Nice. I’d add: - if you’re running Di2, disconnect the wires from your derailleur(s) and battery in the seatpost, if necessary. Be sure to tape the wires coming out of the seat tube to your frame so they don’t fall into the abyss. - I actually have an extra tool set (5Nm pre-set torque wrench, 8mm Allen, etc. that I keep packed in the bike bag so I never forget it. I travel a lot…) - throw an extra rag or two in the box because you can’t have enough rags. - I’m curious why you remove the chain? I remove my derailleur and wrap it and the chain with some rags and padding and secure it to the chain stay. - once you have your packing/unpacking dialed, make a step by step list of the order in which you do things (unless you can remember it). Consistent build and rebuild yields efficiency and lessens the chances of forgetting steps. - hardshell case for the win. But I do agree that a soft shell is slightly more convenient if space is limited at the destination
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
I have often done the derailleur + chain in padding and zip tied to the chainstay. But taking them both off is just cleaner and gives you more options and less chance of scuffs. Hard shells are safer, 100%.
@theantichrome9842 Жыл бұрын
I worked for an airline in my youth. I loaded lots of baggage. I can not imagine putting my bike in a case that isn't hardshelled and rigid.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
😁
@Joe_Sa_3rd Жыл бұрын
Great video... I use this same bag and love it. One other tip I always do is cut a peace of PVC pipe to the exact width of your my rear hub. I then use this pipe in place and thru axle of the rear wheel to add support to the stays just incase something at the airport unexpectedly heavy get placed on the rear side of the bike bag.
@nickcarolan2805 Жыл бұрын
Nice one Ben. Great detail on how to utilise space when packing a bike 👍🇮🇪
@daniels.2720 Жыл бұрын
Yeah Ben > Thanks
@ljhoule3394 Жыл бұрын
Have the same Thule round trip case, love it!! Over a dozen round trips between Alaska and the Lower 48, never any damage. A great case but also I think Alaska Air, at least out of Anchorage, takes special care with bike bags. I have watched them carefully load from the terminal windows. Years ago I did go to the AK Air in Anchorage, and the Thule was the bag they recommended. Yep, enjoy the ride!!
@elitebicycleracers3 ай бұрын
I love that you took the time to make a detailed and thorough review. The unfortunate side effect for me is this "travel with my bike" idea is looking extremely complicated when seeing all this padding, having to remove major parts like derailleurs and rotors and cages, in addition to what I expected (the wheels and bars), packing heavy metal wrenches, etc.
@JEstr357 Жыл бұрын
Great video, will be using these tips when I travel again. One thing that I learned with drop bars, to avoid faffing around and finding your position, I put painter's tape on the edge of the stem clamp on both sides then on the stem face plate itself and draw a big letter "H". Once you take it off and re-assemble it, you just have to line up the "H", then you'll be at in your perfect position or maybe a mm or 2 off.
@paddlestandingup4 ай бұрын
The dots on the bar and stem is a great idea.
@casparwhittey Жыл бұрын
nice tip on the bottles in cages. always did the same but left them on the frame - think I'll follow your lead on that one
@mikedee6316 Жыл бұрын
taking off rotors is the pro tip I came here for!
@cmtongier1 Жыл бұрын
Good one Mr Delaney. I think TSA emptied your Skratch. “Suspicious powder” 😂
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
😂
@jonathanzappala Жыл бұрын
I own the same case, I bought it on Craigslist, never used. It’s served me well.
@englundt8 ай бұрын
The slats on the sides of the case are for the tripod legs? Now you tell me! Ha!! Great video.
@rafaeltorres1586 Жыл бұрын
Great video!! I am looking in getting the mtb version in order to fit any of my bikes.
@pandatactical4530 Жыл бұрын
Looking forward to your opinion of the Lauf Seigla. Road the wireless race model at the Unbound 100 and it was great. That is except for the scratches on the inside of the chain stays and front forks. :)
@njm3211 Жыл бұрын
Pack a couple pair of latex gloves too.
@compassionsix Жыл бұрын
Was debating weather to fly or take an Amtrak. Clearly, the train is the choice vs. preparing my bike for battle.
@JimmyDozer Жыл бұрын
If the main reason to avoid a hard case is the convenience of putting the empty soft-case bag under a hotel bed... You can't convince me that a near total disassembly, tediously wrap each part and then re-assemble our bikes is worth that. That looked awful. Love this video because you've now convinced me to go hard, bruh.
@andrewmcalister3462 Жыл бұрын
If there are a bunch of you sharing a rental car, or if cycling is only part of your trip, and you are going to be doing a bunch of transiting, then that is another reason to prefer smaller cases. But your point that this degree of disassembly is a total faff is well made. 👍
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
I am not trying to convince you to use a Thule or a soft case at all! That was just my review of the case I have been using.
@mikenight171 Жыл бұрын
i wish you released this before i flew with the rotors on a couple weeks ago :D
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
Doh!
@tariqkamil7853 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for this
@LogicalQ Жыл бұрын
Your speech patterns remind me of Mitch Hedberg… makes the videos unintentionally funny :-)
@Speedy.V Жыл бұрын
A budget padding material can be pool noodles that you cut in half.
@kodiakrider7612 Жыл бұрын
Yes, the Skratch zip closure is not that good. Mine open all the time.
@davidflaherty8592 Жыл бұрын
What is the typical cost to ship? Is one airline cheaper or bike friendly? Great video. Thanks.
@richardwilliams4730 Жыл бұрын
How about tubeless setup? Have you had any issues with sealant explosions? How much air do you leave in them?
@JosephDowski Жыл бұрын
Yikes! Seeing that hole in the Atheos frame was traumatizing!! Turning 60 next week and looking to pick up a bike case so I can begin traveling to events outside the northeast. Is there a hardshell version of the Thule Roundtrip case, or other bike cases you can recommend? Love the stand that the Thule has. Love your content Ben!! :)
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
There is a hardhell Thule Roundtrip: alnk.to/c05TaLj Thing is, that bad boy is 39 pounds. So if your airline has a 50lb limit, you may be looking at paying an extra charge. Some folks like this SciCon hardshell, which is 25 pounds: alnk.to/eOK0RRv
@JosephDowski Жыл бұрын
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Thanks Ben!! Will be ordering the Thule Roundtrip for all the reasons you detailed here. Details on that small torque wrench??
@JosephDowski Жыл бұрын
Whoops! Nevermind... Just found the link in the description. :)
@ChrisCorless Жыл бұрын
Amazing Ben, I was just hoping you would do something like this as I prep for gravel world's. Have traveled with a MTB domestically but never with the gravel bike internationally. Curious, have seen some people turn the fork 180 degrees, presumably to make it easier to have a handle bar packed on the side. Have you travelled with a Checkpoint? Any nuances if you have?
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
Cool, have fun and good luck. I've only traveled with a Checkpoint in the back of my car. Much easier. :-) But since it has a normal stem and bar, you have options for disassembly and packing. Just make sure your bag has room for the seatmast!
@ChrisCorless Жыл бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Awesome thank you Ben for sharing your experience. Thought it might be a little complicated with the semi integrated cables. Keep up the great work. You have a fantastic channel and enjoy your hosting on Fastcat.
@SangTTran10111213 Жыл бұрын
What is brand name of the external/internal rotor tool you are using? Great video and tips. Thank you.
How did you weigh your bike with the case? When I travel, I can only fit my shoes/helmet with the bike, and it's already close to 50 lbs using a soft EVOC traveler case. Gotta remind the folks that CO2 cartridges are a no-no on airline luggage, hence the bike tire pump.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
I put it on a bathroom scale. I've snuck cartridges through the last few flights. Shhhhhhh......
@changrenyong76169 ай бұрын
Hi Ben, figure you're the best person to ask about flying with a gravel bike. Have you ever flown with a gravel bike in the Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 (road)? As you might have known, the Aerocomfort is designed without the need to remove the handlebar. But that kinda presents a problem for me as the Zipp Service course SL-70 bar on my 2024 Stigmata measures 55-cm wide (from drop to drop) and it's 5cm wider than the width of the bag. That means the bar will be sticking out the side of the bag. Should I just remove the bar and hang it over the top tube? Thanks!
@changrenyong76169 ай бұрын
I contacted Scion and was told the 55-cm bar is too wide for the Scicon Aerocomfort. The Scion tech support thought my suggestion on removing the bar and hanging it on the top tube is doable, and he suggested putting a dummy bar on the bike to allow the bag to keep its shape.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney9 ай бұрын
I have an Aerocomfort that I've used for my Enve road bike. It makes me a little nervous since there is no real protection for the bars. On one trip the levers got banged hard enough that the clamp dug into the carbon bar a little bit. Per your question, yes, remove the handlebar and secure it to the top tube. It takes a little trial and error to figure out the best fit. Sometimes you can hook one drop through the fork, and the other around the top tube. Good luck!
@changrenyong76169 ай бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney Thanks for the reply! I agree with you that Aerocomfort using the bar/shifters to provide some structural support for the bag is not a good design. That's why my teammate came with up a design using PVC pipes and fittings to provide lateral support for the shifters to prevent the shifters from being pushed inward when the baggage handlers put something heavy on the Aerocomfort. KZbin won't let me put a link in the comment so I'll just have to describe the design: Two elbow PVC fitting connected to form an inverted U shape. One end of the inverted U is attached to a Tee fitting. The main length of the support is a PVC pipe. The same two elbows and T is repeated on the other end of the PVC pipe so they form this shape (just imagine it's inverted): U----------U
@TheRidewithBenDelaney9 ай бұрын
@@changrenyong7616 Ah ha! Super cool! Weird that you can't put a link in. Do the U shapes wrap around the outside of the drops? Like you slide that PVC structure on from the front of the bike?
@changrenyong76169 ай бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney KZbin automatically deletes comments with any external URL (I haven't tried a KZbin URL yet). The U shape wraps around the hood. I'll see if I can tag you in my instagram with images of the original and updated design.
@leealexand3r3 ай бұрын
Any chance youve tried to fit two wheelsets in this bag for a trip?
@TheRidewithBenDelaney3 ай бұрын
I have not tried but I can't imagine they would fit. Or if they fit, hubs would be bulging out of the sides and into the frame.
@socalrider9096 ай бұрын
Do you believe this case would be able to handle a 60cm road bike??
@TheRidewithBenDelaney6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I believe so.
@joneskai19 ай бұрын
Will these fit integrated handlebars? I know you mentioned its difficult but I’m looking at this bag for my canyon endurace and not sure if the bars will cause me an issue! Thanks!
@TheRidewithBenDelaney9 ай бұрын
It depends on how much slack you can get when you remove the bars. Most of the time there isn't enough, unless you also disconnect the calipers from the fork and the rear stay. SciCon makes a case where you can keep the bars on.
@Omnis2 Жыл бұрын
Is that AXS? Probably harder to travel with mechanical.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
It is, and it is definitely the easiest group to travel with. Mechanical bikes I leave the cable connected and secure the RD between the stays.
@saskhiker3935 Жыл бұрын
I am fairly new to gravel cycling. I bought my bike 2 years ago. The nearest bike shop is a 2 hr drive away. I have used KZbin to learn the most basic bike repair. However I am terrified to take my bike apart like thr derailer. My fear is I won't be able to put it all back together again. Would love to take a bike maintenance course. If anyone has one that they can recommend that is online, I'd appreciate it.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
Hmmm, I don't know offhand but I will respond here if I find one!
@Speedy.V Жыл бұрын
Why not use the bike box that the bike came in? Or go to your local bike shop to get a bike box.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
That is certainly a viable option! When I travel, I am usually taking public transportation on at least one end of the trip, so having a box that rolls is clutch.
@Speedy.V Жыл бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney I believe another KZbinr (Zach Gallardo {he's a fixed gear rider}) that uses a bike box within a bigger ebike box to travel to Taiwan has had a lot of success using that method.
@ABETITS Жыл бұрын
Because a cardboard bike box doesn't transport easily! And it's way bigger than this Thule case. Putting this Thule case (which I have one as well) in out of a car, pulling through a parking lot, loading in a shuttle, pulling through an airport is WAY easier and more convenient than trying to do all that with a cardboard bike box. And it won't fit in a standard car like the Thule case.
@neilashton9459 Жыл бұрын
Also a cardboard bike box will exceed many airlines size limits (H,W,L) and they will charge extra fees or even refuse to accept.
@alexmurdock9101 Жыл бұрын
Have you ever been charged the oversized fee?
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
Nope
@pantster9855 Жыл бұрын
Get a decent bike box and you don’t need to take the rotors off (speaking as someone who takes 100 flights/year with my bike)
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
100 flights a year?!!! Are you a pilot or a pro rider? Or both? 😁
@pantster9855 Жыл бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney got it the first time. Definitely the former not the latter
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
@@pantster9855 Which bike box do you use? And can you get it under 50lbs? The rest of us have to pay for our flights and luggage, you know.... 😄 Cheers.
@pantster9855 Жыл бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaney I have gone through most boxes available over the years, and worked out which work and which dont (Scicon Evolution TSA hard case for example - LOVELY design, terrible implementation, the most fragile box I've ever used!) I use a box called a Shokbox,m which is a bit bigger, and not (yet) designed to work with integrated bars but it's indestructible - 4 years and 400+ flights and still going strong
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
That is a heck of an endorsement. I haven’t heard of that; will check it out.
@rayekhoury Жыл бұрын
TSA 😖🤬
@linesided Жыл бұрын
Remove rotors? wah hah hah hah. That's funny. Just wrap a little cloth round them so they don't rub on anything. Bonus you have a rag on the other end to clean your hands (or bike) with.
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
Not that funny when you have to replace an Ice Tech rotor when it gets bent. 😁
@Speedy.V Жыл бұрын
@@TheRidewithBenDelaneyYou bend it back ?
@TheRidewithBenDelaney Жыл бұрын
Steel rotors, yes. Ice Tech, no; those have an aluminum core. And even with steel, I’d rather spend three or four minutes removing and reinstalling when traveling, then trying a rotor in a hotel room the night before a race Know what I mean?
@cmtongier1 Жыл бұрын
Also arrived in big Italy bike trip with bent rotors. Wish I had watched this first.
@davidvonslingshot Жыл бұрын
fun fact - if paying to attend an event, put your helmet and shoes in your carry on. Find a way. With airline baggage losses these days - you can rent a bike…. scrambling for a helmet and especially shoes….. not fun.
@galenkehler Жыл бұрын
Also include your pedals and saddle in your carry-on
@oldanslo Жыл бұрын
@@galenkehler Pros will wear their helmet, shoes, and chamois on the flight to make sure they arrive.