sorry for the dull topic but its a quite important expensive one for me!!
anyway im doing the marmotte in the summer and will be flying over and was wondering if you think the look pro bike bag will be tough enough for the journey on the plane? or if i should borrow a elite case of my mate for a few quid?
heres the look bag
ive already bought the bag f a ww member as i needed one for trips in this country etc but am not sure how it is on planes??

thanks from me and my gaint as shes never flown before and is a little nervous.

cheers tikka

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Get a box, you wont race on your giant but you will trust it with baggage handlers

They really and truly couldnt give a shyte if its fragile, they just chuck it on the pile. I had a frame bent once a few years ago and last year risked a padded bag rather than take my box and watched as it bounced off the plane and had suitcases piled on top of it.

Are you going to reassemble it in the airport to see if all is well? Try claiming off them after you have left

Your travel insurance will only cover you for an item upto £250 as well and they wont replace it in individual components.

I wouldn't uses anything other then the Velo Safe cases.

http://www.trisports.com/bikecases.html

The Compact Velo is nice, pack you clothing and gear in around the bike, and you only need the one box/bag for travel.

It is always a good idea to see if you can be there as they inspect the bike case, because all that metal and junk they almost always sneak a peek. My wife had a bad case of the bend derailure because of this one time with a clam shell case.

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latest project <-getting lighter @ 6920 CyclingUpdate.com

mate, the bag will be plenty tough enough - I had no worries at all with it. Put pipe lagging on the frame, remove rear mech and wrap in bubble plastic before tucking up inside the rear triangle. Fit spacers between fork and rear dropouts to protect from crushing. remove bottle cages, seatpost and saddle and turn the bars parallel with the TT. Put plugs in the axle ends (or cardboard over the axle ends, put the wheels in wheel bags if you have them, drop them down either side of the frame and put a slab of cardboard or thin rigid foam (the kind used for underlay below laminate floors) between each wheel and the frame. Also helps to tape a bit of thick cardboard or foam over the bottom of the big chainring. Then stick your towel and a few clothes etc around the bike and that's all you need do. I trusted my Merlin Extralight and my Storck Scenario Pro to the bag and had no regrets. only sold it 'cos I got a freebie with a new frame.
feel free to mail me if u like for tips and stuff if this is your first time travelling with a bike.
what airline R U travelling with?

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Gravitas est meus Hostilis
Painted Roads Cycling: http://www.paintedroads.com
Words: http://mikesimagination.wordpress.com

I travel at least 50 times/year on a plane wth a bike.
I (well, the airlines in the end) destroyed 4 different bikeboxes already. Some of them were very expensive.

I now use this one since 1 1/2 years now. 3 wheels were destroyed but no damage to the box or even the bike at all.

The 3 wheels were exchanged by the manufacturer without questions and without costs (even no shipping costs).

I highly recommend this if box you really want the best and safest (but not cheapest obviously).

PS: We are not affiliated with this company in any way.

EDIT: Detail Pics

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www.carbonsports.com
www.carbonsports-forum.com

I used the serfas and it's been good. It's not huge but still accepts a lot of extra stuff.

Do not fly with a carbon bike in a soft bag. It will get snapped. Use a box.

Oh, and that long URL has broken the thread!!

I've got a soft bag and my bike's always been fine. My bike is titanium though and not so prone to damage. This spring on my trip to Tuscany I even had to change planes in Amsterdam and got to see how my bike was handled. The bag was upright, separate from the other luggage. It's not always like that, I know. I just think that the soft bags get handled much differently from the heavy hard cases. That's why you see so many broken cases, but you shouldn't jump to conclusions because of that.

Also, I might consider a hard case if I didn't have to carry the bike anywhere. Now I can just shoulder the bag and walk and it also fits inside a normal STW.

I will not travel with anyones Bag / soft case anymore...


Hard case or I ship ahead...

cheers guys tbh i think its a no brainer hard case it is.
tikka

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a bike bag?! . they are useless. i've had everything bent and broken in one.

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J EURO

I like the Velo Safe case & it is high on my list but I would be interested in an Anvil style case like the link above. Anyone know if there are any made or sold in the United States specifically for Bikes?

How did 3 wheels get destroyed but not the bike or box?

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I'm not here to build a cult of personality fan base and pray upon a niche group of bicycle enthusiast with obsessive compulsive disorders and spending money in their pockets in order to increase my worth in the industry.

Well, I'll let Stefan answer. But at first, I was thinking his LWs were destroyed and the manufacturer (his company) replaced them. But then i think I figured it out. The damaged wheels were the wheels on the outside of the bike box, not the wheels inside.

oh and ns teh giants being raced next week so im not so concerned about her when being used. just wouldnt like her being destroyed in transit.
tikka

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