Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro and Bike Stand – Review

The bag is collapsible for ease of storage, achieved by removing the hard plastic rods from the fitted slots strategically placed around it—two at each end and another two on each side, over the wheel pockets. The base of the bag is constructed of a hard plastic, with two alloy sliders attached in an effort to add more durability to the bag. An update to earlier Evoc Bike Travel Bags is around the brake rotors within the wheel pockets. These now include a hard plastic pouch of sorts, which provides protection around the rotor. There is also an included third wheel that attaches to the alloy handle at the front of the bag, which is supposed to make rolling the bag around without lifting anything, easy.



The alloy stand features a poplock pin style system to adjust the length and once locked to the size that your bike is going to work with, determining the axle mount location and style at both the front and rear is required. Once this has all been determined the mounting process is very easy and straightforward. Mounting the bike is best done with the stand removed from the bag, and attaching the front, before even removing the rear wheel, I found to work best. From here, using the stand to hold the bike up while the rear wheel is pulled out makes life easy.

Once both the front and rear axles are attached to the stand remove the bars, wrap the front of the frame with the supplied pad, and secure the bar with the velcro loops on the pad. At this point I found it super simple to place the bike in the bag. Obviously pedals need to be off before the bike is put in the bag, but otherwise, this is it. I found that the stand makes it simple to prepare everything and get the bike into the bag itself. There is a pouch on the inside of the bag for pedals, small tools and other bits and pieces.




Performance

The bike that was used with the bag was an XL Transition Patrol, which contains a wheelbase bang on the max that the Evoc Bike Travel Bag is listed as being able to accept, at 1,240mm. With the fork deflated the bike just fit to the stand and within the bag. If your bike has a longer wheelbase you will likely be stuck with the usual, large cardboard box, especially if you’re a rider on a size large or bigger DH bike, with a number of current, popular DH bikes in a size large containing wheelbases of more than 1,240mm.

As it was, I found that my XT derailleur made some contact with the rear of the bag, so I removed it and let it lay in the bag with the cable still attached. This takes five seconds to do and there were no issues with it like this. Throwing a pair of socks or rags around it, or at least between the derailleur and the frame isn’t a bad idea either.




The strapping system inside the bag is well designed and the straps for the seatpost and stem are adjustable through three different positions—beneficial for different bikes and frame sizes. With the bike mounted in the stand and all of the straps secured everything is very well locked into place. Toss in any extras (I threw in some tools, my riding shoes, and two riding kits) zip it up and move to mounting the wheels into the side pockets. The bag only opens up from one side, but I found this to be plenty and it also held the bag upright while trying to place the bike within the bag.


With the updated rotor protection in the wheel pockets, I ran the gamble and threw both wheels in with the rotors attached—one 180mm and the other 200mm. The rotors remained straight throughout my travels with no issues. Lucky? Perhaps, but they are sturdy boxes surrounding the rotors. The Patrol runs on 27.5” wheels and with the tires deflated, it’s an easy fit into the side pockets, but there isn’t a lot of room to spare.

All packed up with some small tools and some riding gear, the bag weighed in at around 30kg. The max weight allowed for an oversized piece of luggage, like a bike bag, is generally 32kg—there isn’t a lot of room for movement on the scale. Flying with a DH bike would be a different story and would likely result in only the bike being in the bag, though I haven't had a chance to try with one.

The included third wheel attachment was the only let down with the bag. The wheel mounts with a clip over the alloy handle at the front of the bag, and lining up two pins in the clip with holes provided in the alloy handle keep it in place… until the pins break off. I lost the first pin before checking the bag in on my first flight and the second disappeared shortly after landing in Australia. It’s a nice option to have with the bag, but how it attaches needs to be rethought. I also found that placing the hard plastic support rods at the front and rear of the bag was cumbersome and as a result won't be taking them out, which results in the bag not being so collapsable.




Pinkbike’s Thoughts

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MENTIONS: @evocsports

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