Trico Iron Bike Travel Case Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the Trico case last month for a mountain bike trip. My brother purchased the Thule case for the same trip and we both highly recommend the Trico case over the Thule case. Obviously the Thule case will get the job done but the Trico case is much better. He went with the Thule case because it was compatible with the Thule roof rack. I don't see any reason you couldn't mount the Trico case on a Thule roof rack. I have a full suspension mountain bike with 5 inches of travel and I didn't have to take the fork off but my brother did with the Thule case (not a huge deal). Here are some reasons why I think the Trico case is better:
1) The Trico case is much more durable because it's made with a thicker and stronger material. I found the Thule case to be very flimsy which left spaces between the top and bottom shells when we closed the case.
2) The Trico case comes with two very strong metal braces that support the frame and fork when the hubs/wheels are removed. These braces allow you to compress the two shells together without damaging the bike. The Thule case does not have any frame/fork braces.
3) The Trico case has three layers of foam protecting your bike where the Thule case has two plus a useless thin layer of plastic that does not cushion the wheels at all.
4) The Trico case is a perfect rectangle with square corners giving it larger internal dimensions than the Thule case. This is why my brother had to take his fork off to get the bike to fit in the case.
5) The Trico case has more buckles and straps than the Thule case making it easier to close tight.
6) The Trico case is ready to go right out of the box but the Thule case requires you to attach the wheels and all the plastic buckles.
The biggest difference I found between the cases lies in the way the bike is packed.
The Trico case is packed as follows: bottom shell, FOAM, frame and parts, FOAM, wheels, FOAM, top shell. Then you apply pressure as required to close the case. The added pressure is just compressing the foam and will not hurt your bike because of the axle braces that I previously discussed.
The Thule case is packed as follows: bottom shell, wheels (NO PROTECTION BETWEEN BOTTOM SHELL AND WHEELS), thin plastic divider, FOAM, frame and parts, FOAM, top shell. You still need to apply pressure to close the Thule case and compress the foam like the Trico case but larger bikes can be damaged because the frame and fork do not have the metal braces and there is no padding between the bottom shell and wheels. The Thule case is also very flimsy and gets distorted when pressure is applied to close the case.
Like I said earlier either case will work but when you put them side by side there is no comparison. VeloNews has a great YouTube video that shows a full suspension bike being packed into the Trico case. The only Thule videos I found showed smaller road bikes being packed into the case and one was a women's bike.
One more thing I learned recently about shipping bikes is that if any of the dimensions exceed 47x31x11 the shipping charges go up by about $40-$60. This is why having the ability to safely compress the Trico case to 11in without damaging the bike is SO important. I paid $85 with $2000 insurance to ship FedEx Ground from coast to coast. UPS was about 25% more. I also found that weight was insignificant compared to the case's dimensions when it came to shipping charges.
I bought my case from Brands Cycle for $339.

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*Note: Some of the larger size road and triathlon bikes may not fit in this case. Please call for more information.Iron Case® bicycle carriers from Trico offer the best travel protection in the market. The vacuum formed multi-channel Triconium® shell achieves the highest possible strength/weight ratio - making the Iron Case not only bullet proof, but also lightweight (only 31 lbs.). The bicycle is cocooned in three layers of foam, requiring a minimal amount of disassembly. Only the wheels, pedals and seat post have to be removed on most bicycles (handlebars on some models). There's also room to store aero bars, tools, helmet and a full wet suit. * Highest possible strength/weight ratio and fully lockableFEATURES:* A pull strap and wheels have been incorporated for increased mobility* Minimal disassembly of bicycle required* Three layers of foam cocoon your bicycle for maximum protection* Accomodates all bikes up to 68cm in sizeSPECIFICATIONS:* Outer Size - 47" x 30.5" x 10.5"* Inner Size - 46 3/4" x 30.1/4" x 10.1/4"* Weight - 31lbs. (unpacked)

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