Bike Case - Hard or Soft?

kateleary

My tri club has two nice hard cases that I have borrowed for travel. I have friends with soft cases, which I also could borrow to go to Kona. Which do you prefer and why? 

Woody Freese

Great question Kate -

I have used a hard shell case in the past and it has worked well. My one experience w/ a soft shell was not positive (translation> the luggage apes damaged my road bike). In researching bike rates w/ the airlines, depending upon who you are flying with - the costs were $100 + each way. This works well if you have strong mechanical skills (or if you are traveling w/ someone who has strong wrenching skills...) Keep in mind, different hard shell cases require different levels of dis-assembly of the bike. If your bike is taken apart, I would venture to guess you would want a bike shop in Kona to do a"once-over" tune up before the Big Dance (another $50 - 125, depending on what needs to be done in Kona). You also have to store the bike box. Another thing to keep in mind - if you are bringing the bike on the plane, you may have a delay in your bike arriving - depending upon how many athletes are on your flight. Not all flights can accommodate the # of bikes, especially if you are taking a puddle-jumper from another island into Kona.

I have used Tri-Bike Transport 4-5 times, including Kona. The customer service is outstanding! The cost was slightly more than shipping the bike or bringing it on the plane round-trip. All you have to do is remove your pedals and take it to your nearest TBT authorized shop (this info can be found on there website). You meet your bike in Kona, where the TBT guys will install your pedals. No muss... No fuss... no reassembly... no pre-race in Kona assembly or tune-up. The day after the race, simply wheel the bike back to the TBT area (located very close to the pier). You hand it back to the crew and your bike will meet you at your local TBT authorized shop 1-2 weeks later (depending upon where you live). Last year, for an extra $25, you could include a gear bag (which is cheaper than most additional airline baggage fees) - AND you could include a padded wheel bag for no additional charge. For no reason in particular, I used the wheel bag option of my Zipp race wheels.

The TBT customer service, in my experiences, has ALWAYS been top-notch! The exclusive drawback is that you may have to be without your bike pre-Kona for 1-2 weeks (again, depending upon where you live).

Sorry for the lengthy response - Just my .02 cents...

CONGRATS -
Cheers,
Woody

Paul Hough

I have used TBT 5 times (excellent service) and my softside 7 times including 3 international trips. I have never had damage because I pack it carefully. There is a long recent thread on ST about a lady who had her bike damaged by United in a softside case. There are folks who came on and noted that they have had damage on a hard case. I've also read of a hard case run over by a tug on the tarmac...neither the case nor the bike survived. The key take away in this thread is that regardless of the type of case, your bike is in the greatest danger of being damaged due to inspection and improper repacking by TSA. So if you use a hard case and they cannot pack it right it can get damaged. Also, regardless of the case type, do not use your bike case to pack miscellaneous gear that can bounce around and damage the bike...or be pressed into it. I have a PikaPackworks which beat out 4 hard cases in a NYTimes bike case review where the same guy traveled with each one. I pack ONLY the bike in it and invest in a $20 roll of bubblewrap to cover everything. I remove the derailleur and know how to reinstall it...that is a problem with any case. I also use locks on the fork and chain stays to prevent cracking from pressure. TSA always leaves an inspection sticker in my case and it is obvious how it all goes. I just came back from IM Sweden this week where my bike went by plane from Tampa to JFK to CPH then by train to Kalmar, back by train to CPH then plane to Amsterdam to Detroit to Tampa. You will pay a lot more to take your bike by hard case (I was charged only the extra bag fee going over and back ($100) not the bike fee which is $150 each way...so I saved $100. I have saved more on other trips...more than I paid for the case. TBT is so convenient that I use them whenever available, but the PikaPackworks case is the bomb.

robin sarner

The pika works well for us.

Hard cases do not protect better then soft. And visa versa. As per paul, packing the thing. Though hard sometimes worse with forces transmitted to bike more?

kimmydct

If shipping a bike vs. traveling with it, I reco Shipbikes.com. For $99 u get a reusable ginormous box to ship your bike and it requires very minimal disassembly which was the selling point for me. Saving a bike shop having to pack and unpack x 2 was huge for me, with limited technical bike skills. Then u ship it through them via FedEx ground at like 1/2 of the published rates. This is how I plan to ship my bike whenever I need to and TBT isn't an option.

MattAaronson

I own a hard case, a TriAll3Sports "compact". It's not very "compact" but it's a lot smaller than their full-size case and fits easily into rental cars. I sustained some damage to my road bike in that case and it was totally my fault because I didn't secure everything when I packed it. All other trips have been damage free thanks to a good packing job. It has cost me $50 each way on United and Southwest airlines, although I'm Global Services on United so sometimes they reduce fees for me -- I have read some stories of people being charged more than that on airlines other than Southwest. One other issue with the "compact" varsion of my case is that - unlike with the full size - my disc wheel doesn't fit in the case (the removeable support bar that goes through a spoked wheel can't go through the disc, and the case is just a bit to short to get the wheel in on either side of the bar). For Kona that isn't an issue for you since you won't be bringing a disc. In case others have this issue, my solution was to UPS the wheel in advance to my hotel for $12 in a box provisioned for free by a bike store. If I was more mechanically-inclined I'd ship my whole bike that way as I know many folks do.

kateleary

Thanks for the feedback, all. Kim, were you able to fit assembled bike into your rental car? I rented a regular car for Kona, and I hadn't thought about the bike rack thing! Oops! For the Bone Island Half, I shipped my bike Fed Ex. The weird thing is that they wouldn't insure it, because I stated the total value, and they were, like, "For a bike??!!" LOL. Anyway, the opened the darn case and examined it, so I had to carefully repack. It did get to the destination intact. I chose to take it to the Fed Ex office on Key West, quite a taxi ride, for shipment home, just because they wouldn't give an exact pick up time and I didn't want to waste the day. I wasted a half day instead! This is pretty much why I want to bring the bike on the plane with me. I will look into the shipbikes.com for sure, though, as that fee is only $20 more than I paid FedEX to Florida. I'm sure it's all more costly to send to Hawaii. Ugh!

kateleary

Whoa! Just looked at Tri Bike Transport, and their rates for anywhere over water start at $399!! I see that the shipbikes.com site charges $104 just for a cardboard box. They then ship FedEx. I think I will used a borrowed box and carry it with me on the plane. It will be cheaper. Thanks for your input.

kateleary

OH, and TriBike Transport's nearest location to me is in Toronto, Canada, or I can drive 300 miles to find one in the US! I guess it's not convenient for all!

William Jenks

I looked into this a while back and concluded that a soft bag was the best solution. I ended up borrowing rather than buying, but here's the logic:

A hard case protects your bike better. Let's take that as a given. It's not perfect, but it's better.
A soft case is a lot more convenient to carry around, literally and figuratively. It's still 30 lbs, but it's not 100 lbs...

However, most hard cases will ALWAYS cost you a ton to fly and not fit in many/most rental cars.

When you cost out the additional expenses involved in flying with the hard case, it doesn't take that many trips before you can buy a new frame with the money saved. For example, if you have a $3000 frame and you think it will cost you $300-400 more to travel with the hard case...well, 8-10 trips.

Paul Hough

x2 on Williams points. The other cost consideration between TBT and either a soft case or hard case is that you must rent a larger vehicle to put the bike bag/case in. Stateside, I typically get a medium sized SUV instead of a mid-size car when I bring my bike on the plane. I do not use an external bike rack. That increases my cost another $100. So stateside, using Southwest at $75 bike fee each way, the true comparison is generally about $250 fly with it vs $300 TBT. For $50 more, TBT is worth it. Generally, I choose TBT whenever it is available...even over the water. I used them at Cozumel last year and will again this year. Most people fly into Cancun cause it costs so much more to go direct into Cozumel. Then you have a bag/bike drag van/cab down to Playa Del Carmen, then the boat ride to Cozumel, then the taxi to your hotel. I watched people lugging cases through that goat rope...no fun. Meanwhile, I walked one block from my hotel to the TBT bike pick-up point, and the same distance after the race. They provide excellent service. Anyway, each race presents a different set of considerations.

Kate - congrats again on your KQ!

stevrbee

Have read the comments on this thread with some interest. It seems everyone is unanaimous in the opinion that if TBT is available, use them! I used TBT this year at Ironman Texas and it worked out very well.

Next year I'm signed up for Ironman Austria and TBT is not an option. There are three other triathletes accompanying me for this trip. We are all hoping to do some sightseeing travel after (and perhaps before) the Ironman, and don't want to be lugging our bikes around with us. The official shipping option is DB Schenker (which I gather is like a Fed Ex), and an outfit called Mountainbiker offers service to assemble, then disassemble the bike for shipment.

My question - has anyone shipped a bike from stateside to Europe for an Ironman other than by taking it in a case on the plane with you? Have you had experience with either of these vendors? What can I expect? Any advice on dealing with customs? (I'd hate to have my bike "stuck in customs" come race day!) Thanks for any insight you can offer!

kateleary

Can't help you on this, Steve. I took my bike with me to the World's in Budapest, since I couldn't find a rental my size there. It worked out well for me as I had a connection through Switzerland. People traveling through London had to wait several days for their bikes to arrive, since there were so many bikes to ship and the planes to Budapest could not accommodate them. If you aren't super attached to using your own bike, renting worked out well for a friend who raced with me. Be aware that if there is not room on the plane for all the bikes, they won't arrive with you. Mine did not arrive back to NY with me on the return trip. I drove from NY to Buffalo, and the airline had to deliver the bike to me there a couple of days later.

Today, Tri Bike Transport announced that they are starting a new program for people who don't have a "partner shop" near to them, as in my case. You can now pack your own bike and they will send you a shipping label. They will reassemble at the race and then break it down and ship it back. For me, the fee to transport my bike to Kona with TBT is beyond my ability to pay. $750! Wow! I will bring my bike on the plane and have a friend put it together for me once there. This will save me $450. I'm hoping the plane has room! I am arriving on Sunday before the Saturday race, so it should be OK.

Woody Freese

TBT is charging $750 to ship a bike to Kona?!?!?!
Last year it was not anywhere close to that cost!
WOW!

kateleary

Their new service is called "Pack and Ship." Here is the link:

http://www.tribiketransport.com/services/packandship

It is probably less costly if you live in a city with a "partner shop." There is not one in Buffalo or anywhere else in upstate NY. A friend who used TBT for Kona last year drove to Cleveland! Toronto is the closest, but then you deal with another country and everything that goes with that.

kimmydct

Kate- I didn't need to fit the bike in the car when I did my training. U said it is $104 for just a cardboard box but I assure u it is a very sturdy Box made for a bike. And it is reusable. It also has a metal bracket in the bottom that your fork gets mounted to so the bike doesn't move AT ALL. Good luck with whatever Method u choose! And With the race of course.

Paul Hough

That is for a different program that requires them to rebuild your bike for you and dismantle it and pack it for you upon return. Younare paying for all that extra touch.

Scott Alexander

Shipping internationally pre-race is always sketchy...US customs can tie up your bike/package indefinitely!