Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
[... snip ...] He replied - that is a hard case, never get a hard case. I asked why - he said just yesterday he had driven the food truck over a piece of soft case luggage and other than a bit of scuff marks, no damage to the bag. But when they drive a truck over a hard case suit case, it is destroyed.
Interesting anecdote...
My inclination is to say, this is about karma. Several airlines suggest to simply "remove pedals, turn handlebars, deflate tires and put the bike in a transparent plastic bag." Meaning that "usually" bikes do not need extra protection. Think about travelling with skis, surfboards, golf clubs, fishing rods, etc.). But yes, stuff happens. And we tend to focus on unusual stuff.
IDK -- we've flown more than 10 times, several bikes, international. Worst case has been a dinged rim on a return flight. Difficult to assess the probability that a bike will be significantly damaged in transit (probably a small figure). And there's the fact that you'll need a bag anyway, in many jurisdictions, if you plan on taking public transit. My estimate is that travelling with hard shell means a day spent on logistics, in and out. With a bag, it is easy to unwrap and ride out of the terminal.
(must be quite a feeling to see your bike dropped from a container and the tractor reducing is to pulp
)