A good Bike Bag

kokoman
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A good Bike Bag

Postby kokoman » Sat Jul 22, 2017 9:45 am

Looking at the Scicons.

Best would be one which requires the least amount of removal and re-assembly of the bike.

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Duck!
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Duck! » Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:39 pm

Scicons are good; bag has an adjustable-length frame (to suit different sized bikes) in the base which the bike mounts to on the dropouts, and is wide enough to not require doing anything to the handlebar seteup.

All you do is take the wheels off & put those in the side pouches, mount the bike to the bag frame, strap it in and away you go.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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MichaelB
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby MichaelB » Sat Jul 22, 2017 6:10 pm

Used the Aerocomfort 2.0 and there is a review by me in BNA home page.

Was brilliant and very easy to use. Just did a trip with a hard case, and it worked, but was a pain. They are not cheap, but well worth the money.

Used on trip to Italy & France last year

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g-boaf
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby g-boaf » Sat Jul 22, 2017 7:35 pm

Duck! wrote:Scicons are good; bag has an adjustable-length frame (to suit different sized bikes) in the base which the bike mounts to on the dropouts, and is wide enough to not require doing anything to the handlebar seteup.

All you do is take the wheels off & put those in the side pouches, mount the bike to the bag frame, strap it in and away you go.
I think I remember you know Giant pretty well, so can I ask how are these bags with the older TCRs with the ISP? I'm using one of these bags for when I go over to Europe. 54cm frame.

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Duck!
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Duck! » Sat Jul 22, 2017 7:43 pm

They're fine; tall enough to not need to do any disassembly beyond removing the wheels. :-)

The only - rare - times I've needed to do more than that is with a TT/tri bike (Scicon do a different bag to suit those bikes with a bit more room in the upper front corner), where larger bikes sometimes need the aero bars tucked back a little bit, and while they fit, I generally remove bottle cages from saddle-mounted carriers to reduce risk of damage.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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g-boaf
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby g-boaf » Sat Jul 22, 2017 8:07 pm

Duck! wrote:They're fine; tall enough to not need to do any disassembly beyond removing the wheels. :-)

The only - rare - times I've needed to do more than that is with a TT/tri bike (Scicon do a different bag to suit those bikes with a bit more room in the upper front corner), where larger bikes sometimes need the aero bars tucked back a little bit, and while they fit, I generally remove bottle cages from saddle-mounted carriers to reduce risk of damage.

Thank you. :)

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Ross
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Ross » Sun Jul 23, 2017 7:51 am

I have one of these, about half the price of Scicon bag and seems to be identical (I previously had a Scicon bag) - http://www.prospeedracing.com.au/produc ... g-bag.html

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tez001
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby tez001 » Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:51 am

Ive got the same Scicon knock off bag. Appears to be ok for the price, however I have never used it before.

The only complaint others have about these style of bags is the brifters can get knocked about. So either loosen them up, angle them in, or get some pvc tubing or similar to put across the shifters.

I've also used the hard shell type and it was just more time spend removing things off the bike and reinstalling them

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby battler2 » Sun Jul 23, 2017 4:41 pm

the best kind of bag is a cardboard bike box. throwaway and easily replaceable from a bike shop on your final destination.

but obviously more for touring than anything.

have a hard case. still good but it'll break one day. but it weighs a ton on its own, so limited weight you can carry in addition. say, 10kg for the case, 10kg bike + extras you are cutting it fine within 23kg limit for airlines. some allow 30kg, then its no problem.

downsides to cardboard is use only once or twice, hassle of finding a bike shop with one (that is also big enough) to give away (sometimes hard eg. cambodia. sometimes the bsterds charge you (eg. malaysia, 15rmb, thailand 100baht). if it gets wet enroute from plane to cargo, it could fall apart on the taxiway.

scicon pricey, but i question the padding effectiveness. seen plenty of failure reports online (ie. once or twice used, then damaged).

think ill keep my hard case for road bike adventures, then cardboard for touring (which is more fun anyway), but you need more time to do it.
Last edited by battler2 on Sun Jul 23, 2017 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Derny Driver » Sun Jul 23, 2017 5:12 pm

battler2 wrote:the best kind of bag is a cardboard bike box. throwaway and easily replaceable from a bike shop on your final destination.
They are good but you have to take the seat out, front wheel out, remove the handlebars and tuck them sideways. Plus pedals off, rear derailleur off... bit of work but there are advantages. You can put a track pump in there, linen, towels, tools ...lots of stuff.

I have a SciCon and I remove the pedals if Im flying. Takes 2 minutes.

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby mikgit » Sun Jul 23, 2017 6:10 pm

battler2 wrote:the best kind of bag is a cardboard bike box. throwaway and easily replaceable from a bike shop on your final destination.

but obviously more for touring than anything.

have a hard case. still good but it'll break one day. but it weighs a ton on its own, so limited weight you can carry in addition. say, 10kg for the case, 10kg bike + extras you are cutting it fine within 23kg limit for airlines. some allow 30kg, then its no problem.

downsides to cardboard is use only once or twice, hassle of finding a bike shop with one (that is also big enough) to give away (sometimes hard eg. cambodia. sometimes the bsterds charge you (eg. malaysia, 15rmb, thailand 100baht). if it gets wet enroute from plane to cargo, it could fall apart on the taxiway.

scicon pricey, but i question the padding effectiveness. seen plenty of failure reports online (ie. once or twice used, then damaged).

think ill keep my hard case for road bike adventures, then cardboard for touring (which is more fun anyway), but you need more time to do it.

So from that it seems a cardboard box is in fact not even close to the best, seems to be a right pain...cheap yes.
Used a cardboard box before, right pain at airports with other luggage and not something i'd really want if it rained on the trip, $10K bike in a soggy box...I'f I ever need to travel with a bike again i'd be going bike bag of some description
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby battler2 » Sun Jul 23, 2017 7:45 pm

yes and no. haha. most airlines are absolutely fine with the box. usually their policy specifically says: "must be packed in a box". i'd say you can have more issues with a hard case than anything else, cos they can sometimes breach the dimension limit, and of course, blow your excess baggage allowance.

honestly soggy box has never happened to me and probably never will. but it has happened when i left it somewhere i thought was properly covered for a few days but wasn't. i just got another box :D

don't pay for them, unless you absolutely have to. check the garbage and just don't ask anyone inside the store and you won't pay. but i've had a scenario in a city where bikes are nearly impossible where it was hard to find a box, so i had to pay (KL).

it is the most frugal option yes, but suitable if you're not packing up every few days and hopping on a train or plane to go somewhere else.

ill just say i got my hard case from cyclingdeal, and it was $219. https://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/abs- ... /XXF-A1601 it's ok. i can squeeze a lot of extra crap inside the hard case, but it takes hours to pack and repack all those clothes etc. when changing destinations.

you'd have the same problem with a scion, and quite frankly, i'd be weary of keeping much more than a helmet inside as well. think there's not a lot of room, so you'll need to checkin an additional suitcase which is very expensive in economy and sometimes not permitted (unless south america is your destination). the weight allowance is also COMBINED.

bottom line, it's so hard to say what the most appropriate option is until you look at what kind of trip you're taking, and for how long.

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Ross » Mon Jul 24, 2017 7:46 am

battler2 wrote:yes and no. haha. most airlines are absolutely fine with the box. usually their policy specifically says: "must be packed in a box". i'd say you can have more issues with a hard case than anything else, cos they can sometimes breach the dimension limit, and of course, blow your excess baggage allowance.

honestly soggy box has never happened to me and probably never will. but it has happened when i left it somewhere i thought was properly covered for a few days but wasn't. i just got another box :D

don't pay for them, unless you absolutely have to. check the garbage and just don't ask anyone inside the store and you won't pay. but i've had a scenario in a city where bikes are nearly impossible where it was hard to find a box, so i had to pay (KL).

it is the most frugal option yes, but suitable if you're not packing up every few days and hopping on a train or plane to go somewhere else.

ill just say i got my hard case from cyclingdeal, and it was $219. https://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/abs- ... /XXF-A1601 it's ok. i can squeeze a lot of extra crap inside the hard case, but it takes hours to pack and repack all those clothes etc. when changing destinations.

you'd have the same problem with a scion, and quite frankly, i'd be weary of keeping much more than a helmet inside as well. think there's not a lot of room, so you'll need to checkin an additional suitcase which is very expensive in economy and sometimes not permitted (unless south america is your destination). the weight allowance is also COMBINED.

bottom line, it's so hard to say what the most appropriate option is until you look at what kind of trip you're taking, and for how long.
The OP did ask which bag takes the least amount of bike dissassembly. A Scicon style bag ticks this box way ahead of carboard boxes or hard cases. Each bag or box has their own merits or drawbacks, there is no perfect solution except to not travel with a bike.

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby tez001 » Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:03 am

If going cardboard boxes, you can buy reuseable plastic corflute ones, or Qantas sell their own bike box (cardboard)

kokoman
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby kokoman » Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:13 am

for Amy's fondo.

Checking now if I can get 3 Scicon bags into the back of a Commie Sportswagon??

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby MichaelB » Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:14 am

Ross wrote:I have one of these, about half the price of Scicon bag and seems to be identical (I previously had a Scicon bag) - http://www.prospeedracing.com.au/produc ... g-bag.html
That's a good price. Is it capable to dealing with TA's ?

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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Hergest » Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:35 am

kokoman wrote:for Amy's fondo.

Checking now if I can get 3 Scicon bags into the back of a Commie Sportswagon??
That might be a squeeze. I've got the Scicon mentioned in other posts and have done 2 trips to the UK so far with Singapore air with no problem whatsoever. The bag is surprisingly large though. Mine fitted with no problem in the back of our Saab 9-5 wagon with the seats down, 2 would be tight, 3 would be very hard in the Saab and that's got a good size cargo area. Maybe if the Commodore is tall enough to allow one bag to sit on top of the other you would manage it.
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Hergest » Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:38 am

g-boaf wrote:
Duck! wrote:Scicons are good; bag has an adjustable-length frame (to suit different sized bikes) in the base which the bike mounts to on the dropouts, and is wide enough to not require doing anything to the handlebar seteup.

All you do is take the wheels off & put those in the side pouches, mount the bike to the bag frame, strap it in and away you go.
I think I remember you know Giant pretty well, so can I ask how are these bags with the older TCRs with the ISP? I'm using one of these bags for when I go over to Europe. 54cm frame.
Chris, my 57 cm Lynskey fits nicely into my Scicon bag, I can't see you having any issues with a 54 cm.
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g-boaf
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby g-boaf » Mon Jul 24, 2017 11:12 am

Thanks Paul. :)

kokoman
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby kokoman » Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:00 pm

I'm thinking 2 in the back with half of the rear seats down and one more between the front and rear seats... might that work?

3 bags in a Commie Sportswagon.

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MichaelB
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby MichaelB » Mon Jul 24, 2017 1:25 pm

kokoman wrote:I'm thinking 2 in the back with half of the rear seats down and one more between the front and rear seats... might that work?

3 bags in a Commie Sportswagon.
Depends on what else you want to take. May actually be easier without the bags. Remove both wheels and a couple of blankets, and all sweet.

Despite how well the bikes pack into the bags, they take up a LOT of room.

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Rinko?

Postby Thoglette » Mon Jul 24, 2017 1:56 pm

Hergest wrote:The bag is surprisingly large though.
If you need to get you bike and bag small (which is not what OP asked for) then "Rinko" is the way to go. Remove handlebars and fork (leave front wheel in fork) and you get it all into a much smaller bag. Those who do it regularly say "3 minutes". YMMV

See this thread for more.
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Hergest » Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:56 pm

MichaelB wrote:
Despite how well the bikes pack into the bags, they take up a LOT of room.
This is very true. The good thing for me about the size is that I only take the Scicon bag away with me as once the bike is in I place clothes and anything else in plastic bags around the bike and weigh it with each addition to keep under the baggage allowance.

One word of warning for anyone ever going to London Paddington with it. Avoid the rear entrance as it's got some lovely heritage cobbles for a hundred metres or so but the wheels of the bag refuse to go over them so you have to shoulder the 30 kg baggage all the way to the station concourse.
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby ValleyForge » Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:16 pm

My review of my SciCon.
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=51898

As a matter of record, It won't fit in a normal stationwagon except lying down, and even then it is usually a struggle.

My suggestion is the less disassembly, the more space they take up. If you have the time (and I seldom did) an extra 30 mins reassembling is fine.
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Re: A good Bike Bag

Postby Hergest » Mon Jul 24, 2017 7:41 pm

ValleyForge wrote:My review of my SciCon.
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=51898

As a matter of record, It won't fit in a normal stationwagon except lying down, and even then it is usually a struggle.

My suggestion is the less disassembly, the more space they take up. If you have the time (and I seldom did) an extra 30 mins reassembling is fine.
When I went to the UK the bike bag fitted in the back of this Hyundai i30 with the seats down quite easily from Heathrow and all the way up to Scotland. Lying it down is no issue so I'm curious as to what normal station wagon you found it a struggle to lie down the bag in? The following year I got in in the back of an Astra hatchback.

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