Mountain biking travel cases are mostly used to pack the whole bike by opening all of its parts with tools so that it can be easily carried to some other place. these travel cases have great worth for carrying a mountain bike with you while flying to some other country for world racing, touring, and for enjoying vacations. it’s a safer method.
The travels cases are quite good because your bike stays secure and you would not have to buy a bike in the next country tho you may need some NOC or legal documents depending on the country, that’s why travel cases are introduced to have your bike with you on the plane and ships. you don’t need to worry about your bike because it keeps your bike safe to reach your destination.
Travel cases have small and large sizes. larger-sized travel cases have the advantage, you don’t need to open up the entire parts of the bike to press the bike in the travel case. you just need to wrap all the parts of the bike(fork, frame, wheels, pedals), and the handlebar) with cushion foam. it is important because it saves your bike from scratches and keeps safe in airline traveling.
Tip: most air lines donot allow motorized/E-mountain bikes yoy may need to remove the battery.
Here is the list of the 15 best mountain bike travel cases mostly used by the riders:
- Evoc
- Cardboard box
- Sicon Aero
- Aophire folding bike travel case
- Speed Hound
- Topnaca
- Cycling deal
- Still Cool
- B & W International
- Thule
- Dakine
- Topeak
- Biknd
- Serfas
- ROCKBROS folding bike travel case
These are the best travel cases for keeping bikes safe these all recommendations come through friends, family, and through my own research.
How to pack a mountain bike in a travel case?
- Travel cases are lighter in weight which is prepared to pack the entire mountain bike and bring it with you to another country or place.
- For this purpose firstly open both the pedals of your bike.
- Uninstall the lock of the chain with the help of the chain tool. (not necessary)
- Open the nut bolts of the front wheel and uninstall the wheel and then thread both the axles into the dropouts.
- Remove the rare derailer completely.
- Lose the stem bolts and then uninstall the handlebar.
- Insert the spacers and top cap in the bar tube and tighten the cap of the bar.
- Remove the fork of the bike.
- Wrap the foam of the frame and stick the straps of the foam around the frame tube.
- Every bag contains wrapping material or foam for bike parts to wrap completely.
- Adjust the chainstay guard which will protect the crank and frame tube.
- Remove the saddle by opening the bolts of the saddle.
- The travel case has many compartments and pouches
- Put the wheels into these compartments and the derailer into the pouch.
- Adjust the fork into the stretchy compartment so that it would not move here and there.
- Put the fork under the frame in the case.
- Adjust the other parts of the bike in the other compartments of the travel case.
- When all the setup has been completed Lock the case.
- Pick the case in the standing position.
The travel case has tires that will ease up in pulling the travel case anywhere you can go. the bike would not be damaged in the case.
Let me explain the features and advantages of the travel cases I have listed above in the given post.
Evoc:
The price of the Evoc travel case is 630$ and the weight is 22 pounds. It contains a clever belt system that holds all the parts of the bike close together and keeps it safe. you cannot claim that your bike has been broken in the Evoc travel case.it is suitable for all-sized wheels of the bike 26, 27.5, and 29. The bag is enough strong to hold 285 liters of weight. These are different in their weight.it is long-lasting and does not become old after 2 to 3 rides. it makes the journey much easier because it does not cost an extra fee while traveling to another place.it is not much large that you worry how can I carry in a vehicle.it can easily be fitted in a small vehicle without any issue.
The airline security checks and it does not create any trouble after that they will shift the bag in the plane they will charge only 150 to 200$ for Evoc case. let me tell you the charges of the different countries, who will charge for the Evoc travel case.
- United states: 200$ (weight 80 Ibs)
- Alaska:50$ but if the weight of the case exceeds 70 pounds they will charge 100 to 150$
- European airline:80 to 100$
Thule:
it contains an 800-gram weight, price of Thule travel case is from 400 to 800$. It a much safer than the Evoc bag used for both mountain and road bikes.it contains foam pads that will work as a bump absorber while riding to the airport and landing and the parts of the bike do not hit each other and has separate pouches for the bike tools and parts. These are lighter in weight than the Evoc bags.it has a bent shape in the outward direction.
it is a much cheaper case which will cost just 75$in the airline as compared to the other travel cases.it has funky system straps made of plastic. these Thule bags are usually not stocked, these are ordered online to buy them.it contains a tripod that will help to adjust your bike frame in the tripod which will support the front fork, axle, and crank chain of your bike.
You do not have to slide the bike to place it in the case, the bike frame stands exactly in the standing position.it is not necessary to uninstall the pedals and the saddle of the bike in the Thule travel case.
Topeak:
The weight of the Topeak bag is 30Ibs and the price of the Topeak bag is 500 to 900$. It has multidirectional wheels to change the direction of the case. it is lighter in weight and taller in size. it has its own lock system which makes the case more secure.it contains two side handles through which you can pick it from the tall side. the zippers are quite classic, thick, and extraordinary.
it contains a zipper lock that will fit in the top front lock of the case and does not allow the zips to move anywhere or bounce.
it contains two wheels or stands through which you can bring all the parts of the bike together. the inner surface of the case contains a foam layer which gives more protection to the bike.it contains two large compartments on a single side, where you can add extra things like it would be your tools or clothes etc.
the outer surface does not allow water to enter into the case in the rain.it has long-lasting durability and does not expire till 5 to 8 years. it needs a little bit of protection when you carry it in vehicles, cars, etc.
Aophire:
The price of Aophire travel case is 50 to 70$ and the weight is 3kg. It contains shoulder straps and smooth zips. it has a very large size compared to the other travel bags it is also used for mountain and road bikes you don’t need to uninstall the back wheel because the case contains extra large space.it is foldable and it can easily be pressed and you can carry it by hand or even on your bike anywhere.
it is mostly manufactured to carry 26 and 27.5 wheels but you can carry also 29 wheel mountain bike.
Aophirre bag material contains polyester and fabric. the noticeable thing about these bags is that aophire bags are waterproof.it contains two pouches where you can add the tools of the bike.
Dakine:
The price of the Dakine travel bag is 462$ and the weight is 20Ibs. Dakine company is famous for its long-lasting products. The dakine travel bag is made in such a way that it contains many compartments for the parts of the mountain bike even it contains a derailer pouch where you can fit the derailer and it contains an extra zip compartment for the wheels.
Instead of this, it has folded straps for the handlebar and the frame to wrap around.
it has two tires and a handle place through which you can grasp and pull it in a forwarding direction.
B & W International:
The weight of the B & W International travel case is 550 grams. The price of the B & W International travel case is 500$.it is mostly for 29 wheel mountain bikes.
The outer casing of this bag is waterproof.it is made for the transport of the mountain bike to trips. the materials used in this case are rubber, plastic, fiber, and nylon. As the name suggests this bag is used by international riders due to its comfortability and long durability.
it contains several straps for holding the bike in a fixed place and also it contains many layers of foam which protect the bike from scratching and hitting the box.
it contains four castors in which two castors are multirotational and two castors are non-movable, fixed in their place.it contains two types of handle places.it provides more security (6 places)as compared to the other travel cases. the bikes with frames of up to 65cm can be fitted easily in the case.