Air Travel with a bicycle

[Santapez]

Ok, thanks. I thought you were trying to get the new Post case, not the Sub62.

I'm probably going to pull the trigger on the Post as it seems a little nicer than the Airport Ninja.

You think it will fit the Tallboy w/o taking apart the swingarm?

Yeah. Post has good measurements on their website. Should fit no problem. https://postcarry.co/products/transfer-case has a diagram of head tube & distance from headtube to rear of the chain stay. I'm within all measurements.

Tallboy actually has a small headtube as I'd assume most newer bikes do (internal bearings, needing to deal with long travel & keeping the stem low).

What helps too with packing FYI is if you can remove the freehub/cassette assembly from the wheels, takes out a lot of depth in the box. The Stan's wheels I can just grab the cassette and pull the whole shabang off. I also take off the rotors so I don't have to worry about them bending and getting some more room.

My biggest concern is as I mentioned before, I may have issues fitting the wheels with mountain bike tires on. Road bike should be *easy*.

 

[soundz]

Ok, thanks. I thought you were trying to get the new Post case, not the Sub62.

I'm probably going to pull the trigger on the Post as it seems a little nicer than the Airport Ninja.

Yah that's why I immediately gravitated to the Sub62 vs the Ninja. The Ninja is kind of annoying to load up because the zipper only opens up on the narrow side.

 

[Santapez]

I broke down and bought the Post Carry bike case. It's really nice, everything is well thought out. Much nicer than the Ritchey case. The Ritchey seems like cheap luggage bought at an ethnic discount store. The Ritchey also has annoying downsides like internal pockets that don't have zipper closures that spill all their contents when you open the top.

The zippers/buckles seem high quality, along with all the stitching and chosen materials. They thought of a lot of the small things, plastic pieces embedded in the middle of each wheel pocket where the cassette/hub will rub, small zippered pockets in side those wheel pockets for skewers. The backpack straps area really well thought out and each strap is actually 3 pieces where there is a support to not allow the bag to just pull down your back. Oh, and the case rolls up very small and neat back into the tiny box it came in, great for storage.

I bought the small one, probably a tight fit for the bikes but I think they'll work. I was actually thinking if the Tallboy has space issues I can unbolt the shock and swing the swingarm in for more clearance. My big concern is fitting in 29" wheels with deflated tires, that may not work.

Biggest issue is I don't actually have anywhere to go with it planned....

 

[Magic]

ethnic discount store

I'm offended.

 

[HenryK]

I broke down and bought the Post Carry bike case. It's really nice, everything is well thought out. Much nicer than the Ritchey case. The Ritchey seems like cheap luggage bought at an ethnic discount store. The Ritchey also has annoying downsides like internal pockets that don't have zipper closures that spill all their contents when you open the top.

The zippers/buckles seem high quality, along with all the stitching and chosen materials. They thought of a lot of the small things, plastic pieces embedded in the middle of each wheel pocket where the cassette/hub will rub, small zippered pockets in side those wheel pockets for skewers. The backpack straps area really well thought out and each strap is actually 3 pieces where there is a support to not allow the bag to just pull down your back. Oh, and the case rolls up very small and neat back into the tiny box it came in, great for storage.

I bought the small one, probably a tight fit for the bikes but I think they'll work. I was actually thinking if the Tallboy has space issues I can unbolt the shock and swing the swingarm in for more clearance. My big concern is fitting in 29" wheels with deflated tires, that may not work.

Biggest issue is I don't actually have anywhere to go with it planned....

I like the looks of that Post case, and the price. JetBlue had also increased their Bike fees earlier this year so all the more incentive to get one.

 

[2Julianas]

Happy to lend you the bike case that Lance borrowed! I travel with my bike most places.

 

[Santapez]

Next to my Ritchey case, the Post Carry seems a lot bulkier...

 

[goodvibe]

Bringing this back. Going to Asheville in November and I would rather bring my bike with my fit. Which is the best case that will fit a bike with 27.5+ tires?

 

[grilledcheeseking]

@soundz @Santapez do you think a large El Mariachi would fit in a ninja or a post? I'm pretty sure my road bike would be fine in the post based on the size guide on their website, but the MTB seems borderline / too big. Thanks!

 

[Santapez]

@soundz @Santapez do you think a large El Mariachi would fit in a ninja or a post? I'm pretty sure my road bike would be fine in the post based on the size guide on their website, but the MTB seems borderline / too big. Thanks!

I'm in Vermont.

Tuesday I can take measurements with my post bag. I may be tearing apart my medium tallboy, can try it in my post case.

 

[grilledcheeseking]

I'm in Vermont.

Tuesday I can take measurements with my post bag. I may be tearing apart my medium tallboy, can try it in my post case.

Enjoy VT!

That would be awesome, thanks for offering.
I feel like the case is a no brainier esp. if I can fit any of my bikes. But the breakaway is still sitting in the back of my mind as an option.

 

[Santapez]

@soundz @Santapez do you think a large El Mariachi would fit in a ninja or a post? I'm pretty sure my road bike would be fine in the post based on the size guide on their website, but the MTB seems borderline / too big. Thanks!

I'd say no on the El Mariachi but you're more than welcome to try fitting the frame in my case. The wheels/tires will be an issue also as the frame is designed around 700C wheels/tires.

I didn't shove my Tallboy in, but it'd fit easily removing one bolt and letting the rear suspension swing.

Although it looks like the Medium El Mariachi will not fit whatsoever, I think it can be squeezed in if removing the alternator plates or all of the bolts minus the top bolts and letting them swing inward.

I think the beauty of the Post case is ability to shove the frame in and it's not something I can do with everything attached. Even the Tallboy picture has the rear caliper & Derailleur attached.

 

[grilledcheeseking]

thanks @Santapez, I really appreciate it. Figured this was the situation, but figured it was worth checking since it seemed close. Hope you had a great trip!

 

[Santapez]

Size Medium El Mariachi. I took of the non-drive side hanger and it's hanging w/ the caliper. Drive side I just tilted out of the way. Fits snug but OK.

I have the small 135l case.

Still need to figure out fitting in the wheels. I may clean these and run tubes w/ cross tires for simplicity sake.

 

[grilledcheeseking]

Size Medium El Mariachi. I took of the non-drive side hanger and it's hanging w/ the caliper. Drive side I just tilted out of the way. Fits snug but OK.

I have the small 135l case.

Still need to figure out fitting in the wheels. I may clean these and run tubes w/ cross tires for simplicity sake.

Nice. Removing the dropouts on these bikes actually makes a difference in length. Probably keeps the caliper from getting bumped out of alignment during transit too.

I hit up Post and Orucase to get their recommendations before I pull the trigger.

In case it helps anybody else, here's one reply with some paraphrasing:
...the Large Airport Ninja would be the best option for your large El Mariachi, which would be a tight fit in the Large case but we're pretty sure it'll fit. The Large case is only a couple linear inches longer than the medium case, and any empty space in the case can be eliminated by fastening the retention straps on the outside of the case, so there would be no issue transporting your drop bar bikes in the larger case. I travel with my carbon 56cm road bike in the Large Airport Ninja and have had no issues at all.

 

[grilledcheeseking]

For my polo bike, I just use this which weighs like 1lb.

View attachment 82010

Where's this from @soundz? I looked at a couple of polo retailers with no luck.

 

[Santapez]

Yeah, looking at the measurements on their website I should have had more clearance. I probably could have squeezed it in with the alternator dropouts. The downside to what I did is I can't put an axle in the dropouts to protect the frame which is what I usually do.

Usually I'll pop off the cassette/hub and the axle. I'll put the axle & thru-axle or quick release in the frame to keep it from getting squeezed. The cassette/hub is a big heavy assembly and it may go in my carry-on to minimize weight. The rear wheel also is MUCH thinner and the drive side at that point of the wheel is very flat.

My big issue right now with this case is size of the tires. I don't think there's any way I can fit in MTB tires, but realistically I want cross tires for this trip anyway. I'm now debating what bike to bring and you may see pictures tonight on how a medium sized cross bike fits in this case.

I don't want to deal with removing/installing tires with sealant.

 

[grilledcheeseking]

I'm now debating what bike to bring and you may see pictures tonight on how a medium sized cross bike fits in this case

Tetris Master

 

[soundz]

Where's this from @soundz? I looked at a couple of polo retailers with no luck.

custom

black star bags a not a bike bag is commonly used

 

[Turbotrix]

Nice. Removing the dropouts on these bikes actually makes a difference in length. Probably keeps the caliper from getting bumped out of alignment during transit too.

I hit up Post and Orucase to get their recommendations before I pull the trigger.

In case it helps anybody else, here's one reply with some paraphrasing:
...the Large Airport Ninja would be the best option for your large El Mariachi, which would be a tight fit in the Large case but we're pretty sure it'll fit. The Large case is only a couple linear inches longer than the medium case, and any empty space in the case can be eliminated by fastening the retention straps on the outside of the case, so there would be no issue transporting your drop bar bikes in the larger case. I travel with my carbon 56cm road bike in the Large Airport Ninja and have had no issues at all.

Did you ever wind up buying one of these bags? I'm trying to choose between the Post and the Airport Ninja (large versions). It seems like the width of the cases is the limiting factor with the wider enduro wheels. Any info would be appreciated.