Travelling with multiple bikes - Shokbox Pro

Blog written by Zoe Roche Cycling

It’s not often we get to go on a camp abroad. A round of the Junior CX World Cup was held in Benidorm. British Cycling used this opportunity to gather everyone for some warm weather training. The week before would have been even warmer. However, coming from -4c on Sunday to +12c on Monday, it was a great improvement.

Having to take two bikes and not wanting to remove my bars, due to integrated headset, I needed a solution. Thanks to Turbo Training Hire, I got a couple of Shokbox Pro bike boxes. They have a wider section which means you can leave your bars on. You don’t even need to rotate them.

Full disclosure, Turbo Training Hire gave me a good deal on the box hire. They have supported me for trips before and I’m really grateful for their support. They are proper sport people.

There isn’t much info about the boxes online, I only found one video. However, they are actually easy to pack and very sturdy. One of the major benefits is that they are insanely easy to move around an airport, despite their size.

Quick guide to packing a Shokbox Pro:

Now in more detail.

Step 1: Strip down the bike

This is simple. Take off your wheels and pedals. I usually take off the bottle cages as you can get undue pressure on them while packed. Block your brakes if you have disc. I just use some cardboard. The plastic things always get lost.

We took off the rear mech as my bike is XS. We couldn’t get my bike just right with the mech on. It had to sit a little bit further back to accommodate the anti-crush bar.

There are 2 of these bars which stop the box from being squeezed when on their side. In the image above, the bar on the right is where your rear triangle will sit. The bike goes in upside down.

Step 2: Wrap the bike frame (optional)

The box comes with a bespoke padded jacket for you frame. It’s nice but I don’t think it is 100% needed. It’s a nice to have.

Because I have a small bike the frame wrap didn’t quite work as I couldn’t get it in position. The box though is very well padded. We ended up taking it off and not using it. This is how you wrap the bike. The video goes into more detail as there are loops for the forks. You also have a strap at the back with velcro to keep it in place.

As I said we didn’t use it. With the wheels in padded bags (also supplied) on either side, you don’t need any more protection. I didn’t even add more bubble wrap, which I normally do. The internal padding is great already. So don’t get annoyed if it doesn’t work for you. Just take it off.

Step 3: Bag your wheels

The box has two wheel bags which come with tyre covers. These are cool.

The covers stop the inside of the bags getting dirty. They work really well. And help the wheels slide in. Remember to put your pedals in the wheel bags. There are pockets in both bags.

Step 4: Place wheels in box

Stick those either side of the box and pull the elastic restraints across so they don’t fall out.

If you have discs, place them facing out as that is a flat surface. I didn’t need to remove my cassette. I always add an Apple tracker in a my bike box. In case the airline lose it.

You should have room for a helmet, some bottles and a saddle bag. You probably can’t add a lot as the box is on the heavier side. But that is all going to protect your bike.

Step 5: Place bike in box

I found it is easier to do this with some help. As you can see below the padded sticks out. It is a funny shape and size of bike, being a small gravel bike essentially. Long and low.

You can see all the padding in the box. With the wheels you will have no worries.

Then open one side and drop in the bike upside down. You can see which end the handlebars should be.

 

You want both sides of the box sat up almost vertically, like a clam shell. The reason for doing it this way is everything is in place and the hinge at the bottom moves substantially.

With help, open one side slightly more. Get the bars in first. Then locate the rear triangle around the anti-crush. So the bike should be suspended from the rear triangle with the saddle and bars touching the bottom. Just move the bike around until it feels comfortable. You might need to take the saddle off. Especially tall riders. I didn’t thankfully.

Step 6: Close and lock box

Gently close the box. Make sure nothing is sticking out. If you feel pressure on closing take another look. This is why we removed the padded frame jacket. Also I’m not sure it added much. You could always wrap a sheet around your bite if you wanted to stop scratches – we didn’t notice any.

Also, when we first tried the mech was so close to the wall, I just took it off. Placed it in a bag with bubble wrap and tied it to the chain stays. When the box is closed it is nice and snug. It won’t rattle or move.

Now you can push your bike box to departures and get all those questions at the airport.

Summary

To be honest, I had not heard of Shokbox before. They are a UK brand and have been around a while though. They make another, more traditional box too.

These boxes saved me so much time and hassle, packing and unpacking. Fantastic on a short trip, with limited tools. Especially if you don’t need to remove or lower the saddle.

They have fantastic wheels too. So easy to push around the airport. I had no problems. Some of the others were struggling with bad castors. As is usually the case, the biggest issue was the bus from parking. They never have enough space on those things for normal bags. The boxes weighed in at 23.2 kg. I did have a few extras in both.

These are bigger than most boxes. Obviously, the width is much greater. But they are solid. You can also get two in the back of a VW Transporter SWB Kombi, with the rear seats in place. They fit nicely across the van, so don’t they rock or move. You still have enough room for suitcase and hand luggage.

These retail at over £600 so if you need more bags you can get them from Turbo Trainer Hire. I don’t get any money on this link. Just thanking them for supporting me and my riding again.