Ed Morris of Buxum Box is a life-long cyclist. When he and his friends started to plan a trip to the Pyrennees, they found it difficult to find a bike box or bag that they'd trust to carry their pride and joy safely.
Ed explained: "We couldn't find anything on the market in Asia with a specification or quality that was commensurate with the bikes we were riding. The good soft cases were just too soft, while the hardshelled boxes were either too bulky, too heavy or a bit flimsy on the hardware side.
"Aluminium seemed to be the obvious material to use - it's strong, light, durable and 100 percent recyclable. Initially I did it as a bit of fun, developed a couple of prototype boxes and, taking advantage of the fact I have to fly two or three times a week in my corporate life, put the prototypes through their paces by slinging them on a plane when travelling.
"That proved to be a pretty good impromptu test programme, and it allowed us to continually develop the concept, adding strength where it was needed and removing weight where it wasn't. This got us to the point where I truly believe we have a great product that fully meets the need of that market niche."
Follwing good feedback from his riding friends, Ed decided to tool up to produce the Buxum ('buxum' is the latin word for box-wood) in an initially a small run, because the Buxum will end up being quite a premium product. The box is constructed using machine aluminium extrusions, laser-cut sheets and precision stampings. The finished box has more than 600 high-strength rivets! At the moment Ed is producing the box in Hong Kong, though his long-term goal is to bring production and manufacturing back to his native UK.
The bike box is available in three sizes. The Galibier is designed to qualify in airline sizing as a large suitcase (26inx26inx10in), and its built for road bikes with S&S couplings (or bikes such as the Ritchey Breakaway). The Galibier weighs less than 6.5kg (14.4lb). Second in the line is the Tourmalet (pictured). It's still compact but is designed to take a regular road bike and tips the scales below 12kg (26.5lb). Its dimensions are 44.4inx30.7inx12in. The final model is the Ventoux, designed for both road and mountain bikes, and requires less bike disassembly than the other two. It weighs less than 15kg (33.2lb) and is 50.9inx33.9inx14.1in.
Inside, an adjustable rear axle mount keeps the bike's frame secure
Both the Tourmalet and Ventoux come with front and rear axle mounts built into the box floor, reinforced corners and four lockable steel twist latches for maximum security. A series of CNC'd aluminium ribs on each side of the box are there to take and lock in aluminium rods which prevent the box from being crushed. Both run on four wheels - two casters and two fixed.
Prices are in US Dollars only at this time; the Galibier is $600, the Tourmalet $800, and the Ventoux $900. That makes them some of the priciest boxes we've seen, but if they can live up to the claims, they may just be worth it. We'll find out soon - a Tourmalet is winging its way to BikeRadar to be tested soon.
