew CT Dubai UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-FELT-the-FORCE Posted April 5, 2011 Share I said to my wife that they would charge him.She checked and they confirmed it was sporting equipment.Gave him 20 or 30 kgs ..not sure...and that was that.He flew CT Dubai UK Crikey, I am going to hound them now..... I am doing the same flight CT - Dubai - Manchester! On the flip side of it, I could send my bike over Airfreight at R45p/kg but not sure if I want to be seperated from my bike for a week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranswurm Posted April 5, 2011 Share Crikey, I am going to hound them now..... I am doing the same flight CT - Dubai - Manchester! On the flip side of it, I could send my bike over Airfreight at R45p/kg but not sure if I want to be seperated from my bike for a week OiDon't go and stuff it up for him now.He has to get back in 2 months time I personally think it depends on who you get on the day at check inMaybe the Airfreight route is the safest.45 per kg is pretty cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudi-h Posted April 5, 2011 Share just bought a soft carry bag from sportsmans warehouse for R1k... i might put some cardboard inside to get some stiffness, but as my roadbike is a cheapie and my MTB has a pretty tough ALU frame, I don't think its worth while to fork out the quoted R3-4k for a hardcase... Anyway, I hope it will work better than to scrounge for a box every time I attempt a future trip. Thanks for the info!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaus Posted April 5, 2011 Share I've been using a Race Case Compact and it's held up well. It's great for occasional travelling and when packed properly, it protects your bike well. It's now a fully hard case, but has a rigid structure. It's a very good compromise between protection and weight. They go for about R2600-R3000, new. How has this bag held up with the airport staff chucking it around? Does it secure properly and what sort of weight do it end up been with the bike in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-FELT-the-FORCE Posted April 5, 2011 Share OiDon't go and stuff it up for him now.He has to get back in 2 months time I personally think it depends on who you get on the day at check inMaybe the Airfreight route is the safest.45 per kg is pretty cheap You right, it is about the person you get on the day. Not going to make a scene, wouldnt want your son to have to pay that amount per kg to get his bike back here, its robbery!Will more than likely end up sending Airfreight. Collect in Manchester and pay the 40 pound clearing fee. VERY cheap pricing and after my packaging, they will package again over it. So a pretty good deal and very securely packaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minion Posted April 5, 2011 Share How has this bag held up with the airport staff chucking it around? Does it secure properly and what sort of weight do it end up been with the bike in it?It's held up well, though I've only used it to go to four Arguses. I'm quite meticulous about packing it, I make sure everything inside is properly secured so it can't rattle around I also make sure that there's not many paths for load to be transferred directly through my bike. The case has got a large zip which I padlock and cable tie for good measure. The case itself weighs about 11kg empty and usually hovers around 20kg when fully packed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yang Posted April 5, 2011 Share I took my bike with me to Madeira in December, via Jhb, Frankfurt and Lisbon return. I found that the airways people were confused about whether to charge or not, and in Jhb I got away with a story (or at least my wife did) that I was cycling for SA in Europe. I got some applause from two ACSA employees and they were happy to load up without charging via Frnkfrt to Lisbon. It was a hard case, compact. Lisbon to Madeira cost me about 30 euros. On the way back I paid 135 Euros from Lisbon all the way to Jhb at the Lufthansa counter. Lufthansa did not buy the story about sporting goods. Weight is not an issue if you have to pay for your bike box, so load up the box with all your excess weight. The hard cases are really expensive. I used an Alan's Bike Box, borrowed from a mate. http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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