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Merlin Cycles Elite Travel Bike Bag

8
£380.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Good quality bag that combines comprehensive bike protection and light weight – and currently at a great price
Easy to pack
Light
Folds down to a small size when not in use
A little unstable when pulling the bag on its rear wheels
Weight: 
9,000g

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The soft shell Merlin Cycles Elite Travel Bike Bag allows secure, easy packing of your bike, with plenty of remaining space for all the items you would usually need when travelling with your bike. It has plenty of straps and handles to make travelling with the bag easy, though some extra wheels might help when pulling it along.

As someone who has previously used a hard shell bike box, the light weight of the bag was instantly the first positive feature I noticed. You further realise the value of a light bag when you can suddenly fit more into your bag and still meet a budget airline's weight limit.

Packing

When you come to pack the bike for your trip, the Merlin bag makes the process really easy. Basically, follow the pictures online and there will still be loads of space for other important things such as helmets, shoes and nutrition.

The bag comes with separate wheel bags, with straps to hold the wheels in place once the bike is packed.

Merlin Bike Bag Packing3.jpg

There are extra Velcro blocks to keep your chainrings and rear derailleur well protected, plus a sleeve to ensure the handlebar doesn't clash with the headset when taken off.

Merlin Bike Bag Packing1.jpg

Once the frame is in place, internal straps keep the bike exactly where you positioned it to avoid unwanted movements in transit. Often, you feel that additional bubblewrap or pipe insulation is worth adding to ensure your pride and joy reaches its destination with no damage, but this wasn't necessary with the Merlin bag.

Merlin Bike Bag Packing2.jpg

The proof of the bike protection was that there was no damage or bumps on the bike through my trip, which is goal #1!

A half-kilometre walk to the bus station was absolutely no problem with the bag fully loaded, even with cyclist-level arm strength. It's a little unstable on its wheels when being wheeled across pavements, but absolutely fine once at the airport and for quick walks to the car park. Bike bags of this style tend to only have wheels at the rear, but on balance, it's a worthwhile trade-off to keep the overall weight low.

> How to fly with your bike

> The no-fly guide to travelling with your bike

Being a bike bag, it's obviously something that will be big and bulky, but it was relatively easy to load into a car and manoeuvre onto baggage carousels. It fitted easily into the back of a Ford Fiesta with the rear seats down, if that's a good benchmark.

Merlin Bike Bag Packing0.jpg

For someone with limited home storage space, it was also helpful that, when unloaded, the bag folds down to a small size, taking up roughly a quarter of the space needed when fully loaded. This is something not highlighted in Merlin's product information and it's certainly something I would consider when choosing which product to buy.

Value

When you compare the Merlin bag against the other options in the market, it stacks up very well – especially at its current selling price of £199. Discounted, it's still a little more than some basic options from the likes of Chain Reaction and Wiggle; I've not tested those, but I would happily spend the extra £50 or so to get the Merlin's protection and ease of packing.

At rrp it's £20 less than Evoc's equivalent, offering similar features, although you get separate padded wheel bags with the Merlin. We don't score products for value on discounted prices, but comparing the two online the Merlin is around £100 cheaper than the current best deal on the Evoc.

> Buyer’s Guide: 16 of the best bike bags and boxes

It also comes in cheaper than nearly all hard shell options, although at discount it's currently matched by PBK's Bike Travel Case, down from £474.99. 

Conclusion

In general, the Elite Travel Bike Bag does a great job at a good – and currently excellent – price. It looks good, too, in my opinion – its mainly black and grey with green detailing makes it very easy to spot among the usual array of black travel bags at baggage reclaim.

Verdict

Good quality bag that combines comprehensive bike protection and light weight – and currently at a great price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Merlin Cycles Elite Travel Bike Bag

Size tested: Unfolded: Length 140cm, Width 30cm, Height 85cm Folded: Length 140cm, Width 30cm, Height 40cm Internal Dimensions: Unfolded: Length 130cm, Width 25cm, Height 80cm

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Merlin says: 'The Elite bike bag is full of clever, user-friendly features designed to help you quickly and securely pack your precious bike in a such a way that significantly helps reduce the potential for damage during transit.'

Totally agree. The bag performs as claimed, designed so packing can be quick and secure. It's built with ample protection to avoid risk of damage in transit.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Merlin:

Specification:

Hard Base

Padded Sides

Heavy Duty Lockable Zips

Double-Sided Entry

Internal Padded Fork-Guide

Padded Chainset / Frame Wedge Secures to Base with Velcro

Padded Rear Mech / Frame Wedge Secures to Base with Velcro

Internal Padded Bike Frame-Sleeve

Multiple Internal Security Straps

2x Robust Towing Wheels

Adjustable Pull-Straps

External I.D. Pouch

2x Padded Wheel Bags – 700c Diameter

Tool / Spares / Accessories Pouch Included

Collapsible for Easy Storage

Weight: 8.5kg

External Dimensions:

 

Unfolded: Length 140cm, Width 30cm, Height 85cm

Folded: Length 140cm, Width 30cm, Height 40cm

 

Internal Dimensions:

 

Unfolded: Length 130cm, Width 25cm, Height 80cm

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Sturdy build, materials are good quality.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Protects the bike really well, easy to manoeuvre. Only weakness is slight instability while wheeling.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Limited use, but no issues so far.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Its rrp is £380, which is £20 less than Evoc's Travel Bag. But Merlin is selling it at £199, which is very good value for a product that offers similar features to top of the range bags.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed well – bike packing was simple and the bag made the process of getting through the airport with a bike as easy as possible. It protected the bike well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Simple to use, and I liked how small it packed down when not in use. Good looking design.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Extra wheels might make it a little easier to pull the bag.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a very good bike bag that does exactly what you need, at a sensible rrp, and currently at a great discount. It protects the bike well while being easy to pack and transport.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 182cm  Weight: 69kg

I usually ride: Specialized Tarmac Pro  My best bike is: Specialized CruX Expert

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, club rides, Gravel on a CX bike

Nick hails from the west country and combines riding bikes with hitting balls with cricket bats and golf clubs. You'll find him riding a mix of road, cyclocross and XC MTB.

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