DebW in the 21st century?

[DebW]

I packed the bike in the case for the first time last night. I'm heading to Maryland on a business trip and will stay with a friend and bike with her one evening. If I were driving my own wagon, I would have just put the bike in the car intact, but I'm renting a car because mine needs work. So got to make the first attempt at packing the bike in the case. I had to cut the tube protectors to size for each frame tube. Also cut some fleece material to protect parts like derailleurs and brakes and crankset. Used some velcro one-strap to secure some of the wrappings. Had to remove both derailleurs and the front brake to make it work, though I didn't disconnect any cables other than unscrewing the splitters. The biggest bugaboo to the final fitting was having the handlebars lie flat to the bottom of the case so the front wheel would fit on top low enough to allow the case to close. Here's a photo of the final product. At least I don't have to be worried about the airline handling it roughly, since I'm driving with it this time.