Recommendation for bike box

jimmyjacob

Staying with family near Aix en Provence next month and wanted to bring my bike. Rental from Wheelworx for two weeks is €100, so if I can get a reasonably priced box it might be better to buy one.

Any recommendations for a decent but affordable bike box for a large carbon frame? Don't really want to spend more than €250 but if it means my bike will be safer, maybe I'll have to.

Bags are obviously a lot cheaper. Would you trust one with a carbon frame or is it ridiculous to even suggest that?

Or, anyone know of a cheaper place to rent them?

FrankGrimes

After looking around, I went for the Polaris Bike Pod. Pricey enough but looks like a decent trade-off between providing a reasonable amount of protection (more than a bag, though not as much as a hard case) while still being quite light (means you can pack loads of gear in with it and still make airline weight limits).

Will be interested to see just how strong or weak it is - there's only 3 reviews on CRC but they are favourable and no mention of it being a nightmare to pack a large frame into (which seems to be the case with many boxes).

blorg

I have this one and it is good. An issue with bike boxes these days is the airline weight restrictions- 20kg Ryanair, 15kg Aer Lingus. The boxes are quite heavy on their own. I got my packed box down to 18.4kg by putting seatpost, saddle, pedals, tyres, tubes and all tools in another checked bag.

I wouldn't be keen on a carbon frame in a bag personally but others bikes have survived. Something like the Polaris Bike Pod might be a good idea; I met the guys from Wheelworx travelling recently and they had sort of semi-hard moulded cases that were light while still providing reasonable protection.

jimmyjacob

Thanks for the advice guys. The lightness of the bike pod makes it very appealing. After a bit of trawling it seems to get a lot of good reports, so just placed an order on one. Will probably pack it with as much foam and piping insulation as I can get my hands on and then make sure my travel insurance is well up to date!

Again, thanks for the suggestion.

tomasrojo

A friend of mine will shortly be travelling by plane with a bike that has a carbon fork. I'll send him on this thread.

What do you do with the bike box when you leave the airport, by the way?

blorg

tomasrojo wrote: »

A friend of mine will shortly be travelling by plane with a bike that has a carbon fork. I'll send him on this thread.

What do you do with the bike box when you leave the airport, by the way?

That is a bit of a problem, to say the least. Generally, stick it in your hire car, hoping it fits, and drive to your destination. They are really big things and very difficult to get into normal cars too. Even a single box is tough to get into a relatively big car like a Mercedes E-Class just due to the shape of the boot and rear doors (I know this from taking taxis with one.)

They are a pain in the neck to carry around, you really wouldn't want to be travelling any distance. Even 500 metres (the approx distance from the Aircoach stop to my front door) is severely annoying.

Recently, three of us, knowing we had three bikes in boxes, ordered a Berlingo but got a Mercedes A-Class. We eventually persuaded the car hire place to keep the boxes for us until we got back to the airport.

My tourer is titanium with a carbon fork and I just give them that without a box. No problems so far. It is the lightweight carbon race bike I would want in a box. Aluminium road bike with a carbon fork I would probably risk without the box, especially if there were going to be issues with it the other end. Touring I don't think boxes are a possibility at all.

tomasrojo

His bike is exactly what you have: a titanium frame with a carbon fork.

Very helpful!

Kildafornia

Frank, Jimmy, could you tell us how the polaris pod is holding up? Would you recommend it for a carbon frame? Cheers!

jimmyjacob

This was my first experience with a bike box and I've only used it once so far, to fly from to Dublin to Marseille with Aer Lingus, but I found it perfect for what I needed. Fully packed with a carbon Ridley Orion, relatively heavy Fulcrum 7 wheels, pedals, saddle, spare tubes, drinks bottles, mini pump etc. it still came in under the far from generous 15kg weight limit. I have read some reports that people found it awkward to wheel around but I had no problems at all. Although it doesn't have a proper handle, it is light and you can pull it by the straps or put it on a trolley.

As for durability, it seems quite tough and I imagine it would require a concentrated effort or something particularly heavy to be dropped on it for the frame to sustain damage. Nevertheless, I was quite paranoid, as I'm sure many carbon frame owners would be. I wrapped the entire frame in tubular polystyrene plumbing insulation to further prevent any structural damage or scratches. I cut a section of insulation to fit each tube on the frame, including the forks, and secured them with tape. I used a small piece of bamboo to support the forks. I also removed the derailleur and wrapped it in cardboard. Obviously this was quite time consuming the first time I did it but it was far quicker on the way back. I now have these sections of foam to protect the frame any time I travel with it. I think the bikepod would probably give sufficient protection without taking all of these measures, but it gave me greater peace of mind.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Particularly if you're planning on flying Aer Lingus.

Kildafornia

Thanks jimmyjacob this is gold dust, I'm rocking a Ridley Orion (2010) too and have just bought the Polaris based much on your review. Any tips on disassembly & fitting into the pod? Will I need a torque wrench to refit the bits? Bring on London triathlon 2011

blorg

You shouldn't need to to remove anything that really needs a torque wrench. Just the pedals, bars, seatpost and rear derailleur (depending on the bike/box maybe also the hanger.) I use a Ridley TorqKey to refasten carbon bars and seatpost- this is a tiny little 4mm hex wrench pre-set to 5Nm.

Vaaltron

I own one of these Bike Boxes from Bikeboxalan in the UK.

Their Website is at this Link: http://www.bikeboxalan.co.uk/

It May be a little expensive but You get what You Pay for. Have a look at the video which shows the bike box been put to the test with a Carbon Fiber Bike inside as it is kicked out of the Vehicle at 30 mph. It is Bomb Proof. It weighs only 11 Kgs. It also looks good.

I traveled to France With Ryanair this Summer. I took a Trek Madone with Me packed inside this Box. Ryanair have a weight limit for bike boxes of 20 Kgs.

This box is of a very high quality. It is easy to Maneuver At the Airport. It sits up on the trolley nicely. With room for other baggage.

When You Check in at the Airport Your personal baggage will be put through at the checking desk. The attendant will put A Flight Sticker onto Your Bike Box. She will then direct You to the over sized luggage conveyor belt. Before it is put through the Belt it has to Be lifted onto a Weighing Scale to verify the weight of Your Box and Bike. If it is over the Weight Limit Of 20 Kgs which You paid for in advance, You will have to pay extra. So be sure to keep to the weight limit when packing. It is then put through the over sized baggage conveyor belt and is scanned in the process for the purpose of security. Then of it goes to be loaded onto Your Flight.

Hard case Bike Boxes are by far a better option than the Bike Bags. Bike Bags will not protect Your Bike adequately. If You intend to travel abroad with Your bike in the Future it is Worth Your while investing in a good Hard Case Bike Box. When one is dealing with an expensive Carbon Fiber Bike use a Hard Case Bike Box.

I am very impressed with this Bike Box From Bikeboxalan. I traveled to France and Back, and Both Box and Bike were in perfect condition upon arrival and return to Ireland. It certainly gives You peace of Mind. There is a metal rod in the middle of this Bike Box that sits vertically, which is intended to prevent Your BOX from being crushed, while heavy loads of baggage sit upon it.

There are other hard case Bike Boxes out there but after looking at them all carefully and reading Customer feedback, I decided in the end To purchase this box from Bike Box Alan. It did not Disappoint.



:cool: