Folks...looking for any insights on travel cases or bags.  Not sure what would be best to cart the bike around on an airplane.  Any thoughts or insights would be great.

Many thanks!

Hands down, the best case- Pika Packworks.  Many pro teams use it. I've used it for many trips.  Don't get fooled by the softcase. It's the best out there, AND, I can sometimes get it through the check in in process w/o having to claim it as a bike and pay extra fees.

 

 

Bike Box Allen is the the Man.

 I also have used the DHB one which is a bit small.

 

I can highly recommend the scicon aerotech evolution! Not really a cheap investment, but it's worth it! Previously had the TC1 - which isn't a good bike case in my mind.

ezclimb:

Hands down, the best case- Pika Packworks.  Many pro teams use it. I've used it for many trips.  Don't get fooled by the softcase. It's the best out there, AND, I can sometimes get it through the check in in process w/o having to claim it as a bike and pay extra fees.

 

Would this bag really protect a CF bike on a transpacific flight? 

 All I can say is that I was skeptical myself, but after reading all the reviews, and now having traveled overseas with it as well, I see why it works.  (Yes, I used it to travel with my 2011 R3- CF).  See these reviews:

http://bicycling.com/gear/detail/0,7989,s1-14-22-2877-0,00.html

http://www.dirtragmag.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20750

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBcAZe5zpfo

Review in NY times of 5  major travel cases: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/fashion/12physical.html

 

I have a bikeboxalan, i like it and it is easy to push around the airport.

 This is an awesome bike box.

http://www.amazon.com/Thule-699-Round-Bicycle-Travel/dp/B0018THWX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296486703&sr=8-1

 I've a Polaris Bike Pod. Don't like it. It's very difficult to push/pull as it has no proper handle, and it won't stand up by itself.

Folks thanks for all the great feedback.  The Bike Box Allan looks awesome but pretty costly and I am in the USA so could take forever to get.  Was also looking at the Trico cases, they seem to have some good feedback, good price although no one thus far has mentioned them.  Overall seems hard case it the way to go and definitely want it to have good wheels.  Ideally I would rather not have to remove the bars (not cause I can't do it but seems like added steps and a pain) but seems like that is unavoidable with most options. 

Anyway again thank you and if anyone else has anything to add I am open ears.

Thanks!!!

+1 on the Pika Packworks.  I've used it on my last two trips to Europe.  The bike has always been protected and I've yet to be accessed any extra baggage fees.  Have received many compliments from other riders. 

AlpeDHuez:

+1 on the Pika Packworks.  I've used it on my last two trips to Europe.  The bike has always been protected and I've yet to be accessed any extra baggage fees.  Have received many compliments from other riders. 

 

so you're packing your bike the right side up? one of the links above, mentioned packing the bike upside down to protect the chainring. I couldn't visualize it because the bag has a trapezoidal shape which coincides with the bike frame shape. Are you making any 'extra' packing safety measures to protect your bike or the pika bag is really good to go just as it is?

Check out this one. I just got it and its a great and ingenious design.

http://biknd.com/index_en.html

 

 

+1 for the Thule case. The plastic shell design is bomb proof. Just pack it in nicely and forget about it.

I have used the Trico Ironcase for trips to Ireland, Australia, Colorado and Washington State. The case is relatively inexpensive, bombproof, and big enough that you can pack all your cycling gear without a problem. None of my gear has ever been damaged during transit. The Thule hard case is similar in many respects to the Trico Ironcase, but when I was looking it was more expensive. Another hard case that has not been mentioned to date is the B&W hard case which was the most popular bike case in Europe (available for $350 on eBay at the moment: http://cgi.ebay.com/Hard-Bike-travel-case-w-4-wheels-carrier-bicycle-pro-/330405122882?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cedae1342#ht_2442wt_1141). I looked at the top of the range Scicon case (forget the name) and it was too big to fit into the car! Other than the B&W case, all hard cases except for folding bikes are large, sometimes awkward to transport, and usually incur extra baggage fees (which can be quite expensive depending on the airline, number of flights, and destination). Because of this, if I were to buy another bike bag, I would be tempted for either the B&W hard case or more likely the Pika Packworks soft case. As many have said on this thread, despite being a soft case, the Pika Packworks has great reviews and is lighter, smaller, easier to transport and may not incur extra baggage fees.