Posting my bike - any advice?

ichabod

Unfortunately it looks like the only way I can get my bike home to Wales over Christmas will be by post. I am a bit nervous of doing this but may have to bite the bullet or face a bikeless holiday

Does anyone have any advice on how to pack the bike and who to send it with? Obviously insurance will be vital but I am also worried about damaging the delecate parts - disc rotors, rear mech etc.

Dan

Beardface

I've used senditnow.com a few times with sending bikes.. cheapo delivery and good service in my experiences.

Does depend where you're sending it from though, as they're UK only.. hope that helps

nwmlarge

i used paisley freight to send a bike for about £27.50 i got a box from a local bike shop and packed it all up with some bubble wrap and the guy who recieved it said it was all spot on.

ichabod

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am sending it within the UK. I'll have to try and get an old bike box from my LBS..

ichabod

Just checked senditnow.com which looks ok but only offers £200 compensation. Additional cover then costs £4.50 per £100 which is going to cost a fortune on a £2k bike!!!

cunning-stunt

Pack it with cardboard, bubble wrap, polystyrene, hamsters, your sister....anything soft. And on anything that juts out.
Get a box from a shop (they're glad to get rid of the things).
Remove the bars, pedals and wheels.
Remove the mech and tape it to the frame so that if it takes a hit the hanger doesn't get bent.
Deflate shocks and forks and drop the saddle as much as possible.
Put as much padding as you can between bits that might rub on each other.
Include a return address both inside and outside the parcel.
Get insurance!
Pad the frame with pipe lagging as much as you can, It's entirely possible for your package to end up underneath a pile of real heavy parcels and dings can happen.
Imagine the worst that can happen and pack your bike accordingly.

I used City Link and had no probs when it came to the actual transport and delivery.

ichabod

Thanks for the advice! Sounds like quite a bit of work to make it secure. I picked up another tip of a mate yesterday for anyone interested... if you take the back wheel out then put an old hub back in to the dropouts to prevent the frame from being bent/crushed.