Originally Posted by
Racer Ex
Late to this but for the airlines I use the Velosafe. They actually make two versions, one smaller than the one Doge had a pic of. It's literally the only case that I haven't seen them manage to break a bike in.
The biggest problem is if TSA open up the case. All the other ones require a pretty tight sequential re-assembly. Damage comes from that being done wrong or the case being dropped or stacked wrong. With the Velosafe the bike is locked and strapped in, they can pull stuff out around it and check. Plus it's reinforced with aluminum channel, almost impossible for them to crush no matter how hard they try.
The really best case is to find someone to ship the bike to and go FedEx or UPS. That way you can pack it yourself and it never gets opened. Regular cardboard box is good for this. Same cardboard box is probably the worst option for an airline if TSA has a go at it.
TSA opened up my bag on both flights, but didn't seem to remove the bike itself; with the BikND case the bike is "locked" in to the bag's frame by the skewers, which seemed to be enough to hold TSA at bay.
I'm sure with enough travel I could find the wrong TSA agent in a bad mood and they could ruin my day, but it worked out on this trip.