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B’Twin 1-Bike Transport Cover

8
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
A useful alternative to a full-blown bike bag for buses, trains and cars, but not ideal for plane travel
Weight: 
3,600g

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Travelling with a bike when you're not on it can be frustrating, but BTwin's 1-Bike Transport Cover aims to make it simpler. It's a decent non-plane bike bag that won't break the bank, but could perhaps do with a couple of extra pockets.

It isn't a traditional bike bag, in the sense that apart from scratches it doesn't really offer much protection. If it's dropped, your bike would probably get damaged, and if entrusted to luggage handlers for flying you'd be taking quite a risk even if you padded it out very carefully. It's really designed so you can take your bike apart and put it into a bag that makes it easier to transport on buses, trains and cars.

> Find your nearest Decathlon store here

The construction of the bag is very simple, with a cavernous capacity and two sleeves on the bag for the wheels. The bottom is secured with what BTwin refers to as a 'bag base stiffener' which is pushed through a sleeve at the base to give the bottom of the bag strength and structure.

For carrying, there are two shoulder straps or two handles on the side of the bag. All of these work well and I managed to transport a bike through Euston station and put it on a train with ease and without needing to drag or awkwardly manhandle it. The straps and handles also seem well made and even when I tested it with my heavy mountain bike there didn't seem to be any issues with the stitching being able to take the weight.

I also used the bag for transporting bikes in a car and once the seats were down, even fitted into the back of an Audi A3, which is fairly impressive. When you do need to put the bag down, it has four plastic feet that keep it a few inches off the ground.

Placing the bike in the bag is similar to most other bike boxes/bags, where both wheels and the pedals are removed first. Unlike other bike bags you do not need to remove the handlebar on a road bike (although BTwin points out that some styles/sizes of bike may require this) and it took me about five minutes to get everything in the bag and packed up.

> Check out our guide to the best bike bags and boxes

One thing I would like is a sealable pocket within the bag to keep pedals and skewers in; if simply placed in with either the wheels or the frame there's the possibility of scratches or dinks, so you'd have to wrap them beforehand somehow.

There are several things I like about this bag, but perhaps my single favourite element is that it packs down so small, meaning you aren't stuck with a huge bike box lying around the house. Once packed down it fits into its own bag which is no bigger than a regular shopping bag. This means that for me, somebody who lives in a flat in London, I don't get murderous looks from my girlfriend for taking up half the living room with something I use only a few times a year. The base of the bag even folds down and fits in the bag too.

As you might expect for a bag that folds down this small, it also weighs considerably less than traditional bike bags. Given that you wouldn't really use this for planes, where weight is a major factor, the benefit is that it simply makes it lighter to carry.

All in, I really like it. It doesn't have the kind of protection you would get from a traditional bike bag, but at the same time that's not what it's designed for (though BTwin suggests you could pad it out for air travel if you're on a tight budget). A couple of extra pockets would be nice, but overall it does exactly what's needed with minimum fuss at a great price.

Verdict

A useful alternative to a full-blown bike bag for buses, trains and cars, but not ideal for plane travel

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road.cc test report

Make and model: BTwin 1-Bike Transport Cover

Size tested: L 270 x W 1350 x H 850 mm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A no frills travel bag for your bike.

BTwin says: 'A robust, compact carry case. Includes protective outer bag for easy transport.'

This sounds about right. I wouldn't say there is a huge amount of protection from major damage, but it will certainly protect your bike from scratches and dinks.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

COMPATIBILITY

Road, MTB, and hybrid bikes. Certain sizes may require removal of handlebar.

FLEXIBILITY

1 bike compartment, 2 wheel compartments, bag base stiffener.

EASE OF USE

Shoulder strap, long zip opening.

LIGHTWEIGHT

3.6 kg.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Well made, straps are strong and base keeps everything sturdy.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Did everything I expected; it's not designed as a full blown bike bag, but it does what it needs to.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Seems well made and given that it packs down small, unlikely to get damaged when not in use.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Great value.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well. Easy to use, simple to put together and fits nicely in the back of a small car.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

How it packs down so small, makes it incredibly easy to store.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Could do with some extra pockets.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

A useful way to transport a bike without needing to shell out hundreds.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 27  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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5 comments

Avatar
reippuert | 6 years ago
0 likes

Got one when i flew back from a trans alpes trip in venice 2015 - as this airport requred the bike to backed in a bag, box etc. I hav sinece used it for taking min vintage bike to l'Eroca Gialoe ( flew back from napels and twice back and to La Palma ( prently here). To be honest i really prefere flying without a box as i have Titanium bikes and usully travels with out carbon wheels.

this time i bult an a box inside cutting a using heavy dutty cardbord for the side pockets an cut the shipping box from a new  sampsonite suitcase in half  one end protecting my fork and the over the rearend with its disk brake calipers. The result: just as well procteded as the more expensive padded non-flight case boxes out there an plety of weight left for shoes, helmet, tools, extra tyres and tubes (currently  a pair of pannarace gravelking sk 40mm is monted tubless for exploring the trails and nonpaved roads here - but i bought my 35mm compass extralights as well for main roads and climbing Roques de los muchachos next week when my climbing legs have hopefully setteled.

Avatar
LarryDavidJr | 7 years ago
0 likes

Sounds great but some pictures of it in use might have been nice.

Avatar
Prosper0 replied to LarryDavidJr | 7 years ago
0 likes
LarryDavidJr wrote:

Sounds great but some pictures of it in use might have been nice.

 

agreed. Don't know why you guys out so few photos up for reviews. 

Avatar
jestriding | 7 years ago
0 likes

Flew out of Frankfurt on Lufthansa recently and just rolled my bike up to the counter and left it (water bottle still in it's rack).  Had to pick it up in LA and roll it over to Air New Zealand... but picked it up in Auckland with water bottle still on, no scratches...

No dismantling, no taking wheels off, no turning handle bars, no trying to find a box in a foreign city...  

(I have a Ground Effect bag as well as the previous commenter.  Works well; folds to A4 size).

Avatar
kevvjj | 7 years ago
0 likes

I've used an even simpler version of this from the NZ company Ground Effect - essentially the same with out wheels (and lighter). Have travelled all over the world with it on many different airlines and never had an issue with damage. I have used both MTB and Road bikes. Having around 10-14 kg of spare weight (most airlines allow 23kg) allows much padding of bike using clothes etc. So much easier to transport - fits in the back of most cars (perfect for when the relatives meet you at the airport) and when you get to your destination accommodation it 'disappears'. Have been on overseas road trips with four others and had we all had those silly HUGE/HEAVY plastic things we would have had to hire a truck rather than a small van to transport everything.

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