Sette Padded Bike Bag

geraldatwork

Well I ordered the bag and have some first impressions. I included a more extensive review I found by a Google search below which I pretty much agree with. It cost $90 plus $25 for shipping.

http://commutebybike.com/2006/11/29/...g-with-wheels/

The bag came rolled up in a long box which is the length of the solid floor plate with wheels so it makes for a relatively convenient storage box when not in use.

The material of the bag is quite thick and tough. It would take some conscious effort to pierce or tear it. There is approximately an 1/2" to 1" padding (hard to tell) throughout the bag that offers some protection. The zippers are very rugged and the belts around the bag help to relieve any pressure that would be placed upon them. As mentioned there is a stiff floor plate with wheels for dragging the case around. There are compartments on either side for wheels and the material on the inside between the wheels and the frame also appears to be padded. There are two internal zippered pouches for skewers, pedals and other stuff.

The bag is fairly large. Large enough for my 58 cm (large size) road bike to fit inside (with the wheels off of course) without lowering the seat. I instinctively removed the handle bars and pedals before placing the bike inside but probably wouldn't have to be removed if I just turned the fork to the side as in the photo in the review and the bag is wide enough for the pedals (however you might want to remove them for protection during transit). So for a quick car or train trip just remove the wheels and pop the bike into the bag. However to make the bag more compact you can lower the seat and remove the handlebars and the height of the bag comes down quite a bit and makes the bag smaller and more sturdy. The four belts really help to stabilize the bag and make it smaller.

Now the 64 thousand dollar question; does the bag offer enough protection for air travel. My guess would be yes assuming that it wouldn't be used frequently. By that I don't mean the bag would start to wear and fall apart, but as it doesn't offer the same protection as a rigid case by using it frequently someone would be increasing the chance that at some point an airline employee might just throw it around and abuse the case and possibly damage the bike.Kind of a Russian Roulette. The separate wheel compartments take up the entire side of the case. And since the case offers extra room there is an opportunity to put some thick cardboard or similar material for protection on each side. This would stiffen the case and between the padded exterior,I feel sufficiently protect the wheels and bike. I would also place some foam pipe insulation (the kind you can get at Home Depot) around the tubes of the frame or at the very least bubble wrap as shown in the photos in the review.If you put some kind of threaded bolt with washers and nuts in the fork and rear wheel dropouts that would stop those areas with being compressed.Since I rarely travel by air I would feel comfortable checking either my $3000 carbon bike or my $1500 aluminum one for an occasional flight.