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Limited Edition - CyclingTips Handlebar Bag

Ambassador Content:

Jon Woodroof At The Atlas Mountain Race:

Originally hailing from Atlanta, GA, Jon Woodroof is an ex-bike shop owner who has been traveling consistently with his bikes for going on 15 years. Based in Amsterdam since 2013 and running his cycling PR agency: Twotone Consulting for nearly as long. His latest trip was to Morocco for the Atlas Mountain Race and was his first time flying with the Transfer Case (150L)

I’m a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to packing. I go over the pack list in my mind for weeks and pile what I need in some corner of the house or office but still wait till the night before to make it happen. Ironically, I was actually particularly pumped to try out the Transfer Case because, though I do have a handmade mechanical disc-equipped S&S CX bike made by Aaron of 611 Bicycle Co., it isn’t always the perfect bike for every trip and traveling with any other of my bikes has always meant dusting off one of my mega full-size bike boxes. Historically, this meant a hassle, fees, and originally, my motivation to even build an S&S frame, to begin with.

But my made in Amsterdam, Lester Cycles is my bikepacking bike. It has all the extra braze-on’s that I need for mega trips like the Silk Road Mountain Race and this year’s Atlas Mountain Race. Per standard operating procedure, I waiting until the night before my Marrakech flight to pack my bike.

Knowing how petite even the large size of the Transfer Case was, and the fact that I had to remove my fork, I was expecting a more complicated packing procedure like the full-on build breakdown that I do for my S&S case. But with tidy compartments for the wheels, included pads for the top, steer, and down tubes + a handy cover for the crankset; getting my bike into the Transfer Case was pretty effortless. Post’s helpful videos ensured I was doing it as intended AND my 45c front and 2.1 rear sized tires fit as well. I have a front rack on this bike too and it fit fine. I left shoes and other tools that I knew I could carry on to keep weight down.

When I checked it in at the KLM counter at Schiphol airport, it was 17kg (37.5lbs) and the staff didn’t even ask what the luggage was. On my return flight, the same experience but with a different airline: Euro Wings. Going two for two on flying without fees with a bike that had always meant I’d pay a premium to bring it was a wonderful feeling. The painless packing, confidence in the case’s ability to protect my bike, and ease of traveling with it (several handles, wheels, and collapsibility when empty) all brought a smile to my sunburned face.

I know, I know enough about the case, man! What about the race?
I wrote more about that on the Radavist and will publish a bit more of a recap someday but I’ll say that Morocco was amazing and the Atlas Mountain Race was a great balance of beauty and brutality. I’m very fortunate to have had the chance to compete in this 1st edition of the race. I reveled in the week-long remote endeavor to push myself and find myself in lengthy bouts of solitude but also make many new friends along those rocky paths. Sometimes you doubt why you do this kind of thing at all but I think most people reading these words knows why. And to find that thing, sometimes you and your bike need to fly. Thank you for the chance to share my experience, Post!

Photos by: Tom Jamieson (@tom__jamieson)

Andy van Bergen on riding in Thailand and traveling with the Transfer Case.

CyclingTips contributor, the inventor of Everesting, and Hells500 founder, Andy van Bergen, took his bike inside his Transfer Case to the VeloClub Summit in Northern Thailand late-last year. You can read about the summit on CyclingTips (see: Crickets, cold brew, and climbing 5k in a day: Tales from the 2019 VeloClub Summit) and he had plenty of praise for the Transfer Case after using it on this trip. Here's what he had to say:

"The Transfer Case was a joy - starting from the very unboxing. The fact that you were able to use the cardboard packaging as part of the experience (I loved the '..or use it as a stand for your trainer computer') was really clever. Loved the guide, and it was really simple to follow. On that, the visual guide printed on each section of the case was handy when packing the bag on the way home. Little touches like that make all the difference. The only real difference between packing and unpacking was the fork removal, and considering my old bag had me removing stem bolts the time difference was negligible.

Everything felt nice and snug and I didn't see any reason to add additional frame protection. The two variations I took from the recommendation were keeping the chain on (an old trick I use is to cable-tie the chain on the top chainring, and then wrap and velcro the derailleur to the chainstay - which worked perfectly), and while I used the fork pocket on the way there I found it a bit easier on the cables to strap it to the downtube on the way back.

For the full week of travel, all I took was the Transfer Case and a cabin bag. Getting through the airport was a breeze, and on the way back they didn't even blink and checked it as normal luggage. The quality is excellent, loved all the storage pockets, and being able to pack it down afterward is perfect."

There you go. From the great storyteller himself, he makes us want to pack our bikes and ride in Thailand again!

Transfer Case Photoshoot - Los Angeles