Traveling with the MASH Flight Bike Bag. A long term review.

Aug 30

By Paul.D

Last summer, I invested into a second bike bag. Not that I was unhappy with my actual Freight-Bagage one, but I got an opportunity, and it felt like the right time to try something new. It’s also a purchase that lots of you were wondering if it was actually worth it or not. So after over a year of traveling by car, train, and plane, I now feel quite confident to give my honest opinion on the MASH Flight Bike Bag.

Traveling with a bicycle Mash Flight Bag

If you’re reading this, it’s probably to know if that purchase will be worth your money or not. Simple and quick answer: YES!
There is nothing more satisfying than discovering new cities and places on a bike you already know by heart. Taking the Parakino everywhere with me has been an absolute bliss. Of course, you could travel lightweight and find a bike at your destination. But in my opinion, it just does not feel the same. The bike you ride every day is probably part of your identity at this point, so why would you ride new places, if you can’t give your 100%?

Traveling with a bicycle Mash Flight Bag Mash Parallax

This bag (among others) is specially shaped to avoid extra fees when traveling. Size wise, I never had any issue with airlines, nor with taking trains around Europe.
I personally remove almost everything to fit my bike in. Wheels, stem and handlebar, fork, seatpost and saddle, and pedals. But, crankset stays on the frame, and I pad everything with my clothes in plastic bags, so they don’t get grease all over. When it comes to the Parakino, I literally only need 2 Allen keys to take the entire bike apart in about ten minutes.

This bag has less padding than my old Freight, but it also makes it lighter and easier to roll and carry as an empty bag. The inside does a great job at separating the wheels from the frames, and you have two internal pockets on each side to put all your components.
I would take this everyday over a hard case for one simple reason: The ability to get your bike out, built it on the spot, roll the bag, and ride to your destination, is probably one of the best and most freeing feeling I’ve ever encountered.

When coming back from Japan, I did push the envelope, and stacked an extra frame in there. It’s a tight fit, but it works if you ever wanna bring back some (big) souvenirs from your international journey.
You can carry the bag as a backpack, but Mash does include a removable shoulder strap if you’d rather to carry it that way. Very useful in tight and/or crowded situation, but from my experience, carrying all that weight on one shoulder, will question your body integrity after five short minutes.

So if you're still wondering if you should replace the good old cardboard box method by 400$ bag… I would suggest you do. Just to have that peace of mind that nobody will annoy while cheking in, for the ease of use, but also to avoid running after another box every time you decide to have some fun abroad.