CTC Cycling Bike Bag or Other lightweight solutions

[Karl]

I'm intending on using the plane as transport for me and my bike over the next couple of months (sometimes only one direction). I won't have anywhere to store a proper bike bag so looking for a lightweight compact solution. I know the CTC Bags are quite common but how heavy are they and how small do they pack down? I know Stu made his into a tarp but haven't asked him about the weight and suitability.

Is there other options or is there a genius out there who's managed to create the lightest myog bike bag from 3 Tesco bags and some sticky back plastic?

Please help

[Bearbonesnorm]

Both Chew and me had CTC 'tarps'. The weather meant we only unpacked them once from landing to taking off but carrying them wasn't a problem, the weight / size largely went unnoticed. I stored mine inside my front drybag and Chew had his in his front harness.

It was nice to know that at any time, we could have said, sod it and board a train / plane without the need to hunt down a box, etc ... self sufficieny, it's the name of the game

[Chew]

As Stu says, its the future.

The bags not overly heavy (maybe 500g) and doesnt really back down that small (although Stu made a better job of that than me), but once it was on the bike you wont notice it and carrying it with you gives you lots of options and freedom.

Packing the bike up is a 20min job, just removing the front wheel, pedals and taping everything up. Similar at the other side unless you decide to wander off through security......

Any heavy duty clear plastic bag would be fine. It'll get a few holes in via transport, but nothing a stop of tape wont sort.
Also if you use a CTC bag (sans tarp converstion), you could probably get away which chopping off 12 inches to deduce the weight/packsize further

[Pickers]

Chew/Stu, Did you bother carrying those little plastic widgets (the ones that come with a new frameset in the box) to keep fork and dropout ends in place and stop them getting crushed?

[Chew]

Chew/Stu, Did you bother carrying those little plastic widgets (the ones that come with a new frameset in the box) to keep fork and dropout ends in place and stop them getting crushed?

Yes.
One to go between the front forks and a spacer for the brakes
For the fork spacer I drilled a hole in it so you could use the QR to keep it in situ. Negligible space/weight to carry the bits around.

[Pickers]

Yes.
One to go between the front forks and a spacer for the brakes
For the fork spacer I drilled a hole in it so you could use the QR to keep it in situ. Negligible space/weight to carry the bits around.

Cheers Chew

[Scattamah]

...to keep fork and dropout ends in place and stop them getting crushed?

Further to this, if you're a maxle user, just pop the maxle back in once the wheel is removed and pop a couple of layers of gorilla/gaffer tape over the ends of your forks to keep 'em from getting damaged.

Greetz

S.

[Karl]

Think CTC bag is the solution then. Cheers guys operation myog tarp is go

[Giacomo]

Hi Karl,

I've used a CTC bag before. I know they create mixed opinions. The general argument being that they don't offer any protection, but if the baggage handlers can see it's a bike then they ought to treat it well.

I have had a particularly bad experience with them. Nothing that cost me a fortune but it was an annoyance on a multi-stop trip. Bent/broken bottle cages, bent disc rotor, lots of scratches. At Gatwick where my trip ended, my bike was delivered to me upside down with a big scuff on my seat... I'm glad it was a steel frame and fork at least.

Anyway, my suggestion would be to ask at the check-in or help desk for some polystyrene, cardboard, tape, anything you can get your hands on for a bit of extra protection. They usually have loads of packaging materials they can give you (if you get the check-in operative who is in a good mood). You will also find that some airlines can sell you a cardboard bike box for around £10-20... Iberia for example.

I also know many people use CTC bags with no issues. Just my experience.

It sounds like you're pretty set on a CTC bag, but just make sure you have options if the worst case scenario happens.

Giacomo

[Karl]

Another question. When bagging the bike do you leave frame, seat and handlebar bags still attached? Or are they removed and put through as seperate hold luggage?

[Bearbonesnorm]

When flying to Milan, I left my frame bag on (needed somewhere for my knife and meths ) but took my bar harness off and had it as hand luggage. Flying back, I couldn't be arsed and just left everything attached - figure it's extra padding.

[DoctorRad]

Dependent on 'supplier' not sure if they would be thick enough, but the bags which mattresses come in might be suitable if you can get one from your local bed shop.

[adamwwallace]

We've used the CTC bags for road touring when flying to one airport and coming back from another.

Mine has lasted three trips so far but I don't think it'll do many more as it's starting to get pretty worn. On the last trip I couldn't find the frame spacers on the way back so chanced it - rear dropout came out pretty bent which meant a bit of bodging with a multitool and a shoe as a hammer outside Heathrow.... Up to that point I though the baggage handlers had been nice to bikes that looked unprotected, now I'm not so sure and I definitely wouldn't take a bike I liked in just a CTC bag. To a certain extent you can use wheels, helmet, clothes etc to pad the important parts of the bike but it's unlikely to be perfect.

With care you can fold it up relatively small, perhaps the size of a sunday times, and then tape it up so it won't open up. We then tape it on top of the pannier rack for the trip so there's probably somewhere it could be stuck on a mountain bike, bar harness, down tube maybe. Decathlon do some good fold up bags which pack to the size of a rolled up t shirt which you can fit two full ortlieb pannier bags into so should work for frame bags. Depending on what's in the frame bags it's possibly better to keep them out of the bike bag because of the weight, the heavier the bike is the harder it is to lift so the more likely it is to be mishandled.

The bag isn't useful for much else, rolled up it's an ok seat and we've used it in torrential thunderstorms as a rain shelter. It's pretty unwieldy as a tarp though and would be quite noisy if trying to sleep under it in wind and rain.