Pack your bike well, save on shipping

In summer, we pedal more and spin our bikes more.

Are you a tourist and flying off with your two-pedal for a cycle-tour?

Are you a student and shipping your bike to a new university town?

Are you a cycle-lover and, after closing a deal on eBay, you are shipping your restored jewel to Europe?

The bad news is that, in both air and express transport, your bike will often be tossed around and may not have a soft landing.

The good news is that you can secure it with proper packaging, here’s how to do it in 3 steps.

HOW TO DISASSEMBLE THE BIKE

To save on transport costs, it is best to create as small and compact a package as possible.

Volume is a decisive component in courier transport rates.

Remove the pedals in the opposite directions (clockwise and anti-clockwise) to the pedalling direction. If you don’t do this, their protrusion could puncture the packing carton.

If transport will be by air, deflate the wheels! You will thus avoid an unpleasant explosion at high altitude that could cause panic!
Remove the saddle.
Removethe handlebars and place them towards the inside of the box, you do not need to disconnect the brake and gear wires.
Detach therear derailleur, without disconnecting the wire, simply protect it well.

To summarise: the most fragile parts of the bicycle should not be at the edges of the packaging, they will suffer the greatest shocks!

Once detached, they must all be secured together and protected from shocks and rubbing so that the paintwork is not damaged.

Flank both sides of the frame with the wheels, they are more resistant.

Accessories to be sacrificed in air travel.

Mudguards and bottle cages are parts that protrude from the frame and are sensitive to shocks; if possible, you should leave them at home.

HOW TO PACK YOUR BIKE TO SAVE ON TRANSPORT

Once the parts have been disassembled, they should be reassembled into as compact a package as possible.

By reducing the volume you can save up to 30% on transport costs.

The dimensions of a standard men’s bike will be approximately 96x67x26 cm (30 kg).

If you are not able to get a cardboard bicycle box from your dealer, we recommend you use the cardboard boxes a double protection for flat productsboxes, i.e. those usually used for flat screens.

You will thus be able to contain the entire bike in one package, without splitting it, increasing the likelihood of mishaps and losses during transport.

Once you have disassembled the bike and placed the most delicate parts inside the package, as per point 1, we recommend that you wrap every single component, especially the most valuable ones such as the brake levers, the rear derailleur and the derailleur, in bubble wrap or corrugated cardboard… Each element will thus be protected from shocks and friction that could cause scratches to the paintwork. One idea might be to use less valuable bike seals to wrap the various components. This will also free up space in your suitcase/backpack!

Once protected, the elements must be fixed together to limit collisions.

This can be done using packing tapeor disposable self-locking ties.

Then seal the cardboard box as best you can, covering all its edges with tape.

You can use adhesive tape with the word FRAGILE on it. It will provide additional protection for your packaging.

You can also write messages such as “FRAGILE”, “FRAGILE DO NOT CRUSH”, “HANDLE CAREFULLY”, etc. on all sides by hand with a marker.

You can use scissors or cutters to cut the bubble film and ribbons.

Last but not least, get a scale to weigh the package and a tape measure to measure the package at home and check that the weight is compatible with the weight accepted by your airline.

Having to unpack everything at the airport to get rid of superfluous parcels that cause the weight to exceed that would not be a good start to your holiday!

UNPACKING AND PACKING MATERIALS LIST:

Spanners of different sizes for dismantling;
cardboard boxes for flat products;
bubble wrap or corrugated cardboard or rags;
adhesive tape/ if possible packaging tape with fragile writing;
disposable self-locking ties (can be replaced with adhesive tape);
scissors and cutter,
scales;
flexometer (for measuring);
marker to write address on the box (in case the courier or airline label comes off) and messages for couriers.