There is an in between option. The best bike bags tend to have some more structural inserts inside but retain more of a bag's lightweight nature. Other bike bags can have nifty, in-built storage techniques. For example, some have built in dropouts that allow you to stand your frame upright and hold it tight. Do I need to add extra padding to my bike bag?

The frame goes in first. Ours goes in upside down, resting on the seatpost and the stem of the handlebars. The first question you should ask yourself is, which level of protection is required to protect your bike from damage on air travel. We have some answers for you! You might think this is an easy question: it's surely a box, right? However, that's probably before you’ve taken weight into consideration. Scicon is another major brand in the hard case bike box field, also proclaiming to be manufacturer of the “world’s toughest bike case”, with its AeroTech Evolution TSA, weighing in at 12kg. Bike box basics helping you select the best type– an article all about bike boxes designed to help make sure you source the right one for you.

Packing tips

There's some tension between all those requirements. Extremely protective cases tend to be heavy and expensive, while cheaper bike bags don't protect your bike as well. Nevertheless, if you plan to travel with your bike even once or twice a year then a bike box or bag is a very worthwhile investment. Nothing ruins a cycling trip more than your bike lying crushed on the Tarmac before you've even cleared customs! Every case on this list has been thoroughly evaluated and vetted by our team of test editors. We also consulted product managers and designers, athletes, and used our own travel experience with these cases to determine the best options. We evaluated them on performance, price, protection, weight, size, and how much bike disassembly is required to come up with a list of cases to serve the needs of anyone traveling with bikes. The downside of the cardboard box is that it is unstable and in the event of mishandling by airport ground handling staff, a cardboard box is likely to get seriously damaged, which leaves little or no protection to your precious bike. Torn and punctured boxes are often the result. Spending a little bit of time getting the bike prepared for travel is an essential step and something you can’t afford to cut corners on. We would suggest allowing at least an hour per bike from start to finish which includes getting the box ready as well. It always takes a bit longer than you think, especially the first time you do it. Our advice is to allow plenty of time for this step and make sure everything that could possibly be damaged is well protected. Leave the rear wheel on! First thing is first; shift your gears into the largest ring on the cassette. This will move the derailleur closer to the bike and away from the outer edge near the bike box.

Fee (per leg)– this is the fee that will be charged for flying with a bicycle. You need to consider that this fee is charged “per leg” so the fee will be doubled for a return flight. We’ve heard tales of people who thought they’d take their bike abroad in a soft bag or a cardboard bike box and it all going horribly wrong. You might get away with it, of course. You might get away with it many times. But what about that one time when your bike is at the bottom of a tower of cases being sorted by a bloke who’s already late finishing his shift?

For example, our gravel bikes weigh around 12kg each. If we were to buy a case that weighed over 11kg we would be over the 23kg limit most airlines set for luggage. 3. How often will you be using your bike box?