I have been doing a lot of flying with my bike over the years and have used many different box and bag (sometimes a combination) set ups. One thing about traveling with your bike is it can be a real pain in the butt. The boxes that the airlines supply here in Australia are massive, which can be good because it means you don't have to take so many parts off your bike, or in some cases you could fit two bikes in the one box. That said though, no matter what you have in the box it's still a pain to lug around because of it's size and you still have to contend with weight limits and excess baggage costs.
In the US it can cost around $100 per domestic leg of a flight to take your bike with you, but golf clubs are free. Go figure! Some riders started to use golf bags, but then manufacturers realised there are some more specific needs for BMXers so they started to make BMX bags but made them look like the golf bags. DK have even gone as far as embroiding "Golf" on the bag.
In Australia the costs of traveling with your bike are a little different. Airlines used to have a sporting goods allowance which seems to be long gone now, so you need to check your bike in as a part of your luggage allowance. When you put it in those terms is there any value in buying a DK "Golf" bag for Australian domestic travel? Hell yeah! Have you ever tried to drag a bike box around airports and find a taxi that's big enough to carry one or two bike boxes? The DK Golf bag is much smaller than a bike box, has wheels and will take the headache out of traveling with your bike.
I was finally pushed to buying my DK Golf bag when I flew to Brisbane for the Sleeman Track opening. I just couldn't face traveling with the bike box one more time. So I organised to pick one up in Brisbane. The difference is amazing. There's nothing more awkward than trying to carry a bike box for hundreds of meters through busy airports. Then there's always the concern that the box will fall apart, they are only cardboard with tape holding them together after all. With the DK Golf bag the only worry you will have is getting to the airport on time.
I had heard what a breeze it is to pack a 20" into the Golf bag, but I had my cruiser. It's an XL with a 22" top tube. It takes a little more planning to get it in, but it fits. Obviously the front wheel, forks, bars and pedals have to come off and maybe the seat. But then the tires have to be let down too. Which I have been told you should do when flying anyway or the tubes will blow, but I never have and I haven't had any problems either. If you worry about your bike and parts getting scratched you could use small boxes for your forks, bars and pedals and pieces of cardboard to keep everything separated and safe.
Product Details
Colors: Black or Black/Green
I should have bought one of these long ago.
Rating 19.5/20:
| Value for money: | 5/5 |
| Weight: | 5/5 |
| Functionality: | 4.5/5 |
| Looks/Finish: | 5/5 |
Comments:
DK Bicycles are distributed in Australia by Advanced Traders
Reviewed by Shane Jenkins/bmxultra.com July 1, 2011