Travelling with your bike on a plane, your options are essentially an ultra-budget cardboard bike box from your local bike shop, a cheap bag, or an expensive hardcase.
The big problem is at the other end: a cardboard box will inevitably get damaged and it, along with a full size hardcase, can be difficult to store in a hotel room – once you’ve got it there. The most convenient choice is a padded bag, and the Aerocomfort is one of the easiest to use.
Open up the three-sided zip and you find an aluminium box-section support frame taking up the full length of the reinforced floor. Stow your wheels in the padded zipped pockets on either side, then attach your frameset via its dropouts to the frame using the skewers provided.
The bag is wider at the bar end than the rear, so you don’t even have to undo your stem or remove the bar. We had no problems fitting a 58cm frame inside, and only had to drop the saddle 2in. Our first go at packing took around 10 minutes, and now we’re used to it we’ve just about halved that.
As well as the skewers, accessories include frame pads, a nylon frame cover, rear mech hanger protector and a TSA approved padlock – a combination lock that can still be opened by airport security with a masterkey held by them.
Four replaceable castors make moving the bag around a doddle, and there’s a removable drag handle and a padded shoulder strap too, though it can be a little unstable.
The 8.55kg (18.85lb) weight, including accessories (it’s claimed to be 7.5kg/16.5lb) is still good for the protection the Scicon offers, and when empty it’ll pack down to 34x39x98cm – small enough to stow under a hotel bed or in the corner of a wardrobe.
The bike is very well protected thanks to the use of frame-fitting, high-density padding. It’s simple to pack, reasonably light and tough fabrics are used throughout. An impressive product.
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.