Choosing your bag bike
The online magazine I Love Bicyclette has just published a very interesting article on how to choose your bag bike. What you need to see more clearly and make a pertinent choice from the plethora of bike protection on offer, whether for Travel bags soft or rigid: "I Love Bicyclette" magazine article from February 3, 2018: We've put a lot of work into this and are pleased to present you with this dossier entitled "How to choose your
bag bike properly" when faced with the huge choice on offer on the internet ! We've tested for many months and gathered a lot of information to be as clear and precise as possible with the aim of helping and advising you objectively in this purchase. In the end, based on these criteria, we've chosen an interesting brand to offer you on ILB ! :-) To start with, you'll need to select
A travel bag according to how you'll be using it:
- Transport bag light for bike (car/train)
- Bike transport bag for airplane
- Protection cover bike (static in your garage/hotel/outdoor)
1 - SELECTION CRITERIA Transport bag LIGHTWEIGHT FOR BIKE
This bag must be : practical, lightweight, strong, balanced, quality, recyclable, compact before use, easy to use. Let's review the essential criteria:
A - QUALITY OF MATERIALS " FREE PRODUCTS"
Beware: many bags are offered in materials that are not very resistant/suitable for transporting a bike... But also with PVC, a material that is in the process of being totally banned in Europe because it cannot be recycled ! No need to buy A travel bag "disposable " after one use. Select bags using PE600D or Nylon 400 minimum and with a washable lining such as TPE/TPU recyclable ! (NO PVC or only PVC FREE) "Hard", molded plastic versions do not meet the category's selection criteria and those offered are often misleading with unsuitable dimensions (too small) and no real protection inside, or even built with non-recyclable materials and banned in more and more countries, so beware!"
B - GLASS CLOSING QUALITY
Choose
bags with
double zips of good quality : easier to open and close with the bike inside, a double zip also allows a double possibility of closure in case of problem on one of them!
C - DERAILLEUR PROTECTION REMAINS THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
Nearly all bike bags/
bags transport bags require you to remove both
wheels !
It's imperative to secure the bike with a bracket that positions itself under the bike and runs up the rear chainstays to
protect your chainstays and derailleur! Such a bracket is very rarely sold with lightweight
bags but you'll find them as accessories for less than 19 euros on the internet.
D - SIZES FOR BAGS FOR MTB AND ROAD BIKES
Ensure minimum dimensions: 125 cm minimum for
MTB (130 cm for L or XL sizes) and 120 cm for road bikes on average. Below these sizes only bikes in sizes S or BMX (in general) are likely to fit, and not least because of the handlebars ! For
Travel bags respecting the maximum dimensions allowed by SNCF (120/90) for train travel, you will most certainly need to offset or remove your handlebars, especially for a
MTB ! https://www.sncf.com/fr/offres-voyageurs/voyager-en-toute-situation/velo-a-bord In any case you can measure from rear axle to front axle the length of your bike if you're in doubt, but also take into account the length of the handlebars/handlebars put across which may exceed the vertical of the front axle : if the shape is adapted no problem; if it's a straight = rectangle shape, you'll have worries about closing the bag with the handlebars without disassembling it ! Obviously,
A travel bag where you can keep the
wheel rear avoids all these problems and remains by far the best formula for
Travel bags light. Here too, choose a bag with the right shape to accommodate the handlebars crosswise, if possible without dismantling them.
E - PROTECT YOUR FORK
In the same way as for the derailleur, protecting your fork is imperative : all you need is a fork protector, which you can find in specialist shops or on the internet. In particular, it allows you to maintain the distance between the liners, and therefore the adjustment of your disc brake, and protects any detent and/or compression adjustments. In short, don't pass up this accessory for a few euros !
F - STORAGE OF wheels
Here too it's vital to choose your bag properly: Two solutions and no other should guide your choice : - Dedicated pockets : You must have 2 dedicated pockets with reinforcement in the center to avoid damaging your bike, each placed on one side of The bag for overall balance and maximum protection ! Often nothing is specified and the bags only have a simple strip along the length of the bag (and on one side !) to position your wheels ! Result : the wheels wander inside The bag and deteriorate in addition to destroying your bike in the process !
- Wheel bag independent : It's imperative that these proposed bags have a central reinforcement. These can then be positioned correctly in the bag. Of course A travel bag with foam thickness is even more desirable. Beware in any case of the dimensions of these pockets : as for Travel bags independent: count at least 76 cm x 8 cm (width) to accept the largest wheels in 29 Inches.
G - ANCHOR LENGTH AND BAG BALANCE
A detail that isn't a detail in use. Bags often have handles that are too short, so you have to carry your bag at elbow level. Remember to check that the handles have an opening between 30 and 35 cm !
H - QUICK AND SIMPLE TO USE
Travel bags allowing you to keep the
wheel back are now the preferred choice of users for this type of bag. Disassembly of the
Front wheel only is simple and allows for easy, quick and clean assembly/reassembly!
I - The bag
STORAGE BAG
This storage bag, which initially contains
The bag , should be used to store your dirty things, shoes etc. when
The bag is in use : many
bags " first price " are delivered in an unusable box after unpacking !
J - Rollers OR NOT Rollers
After numerous tests and discussions with users and manufacturers, several things systematically remerge and are therefore to be remembered :
- Only remote Rollers are plebiscited! Travel bags with the Rollers inside the bag are not stable and even worse " break the wrist ", deteriorate too quickly (often not good quality on bags under 150 euros) and finally make the bag unusable very quickly. Choose simplicity for this type of bag !
- No real use for lightweight bags carrying ! On the contrary, these Rollers prevent the folding and compression of this type of bag, which needs to be as compact as possible when " not in use "!
- The Rollers " integrated " on the width are often small so the edge of the bag touches the ground and wears out prematurely, what's more with the weight of the bike and the too-closed angle used to roll it !
K - CONCLUSION
To sum up, taking these selection criteria into account, we have retained :
- Bag Scott Classic + chainstay support (not included) + fork protector (not included) - disassembly of both wheels !
- Scicon Travel Plus MTB + chainstay support (not included) + fork guard (not included) - disassembly of both wheels !
Our choice of "ILB " for sale : BUDS
ROADBag (for road and
Gravel) and
MTBag for
MTB, with their unique and innovative concept (
wheel rear retained), each declined in 3 models of different quality:
Our choice of "ILB " accessories :
- Fork protector
- Shroud support
- Wheel bags independent BUDS on sale too, you won't find them anywhere else!
2 - SELECTION CRITERIA BAG LONG TRAVEL AIRPLANE BICYCLE BAG
All quality and size criteria are the same as for
Travel bags transport (with disassembly of both
wheels) :
- Minimum dimensions of 130 cm x 85 cm are ideal for all gauges
- Double ZIP
- Fork protection, frame and shroud supportmandatory
- Protection of wheels in pockets or independent Wheel bags : minimum 10 mm foam lining with central protection obligatory
- Handlebar attachment system
- wheels offset (wider than bag to keep loaded bag balanced)
It's important in this case to (re)talk about the other selection criteria :
A - RIGID OR FLEXIBLE HULL
A good (top-of-the-range) hardshell is obviously the ultimate solution, but it still needs to incorporate the above features. But if you take all the factors into account, a soft shell (nylon or 600D) can be more practical and almost as protective if the bike is securely wedged inside!
- Rigid base support in Rigid Hull: the fixed support that secures the axles is recommended in this case ! In fact, the bike doesn't move and remains protected by the shell.
- Rigid base support in Soft Shell: it's obvious that in this case, if the bike is totally fixed with this support, it risks being stressed laterally on a violent impact and therefore having serious pb's (other than paint pocs) with a possible deformation of the frame see of a tearing off
In this case, you should prefer A travel bag WITHOUT this support to let " live " the bike at least inside, which will be protected by the foam and by the wheels on each side !
B - WITH OR WITHOUT Rollers
- With Rollers : in this case they absolutely must be offset to avoid breaking your wrist and lifting your bag every 3 meters. More often than not, you'll get A travel bag which folds only partially, more or less, or not at all, and which in "non-use " often remains a real problem for storage, especially in a hotel room or apartment.
- Without Rollers : A travel bag "soft with protective foam " may fit perfectly : with experience in airports, we often take a cart because we have to carry luggage in addition to The bag bike, so while we're at it we put The bag soft across it. What's more, this bag of bicycles has to be deposited in the " bulky " located not far from the check-in counters.
Warning : take into account also that often "in the field " the
Rollers are going to be unusable (stairs/rough outdoor terrain etc), it's better to wear
The bag ! So once again
A travel bag "portable " even for air travel can be the right solution as it's more versatile when you're on the move.
C - CONCLUSION
To summarize, taking into account these selection criteria, we have retained :
Our choice "ILB " for sale :
- Buds ROLLBag, bag foldable travel for all types of bicycles
3 - SELECTION CRITERIA BAG/BIKE PROTECTION BAG
In this case we were able to determine that it was preferable to opt for " bags complete ", i.e. those that " enclose " the bike completely, rather than a simple "cover " on the top that doesn't prevent dust from rising up and seeping into the very places to be protected, such as the derailleur, chain, sprockets and other bearings, not to mention the casings etc. So prefer Travel bags which take the whole bike (no wheel disassembled) or A travel bag where you only disassemble the Front wheel like our choice of the " ROADBag Light " for road bikes or "MTBag Light " for MTB which also allows porting or suspension in addition to being hyper-compact in non-use, so easy to carry around :-)
We also selected The bag "Bike Cover " by Evoc, but while it's easy to fit, it doesn't offer complete protection and comes at a relatively elitist price. Bon achat !
The ROLLBag : best bag for airplane of the moment at the best price.
The MTBag range: best bags transport for MTB of the moment at the best price.
The ROADBag range: best bags road bike transport of the moment at the best price.
