Bike bag light enough and small enough to carry on tour.

[Ridgie]

Travelling across France this summer and flying back home to London at the end of the trip. I can buy a bike bag at Basel just before I fly back and use that, but it would be a lot better if I can carry a bike bag with me. My bike is tough (titanium) and I am prepared to risk a bit of damage by using a thin bag. Does anyone know of a cheep(ish) bag that is light enough and small enough when folded to take on the tour with me so that I can save the trip to Decathlon.

[Tigerbiten]

A quick search for a soft bicycle bag found a "Winsale Bike Folding Travel Bag"
Sub £20 and only 1.7 Kg.
I used a soft bag like that for taking my bent trike on mainline trains so it's possible to carry on tours.
But it might be a bit bulky when rolled up unless you have plenty of spare space.

Luck .........

[Sweep]

Check out the ground effect tardis ridgie.

[MrsHJ]

Given that it’s regularly discussed on here presumably you’ve dismissed the uk cycling bag available from wiggle? It’s basically a mattress bag.

Ps you can cut about 25% off the end to reduce weight and it still does the job.

[simonhill]

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/ctc/bike-bags/

This is the one MrHJj refers to. It's usually referred to as the CTC polythene bag

However you don't say what sort of bag you want, so lots of guessing needed.

[roberts8]

Just had a look at the tardis bag which looks good but I don't think it would work if you had a bike with mudguards. I would like to keep the bike complete bar pedals off and handlebars turned and a clear case but foam or card round the rear mech. I have only flown with my bike a few times and had no damage so I was wondering how frequent damage actually is?

[MrsHJ]

Just had a look at the tardis bag which looks good but I don't think it would work if you had a bike with mudguards. I would like to keep the bike complete bar pedals off and handlebars turned and a clear case but foam or card round the rear mech. I have only flown with my bike a few times and had no damage so I was wondering how frequent damage actually is?

I’ve not experienced any major problems but it’s certainly not unheard of. Nb unlike the olden days some sort of bag or box is compulsory these days. The clear plastic is best boosted with a spacer for the front forks and bubble wrap for sensitive mechanisms. Cycling UK has a section on packing your bike up for a flight.

[Sweep]

Jbut foam or card round the rear mech. I have only flown with my bike a few times and had no damage so I was wondering how frequent damage actually is?

In anything but a hard case I would take the rear mech off (but still connected to cables) and zip tie it between the rear dropouts.

[simonhill]

Not sure if you follow any posts on this which usually include all variants of packing.

The first thing is to check what your airline require.

Indeed, the Tardis does require removal of front wheel. I believe they supply a spacer for the front forks (easily obtainable from LBS as it is a standard part of a new boxed bike).

I usually box my bike (free LBS cardboard box). For return, I go to a bike shop and get a box to use. Make sure it is big enough. You normally need to remove front wheel and mudguard - not a lot of hassle. Also remove handlebars and pedals. Personally, I never remove rear mech, but I do have one of those old MTB style gear protector cages which takes the knocks and strain. Don't forget to put in lowest gear to keep everything as inboard as possible.

Using a box does create logistical problems in getting to airport.

I regularly fly long haul and very rarely have problems or damage. It is a combination of luck and careful packing.

Depending on how big your bike is, you may be able to get the whole bike in the CTC poly bag - I did when I used one. I always think that the biggest problem with the poly bag is that the bike is very difficult to handle, which in turn doesn't lend itself to careful handling.

[Sweep]

simon I think is the expert in this area (we are fortunate to have a fair few modest experts in this nice place)

Some more info on my single experience of using the Tardis.

@ very good - as a solo traveller I had no great problem carrying it over my shoulder with two other bags (one wheeled, one over the other shoulder) on buses and trains to get to the airport.

@ The bike I was carrying was a small hybrid.

@ I think it was without mudguards

@ I detached the bars and fastened them to the rest of the bike with zipties to get the bike to fit in the bag

@ I used pipe lagging and bits of bubble wrap to protect things

@ It took a serious amount of time to fit the bike in - not the sort of operation to do on the day of a flight

@ Everything arrived fine and undamaged

@ It is compact - about the size of an old fashioned phone directory. Can be carried on the bike or, as some do, furtively buried/hidden somewhere for use on a return flight from the same place.

[ANTONISH]

I've done this a few times.
On one occasion I made a bag out of that blue tarpaulin found in diy shops.
It was light - about 1kg but it wasn't in good shape by the time I got home - however it works.
When I flew to Vienna to do the Danube ride I used a standard bike bag - nearly 3kg but the route is flat so the weight wasn't really a problem.
This year I bought a bag which was close to 2kg - Rockwell on e-bay. Although the ride was quite hilly the weight of the bag wasn't particularly noticeable.
Took tgv to Narbonne and rode back to Dieppe.

What you are faced with is getting the bike into the bag and to the required dimensions ( I usually travel by train so it needs to be acceptable for tgv etc)

The bike needs some dismantling - as has been said the rear derailleur needs to come off and be tied to the rear stay with some padding - the chain can stay on. I reverse the pedals and turn the handlebars - slack the bolts on the handlebar clamp and turn the bars under the top tube - I also disconnect gear and brake cables. At the destination the bike has to be put back in working order again.
It's all a bit of a hassle but if I'm touring a few hours isn't problem.
This does mean I can just book a ticket on a tgv with the bike as luggage.

[Ridgie]

Thank you all for your considered replies. The CTC bag is just too difficult to manage into taxi and at the airport with panniers etc. All I am concerned about is folded size and weight so that I can cycle 1,000K with it without lobbing it aside on a bad day! It will sit over the panniers on top of a bed roll, so it can have a bit of bulk. Pedals, bars, mudguards, rack, mech and the rest I can handle. The type of bag doesn't matter a lot as long as it will take a tourer split down a bit. Any more ideas would be great, but ta for help in any event.
Ridgie

[pal]

I know people have already suggested the Ground Effect Tardis, but I'd also put in a word for their other bag -- the 'Dogsbody' (it used to be called the 'Body Bag'): https://www.groundeffect.co.nz/collecti ... t-bike-bag It doesn't require as much dismantling as the Tardis (just the removal of the front wheel & pedals, unless you have a particularly large bike); but it gets things small enough to be manageable at airports &c (also just the right dimensions to fit into the back of a black cab!). The bag is a bit lighter than the Tardis, and it packs down to the size of a large phone book (small enough to sit happily on a rear rack, or even to be posted to your final destination). You can beef up the protection with scavenged cardboard boxes/bubble wrap. I've used mine a lot, and both it and the bikes have held up very well indeed (one slightly bent derailleur in about 20 flights -- and that was my fault really for packing in a hurry and failing to protect it at all...)

The only downside, imo, is that you have to buy it from NZ, which means extra faff with import duties/fees to the Post Office. But once you've got it, it should last for years...

[simonhill]

Sweep gave a good review of the Tardis, but Groundeffect also do another one that might be more suitable, the Dogsbody.

I've been very tempted by it.


https://www.groundeffect.co.nz/collections/bike-bags

Written while above being posted. On reading that post, I just add that according to their website, they now take care of tax, etc. You have to add 10 - 15 quid for postage.

[Sweep]

When I bought the Tardis several years ago I don't remember any financial complications - as I recall it was all made clear on initial purchase - just a single payment to Ground Effect.

Main complication was the Christchurch earthquake.

I will check out that other bag myself.

Pal - what's that bag like to carry around?

As above I liked how easy it was to walk with the Tardis.




Thanks folks.