B and W International Bike Box II

I purchased a B&W box for travel to the West Coast for work. It was my first time flying with a bicycle. Although there was some trepidation, I'm very glad I did!

A few recommendations:

Assemble the box and then "pack" it without a bike to figure out the best way to lay out the shells, straps, etc.

Apply colored tape to the mating edge to show the correct (and incorrect) way to overlap the edges. I used Green and Red masking tape and it worked fine (this helps you and the TSA employee who may open the box for inspection).

Disassemble your bike (remove pedals, wheels, seat post, and handlebars) and lay the components out. Watch the B&W YouTube videa and follow along.

Pack the bike (and only the bike) in the box.

Reassemble the box, secure the straps.

Once it is fully packed, use a luggae scale ($20 online) to weigh the packed box. Keep it <50 lbs to avoid extra fees. Weight under 50 lbs is your budget for packing items with the bike. Use alaundry bag to weigh all the things you will pack with the bag to stay under weight.

Assmble the tools you plan to have with you at your destination. Using ONLY these tools, unpack and reassemble your bike.

If it hels, take pictures of the bike disassembled and the box as it is packed. Also take pictures of all tools used.

I recommend packing nitrile gloves, lube, and a few cleaning cloths. I also purchased some pipe insulation, cut it to length then scored it down the long side to permit placing on key tubes for additional protection.

The B&W box received several compliements from luggage handlers and random travelers as I wheeled it to the overside lugge space. I was able to carry it and a large suitcase through the airport, onto a rental car shuttle, etc. If you're renting a car, be sure to get one with a fold down rear seat.

First, I am not a gearhead; I'm an older female who is not good at this stuff. I had a lot of trouble getting the wheels installed when i got the box, and trouble figuring out how to pack the bike - I did a trial pack before my trip. Once figured out, my 56 frame Trek packed fine, arrived fine in both directions. In one direction, TSA did not figure out how to close the box correctly, as other reviewers have noted, but they strapped it up tight and nothing was harmed. Extremely easy to wheel around the airport - and even get up on shuttle buses. I don't expect to use it often, so didn't want to spend a lot; this box gets the job done, is easy to travel with, and protects the bike.

I used my bike box to transport one of my precious bikes with me out to Utah. We all know how roughly baggage can be handled, so I was extremely nervous. The bike arrived completely protected on both flights, and the bike box only experienced a little scuffing from handling. It held up extremely well, and rolling it through the airport was very easy.

I've used this bike box several times over the past few years. It's done an adequate job protecting the bike, but the design leaves something to be desired. It has a clam shell design with interlocking lids and on several occasions TSA employees (probably in a hurry) just can't figure it out, or care enough to repack it properly. So consequently, the two lids are often times just strapped back together hastily (without the interlock) and therefore overlapping each other and smashing the bike or contents. It's very frustrating to arrive and find your expensive bike in it's case smashed back to together with it's straps. I don't recommend.

I tried to save some money with this box after reading reviews. Unfortunately, it does not work well. It is too diffiicult to close up. I was able to do it with some work and practice, but I've flown with the box 4 times now and three times, the security cant get it back together properly. The most recent time, one of our bikes was severely damaged due to the box being put together improperly by security. It's just not easy enough to close up and cost us a race and a month in the repair shop.

I would have liked to purchase the B&W Curv, however, I was on a tighter budget. This case worked well, fairly straight forward to pack. My biggest gripe is that it did not fit my 61 cm Specialized Crux without removing the rear derailleur. Given it's a wireless electronic derailleur it was not a huge problem, though it does increase the time needed to dissemble, pack and reassemble. The point of such a hard case, for me, was to reduce the time required for these tasks. Given the amount of time needed, and the amount of times I will use this case each year, I'd likely recommend using a free cardboard bike box from your LBS. Also, the shipping cost will be less with the cardboard box vs. B&W Bike Box II. I used Bike Flights, which was easy, and the bike and all contents arrived on both ends in perfect condition. So � the case held up as you would expect.

Difficulty in non trained to close box properly

Excellent hard case. Plenty of straps to hold the frame securely suspended to the inside of the case. Wheels are super easy to roll to and from with very little effort. Padding is plentiful along with wheel bags. First trip with race p bike deep dish race wheels-perfect!

Easy to use and held up well during first two trips. Good value!

I have used it for a round trip with my XXL frame road bike. It was a little tight but fit no problem, and it made it both ways safe and sound. My fear was that TSA would not figure out how to close it back up correctly (slightly tricky design) but they opened it both ways and closed it properly with no damage. The case and bike came through unscathed. Very convenient with the wheels and handles.