Need some help with a bike travel case

[gurm70]

Hi , just bought a new Specialized Roubaix Comp Double and love the bike. I travel a lot for work and want to take my bike since I spend a week at a time in places. I just completed the drive from LA to Las Vegas and had to pull the tires off to put the bike in my truck's back seat. I really don't want to screw up the finish, scratch the bike or worry about it flopping around in my truck. When I am not driving I am flying and want to be able to ship my bike without to much worry. I fly a lot on Southwest because of their time schedules to my destination and they seem good about baggage. NOTE SOuthwest does not charge to ship a bike as long as the dimensions are not to big. What is the best travel case to get and have faith in?

 

[jasong]

bike without to much worry. I fly a lot on Southwest because of their time schedules to my destination and they seem good about baggage. NOTE SOuthwest does not charge to ship a bike as long as the dimensions are not to big. What is the best travel case to get and have faith in?

What are the dimensions for being too big? Likely it's the same as for normal luggage, it being a low cost carrier (62 total inches). Which means it'll be impossible to get a normal bike frame into any case, let alone the rest of it.

 

[RapDaddyo]

Hi , just bought a new Specialized Roubaix Comp Double and love the bike. I travel a lot for work and want to take my bike since I spend a week at a time in places. I just completed the drive from LA to Las Vegas and had to pull the tires off to put the bike in my truck's back seat. I really don't want to screw up the finish, scratch the bike or worry about it flopping around in my truck. When I am not driving I am flying and want to be able to ship my bike without to much worry. I fly a lot on Southwest because of their time schedules to my destination and they seem good about baggage. NOTE SOuthwest does not charge to ship a bike as long as the dimensions are not to big. What is the best travel case to get and have faith in?

I plan to travel (by air) with my bike, beginning in Sept. I haven't bought it yet, but have tentatively concluded that the Iron Case from Trico is the most durable and requires the least bike disassembly. I haven't check the dimensions vs. airline maximums yet. I also don't know where you can get one the cheapest, but Brands Cycle has it for $270 vs. list price at $320. If it's within airline tolerances, it's worth it to me to protect my $6K bike.

 

[rv]

trico iron case is the defacto standard. none better. coloradocyclist.com has them for $250, which is as cheap as I've seen them.

 

[abegey]

Hi , just bought a new Specialized Roubaix Comp Double and love the bike. I travel a lot for work and want to take my bike since I spend a week at a time in places. I just completed the drive from LA to Las Vegas and had to pull the tires off to put the bike in my truck's back seat. I really don't want to screw up the finish, scratch the bike or worry about it flopping around in my truck. When I am not driving I am flying and want to be able to ship my bike without to much worry. I fly a lot on Southwest because of their time schedules to my destination and they seem good about baggage. NOTE SOuthwest does not charge to ship a bike as long as the dimensions are not to big. What is the best travel case to get and have faith in?

I picked up a Supergo case from their website to ship my Trek Madone 5.2 from Vancouver to Toronto (4000 miles) by plane. It got home without a single scratch (both the case and the bike). Nothing even moved in the case. I have total confidence in this bright blue box

 

[jasong]

It is quite hard to nail them down on what the max size is for cargo. I tried this several times for international flights, and they just couldn't tell me. Max weight was around 100lbs it seemed.

Careful with these bomber cases: they weigh minimum 30lbs and may not fit into the car/transportation you've got on the next side. Almost certainly going to have a problem with a cab.

I've got the Performance (/Nashbar/Supergo) case, and have yet to use it. Surcharges will at least be $100 each way. Are there still any domestic carriers that will let you carry a bike box without surcharge?

I plan to travel (by air) with my bike, beginning in Sept. I haven't bought it yet, but have tentatively concluded that the Iron Case from

 

[abegey]

It is quite hard to nail them down on what the max size is for cargo. I tried this several times for international flights, and they just couldn't tell me. Max weight was around 100lbs it seemed.

Careful with these bomber cases: they weigh minimum 30lbs and may not fit into the car/transportation you've got on the next side. Almost certainly going to have a problem with a cab.

I've got the Performance (/Nashbar/Supergo) case, and have yet to use it. Surcharges will at least be $100 each way. Are there still any domestic carriers that will let you carry a bike box without surcharge?

I travelled by airport limo (just a Lincoln Town Car, really) to the airport and the case fit comfortably in the trunk. There was no surcharge whatsoever on the airline, but I use Air Canada. Air Canada is partnered with United and Continental so I would check those two airlines for policies.