Bike Bags 1 - Overview and Pica EEP Review

Over the years I've had a bike in 4 different versions of luggage, and I have some opinions on each of them.   This summer I thought I'd write a post on that but before I could get to it Dan of Slowtwitch acted on the same idea.  His reviews seem prompted by recent changes in baggage policies for some airlines.  Mine are based on a desire to find the best fit for my frame.  You'll probably find his reviews more authoritative, but mine will be more specific to my experience as a 5'3" cyclist traveling with small bicycles.  If you're also a smaller cyclist traveling with small frames, maybe what I write will be useful to you.  Maybe.

I'm going to divide this into 2 or more posts in an attempt to avoid writing a novel.
The cases I can write about are:

• A generic rectangular hard-sided case
• Pica Packworks Exercise Equipment Pack (EEP)
• Ruster Armored Hen House (AHH)
• Orucase Sub 62

 

Back left - Sub 62.  Back right - EEP.  
Front - Armored Hen House wheel & frame bags.

Generic rectangular hard-sided case

Price then: Est $500, based on memory
Price now: Varies widely

Pluses: Good protection, low effort for bike disassembly

Minuses: Bulk, weight, cumbersome

Packing specifics: The easiest of those I've used: 

• Take pedals off 
• Remove handlebars from stem, or stem from steer tube
• Loosen seat post, or remove if needed
• Remove wheels
• Lay frame into case, lay handlebars flat
• Cover with layer of foam
• Lay wheels on foam
• Close case, latches, fasten straps
• = Everything is in one case

My experience(s): I used this case in 2001 to fly from Austin to Denver with my road bike (Giant TCR1, size small).  I was able to borrow the case from a cycling buddy, which was good as it cost more than my airline ticket.  Case leaves lots of room to include cycling shoes, helmet, tools, but damn, was it heavy.  I don't recall whether the case I used had wheels (maybe 2?), but I was lucky to have one friend drop me off at the airport and carry the case in for me, and another pick me up from the airport at the gate.  The Austin friend borrowed his roommates SUV, and my Colorado friend had a hatchback with seats that folded down.  I paid for the privilege to get this on the plane, $75 each way?  Don't remember for sure now.

I pride myself on being self-sufficient when I travel, and pack so I can carry my own bags.  Meaning I wouldn't want to use this case again.  To lay it flat on an airport cart would make it really wide, but it would not have stood up on a moving cart without being held there.  I'm sure I could have gotten it into the automobiles that were used by myself - it was heavy but not impossibly so - but it would be an all-body experience and I surely would have scratched the bumpers in the process.  Storage of the case during my vacation wasn't an issue since my friends apartment had plenty of room, but in a small hotel, or in my apartment / house if I owned it, would have been annoying.

Pica Packworks EEP (soft-sided case)

Pica Packworks EEP
Strip of padding around the case perimeter is ~2" thick
(Picture from https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/fashion/12physical.html)

With almost no markings, the bag is fairly unassuming.  
The size, however, may not fool airline staff who
seem to recognize, Probably Contains Bike.

Price then: ~$335 as per this 2008 NYT article.
Price now: $406

Pluses: Light, reasonably easy to carry & to store, packing is fairly simple, has some chance of getting through airport check in without being recognized as a bicycle

Minuses: No way to fix / secure the bike frame to the case, no zipping pockets for small parts

There are handles on the top of the 
bag and also on each side, where 
reinforcement protects the bag 
from the wheel hubs.  The D-rings 
(two on each side) accept a shoulder 
strap if you supply one.

Packing specifics: 2nd easiest of those I've used: 

• Take pedals off 
• Remove handlebars from stem, or stem from steer tube
• Loosen seat post, or remove if needed
• Remove wheels, and skewers from wheels
• Remove derailleur, place in provided pouch
• Supply and apply drop out and fork cross bracing
• Use the single supplied pad to wrap either the top tube or down tube, and wrap the remainder of the frame in pipe insulation (purchased separately) 
• Use velcro or zip ties to secure the handlebars to the frame, secure derailleur bag
• Open up the bags' peripheral padding and insert padded / bound frame & handlebars into case
• Slide wheels into side pockets & fasten pouch straps
• Slide seat post into side pocket
• Place wheel skewers, pedals, other small parts into a ziplock or something and tuck into bag
• Tuck the peripheral padding in and zip the case closed
• Fasten straps and cinch down
• = Everything can be in one case

The wheel pockets have reinforcement
for contact with the hubs.

Foam blocks provide cushions for the bottom
bracket and rear dropouts.  The chainring 
sits in the groove, keeping it from sliding.
The pictured buckled strap secures the 
peripheral foam to bag, but isn't long enough 
to secure the bike as well.

A padded wrap for the top tube or
down tube is supplied, along with a
pouch for the derailleur.

My experience(s): I used this case 3 times.
2014 - domestic flight on Southwest (PHL to Denver).  In line at curbside check in for my departing flight, one of the baggage handlers asked if this was a bike.  I replied, Who would transport a bike in a soft sided case?  He asked where I was going, went away and came back with my bag tag, and I handed him a $20.  I don't think he was fooled.  On the return flight I checked in at the counter and the agent didn't even ask - just took the bag and weighed it like it was any other.  And this is why I prefer Southwest Airlines, especially when traveling with sporting equipment.

The bag and contents - 48 cm Cervelo P2C, cycling shoes, helmet, water bottles and wetsuit (which was draped over the frame in the event I had to open the bag for inspection) - were light enough to carry with a shoulder strap while I dragged my roller suitcase behind me.  But as a shorter person this wasn't exactly easy.  Still, I managed the shuttle service to the rental car area, and was able to slide the case into the trunk (rear seats folded down) of the economy sedan without issue.

48 cm Slice pictured on top of Standard sized EEP gives an idea
of the extra space available for including additional gear.  
(Disclaimer - I've never used this case to transport this bike.)
Note: It's best to use protective drop out & fork bracing (not shown),
and to remove the derailleur since the soft-sided case provides
no protection against crushing.

2015 - international flight on United (PHL to Vancouver).  They didn't care it was a bike, they cared the case was oversized and the manager came out with a tape measure to confirm that.  $200 plus $35 for it being my 2nd bag.  Boo.  My return flight, on Air Canada, started as domestic (Calgary to Montreal) and this is actually where the troubles came.  Because the x-ray machine at their domestic terminal was too small to take the packed case, I had to unpack it and send the contents through individually.  This was a pain in the ass, and they were not at all happy to have the derailleur hidden in a pouch so made me pull that out - greasy, and dangling by the chain and shift cable.  On initial packing I'd taken lots of care to stowe things securely but now, I was just trying to comply with their wishes as quickly as possible.  Turns out things may have shifted during baggage handling, and I ended up with a scratched helmet, frame, and a broken spoke.  While it's nice Air Canada only charges $50 (CAN) for a bike, I can't say the entire experience was a win.

Cardboard spoke protection, w/ 
foam padding over the hubs.
Large plastic bags keep it all tidy.

2019 - domestic BikeFlights transport via UPS.  This time I was transporting my carbon road bike, a 50 cm Trek Domane with 700 cc wheels.  Three things made this a difficult fit in this case.  1) Unlike the Cervelo, the seat post of my Trek is integrated with the frame, and therefore protrudes upward from the top tube.  2) The cables were a bit short, making it really difficult to rotate the handlebars around enough.  3) This time around I included cardboard on each side of both wheels, to protect the spokes.  UPS transported my bike without damaging it, but I'll note they did not honor the requirement for obtaining a signature on parcel delivery in either direction, handing the bike to my Dad on its southbound leg, and simply dropping the bag off on my exposed-from-the-street front porch for its northbound journey (double gasp).

I've recently learned FedEx damaged the bag of another user, reportedly putting "a giant piece of metal through" their case, amazingly not damaging the bike but leading to the loss of some small parts that were contained in a plastic bag.  And this folks, is the clear down side to this soft-sided case, the sides of which are not reinforced with any hard plastic.

Final opinion: I think this case would have worked well-enough for my earlier aluminum road bike, but I'm uncomfortable with the lack of protection against piercing - particularly for carbon bikes.  I also don't like that there's no way to secure the frame to the bag, or any zipping pockets for smaller items like pedals & tools (which I recommend packing inside of bubble wrap and fastening to the frame to prevent shifting).  Additionally, I wouldn't want to continue risking paying an oversized bag fee, though lately some airlines have relaxed these.