EVOC’s Bike Travel Bag Pro is what the German brand refers to as their “high-end” solution for bike transport. It’s a soft/hard-sided hybrid case with multiple integrated bells and whistles designed to keep bikes safe and secure in transit. I’ve used the Travel Bag Pro on a few flights this year and, while I’m not a big fan of air travel nor checked luggage in general, this bag has been a pleasure to use.
There are plenty of options for bike travel bags and cases on the market these days, and I honed in on the EVOC line because they appeared to have a balance of efficiency and strength. The soft upper portion also allows them to be collapsed when not in use for easier storage. I own a few EVOC camera bags, as I appreciate their thoughtful organizational layouts and overbuilt qualities, so had an idea of what I’d be getting from one of their bike bags.
The Bike Travel Bag Pro appeared to hit most marks for me: collapsable, accommodates fairly large frame/wheels, and is simple to use with only minimal bike disassembly.
EVOC includes a pack of axle adapters sized for “all modern axle standards.” These adapters slot into the hubs at each end of the bike stand, which the bike is then attached to as if threading axles through wheel hubs for a secure fit. Hubs are height adjustable using a series of vertically-slotted holes. I tried to find the sweet spot where my chainring would be elevated off the floor of the bag, while also leaving a buffer at the top where the stem wouldn’t protrude too much into the top of the bag.
With the stand together I removed my wheels and handlebar to mount the bike on the front and rear axle brackets (notice the tape measure in the above image indicating my bike just 9cm shy of reaching the stand’s max length). With the bike affixed to the stand, my handlebars came off and I strapped them to the included top tube protector.
I typically ride with chunky 29×2.6 tires on wide rims, so the bag needed to have large wheel holsters. This bag has two separate wheel compartments on the aft end, each with reinforced disc and cassette protectors. The compartments take two 2cm diameter plastic rods for shape and, seemingly, offer added protection to the wheels from outside impacts. Fully deflating the Teravail Kessels allowed the entire tire/wheel assembly to slide right in.
No tire removal + no disc removal + no cassette removal = travel bliss!
The bag rolls on two permanently affixed rear wheels and one optional clip-on front caster that slides into a hole in the aluminum handle system. EVOC claims these are skateboard wheels, but they look more like scooter wheels to me. Regardless, they are replaceable, which is a bonus.
I can’t imagine using this bag without the front wheel. It makes maneuvering around airports a breeze. Just don’t forget to detach it and store it in the bag’s front pocket. It merely rests in the handle slot, so will fall out as soon as the bag is lifted off the ground!
