Home Made Bike Travel Box?
Gurrie
I am contemplating building one out oa aluminium. That will enable it to be
stroing enough and light enough.
Hard shell cases here in Australia are excessively expensive and the price
of the aluminium is a lot cheaper.
As anyone out there tried doing such a thing?
What are the possible pitfalls?
All advice appreciated.
(Pete Cresswell)
Didn't do it myself, but I went to a guy who made cases for large musical
instruments (like drums...).
The resulting case worked pretty well over about 10 years of intermittant trips
from Philadelphia to Germany and various cities in the USA.
3 pitfalls that I can think of:
1) This was before "real" bike cases became widely-available and this thing
didn't have any wheels - making it somewhat of a hassle to get around an airport
with.
2) It was big enough that not just any vehicle could carry it. I paces the
aisles at Frankfurt once for about three hours waiting for somebody to take the
little VW Golf they came in back and return with a station wagon.
3) Also size-related: it's too big to pass as regular luggage.
Next time I take a trip, I'm going to try removing my FS' pivot arm and see if I
can get everything into two regular-size pieces of luggage.
--
PeteCresswell
Sergio SERVADIO
> Anyone attempted to build such a thing?
I just made one large enough, and generously so, for a frameset.
4mm plywood with inner reinforcements along edges and corners, cordura
outside, carpenter's hinges, while hatches and everything else were got
from junking my oldest suitcase.
The day before yesterday it was taken on a plane to Montreal, via London.
> What are the possible pitfalls?
I hope none, but to be honest I should wait till tomorrow when I hear from
my friend.
Moisture may be a pitfall if made out of wood; but, nowadays, it is
possible to have a perfectly water resistant wrapping on the outside.
By the way, a tight sealing wrapping is being recommended on all pieces
of baggage for safety reasons, nowadays.
Sergio
Pisa
A Muzi
DaveH wrote:
> Yes I did. To travel from Oman to NZ.
> It was trashed!
> It was Al angle (25mm) with 24G Al pop rivetted on to it. Top and and
> bottom were strengthened with the same Al angle across lengthwise and
> 2 across sideways. Sides I strengthened with diagonal braces (this was
> a mistake). The bike was laid on pieces of 50mm nice squishy foam and
> this saved it. The box was was light, though! I'll take a photo and
> post it if you are interested.
> The problems were:
-snip sad litany-
Your experience is not unique. The general approach of
rigid (aluminum, fiberglas, etc) has been abandoned in favor
of moded poly-(what? like milk bottles) . That material,
foam-filled and then banded with big nylon straps, may be
tossed/dropped quite a long way without damaging the bike.
When these type cases appeared, the retail prices went from
$500-$700 to about $300~$350. Not dirt cheap but they
really work now. There are a couple of brands in that style,
one is Trico. You may be able to rent/borrow one through
your local club or touring group.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
Sergio SERVADIO
The dedicated box I had made for the Pinarello frameset, which, fully
loaded more personal items, I dispatched to Montreal, Canada, has safely
got to destination.
Perfectly intact, I was told!
Sergio
Pisa
Mark Cathcart
twice my Scicon Aero tech case has been around the world and its been back
and forward to the US twelve times now and I'll be in Tampa in early feb, so
hopfully not unlucky 13!
One of the box wheels got crushed which broke the base of the case but
nothing that was terminal and couldn't be ignored, no damage to the bike. I
bought mine here in the UK
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/v2_product_detail.asp?ProdID=5360006995
The best price Froogle can find is 585 US Dollars
http://www.thstore.com/thstore/ProductInfo2_2sport.asp%3FID%3DH-SCI-71%26GroupID%3D377&fr=Ab2yOHxXEhbBd6UIMw0r0lIAAAAAAAAAAA
Well worth the investment if you plan on travelling a lot, or maybe you can
get the club or a couple of you invest! Make sure you get the latest box
which has the combination rather than key lock! ++Mark.
g.daniels
18 gauge aluminum?
4 foot level.
cardboard from the furniture store.
a carpenters square
metal ruler (woolmort)
razor blades(woolmort or HDepot)
epoxy probably loctite from NAPA
pop rivets and gun optional(oval head stainless machine screws are
nice
reinforced mailing tape
a long bread knife(to cut tape)
etc.
search for "DIY touring bags" in tech or search tech: DIY touring
bags.
the cardboard is for templates. one makes the box with cardboard full
scale.
take a few boxes apart to see how the box is cut out then folded
together.
cut the templat5e precisely with the level/razor.
the beauty of it is that after a coupla templates the builder is no
longer a novice.
the final template goes on the aluminum.tape it down.
I last bought a sheet 15 years ago: $20?
be precise. cut the the corners insides. and check out a sheet metal
book from the library or school tech center.off course. knowledge is
power.
tubafours and clamps make up a brake to fold the metal corners and the
reinforced edges(glue or screw)bend and pound from the middle out.
and check out the pro boxes for ideas. and add. almost always the DIY
finds that marklet pressures leave out the bells and duh easily
screwed in by the DIY
DIY touring bags" and search tech: chain guard $2
Gurrie
"g.daniels" <data...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:41b0dda1.04012...@posting.google.com...
Ryan Cousineau
data...@yahoo.com (g.daniels) wrote:
> homemade box is a good idea and a simple project.
> 18 gauge aluminum?
> 4 foot level.
> cardboard from the furniture store.
> a carpenters square
> metal ruler (woolmort)
> razor blades(woolmort or HDepot)
> epoxy probably loctite from NAPA
> pop rivets and gun optional(oval head stainless machine screws are
> nice
> reinforced mailing tape
> a long bread knife(to cut tape)
> etc.
> search for "DIY touring bags" in tech or search tech: DIY touring
> bags.
Great sounding project. Heavy, relative to soft bags, though, isn't it?
Lunch boxes fit nicely on the back of a rack. Cut horizontal slots near
the bottom of the long sides of the lunch box in each corner. Thread
your favourite old clip-on straps through to secure the box to the rack.
--
Ryan Cousineau, rcou...@sfu.ca http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club
g.daniels
with a razor, the measure works at?? 128? look ma, ima pattern maker!!
don't trust the square.
the bags are fabric and forgiving of mismeasure
aluminum is not.
Gurrie
of!
"Ryan Cousineau" <rcou...@sfu.ca> wrote in message
news:rcousine-8BDA99...@morgoth.sfu.ca...