Which bike bag to buy???

[levidaw]

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a predicament and i need some help!! I am looking at purchasing a bike bag to travel with and am not sure which one to go for. There are 2 that I am contemplating getting 1) Biknd Helium 2) Scicon AeroComfort 2.0. I would like some feed back with pros and cons of each bag as well as any issues anybody has had with them.

Thanks

Levi

 

[PCutter]

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a predicament and i need some help!! I am looking at purchasing a bike bag to travel with and am not sure which one to go for. There are 2 that I am contemplating getting 1) Biknd Helium 2) Scicon AeroComfort 2.0. I would like some feed back with pros and cons of each bag as well as any issues anybody has had with them.

Thanks

Levi

Below is a Youtube video of a guy comparing some bags including the Scicon, I bought the EVOC on the back of this review and found it very easy to deal with - and most important very protective of my frame. If you go to his site which is listed on the video he has more reviews, not sure if he does Biknd. One issue I did see with the Biknd somewhere when I was doing research was that if you intend on using the bike bag as you're sole bag (ie stuffing your clothes in it - as I did) the 'pillows' in the bag take up most of that spare space which was a deal breaker for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkk5WODb7SM

Scion review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqxK1a2A9dI

 

[shouldawouldacoulda]

he has more reviews, not sure if he does Biknd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkk5WODb7SM

Scion review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqxK1a2A9dI

TDFtips guy doesn't review Biknd. But Realcyclist does:

http://youtu.be/mZ_EfgaGvdk

Also, take a look at the pika packworks bag - its awesome:

http://youtu.be/UBcAZe5zpfo

I've used the Scicon, Pika, Bikend, other basic soft bags, hard-cases like the Scicon. And just plain old boxes.

My favourite is the Pika. Its light-easy to pack and carry around and I've had good success getting it past check-in agents without an extra fee. Con - no wheels. (it would be easy to have added just 2 rear wheels). Pro - excellent padding - no internal frame makes it light - the BB is supported by a foam block so chainrings stay well protected - while bag stays light.

The Scicons are big and bulky. I find the wheels are cheap and tend to fall off - then they become a awkward to move around. I've seen carbon frames break using them as well - the seat stays... I think because the bike is supported on an internal frame that fits your forts and rear drop outs the bike won't move around inside the bag. So if it gets hurled around by a baggage agent the weak point is the seat-stay.

The Bikend is a great bag. Its a bit more work to pack than the pika or Scicon - not much. As PCutter said - its got limited interior space. I didn't find that to be a problem. For me, its a super close 2nd after the pika.

I've never used the EVOC - but always thought it would be a great bag.

In a pinch - a cardboard box works just fine.

 

[Throbbobank]

I can second the EVOC -brilliant bit of kit and light enough to ensure that even though my bike wasn't the lightest I was well under 20 kilos (some airlines start charging extra over 20 kilos in weight)

I am a born worrier and I have to say that I never once worried that my bike would get damaged - I did, however, follow the advice in the article linked below and to ensure it was bomb proof invested the grand total of £10 to add some foam pipe lagging - I also removed the rear derailleur for travel although some would say it isn't necessary with the EVOC (probably isn't but for the 2 minutes work involved I preferred to do so - in my eyes better to be able to ride the bike when I got there than be faced with a bent mech)

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/how-to-pack-a-bike-for-the-olympics-or-any-trip-34799/

Best of all, it folds down to a reasonable size for storage....