Bike Box Alan bike boxes are manufactured in Yorkshire, England by company founder and lifelong cyclist Alan Hamshaw. Hamshaw or 'Bike Box Alan' founded the company back in the early noughties after becoming frustrated with repeatedly repairing the leading bike box brand of the day's wares. Spotting a gap in the market he decided he could, and would, do better.
Fast forward to the present day and the Bike Box Alan range has five different hard-case bike boxes including a hard wheel case and a racing wheelchair bike box, as well as a range of accessories and spare parts available. Bike boxes are available to rent or buy and are used by amateurs and professional riders alike to keep their bikes safe whilst travelling abroad, specifically when flying.
I used and tested the largest Bike Box Alan case in the range on a recent riding trip to Mallorca, the Triathlon Aero Easyfit bike box. The Aero Easyfit is the newest offering from the brand and the brand claims it is 'the biggest bike box available anywhere'. Our measurements actually put it a couple of centimetres smaller than the Evoc Road Bike Bag Pro, but it is still a healthy-sized, hard-shell bike box. We also featured the Bike Box Alan Premium bike box model in our best bike travel cases buyers guide.
As you may gather from the name, the Triathlon Aero Easyfit is designed to allow time trial or triathlon bike base bars to fit in the box without the need to disassemble the front end of the bike. It also means your regular road or pretty much any other bike you want to travel with will fit comfortably without the need to disassemble any of the front end, which is a big plus point, especially with so many fully integrated bike cockpits and internal routing these days that can make disassembly a headache.
The Aero Easyfit is available to buy outright from £680, and there are a few options and extras that should you want them will increase the price by a few pounds. There is also an inbuilt GPRS tracking device version should you want even more security, which starts at £799. You can also hire the bike box for seven days starting from £43 from the Bike Box Alan website. This puts the Bike Box Alan at the upper end of the hard shell bike box pricing spectrum if you're looking at an outright purchase.
Price: From £680 / $843 / €767 / AU$1270 (Hire also available)
Capacity: Fits most bikes with wheelbases up to 120 cm / Compatible with 29” bikes. Riders over 190cm may need to lower the seatpost / remove r.mech etc.
Compatibility: Front: Compatible with QR skewer or 12 mm x 100 mm thru axle (Road bike disc) Max 48cm bar width
Rear: Compatible with 130 / 135 mm QR skewer or 12mm thru-axles
Dimensions: L 133cm x H 94cm x W50cm
Material: Plastic composite / Metal construction
Weight: 13kg / 28. lb (including 2 x foam padding layers)
Design and aesthetics
The Aero Easyfit shares a lot of features with the other boxes in the Bike Box Alan range so if you are familiar with other models already, you won't be dealing with anything new for the most part. For those that aren't as well-versed, I will outline the overall design.
The standout design feature of the Aero fit is the larger size and wider end which allows handlebars to stay on the bike, meaning no disassembly is required. Something which does stress out cyclists, creates an extra job, and eats into holiday time. Externally, the wide end of the Easy Fit measures just over 50 centimetres. The bike box length is 133cm long and 94cm high. ITs empty weight is around 13.5kg. Most airlines have a maximum bike box weight of around 30kg and mine packed with the bike (under 7kg), plus tools, kit and some clothing came in well under this mark.
The Aero Easy fit is constructed from hard plastic, which Bike Box Alan says is a secret composite, in a choice of six colours. The box is split into two halves which meet along the centre. The box's two halves are kept together by two fabric straps internally and along the bottom, there is a metal hinge which is pop riveted into place. The halves overlap each other and close using six sturdy metal clasps, mine came with a small padlock to use on one of the top clasps. The angular and rectangular shape of the box means that when it's closed and locked together it naturally forms quite a strong and sturdy shape.
There are four decent-sized castor wheels on each underside corner of the bike box. The rear two are fixed and the front two move 360 degrees to aid mobility and steering when you are navigating airline bag drop queues. The wheels themselves are rubber coated, and a moulded handle on top means pulling or steering is easily done (you can do it one-handed). The box also came with an additional clip-on carry / pull handle.
Every cyclist travelling with a bike on an aeroplane dreads their pride and joy being damaged in transit or by uncaring baggage handlebars as boxes are being loaded. Bike Box Alan looks to minimise this risk with what they call the anti-crush pole. Two cylindrical sections of rubber-coated steel pole in either half of the box meet when it is folded together preventing crushing and bike damage. These poles can be moved between two positions to achieve the correct fit around the wheels and bike. There is actually some information from a baggage handler on the BBA website explaining how bike boxes are stacked in a plane's hold and how the pole works to protect a bike.
Along with the choice of six colours, you can choose to have component stickers and decorative stripes such as the world champions' rainbow bands on your bike box. For example, mine featured Dura-Ace and Cannondale stickers on the outside. For an extra £15 / $18 you can have your name and country flag on the box for that personalised pro feel.
Comprehensive spares for every bike box are available on the BBA website including replacement castors and even a drill bit and pop rivet gun to replace any pop rivets that fail over the years which is impressive. The BBA seven-year guarantee covers parts and manufacturing (two years for approved commercial hire use) the only exceptions being the rubber wheels which are a wear-and-tear item. And any damage caused by negligence from airlines.
Packing a bike
The Bike Box Alan website provides packing instructions and an instructional video on its website. The video even features Ineos Grenadiers professional rider, Ben Swift. There are also some helpful stickers with packing information inside the bike box.
The rear wheel of the bike sits cassette side down in the bottom half of the bike box and the moulding of the box accommodates the wider rear wheel axle, the wheel is then strapped into place using inbuilt velcro straps. BBA recommends letting some pressure out of your tyres before packing.
A layer of thick foam then sits on top of the wheel and you are ready to pack the frame, the pedals need to come off the crank arms which are set to be horizontal with the edge of the bike box, the chain should be in the large chainring and smallest sprocket ratio, and that's it. The frame is then velcro strapped drive-side down into place around the forks, rear chain and seatstays, chainset and handlebars and stem.
Once the frame is in place and secured, a second layer of foam sits on top to protect the bike's frame and components. The front wheel then straps into the upper half of the box in the same way as the rear wheel using the velcro straps.
The two halves can then be closed, the bike box clasps closed, and a padlock added if the user prefers.
Performance
Packing a bike down into a bike box for a flight does create some nervousness. I'm sure there are riders travelling week in and week out with a box who have zero fear and have it down to an art form, but I suspect for most of us, it makes us a little nervy. Strapping your pride and joy into a plastic box to be potentially thrown into the hold of a plane is not going to sit well with most of us.
I watched the BBA pack video and worked to the instructions on the website and packed my Cannondale Supersix Evo down into the bike box without trouble. I was definitely slower on the first pack due to wanting to get everything right and ensure my bike was as safe as possible, but the process was simple and it was obvious the procedure was one that would become fast and second nature with familiarity and practice.
I removed my pedals (to go in hand luggage) attached my quick releases in the dropouts of the frame for extra support and removed my chain (a personal decision) and that was it. The wheels strap in easily to their dedicated spots and the velcro straps are the strongest and grippiest I have ever encountered on anything, holding the wheels really securely. The same is true for the frame, once you've snugged all of the velcro frame straps down there is zero movement from the frame and it's really locked into place inside the box. The wider section of the bike box meant I didn't need to take my bars off and the velcro straps secured my handlebars easily.
I'm pretty fussy about my bike, I avoid it being bottom of the pile at the local cafe stop for fear of it getting scratched and am generally pretty fastidious over it, but I felt comfortable with it in the Aero Easyfit pretty much straight away. You can just tell from the design and strapping that the bike's going to be well-protected in there. A bike moving around inside a box is at risk of damage before you add external damage or sloppy handling into the mix. I was happy leaving my rear mech and hanger in situ on the bike - the moulding of the box suits the rear mech well and offers support, I just added some extra soft foam padding of my own to give the rear mech a little extra cushioning for peace of mind. I was also able to pack in plenty of tools, nutrition products, a helmet and additional cycling kit inside the box comfortably, whilst staying within the 30kg weight limit.
My bike emerged unscathed from the box in Mallorca in perfect condition. My riding group of six friends provided something of a group test for the Aero Easyfit. Riders in the group were using soft bike bags, the BBA premium box (a smaller model) and a couple of other alternative hard case boxes.
The Aero Easyfit was clearly the largest box there, but it didn't cause me any issues. It went through airport security machines fine and it was easy to move around the airport. An added bonus of the bike box's extra width was that I could place my cabin bag on top and walk with it, other narrower boxes prevented this and it saved me some effort.
The only issue I saw was the baggage handlers doing a bit of extra manoeuvring with my bike when loading it onto the plane compared to the others. It also took up a little extra room on our minibus shuttle with the driver identifying it as the box for the bottom of the pile due to its shape but again this was no real problem.
Upon reaching our apartment, the final walk up a gravelly climb of a few hundred metres also provided a good test for the Aero Easyfit, and it tackled it easily, the rubber castor wheels worked well and it never really struggled or felt uncontrollable.
Assembling my bike was incredibly easy and whilst my companions reassembled headsets and adjusted handlebars I was already done. The return leg of the journey went the same way and my bike emerged undamaged at the other end, the Aero Easyfit had done its job.
If you feel nervous about disassembling your bike or really don't want the hassle before a trip, there are a few bike boxes available. The Scicon Aerocomfort TSA 3.0 is the lightest, but also the least protective with its complete soft case. The Evoc Road Bike Bag Pro is another, which pairs hard and soft in a two-part system. If you don't mind the added weight and required storage space and want maximum protection, the hard case Bike Box Alan Aero Easyfit is undoubtedly the bike box for you.
Verdict
I was impressed with the Triathlon Aero Easyfit. I felt comfortable using it and confident that my bike was as safe as possible for my journey.
It was easy to pack my bike into and this would be the case for the majority of users. Integrated handlebars and stem and steerer-routed cabling are the norm now on performance road bikes. It obviously depends on each rider's setup but short or optimised cabling or hydraulic brake hoses might make removing the handlebars almost impossible. The Aero Easyfit resolves this potential issue and the potential issues caused by wider gravel handlebars or Time Trial bars without any real drawbacks. It just makes life easier and saves you time.
I had a slight worry the larger bike box would receive some sort of extra charge or fall foul of some sort of airport baggage size rule but this wasn't the case and it only really gave me an easier life. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.
If I was really splitting hairs I'd perhaps point out that the velcro strappings need to be tight against the frame could cause some light scratching or hazy marks to paint. If you are worried about this, just protect your frame with tape or similar before strapping it down.
The retail price is at the higher end of the scale but it represents a quality investment with great support, warranty and spares availability that will give you peace of mind when travelling with your potentially very expensive bike. The ability to rent a box also presents a great alternate option that could well work out cheaper depending on your requirements.
