Choosing your bike cover
The online magazine I Love Bicyclette has just published a very interesting article on how to choose a bike cover. It's the perfect way to make the right choice from the plethora of bike covers on offer, both soft and hard: Article from "I Love Bicyclette" magazine, February 3, 2018: We've put in a lot of hard work and are delighted to present this feature entitled "How to choose the right bike cover" in the face of the huge choice on offer on the internet! We 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 begin with, you need to select a cover according to the use you'll be putting it to:- lightweight carrying case for bicycle (car/train)
- bike transport bag for airplanes
- protective bike cover (static in your garage/hotel/outdoor)
1 - SELECTION CRITERIA LIGHTWEIGHT BICYCLE CARRYING CASE
The bag must be: practical, lightweight, strong, balanced, high-quality, recyclable, compact before use, easy to use. Let's review the essential criteria:A - QUALITY OF "FREE PRODUCTS" MATERIALS
Caution: many covers are made of materials that are not very resistant/adapted to the transport of a bicycle... But also with PVC, a material that is in the process of being totally banned in Europe because it cannot be recycled! There's no point in buying a "disposable" cover after one use. Select covers using PE600D or Nylon 400 minimum and with a washable lining such as recyclable TPE/TPU!(NO PVC or only PVC FREE) "Hard", molded plastic versions don't meet the category's selection criteria, and those on offer are often misleading, with unsuitable dimensions (too small) and no real protection inside, or even made from non-recyclable materials that are banned in more and more countries, so beware!
B - ZIPPER QUALITY
Choose covers with double zips good quality: easier to open and close with the bike inside, a double zipper also allows double closure in case of problems with one of the two!C - DERAILLEUR PROTECTION REMAINS THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
Almost all bicycle bags require you to remove both wheels! It is imperative to secure the bike with a support that is positioned under the bike and runs up the rear chainstays to protect your chainstay and derailleur ! Such a stand is very rarely sold with lightweight covers, but you'll find them as accessories for less than 19 euros on the Internet.D - MTB AND ROAD BIKE COVER SIZES
Make sure you get the minimum dimensions: 125 cm minimum for MTB (130 cm for sizes L or XL) and 120 cm for road bikes on average. Below these sizes, only size S or BMX bikes (in general) are likely to fit, especially because of the handlebars! For covers respecting the maximum dimensions authorized by the SNCF (120/90) for train travel, you will most certainly have to shift or remove your handlebars, especially for an MTB ! https://www.sncf.com/en/offres-voyageurs/voyager-en-toute-situation/velo-a-bord In any case, you can measure the length of your bike from rear to front axle if you're in any doubt, but you should also take into account the length of the handlebars/guidebar you've put across, which may exceed the vertical of the front axle: if the shape fits, no problem; if it's a straight shape = rectangle, you'll have trouble closing the bag with the handlebars without dismantling it! Obviously, a bag in which you can keep the rear wheel avoids all these problems, and remains by far the best option for lightweight bags. Here too, you'll need to choose a bag with the right shape to accommodate the handlebars crosswise, if possible without disassembling them.E - PROTECTING YOUR FORK
As with your derailleur, it's essential to protect your fork: all you need is a fork protector, which you can find in specialist shops or on the Internet. It allows you to maintain the distance between the forks, and therefore the adjustment of your disc brake, and protects any rebound and/or compression adjustments. In short, don't miss out on this accessory for just a few euros!F - WHEEL STORAGE
Here, too, it's vital to choose the right cover: 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 only!) to position your wheels! The result: the wheels wander around inside the bag and get damaged, as well as destroying your bike in the process!
- Independent wheel covers : It is imperative that these covers have a central reinforcement. These can then be positioned correctly in the bag. Of course, a cover with a thick layer of foam is even more desirable. As with independent wheel covers, you need to allow at least 76 cm x 8 cm (width) to accommodate the largest 29" wheels.
G - HANDLE LENGTH AND BAG BALANCE
A detail that doesn't matter in use. Bags often have handles that are too short, so you have to carry your bag at elbow level. Make sure your handles have an opening of between 30 and 35 cm!
H - SPEED AND EASE OF USE
Covers that allow the rear wheel to be retained are now the most popular choice for this type of bag. Removing only the front wheel is simple, making assembly and reassembly quick, easy and clean!I - COVER STORAGE BAG
This storage bag, which contains the cover at the outset, should be used to store your dirty things, shoes, etc. when the cover is in use: many "first price" covers are delivered in a cardboard box that is unusable after unpacking!J - WHEELS OR NO WHEELS
After numerous tests and discussions with users and manufacturers, several things havesystematically come to lightand are therefore worth remembering:
- Only remote wheels are popular! Covers with wheels inside the bag are not stable and, worse still, "break the wrist", deteriorate too quickly (often not of good quality on bags costing less than 150 euros) and finally render the bag unusable very quickly. Choose simplicity for this type of bag!
- There's really no need for lightweight carrying cases! On the contrary, these wheels prevent this type of bag from folding and compressing, and make it as compact as possible when not in use!
- The "integrated" wheels 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 selected :- Scott Classic cover + chainstay support (not included) + fork protector (not included) - remove both wheels!
- Scicon Travel Plus MTB + chainstay support (not included) + fork protector (not included) - remove both wheels!
- ROADBag Original and MTBag Original with two dedicated pockets
- ROADBag Race / MTBag Race and ROADBag Pro / MTBag Pro with independent wheel cover + fork protector included!
- Fork protection
- Guy support
- BUDS independent wheel covers are also on sale - you won't find them anywhere else!
2 - SELECTION CRITERIA FOR LONG TRAVEL BICYCLE BAG/COVER
All quality and size criteria are the same as for the transport covers (with removal of both wheels):- Mini dimensions of 130 cm x 85 cm are ideal for all body sizes
- Double ZIP
- Fork, frame and shroud protection mandatory
- Wheel protection in pockets or independent wheel covers: minimum 10 mm foam lining with mandatory central protection
- Handlebar attachment system
- Offset wheels (wider than the bag to keep the loaded bag balanced)
In this case, it is important to (re)discuss the other selection criteria:
A - RIGID OR FLEXIBLE SHELL
A good (top-of-the-range) hard shell is obviously the ultimate solution, but it has to meet the above requirements. But if you take all the factors into account, a soft shell (nylon or 600D) may prove more practical and almost as protective if the bike is properly secured inside!- Rigid base support in Rigid Hull: the fixed support that secures the axles is recommended in this case! 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 runs the risk of being subjected to lateral stress in the event of a violent impact, and therefore of having serious problems (other than paint chips) with possible deformation of the frame, or even tearing.
In this case, you should opt for a cover WITHOUT this support, to let the bike "live" inside, protected by the foam and the wheels on each side!
B - WITH OR WITHOUT CASTORS
- With wheels: in this case, they must be offset to avoid breaking your wrist and lifting your bag every 3 meters. Most of the time, you'll end up with a bag that folds only partially, more or less, or not at all, and which, when "not in use", is often a real problem to store, especially in a hotel room or apartment.
- Without wheels: a "soft cover with protective foam" is perfectly suitable: in our experience at airports, we often take a cart because we have to carry luggage in addition to the bike cover, so while we're at it we put the soft cover across it. What's more, this bike bag has to be deposited in the "bulky bags" located not far from the check-in counters.
C - CONCLUSION
To sum up, taking these selection criteria into account, we have selected :- Evoc Travel Bag Pro
- Buds ROLLBag, foldable travel bag for all types of bikes
3 - SELECTION CRITERIA FOR BIKE COVERS/BAGS
In this case, we've determined that it's preferable to opt for a "complete cover", i.e. one that completely "encloses" the bike, rather than a simple "cover" on top that doesn't prevent dust from rising up and seeping into the very places you need to protect, such as the derailleur, chain, sprockets and other bearings, not to mention the casings etc. So prefer covers that take the whole bike (no wheels disassembled) or a cover where you disassemble only the front wheel, like our choice of the " ROADBag Light "for road bikes or MTBag Light "for MTB , which can also be carried or suspended, as well as being super-compact when not in use, so easy to carry around :-)
We've also chosen Evoc's "Bike Cover", but while it's easy to fit, it doesn't offer complete protection, and comes at a relatively elitist price. Enjoy your purchase!
The ROLLBag: the best airplane cover at the best price.
The MTBag range: the best MTB carrying cases at the best price.
The ROADBag range: the best road bike carrying cases at the best price.
