Review: Scicon Aero Comfort 2.0 TSA Bike Bag

Flying with your bike is a great way to get to that dream cycling destination quickly and comfortably; however, there is always a concern that your bike will be damaged by the rough hands of the baggage handlers in transit. The solution is a good quality bike bag or bike case.

That leaves you with the decision of whether to opt for a hard case or a soft bag. Both have pros and cons: a hard case will provide better protection, but they are heavier, so you stand to be penalised on the weight allowances for airlines, they also tend to be smaller so require more time consuming disassembly of your bike. 

Soft cases then, normally fall down on their level of protection. Enter the new evolution... the Aero Comfort 2.0 TSA from Scicon. The bag claims to provide the protection of a hard case, but with the reduced weight of a soft bag. Using an innovative rigid frame, the bike is clamped in place with just the removal of the wheels required. Minimal disassembly! The wheels are them placed into padded compartments, and soft foam padding surrounds all areas of the bike. The complete bag then weighs in at 7.7kgs; so that even with a 12kg bike in there, you will still be under the 20kg standard weight limit of most airlines!

Rather than describe in detail all the great features of the bag, and the very high build quality, I thought I would instead give a slightly different review and provide plenty of photos for you to browse through. 

What I will say is that the claim to providing the same protection as a hard case seems very true; I've given the bag a few pretty hard knocks and drops in testing, and the bike has come out completely unscathed.

Much like the Scicon Compact 430 Saddle Bag I reviewed a few weeks back, the attention to detail in the design is very high, and the quality is superb. It is no surprise that the Aero Comfort is the chosen bag of many pro cycling teams, including Orica GreenEdge, Saxo Tinkoff and Liquigas Cannondale. 

It's not cheap, coming in at £475 RRP (a similar price to a hard case), but then you get the protection of a hard case for a significantly lower weight; reducing your costs on the airlines. It is also worth noting that it is currently available in a bundle including two additional wheel bags for £333.75 from Wiggle Bike Shop (Link). 

Enjoy the photos!