Best Bike Box or Soft Bag for (land) freighting a Sherpa?

[Vintagetourer]

Does anyone have experience using, or recommendations for either a wheeled hard or soft shell bike case for transporting a Thorn Sherpa?

I'd be using it for land freight by bus and train so airline size/weight restrictions aren't a consideration.

I'd like to minimise disassembly and packing time, and have good protection for the bike. It doesn't necessarily have to be lightweight or compact.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

regards Graham Smith
Canberra Australia

[NZPeterG]

Hi Graham,
After years of traveling with a bicycle around the world I have find that a STD Cardbroad Box is the best, I have used a hardcase and a Soft Bag.
I have come back to your new old bike box, In Africa last year I find a Bike shop and just asked if they had a box which they did and shipped my bike home all safe.

Pete

 

[Andybg]

I have a soft case for transporting my bike. I use it when taking my bike in the back of the van when the van is full of other things and I am concerned about other things falling onto the bike and damaging it.

It works very well and can highly reccommend getting one with wheel covers so that they are less likely to scratch the bike.

Unfortunately I dont think mine has a make on it (I think it is an old cheap import from China) but has lasted well. I will pull it out later and check.

Key areas that they are likely to fail will either be the zip or the straps.

Also my bag is super big so can get the frame in with racks which makes it a vary quick job. If the bag is a tight fit and you need to start stripping down too far it may well be quicker with cardboard and bown tape.


Andy

[John Saxby]

Graham, where will you be travelling?  And, will you be continuing with your box from place to place, or leaving it in one spot & returning to it?

VIA Rail Canada, for example, is very good with providing big cardboard boxes free of charge.  The downside is, er, that the rail network itself is less than comprehensive in its coverage... Can't comment on Amtrak in the States. 

My recent experience in Europe last Sept/Oct fits with Pete's: a large cardboard shipping box from a bike shop works well all round, both for air travel and for land travel.  My  experience with European train stations, however, was far from easy: no porters & no trolleys!  So, if you're transporting bike-in-box plus panniers, etc., you've got an awkward handful.

You may want to check out my journal on CGOAB on this, plus some useful comments on the Guestbook from another rider with a bike-in-a-cardboard-box in Europe, and the storage of these things.  Here's the link, with the stuff about bikes in boxes & on trains towards the end:  http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/2012Rhine-Danubetrip

Some friends use the expensive wheeled hard boxes: these are protective, and easily managed, but cost more than some bikes. Then, there's the storage issue: when you reach your point of departure for your ride, what happens to the hard case?

Hope this is helpful -- good luck!

J.

[Vintagetourer]

Thanks John, Andy, Pete...
The ride is across the Kimberley in far NW Australia.
We need to get bikes to the start point Kununurra  from Canberra.

Be they cardboard or plastic with wheels, the empty boxes will need to be a freighted  to the tour endpoint.
Unless we can get more boxes in Broome. Unlikely?

We are thinking through how to do this. There are a few possibilities.

I was just wondering if Thorn riders had any preference for a certain type of (non-cardboard) bike case.