Bike Cases: Traveling in Style

I'm heading to Minneapolis for the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in a few short weeks. I have to bring my beloved bike with me. I need a bike box/bag.

While hard cases are great, airlines know what's in 'em and charge ($50, $80, $100 or more depending on airline) extra because of it. Sometimes. Sometimes not.

I'd heard rumours that Pika Packworks bags look like massage tables, and lo, one does not get charged for the package by the check-in people. (Unless you and several hundred other athletes are departing SF after Alcatraz, all taking bikes with them; then they guess much more accurately as to the contents of the square softside structured bag.)

So, what case do I get? I don't have a carbon bike, I don't want to ship it, I want to fly with it as checked baggage and both not have it destroyed nor pay the equivalent of another ticket for the luxury of carting it around. (Enter here rant about unfairness of airlines towards cyclists. Snowboarders with heavier gear don't get charged. Masseurs don't get charged. But us? WHAM.) Pika packworks? VeloSafe? Something else? Share with me, o wise women...

I just suck it up and pay. While I may not agree with the charges, it's not like it's a hidden fee. I'd rather know that my rather expensive bike has the protection of a hard case. We use a Velo Safe.

You could add S&S couplers to your bike, then it would fit in an airline legal case. But you'd probably need to take 10 trips with your bike to make it cost effective.

V.