Needed: Hints for packing the bike for shipment to the GdB

[Louis]

Later this month when I pack up my bike for the GdB it will be my first time shipping a complete bike in this manner. (I just got a Trico Iron Case.)

Other than the obvious stuff (use spreaders for the dropouts, loosen both stem clamps, beware of the r-der, etc) are there any tricks you’ve developed over the years that will help me? Any first-time mistakes you can help me avoid? You mayhelp me avoid a bad, bad experience.

Thanks
Louis

[harlond]

I found this thread helpful:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=9968&highlight=packing+bike

[93legendti]

Don't wait until the night before to pack the bike--it takes a few times to get it right. The best results I got was starting a week or so before and trying to pack 2-3 times. Each time you learn something. I used 3 different cases during my 12 bike trips abroad and in the US. Each new case was like starting over again.

Get plumbing pipe foam from Home Depot (the circular grey stuff with a slit down the middle that can be cut to the length you need)--it is great for protecting tubes and fork blades.

Old t-shirts are great for taking up space and keeping stuff from rubbing.

Take your computer and mount off and secure them. I broke a lot of mount travelling to Europe.

If you have to take off your pedals, don't leave them in the case (unless there is a pouch for them). The pedals' mass can damage stuff during transit.

[H.Frank Beshear]

your tires. 93's idea on the pipe foam is cheap and works well. $5 worth and a little tape goes along way. I used it when I went to Austin for RTR in 99. Have fun in MT. Hope to see you in Springfield in sept. Frank

[quattro]

I just sent my bike off to San Diego on Monday via Fed-X. I packed it in a Serfas hard case, my first time using it. I did cover all of the tubes in the foam pipe tubing, it works well. I also removed my RD and used a plastic tie to secure it to a foam pipe. I packed my skewers, pedals in a plastic bag and wrapped it with a towel and placed it between the rear triangle with my seat still on the post, put tubing around the seat post as well, and the steerer tube once the stem is removed. After I placed the top on the box and locked it all down I was surprised that the crank arm w/the chain rings seemed to be pushing against the bottom of the case, I opened it all up and made some adjustments, hopefully all is well, I'll find out on Friday in S.D. I have found that the size of the Serfas case is a little bit smaller than other cases and results in a Fed-X fee that is less than a case that is as little as 1/2" longer or wider, before you purchase a case, get the specific sizing and put it into the shipping cost calculator for Fed-X or UPS to determine how much it wil cost to ship, bet you find that most cases because of their size are more expensive than the Serfas case. Good Luck.

[Kevan]

in one of those Trico plastic travel cases the rear derailleur was removed and the chain was carefully wrapped in old towel to prevent an oily mess. Perhaps removing the derailleur was overboard, but at least that lessens the risk of potentially bending the hanger. Also, by doing that the prior owner was better able to better wrap the drivetrain up and keep things clean.

My suggestion would be if you weren't to remove the rear derailleur, at least clean the chain thoroughly so the packing foam doesn't get smeared and become a problem in the future.

[Onno]

I used 3 different cases during my 12 bike trips abroad and in the US. Each new case was like starting over again.

Can you say a little more about this? Which cases did you use? Which did you like the best? I've been dithering a long time about buying a case, and I keep going back and forth about whether or not to get a hard shell case (safer for the bike) or a soft one (easier to deal with once you get to your destination).

Thanks,
Onno

[93legendti]

Can you say a little more about this? Which cases did you use? Which did you like the best? I've been dithering a long time about buying a case, and I keep going back and forth about whether or not to get a hard shell case (safer for the bike) or a soft one (easier to deal with once you get to your destination).

Thanks,
Onno

Sure. 1rst, I borrowed a friend's case...Serfas or Iron Horse, or something like that. it was ok, if you got everything just so in the right place. Then I tried the Performance Case--never seemed to close right. When I got married, I bought a Tri All 3 Sports case for 2 bikes and that was the best...most room, easiest to pack, most secure and easiest to move in and out of airports. It is the biggest though. The Tri All 3 stands upright, is a hard case, has great wheels on the bottom and you can put bags on top and push the whole thing pretty easily.

[Tailwinds]

I like my Performance hard case, and it closes just fine. I do have kind of a small bike, though, a 53 cm. I remove the handlebars, seat/seatpost, skewers, rear wheel, and pedals to ship. I put the pedals and skewers in a small bag w/some bubble wrap and zip tie them to the frame after I've wrapped the frame in bubble wrap and/or pipe insulation. It was a pain the first time I did it, but now that I've found the "system", it's really quick and easy.

[Ginger]

I carry my pedals, helmet, shoes, and gloves in my carry-on luggage. First, it keeps the pedals from being an issue in the case and more important, even if Fed Ex looses my bike I have the option of renting something at the other end of the plane trip.

Remember to give Fed Ex a bit of a cushion. Lots of people I know have had no problems shipping their bikes to vacation destinations. On my last trip to AZ, one of my traveling companion's shipped his bikes the day before I did and we both shipped the bikes from Detroit with plenty of time according to Fed Ex. The bikes should have shown up the day before we did. (5 people with 10 days of mtb and road riding planned.) His mtb showed up on time with everyone else's, my mtb showed up the next day and my road bike showed up the day after that. My buddy's road bike showed up the day before we left AZ. Problem was it was the weekend and we couldn't find a Fed Ex shop open to ship the darn thing back (we did finally find one...)