Features:
The Italian-made
Sci'Con 52 Aero-Comfort bike travel case is a nylon
bag with padded sides and a solid base with four rubber
casters to roll on. It has a two-way zipper around the
unpadded ends and top and two large carry straps around
the girth. The rear dropouts clamp onto a fixed-position
mount with a skewer and a steel guard to protect the
rear derailleur. The front fork mount (two versions are
shipped with the case) slides back and forth to adjust
for the wheelbase of the bike. The wheels are strapped
to the frame, and three hollow slotted cylindrical foam
pads (pieces of hot-water-pipe insulation) are provided
to protect the frame where the wheels contact.
Likes:
This bag (or case I donšt know what to
call it, because it is a bit of both) is a snap to pack
a bike into; there is no need to even remove the pedals!
You simply remove the wheels, clamp the front and rear
dropouts down (they adjust out to at least my wheelbase
of 107cm), strap the wheels to the frame, and zip it up!
Even my large road bike (65cm) fit in without even
lowering the seat from its 88cm height! I did have to
pull the bars off of the stem; without a front-opening
stem, I would have had to remove the stem and bar (but I
do have a length of 95cm from the back of the saddle to
the bar!). With most road bikes, you simply flip the
bars down to protect the STI or ErgoPower levers. For
someone who travels a lot with a bike, to not have to
break it down and put it back together on t he other end
is a tremendous feature!
The bag/case is also light and it folds
down quite small features lacking from many bike
cases. The fact that the ends and top are not padded,
different from other hard-bottom bike bags I know of,
allows it the flexibility to zip around a high seat or
wide bars or to fold up to store or stuff in a trunk
easily. Padding around the ends and top affords little
additional protection anyway. The bag accepts two sets
of wheels alongside the bike, and the rear-derailleur
protector, though obviously cheap, seems to work well to
protect the derailleur (but it makes it a bit more
hassle to skewer the rear end down).
The soft wheels roll easily on airport
carpeting as well as marble floors.
Dislikes:
The padding is not very dense and the nylon is
lightweight. These features contribute to the bagšs
lightness and ease of use, transport, and storage, but
you cannot count on them for much protection from big
impacts or sharp objects.
There are some straps attached to the
inner walls of the bag, but you really need to provide
your own straps to properly anchor the wheels from
moving, particularly if you are putting two sets inside.
A
handle on the end to pull it with would be nice.
Other:
The bag I tested is blue. The new color this year is
orange. The importer claims that for the 2002 season,
USPS, Navigators, Jean Delatour, and Mapei are all using
this case for all their airline travel.
Test
dates:
March, 2002
Weight:
13
pounds
Price:
$379.99
Contact:
Albabici, LLC,
653 South G Street, Oxnard, CA 93030, Tel. +1-805-385-3179
