Hard Shell or Soft Shell Bike Case? =S

Yes.

Many pro cycling teams use soft cases or simple cordura fabric bags with a rigid floor and quick release retainer. If you fly a lot and use a lot of small rental cars and small hotel rooms you know there isn't always room for a full sized hard case.

The down side of a soft case is less protection. Sooner or later you're going to get some scratches, or worse. If you replace your bikes every few months, no big deal. If you are going to own a bike for a couple years, that may be a problem.

I like soft cases since they are so easy to travel with. If I am going on a flight with few connections and pretty straighforward baggage handling, I'll use a soft case. Especially if I am going to an island destination where I will do my last flight on a very small aircraft with almost no luggage space then a soft case is a good option.

If I am flying to a big event where I will be on large aircraft I will always use a hard case. The logistics mean that, as athletes converge on the destination more and more flight cases go on the closer flights. That means your flight case may wind up on the bottom of a pile of them.

An issue with hard cases is your rental vehicle at the destination. Many compact rentals cannot accomodate a full sized flight case. That can be a hassle. In Nice, France it took a while to find a cab large enough for my hardshell flight case and there was no where for it on the commuter helicopter.

If you do a lot of flying with your bike you will likely want both. Most consumers going to a large event need a hard case. People who replace bikes a lot, don't worry too much about a few dings and fly to destinations with small aircraft and sketchy ground transportation will be better off with a soft case.

also with soft cases, you are less likely to go over the 50lb limit with your bike, since the weight of the case is much less then a hard case.

TSA seems to deal with soft cases much better too, many times they zip it open and swipe it, check out what they want and zip it back up. not so with hard cases, which sometimes don't go back together well depending on how the packing job was done and the patience/experience of the TSA person.

storage of the soft case is much easier as well.

if you do get a soft case, look at one with wheels. I like mine, but lugging that fully loaded is tough on the shoulder!