Bike bags

[Pall Catt]

Hi all,

I'm looking to get a bike bag that I can use for traveling with my bike. I have a road bike and a 29er mountain bike and would ideally like one bag that could accommodate either bike depending on the occasion.

 

Is it important to look out for specific sizes of bags or is it generally a sort of one size fits all. Is there anything else I should be on the lookout for?

[dasilvarsa]

https://www.thule.com/en-za/bike-packs-bags-and-racks/bike-travel-cases

[Jono Waddell]

I think important to consider the combined weight of your bike and the bag. I have a Scicon Triathlon bag, and with my speed concept it is touch and go on the weight limits for flights. The ultimate is a bike box, but these are sometimes heave and you end up overweight on flights. 

 

[Simon123]

EVOC.

 

Use for my road bike, DH bike and enduro bike.   

[quintonb]

My brother in law and I have just come back from France and Belgium, he used an Evoc bag and I used a Thule rigid box. My bike weighs 7.6kg and once in the Thule box it all weighed 22kg. Emirates give you 23kg so I was close. His bike in the Evoc bag came in at 19kg. I would say if you want to take a MTB on your travels then a soft bag is the only way to go. 

We only travel with road/gravel bikes so I'm happy with the Thule box. 

[fanievb]

I have one of these. 

https://www.outdoorelements.co.za/product-page/outdoor-elements-bike-bag

Similar to the evoc bag, but a little lighter. 

Quality is okay, but not as good as evoc. 

If you have the bucks, go for the evoc 

[Cardio Goth]

I'll add my vote for Evoc - have used mine to take a gravel bike to Iceland and a 29er mountain bike to Sweden, and it's been perfect.

[michaelbiker]

Have travelled more times than I care to count with two evoc bags. Never had a single issue. The weight is super important. My mtb (11kgs), shoes, helmet and a few tools are just under 23kgs (airline free baggage limit for Qatar, Emirates etc). They can also be rolled up into a slightly smaller size when not in use.

Judging from their exterior’s the bags have taken some big hits but still work fine. I also lost two of the rods that are used to stiffen the frame and Evoc sent me replacements for free while I was in Germany. 

[guidodg]

absolutely spot on...Evoc bags are the way to go..

[dave303e]

We use bike boxes for AR. I have flown a few times with them. 0 issues. I make it out of correx, pop rivets and washers. There is a how to guide on the internet. Takes about an hour to make and a few hundred rand. Weight wise- Mine weighed in at 22,5kg in Scotland, with 4 batteries for bike headlight, helmet, shoes, 3 sets of cyclin kit and tools/spares.

[guidodg]

16 minutes ago, dave303e said:

We use bike boxes for AR. I have flown a few times with them. 0 issues. I make it out of correx, pop rivets and washers. There is a how to guide on the internet. Takes about an hour to make and a few hundred rand. Weight wise- Mine weighed in at 22,5kg in Scotland, with 4 batteries for bike headlight, helmet, shoes, 3 sets of cyclin kit and tools/spares.

sounds like a good plan too...but if you travel often Evoc bike bags are still the answer since they have wheels and are easily transported around an airport...and they fold up to store away 

[dave303e]

2 minutes ago, guidodg said:

sounds like a good plan too...but if you travel often Evoc bike bags are still the answer since they have wheels and are easily transported around an airport...and they fold up to store away 

bikebox company in Knysna makes ones that fold up flat, same concept as what I described, just done as a finished product. They flat pack well enough, I have a few friends who store their bike box under the bed or behind a cupboard easily.

The how to guide I have used also has a how to for building a dolly so you can wheel it around, but usually I just use an airport trolley. Flying for expeditions usually means multiple large bags anyway.

https://www.bikeboxcompany.co.za/ 

https://rogueadventure.com/a-bike-box-build/

[guidodg]

Just now, dave303e said:

bikebox company in Knysna makes ones that fold up flat, same concept as what I described, just done as a finished product. They flat pack well enough, I have a few friends who store their bike box under the bed or behind a cupboard easily.

The how to guide I have used also has a how to for building a dolly so you can wheel it around, but usually I just use an airport trolley. Flying for expeditions usually means multiple large bags anyway.

https://www.bikeboxcompany.co.za/ 

https://rogueadventure.com/a-bike-box-build/

definitely a HUGE saving over an Evoc...they are not cheap!

[Jewbacca]

5 minutes ago, guidodg said:

sounds like a good plan too...but if you travel often Evoc bike bags are still the answer since they have wheels and are easily transported around an airport...and they fold up to store away 

I made one that flat packs away and has an attachment for wheels, so it goes under a bed when not in use and the axle slides through one end for wheels when leisure travelling.

My next project is going to be a flight regulation size carbon fibre one.

Laminate it over some insulation foam, pop it off and reinforce it with alu strips where the hinges and clasps etc, add straps and wheel and boom! Light weight and practical

[Shebeen]

41 minutes ago, dave303e said:

We use bike boxes for AR. I have flown a few times with them. 0 issues. I make it out of correx, pop rivets and washers. There is a how to guide on the internet. Takes about an hour to make and a few hundred rand. Weight wise- Mine weighed in at 22,5kg in Scotland, with 4 batteries for bike headlight, helmet, shoes, 3 sets of cyclin kit and tools/spares.

topical!!

 

we found this one, no pop rivets though

https://rogueadventure.com/a-bike-box-build/

[dave303e]

19 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

topical!!

 

we found this one, no pop rivets though

https://rogueadventure.com/a-bike-box-build/

So I don't trust glue for structural construction, especially when it is getting dragged through transitions and airports. So the first one I built I did with 5mm nuts and bolts, the 2nd one I used pop rivets and washers. I have built multiple because I like tinkering/improving and it is really dirt cheap to build. That is the exact "how to" that I started with, now I can wing it out my head to build them. The pop rivets and washers are just lighter and quicker. I use a little duct tape to make it waterproof. In Scotland we were not allowed to sleep in transition buildings at all. I am small so I slept dry in the bike box the one transition on the last night. I also make mine to open on the side. So that you have a large clean area to build the bike in. Takes the risk of dropping a screw/nut/part in the dirt. It also allows you to reach in the box easily. With the opening at the top you always reaching deep down into a box the whole time for stuff. 

That being said, protection wise- the bikeboxco boxes are really professional. The parts to protect disc brakes, derailleurs and other parts. They also support the bike really cleverly