*** This is a Pre-Sale for Delivery before the Ride The Lobster Race***
Here is the newest idea in traveling with your 36 inch unicycle!! We are Pre-Selling these bags as they are being air shipped to us here for delivery to you before the Ride The Lobster Race! This bag features a big zipper around half the edge of the bag, 600D polyester material in black with the Nimbus logo x1 embroidery in blue (This sample does not have the LOGO on it), an adjustable shoulder strap and 2x 40mm wide handle straps on the center. It also has 2 handles on top, an address label pocket and a pocket inside to take pedals and a pedal wrench! Additional reinforcement has been added on the center on each side around the cranks. Enough space inside to fit a spare tire also!
I already bought fabric, webbing and 6’ of heavy duty zipper to build a bag. The materials cost more than that bag! Hopefully mine will be more functional at least, with room for the frame, seat and other stuff in there.
How well do you think these will go thru luggage without getting damaged? I think if you just put the wheel in without any padding that it could possibly get damaged in transit as the airlines are pretty brutal on luggage? What does everyone else think? A hard case version of this would probably be idea but maybe this will work OK?!
One idea that might help from damaged spokes is by cutting out cardboard and placing it on each side of the wheel on top of the spokes. Thats what I used to do when shipping my uni in a soft case. I still might worry a little about the rim getting damaged though but maybe not…
A number of people have transported 36ers successfully with soft bags.
Personally, I cover the wheel on either side with cardboard, and cover the ends of the hubs (cranks removed) with tennis balls that have slits cut in them.
I think soft bags are easier. On our Unitours, we generally advise soft-bags because hard cases cause real headaches in terms of storage once you get to the destination.
Line the soft-bags with cardboard or corrugated plastic, and then when you get to the destination, you can throw it away. The bag then folds down into a little compact package. There are almost always cardboard available at airports when you leave (just ask MacDonalds to give you one of their boxes).
Also, my preference is for square bags over round ones. It’s easier to stand up and you don’t need to cut the cardboard to fit. It just slot’s in there.
The bags I use are big enough that I don’t need to take the seat or cranks off unless I want to.
Baggage handlers are notoriously rough on the bags. It’s best to get something made out of ripstop material, so that if it tears, the hole does not spread. I’ve found that they particularly like dragging the bags over concrete, so best place for reinforcement is on the bottom of the bags. Mine are developing quite a few deep scuffs and tears along that area.
Last word is that Cokers are generally pretty bombproof. We had one rider who turned up on a Unitour one year who just took the pedals off and handed the Coker over at the check-in counter (ie unpackaged). It came out fine on the other end. Compared to bikes, there are no fragile bits like deraileurs or brake levers that get caught up with other things.
Yes, to above mscalisi thoughts. In addition get some soft foam and include that on both sides of the wheel as well. It won’t add weight, just more protection. When I rode New England a few years ago, I traveled with both the 29er, thank god, those mtn climbs are steep, and my 36er. I put jerseys, socks, etc, soft goods in with the wheels and carried frames, pedals, etc, hard goods in the hockey bag. Attached is a picture of all of my luggage for 2weeks of riding in New England, including two unicycles. The soft bags worked just fine, with the additional protection.
I just bought some new camping foam to do the job of the cardboard. My “old” foam has been around forever. These are for under your sleeping bag. At 50 x 19", and 3/8" thick, the whole thing weighs just 7.5 ounces. Sorry for all that non-metric data, but basically the things are weightless. Plus they came with straps I don’t need, to remove even more weight. A little duct tape to create circles with slots in them, and a couple of tennis balls for the axles (or leave the cranks on, but the tennis ball is better protection for the bag.
In my experience, the most wear & tear on airline luggage comes from the automated conveyor systems. Sometimes things get jammed up in there and lots of pressure can be applied to your luggage. But a Coker bag probably requires manual handling, so being dragged across concrete, either by an airline person, a bellhop or yourself, is a very real possibility…
Really! He must have been an idiot!
Yea, my Coker had done one internationl trip prior to LUT and two after LUT, all unpackaged. No damage apart from the airline stickers. And you get to ride around for the curious baggage handlers too.
Hopefully mine will be more functional at least, with room for the frame, seat and other stuff in there.
