Travel Cases

[aperrel]

Can someone recommend a good hard travel case that can handle large bikes with a minimum of disassembly?  I'm considering the Trico Ironman or the Tri All 3 Sports Velo Safe Custom Road or Pro Series. This will be primarily for air transport and occasional FedEx ground.  Thanks!

[JayH]

How "large" do you mean?  

I know a couple of bike shops near me that rent out the trico Ironcases and I use one for my travels. However, my road bike is only a 49cm and my mountain bikes are small so I don't know what you mean by large. I am actually able to fit my 49cm Lemond with a small rear rack on it, without having to disassemble it. However, I would think that any regular sized rack and a larger bike it wouldn't work.  I've shipped my road bike using FedEx and have taken it to France, all the times it has survived intact and OK. I bought my Trico used from a bike store.

Jay

When I ship my road bike, I need to disassemble:

1)Seat and seatpost
2)QR skewers on the wheels
3)pedals.
4)Handlebar just has to be loosened
5)I usually tie the rear der. forward so it doesn't get crunched by the boxcase.

That's about it. I'm not familiar with Velo Safe cause I only own the Trico.    

For something cheaper, I've heard that folks have had good luck with the reinforced cardboard box cases like from Colorado Cyclist amongst others.. they're only like $50 I think.  

[TigerDon]

I have used a Trico Ironman case for over 10 years and my bike has never been damaged during shipping.  

[aperrel]

Thanks for your response.  I have a 58 cm road bike and will be buying a new mountain bike of similar size.  Do you think the Trico could handle the frame and the 2" tires?

[aperrel]

Jay-Thanks for your detailed response.  How long does it take you to disassemble and pack?

[JayH]

Yes, I would think that a 58 isn't all that big. I think the "average" frame size is somewhere around a 54-55.  You can always ask Trico anyway or ask a LBS, they probably ship bikes for people all the time.  For a MTB, you might have to take the handlebar out completely, because they are longer than drop bars. Might want to make sure you get/buy a stem with a removable face-plate so that you can take the stem off without having to remove all the components.

As far as how long it takes for me to pack, it depends how rushed I am, I mean, as long as everything comes appart smoothly, I would say the fastest would take about 15 minutes but I would usually when not rushed take about 1/2 hour.  That is because I usually wrap the main tubes with pipe insulation. I will pack other gear into the box that will fit and will fill whatever space leftover with packing material to keep things from moving.

If you do buy the Trico Ironcase used, make sure you get the fork dropout spacers with it.  My IronCase that I bought used came with 2 metal "skewars" that you put in the front fork dropouts and the rear dropout to prevent the forks from getting crushed.  I believe they are standard when you buy a Trico new so if you do buy one used, make sure it comes with it or if not, make sure you use something similar.  Hate to arrive somewhere with a bent forkleg!

Jay

[aperrel]

Jay,
Again, thanks!  I'm going to placing an order today for the Trico.  The other case I was considering is too big for UPS or FedEx ground. I will definitely heed your advice regarding the stem and the fork drop out spacers.

[DaveB]

.....make sure you get the fork dropout spacers with it.

If dropout spacers don't come with your travel case or you are just shipping a bike in a cardboard box, you can make excellent spacers from trashed hubs.  Ask your LBS for wheels that have been damaged beyond saving or hubs with bad bearings.  Most shops have a few of these lying around and will be happy to give them to you.  

To reduce bulk and weight, I remove the axle, cones and locknuts from the hubs and throw away the hub shell.  Reassemble the cones and locknuts on the axle with the proper spacing and hold them in the dropouts with your skewers.  

You can use nutted hubs too but you need the proper size wrench(es) to put them in place and remove them so QR hubs work better.  

BTW, don't rely on the plastic slip-in spacers used to ship new bikes.  They don't fit tightly enough to stay in place for the type of shipping most of us do.  I found this out the hard way.