Bike travel Case for rent????

I have a serfas hard case, but putting a DH bike in is a REALLY tight fit... And by really tight I mean I had to pack some of the components in my suitcase.

Jon i am interested as well, i am riding in San Diego at the end of march for a week. i live in Jersey City so i could pick it up, let me know if we can work something out.

Call around to some shops. I know that some tri oriented shops like to rent them out to guys going to Iron Man type events. We rented them at two shops I used to work at. Some bike boxes out there are pretty danged good! Go to a C'dale dealer and get one of their boxes. US made and beefy. The Giants and Specialized gravity also ship in oversized boxes IIRC.

I bought a Trico hardcase 10 or 12 years ago and have used it now a good 50 times. Fitting a DH bike can be an endeavor (fork off, shock out, rotate swingarm) but my bike always gets there in one piece. It pays for itself in the long run.

-ska todd

kidwithbike said:

Jon i am interested as well, i am riding in San Diego at the end of march for a week. i live in Jersey City so i could pick it up, let me know if we can work something out.

Click to expand...

Definitely. What bike are you planning on taking?

Also, nice feature about the case... the latches can be locked. I wouldn't want StickyFingers McBaggageHandler going through my bike case.

+1 what Todd said.

My LBS (Guy's Bikes in Feasterville, PA) rented a case to me for my Whistler trip some years ago. You definitely want to call and reserve it well ahead of time. I did have to remove the fork (Boxxer) from the frame, but I was able to leave it more or less "assembled" otherwise. Not like you need more than a few hex wrenches to put it all back together.

All of use taking the trip bought or rented cases... except one... he got a used box from his LBS... guess which one of us had problems... personally, I'm not trusting my multi-$K bike to baggage handlers with only cardboard for protection... I don't even like the idea of a soft-shell case...

The local mountain bike orgnaization here in WNY has 2 that they let members use. Look into the local clubs and orgs in the area, I am sure they have them for free as long as you are a member/pay dues. Funding IMBA based clubs is a good thing.

I got a dakine bag that I don't believe I will using this year. It got my bike plus tools to whistler last year safely.

You shipping the bike separately or bringing it with you on the plane? Just curious what the preferred approach is.

i will be taking my spanking new glory DH size large on the plane!

last time i went to san diego i fit my Sunday into a Apple desktop box which was a fraction of an inch smaller than the dimensional limit for oversize (read free!) I took off the rear triangle and positioned it hugging around the front tri... (i was replacing bearings anyway) took the springs out of the forks, and used the tires to protect the frame.
the look on my friends face when they picked me up at the airport was great... "where is your bike? no way you fit it in that box..."

jonKranked said:

Definitely. What bike are you planning on taking?

Also, nice feature about the case... the latches can be locked. I wouldn't want StickyFingers McBaggageHandler going through my bike case.

Click to expand...

Nowadays every piece of checked baggage is subject to search, even if locked. I have seen attendants ask that locks be removed, my friend lost a very important piece of his headset due to a search on our way to Whistler last year.

I would suggest finding a frame box, shipping your frame, and taking the wheels and fork off and packing them as your checked baggage. This is how I went to Whistler and never got charged a dime in handling fee's. Just 50 bucks in Fedex shipping fees WITH INSURANCE. Pretty sure an airline wouldn't give a s*it about a dent in your frame......

Tmeyer said:

Nowadays every piece of checked baggage is subject to search, even if locked. I have seen attendants ask that locks be removed, my friend lost a very important piece of his headset due to a search on our way to Whistler last year.

Click to expand...

The last time I flew with a bike I made it clear when I checked in that post inspection the bike case was to be RE-LOCKED. I also said that because it was such a valuable piece of equipment that I would like to oversee the inspection to make sure nothing inadvertently fell out. They were actually cool with that, but the fact that my parents were there probably helped.

*note: this was post 9/11

I have travelled lots with a soft case, I have travelled international and domestic here in Europe. I never had a problem, I left my forks on andtaped my shin pads on the outside and braced the inside. A dh bike in a soft bag is very heavy so it wont get thrown around .

I dont think you need a hardcase for just to do one trip, if you were doing lots of trips Id get a hardcase then you dont have to be so careful packing all your stuff.

Also the added weight with a hard case, doesnt justify the potential of higher airline charges for the weight.(sometimes u get hit sometimes you dont) for international flights you get more allowance.

WhoRyder said:

taking it on flight with me....

Click to expand...

Just get Gerald to pack it in two boxes it works great. I have travled tons of times with regular bike boxes from the shop. Just put a lot of tape on the outside so it will not rip.

Hey Dave, like Todd said, get Cannondale box, or a Trek box, make sure you get the one that they use to pack their road bikes, they have plenty of room, they are strong, and have an insert with straps that will keep the bike secured.
Also make sure you Duck tape the sections around the handles, so the don't break. There is nothing more annoying for a person that handles baggage in the airports, than a huge heavy box that the can't grab because it is falling apart, believe me they WILL trow trow it around, or delayed it just to don't deal with it.

pillete said:

Also make sure you Duck tape the sections around the handles, so the don't break.

Click to expand...

Be careful using duct tape on cardboard boxes. Some airlines will not accept it b/c it peels off too easily. Get real packing tape. I throw a roll of it in my bag so that I'm not trying to find some at my hotel or the airport on the way home.

Another tip, do NOT throw away your cardboard box at your destination. Guard it like it's gold. Keep it in your hotel room or condo. Hotels like to throw out random, empty, used boxes if they see they around (like in the hall or the bike room) and you don't want to be scrambling to find another box or paying $30 for a tattered box at a local shop.

-ska todd