Bike Box Alan: pros and cons - Epic Road Rides Back to top
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Bike Box Alan (premium version)

We love our Bike Box Alan. We bought the standard version (they call it premium) in January 2017 and haven’t looked back. We've taken a lot of bikes overseas and it's the best box/bag we've used.

At £428 for the midnight blue version plus £20 of accessories and delivery, it was quite an investment.

Was it worth it? We think so.

Bike Box Alan, midnight blue case premium

Pros

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    Peace of mind. Bike Box Alan threw a Pinarello Dogma 6.9 out of a Subaru Impreza in one of their boxes - and the bike survived unscathed. Not quite as impressive, but we’ve used our Bike Box Alan all over the world and have never had any problems.
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    All bikes fit. That’s their bold statement, though it turns out that there are a couple of exceptions, none of which are very relevant to road cyclists: fat bikes, touring bikes (because of the mud guards/ racks and wide tyres), tandems (though apparently it is possible to get a folding tandem in) and downhill bikes can be problematic. There’s a really handy FAQs section on the Bike Box Alan website which has information about time trial bikes, disc wheels, disc brakes, integrated seat post bikes, Bike Box Alan’s dimensions and much more.
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    Easy to use. There’s very little you need to remove in order to get your bike into the box, usually just the pedals, wheels, handlebars, and seat post (though it may not always be necessary, it depends on your bike). A great advantage is that there’s no need to remove the rear mech. The separate area for wheels is a handy feature and we like the prompts inside the case which help remind you where everything should go. Once we had used it once or twice we found we could get a bike packed in about 15 minutes.
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    You can get it into most cars. You can also put it on a roof rack. There’s more information on the FAQs on the Bike Box Alan website.
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    7 year guarantee. Though there are some exclusions.
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    Build quality. Everything feels well made and is well thought out, from the super strong, patented plastic of the box itself to the six big sturdy steel clamps that hold the box together on the outside and the 15 or so velcro straps inside the case that hold each part of your bike (and even your track pump) in the right place. The foam padding that goes between the lid (to which wheels are attached) and base (where the frame sits) is substantial and does a good job of stopping the wheels rubbing the frame. The wheels of the box also seem sturdy and smooth. They are held on with nuts and screws so you can remove them if they get damaged.
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    Room to stow other kit. Bike Box Alan weighs 11.2kg. Assuming your bike weighs in at around 8kg, this means you should be able to stow a decent amount of kit and still be within your luggage allowance.
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    Customisable. If you buy direct from Bike Box Alan, you can get customised stickers to go on the outside of the box, including your name, flag and bike brand. The boxes also come in a wide range of colours.
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    Good customer service. Bike Box Alan are based in the UK and we’ve found they answer the telephone and emails promptly. Everyone we have spoken to has been knowledgeable and helpful.
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    The choice of the pros. They’ve got Chris Froome and Laura Trott using their boxes, as well as Ben Swift and the Brownlee brothers.
Bike box alan - close up of part of case
Bike packed into a Bike Box Alan
Wheels inside bike box alan

Cons

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    Price. It’s one of the more expensive boxes on the market. But we think you get what you pay for.
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    Steering without pull strap. The box can be cumbersome to manoeuvre without the pull strap. When you drag it from the front the handle is difficult to grip and pushing it from behind is tricky. So we’d definitely recommend buying the pull strap too.
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    Catches can be a bit tricky to line up. But it’s really no big deal.

Tips

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    We bought direct from Bike Box Alan because we found going direct gave us the opportunity to choose customisation options that aren’t otherwise available – for example the stickers, pull tag and lock.
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    Our review is of the standard premium box. They also sell the azure/flame & stealth support and the GPRS race bike box. Here’s our summary of the differences:
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    Premium (i.e. standard model): box with steel anti-crush pole.
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    Azure/flame & stealth sport: box with carbon anti-crush pole plus saddle bag, lock, pull strap, colour options, distinctive graphics.
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    GPRS Race: as per Azure/flame & stealth sport plus GPS tracker (and SIM) and stickers (name, flag, bike brand, professional name stickers).

It’s worth noting you can buy most of the individual acccessories separately (the notable exception being the GPS tracker), so if you don’t want all the add-ons it may be worth gettng the standard premium version and buying individual accessories.

For prices and a detailed comparison that shows what you get with each, take a look at the comparison chart on the Bike Box Alan website.

​​​​​what do you think of bike box alan?

Let us know your thoughts and any questions: get in touch!

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The contents of this page is provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on it. Epic Road Rides disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this page. Find out more here.

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