The Thule is about £100 more expensive than the other two, but I don’t mind investing if it’s worth it.
Most MTB riders I know recommend the Evoc, but the Thule frame also works as a bike work stand.
The Evoc weighs 9.6kg, the Thule weighs 13.4kg and the Scicon weighs 16.5kg. In the end, that might be the deciding factor, but wanted to hear the TR community’s thoughts.
I own an Evoc, but have used a Thule bag (roadie version) previously. I like them both - do you have a check in luggage limit on the plane that you need to be under though (23kg for me)? If so that might swing the decision to an Evoc even more.
No experience with any of those, but I’ve had good luck with my Orucase.
With that said, one of the larger BikeBoxAlan cases (Triathalon Aero EasyFit?) might be the ticket. I’m interested in one myself, the issue is weight for most airlines and getting hit with overages. The size used to be a limiter too, but many US based airlines did away with that and it’s just 50# before you get hit with a charge.
I have not packed my Scalpel into the Evoc yet, but it’s what the MTB pros I’ve talked to use. Some even pay the weight penalty to put extra wheels inside.
I get the extra complexity of packing a lefty so that should be fun.
Thanks - really don’t want to dismantle my bike as much as the Orucase requires. No issue with airlines flying from the UK, so it’s really more about what best suits the bike. A BBA Triathlon is both not suitable and also massive overkill.
I couldn’t really say. I wouldn’t buy the Thule on the basis of the ability to use it as a bit of a workstand though. EVOCs are super popular, that’s got to mean something? FWIW (not much!) I’ve put wheels both in the bag with the bike and in the external wheel bag spots, like @webdev511 mentioned if you’re likely to carry extra wheels perhaps that’s useful for you. I’d buy an EVOC again, very happily.
If you get the Evoc Bike Bag Pro, it also has the rail which can be used as a stand as well. I bought the standard and immediately figured out that was a mistake and bought the rail separately. Cost me more that way too.
I’ve got both the Evoc Bike Bag Pro and the Scicon Aerocomfort MTB. Both are good and offer reasonable protection. The Scicon is a little lighter. The problem with the Scicon is that is doesn’t roll straight. There is something with the design of their soft bags that they always want to turn when you roll them. I’ve talked to a number of different users and most have had similar issues. Their hard case doesn’t do this but it is not suitable for MTB bikes.
The Evoc Pro is a bit more versatile- you can use it for road, gravel, and MTB bike, so if looking for something that can handle multiple different bikes this may be the better option. I’ve also noticed a lot of pros seem to like the Evoc Pro. Seen photos of both Kate Courtney and Hannah Otto using it on their trips. Might be sponsor related but makes you think they have confidence in the bag protecting their bikes.