They regularly have their bags 50% off…so that is more the “normal” price.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of bags (hard vs. soft). Hard cases are definitely more durable, but harder to move around once you are at your destination. Soft bags are lighter and more portable, but not as durable.
I’ve been using a SpeedHound soft bag for a little over 2 years now…over 10 trips with it, including multiple international trips. It has been great and I have not had any issues. It is a bit less than the Scicon cases, but probably not quite as durable. For the extra $150-$200, I’d probably get the Scicon now…especially since you could leave your bars on it.
ETA - I used a Serfas hard case prior to the SpeedHound. Rock solid and durable, but I definitely prefer a soft case over a hard case for myself.
The big advantage of the Scicon bag is that you do not need to remove saddle and handlebars, reducing pack/unpack effort as well concerns over losing the settings on your dialed-in bike.
All other bags that I know of do I require that handlebars and saddle be removed.
I wonder if the shape of the Scion bag, with the handlebars sticking out, may lead to baggage handlers being a tiny bit more careful with it. I can see how it could get a little better treatment than something that is basically flat and more stackable in appearance.
If you use the SCICON bag, I recommend loosening your shifters and / or rotating your HB down when packing it. That will protect the shifters from damage if the bags gets dumped on that end, etc.
I’ve using the scicon bag for a few years. No complaints. Some of the airlines force me to sign a waiver relieving them of liability of damage, however. Some have that policy for softshell cases.
Watching from my window, it seems that the baggage handlers are respectful to all the sport equipment now, whether it’s bikes, skis, or golf clubs.
I’ve used a lot of different travel bags over the years.
I really like the Scicon hard case for my road bike. Its pretty easy to pack, it isn’t too bulky and rolls really well. I’ve packed wheels woth up to 34mm tires, but i dont think it would fit much bigger than that, do not a good option for gravel bikes.
I have their soft case for mountain bikes. It packs great but it doesnt like to roll straight, rsther it keeps turning. I’ve spoken with other owners and they had similar issues.
The EVOC Pro bag is probably my favorite overall. It fits all my bikes (road, gravel, XC), protects well despite being a soft case, and also rolls well. I had an older EVOC bag in the past and they jave made some refinements over the years.
I’ve been looking at these and am tempted by the Scicon. From reviews, it seems like the seat stays are vulnerable, if something heavy is dropped on the bag during transit. I see Scicon makes big foam covers for the front and rear, which might help a bit.
What’s the de facto bar width limit? Listed at 50cm for both bags. I have gravel bars on a couple of my bikes that flare out to ~53cm, so wondering if I could cram those in. Perhaps possible with the Scicon soft case but probably not with the EVOC which is hard in that area. Anyone have a measure on actual width there?
I bought a piece of PVC pipe. Also got a bag of foam pipe insulation. I wrap the frame with the foam, then a piece of PVC perpendicular across the seat stay and another across the bars.