BIKND Helium V4 Air-Cushioned Bike/Bicycle Airplane Safe Travel Case - Black

I wish i could give this bag a 5 star review, but i have to give it three for now. The bag packs easily, looks great, travels well and seems like it provides great protection, but it looks like it wont make it through a second trip across the country. Pros: GREAT wheel configuration, easy to transport, looks amazing, parts and tools fit well in the pouch. **UPDATE** Warranty service is easy to obtain, as long as you talk to the right person. Cons: Cheap air pump breaks air bladder valves, wheels are clicking after one flight, metal frame bent **UPDATE** Still the cheap pump I purchased this bag because it is top of the line and i was paranoid that my bike would get damaged on a flight across the US. The bag arrived and i couldn't be more excited. The second i saw the pump for the air bags i started to have concerns about the bag. It looks and feels like a 99 cent store pump, and the two tips damage the valves. There are one way valves in the air bags that are supposed to stop the air from blowing out of the bladders. The only way to get the bags inflated with the pump is to puncture those one way valves and render them useless. This also causes the air to want to escape while you try to furiously close the air ports. The documentation also does not cover the pump or if there is a way to mitigate this issue. For the price of the bag, they could have spend a few more pennies on a better pump. (SE UPDATE BELOW) The real problem with the bag is the front fork support. After my flight the aluminum support is bent to the left as you can see in the images. When packing the bag you remove the handlebar from the stem, so there is a gap that leaves the fork unsupported at the top. When i arrived home from my trip the bearings in my front end were wrecked. luckily they took the damage and the carbon isn't cracked. This could be mitigated by adding a spacer to the stem so that the cap holds the forks securely, as if the handlebars were installed. This bag is incredibly easy to maneuver through the airport. The wheels on front and back rolled so smooth at first that i was able to pull this and push my spinner bag with the same hand. Once i returned home though, the front wheels are making a nasty clicking noise as shown in the video. The parts bag built in to the top of the bag is incredible. I was able to carry many sharp parts and tools without any worries of puncturing through the bag or damaging my bike. I'm going to contact Biknd with the issues and will update the review once i have a resolution. As is, i would not recommend this bike bag. **UPDATE 6/23/2017** It took about a month to get all of the replacement parts. I received the first parts around 6/5, but the aluminum bracket had to come from China which took a while. In Biknd's defense, they did use rush shipping. Biknd shipped me two new air bladders, a modified air pump nozzle, aluminum front fork support, and two new front casters. All of the parts have been installed and i am confident that the bag will protect my bike in future trips. After talking to Giles, it turns out the stem/fork issue was my fault. When packing, remove the handlebar from the stem and use the supplied padding. Then spin the stem around backwards so that it is over the fame instead of pointing out towards the front. This solves the loose fork problem. I'm giving the bag 5 stars because i cant give it 4.5, or 9 out of 10. The bag shell held strong and showed less wear then my other luggage. I just wish the pump was more substantial.

I purchased two of these and recently took them on a 6 hour flight to Hawaii. None of the bags stayed inflated and were completely flat. I thought perhaps it was a TSA issue and was surprised to see that they did not stay inflated on the return flight either. I pulled them out of the case and inflated them, only to find they did not hold air. I wrote the company and received one reply inquiring which version I purchased, V4, and after I replied have not heard anything for two weeks. I wrote the service department and asked them to send me new bags that they have tested, but again no communication from the company.

Do not buy from this company! The product itself is nice, the customer service, however, is abysmal. I ordered my bag weeks before my trip to bike in Wyoming. I received my bag within days but did not receive the protective air bladders (The main source of protection) that are supposed to come with it. I wrote and called the company and received no reply. I was two weeks from my trip and decided to buy some replacement air bladders and incur additional costs because I was in a time squeeze. Guess what, I didn’t receive those either. The company owes me two sets of air bladders at this point. I dumped my money into a black hole. I had to get creative and used inflatable pool toys to protect my bike (shown in the photo). This thankfully worked but still does not account for Biknd’s awful customer service. You can’t use the product to its full potential when you do not have the required protective pieces. I still have not heard from the company despite polite inquiries. I have to assume they are either going out of business or do not care about their customers and their bikes. Order at your own risk.