Any recommendations on Bike Transport Cases? Are the hardcases pretty much the same so I'll just pick the least expensive? or is there one that stands out? Thanks
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Living well is expensive. There is a cheaper way... but it is not living well.

Most people I talk to love their trico cases. I plan on buying one later this year. Here is a case by Bike Pro USA that people say a lot of good things about as well. https://www.bikeprousa.com/race_case.php?CA=&UID=20040820105530129.71.207.144

Here is a thread on the Serotta forum discussing cases, it may help. http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3931

Any recommendations on Bike Transport Cases? Are the hardcases pretty much the same so I'll just pick the least expensive? or is there one that stands out? Thanks
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Living well is expensive. There is a cheaper way... but it is not living well.


Last year I borrowed a buddies Trico Iron Case for two trips. I just bought my own because I thought it was a pretty solid solution.

The thing is everything shy of actually being bullet proof. It's a little nerve wracking the first time you sandwich the thing together and half to sit on it to get the closures to strap, but it is very solid and your bike is completely suspended in a thick layer of foam inside the hard plastic shell. Minimal disassembly required as well.

Wheels off
Insert Chain stay and fork spacer/anti-crush protectors
loosen handlebar binder so it rotates down
secure the chain if you wish and that's it.

I know with some larger bike frames you also have to drop the seat post, but I've never had to do this.

Got mine on eBay about two weeks ago for $219 plus shipping ($30) Not the cheapest, but I figure it's a lifetime investment.

I own one, and it works well. The only downside is that it is a bit of an Albatross to haul around and store. It's big and bulky. The Trico does do a good job of hauling your bike, however. Very secure. No problems in trips to Ireland, France, and California (just got back this week...)

I tend to disassemble the bike a bit more, just to make sure that there are no problems. I remove the seat/post (to make it fit), rear derailleur (an abundance of caution - less pressure on the hanger and the mech itself), chain (a Connex link makes this easy), and handlebar (it fits better and puts less pressure on the brake/shifters). I use old bike socks to store things like pedals, skewers, and other stuff -- it keeps it from damaging the bike as things can move around in the case despite the plethora of padding. I also make sure that the front derailleur is in the small ring position -- that way the chainring shields it from being bent by the pressure of the foam padding.

I highly recommend the Bike Pro USA case. It's very well-designed, and very easy to handle. You'll appreciate this when you have to handle your own bag. It's very well padded and safe; at first I thought that I wanted a hard shell but the truth is that your bag will get opened and checked. It's important to make it easy for the inspectors to look at the contents and pack it up again. Also, its easy of handling makes it less an object of abuse from airport handlers. They are human too, after all. ;-)

This is the case I bought off of Mike at Maestros to have my C-50 shipped to me. This thing is tha' shiznit! Don't ask me where to get them in the states, because this is the first that I've seen.You could drop this box off the roof of your house and your bike would never move. I know I was just as impressed with this box as much as what came in it!
Haven't got a chance yet to fly with it, but it will definately come in handy! Besides, I wont have to talk the flight attendants into letting my bike go on as carry on anymore! Ya know.......Bomb,Bomb, Bomb..........Bomb, Bomb,Bomb ba Bomb!!(Ben Stiller)

Ain't cheap
http://www.vandesselsports.com/sciconcases.shtml

I borrowed a friends Trico case to go to the Giro this year.

To pack it I removed the bars from the stem, removed the pedals, took the skewers out of the hubs, removed seat/seatpost and unbolted the rear derailur and zip tied it between the chainstays after wrapping it with bubble wrap.

It made the flights from US->Milan->Rome->US with no damage whatsoever. When I saw how the italian baggage handelers looked at the box I thought for sure the bike was doomed.

For the price it works great!

-G