how to ship wheels?

[Ken Robb]

Now that I am easing into a liquidation sale I wonder about the best, cheapest way to ship wheels. I have a couple of brand new sets that I now know I won't use but would the cost/hassle of shipping them mean I should just pursue a local Craigslist sale?

[54ny77]

Ask your bike shop for some xtra wheel boxes. Some are single wheel, some can hold two. I bought a couple sets of wheels last year from forum members who shipped 'em in wheel boxes (both single and double boxes) and they did a heck of a nice job packing them.

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Now that I am easing into a liquidation sale I wonder about the best, cheapest way to ship wheels. I have a couple of brand new sets that I now know I won't use but would the cost/hassle of shipping them mean I should just pursue a local Craigslist sale?

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

Ask your bike shop for some xtra wheel boxes. Some are single wheel, some can hold two. I bought a couple sets of wheels last year from forum members who shipped 'em in wheel boxes (both single and double boxes) and they did a heck of a nice job packing them.

This. I think you should plan on putting some additional cardboard where the hubs contact the box. I am not sure how many boxes I have recieved that had the ends of the hubs poking thru.

If you cant get boxes at your LBS, then Bike Flights has boxes for a reasonable cost that you can add to the shipping.

[echelon_john]

Most pack and ship stores have 25x25x12 as a standard size box. Get some axle caps from your LBS; they should have bins full of them that they will trade you for coffee or beer. Use BikeFlights for the actual shipping.

[cmbicycles]

I have cut down bike boxes on occasion to ship wheels as well. Its more time consuming, but works if you can't find wheel boxes. Ask for the plastic hub end protectors when you pick up the boxes, better yet, if you have a good shop relationship call ahead and ask them to set some aside for you.

[eBAUMANN]

ive had a basement full of bike/frame/wheel boxes for the past 5 years for exactly this reason...it can be a pain in the a** to find em when you need em.

most shops keeps a "shop supply" of boxes but they will typically only have bike boxes, as most shops typically only regularly stock complete bikes. some high end shops may sell fancy wheels/frames as well, so they might have a couple boxes laying around...but be prepared for them to charge you for em.

craigslist can work in the mean time (while you look for boxes), just be prepared to deal with a lot of false leads.

as far as actually SHIPPING them goes...

- USPS Parcel Select Ground can be very affordable for REGIONAL shipping, within the northeast for example, its usually cheaper than Fedex with no $5 fee for home delivery. Buy those labels at www.paypal.com/shipnow

- For shipping outside of your region (300mi-ish radius), fedex through www.bikeflights.com is the best way to go. if you can ship to a business you will save $5 and insurance costs $1.25/$100 of coverage.

Just make sure when you pack em to OVERLY cushion the end caps/axles, as they will often tear there way through the walls of the box in transit. no bueno.

Good luck!

[rwsaunders]

If you have a Performance Bike or an REI nearby, they usually have old wheel boxes and bike boxes to give away for the asking.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

ive had a basement full of bike/frame/wheel boxes for the past 5 years for exactly this reason...it can be a pain in the a** to find em when you need em.

this. keep 'em when you get 'em, if you have the space. my shop used to give them and bike boxes out, now they charge.

if you have to go to a shop for wheel boxes, and have options, I recommend Mavic boxes. they're the nicest ones I've seen.

[pdmtong]

echo you need a wheel box and axle end caps. worse case get a bike box cut it down and make your own. then bikeflights.com

some double wheel boxes the wheels go in at an overlap diagonal another style is side-side with a metal rod through both

again the key is axle end caps and reinforcing the side wall and top/bottom/sides of the box (put an extra piece of cardboard there where the wheel tangent point is. even better if each wheel is in a wheel bag.

The few wheels I have sold on PL were all "nicer"...the cheaper older kysriums (<$300) were all on local CL since the cost to ship is too much relative to the sale price.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by pdmtong

The few wheels I have sold on PL were all "nicer"...the cheaper older kysriums (<$300) were all on local CL since the cost to ship is too much relative to the sale price.

This is my problem. I have a couple of sets of new 32-hole Mavic-on-Shimano hub wheels that I'd sell for $200 a pair plus shipping but the hassle/expense of boxing/shipping is probably a deal-killer even though I'd include the oh-so-rarely-included skewers.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

This is my problem. I have a couple of sets of new 32-hole Mavic-on-Shimano hub wheels that I'd sell for $200 a pair plus shipping but the hassle/expense of boxing/shipping is probably a deal-killer even though I'd include the oh-so-rarely-included skewers.

yup, thats the issue. no one is going to pay for shipping on a $200 wheel - it kills the "deal"

while those are nice wheels, around here thta's a wheel for someones commuter bike so therefore if you want it gone, the price has to look like a deal/no-brainer to the prospective buyer. if you hold out for the extra $25-75 you really want prepare watch them sit. I sold some three sets of kysriums on CL - $175, $275, $275. those wheels wouldnt get a PM here....

[11.4]

I ship a lot of wheels, because every trip to a track involves at least two and sometimes three or more pairs of wheels, plus wheels for a road bike and often spare wheels there as well.

I tried TriAll fiberglass cases for them but those things are unstable enough that a strong wind will send them rolling right across a parking lot. Forget about taking them on planes -- I watched mine go bouncing a couple hundred feet and end up under a tug.

Always save good cardboard boxes and get your local shop to save them for you rather than dump them. I've shipped wheels safely in cardboard boxes all over the world. A few tips:

1. Bikeflights for any shipments. You have tracking and Bikeflights tends to stand behind you, even if Fedex won't cooperate.

2. The little axle caps tend to pop off too easily. I grab a bunch of the biggest Priority Flat Rate boxes and stick a couple of them on each side of the wheel. They protect the whole wheel and the axle can't begin to punch through all that.

3. If you happen to be shipping track wheels with traditional track nuts, you have long threaded axles sticking out both sides. It's a pain. I use cardboard as mentioned in (2) above, plus stab an old tennis ball and stuff it over the end of the hub. Tennis balls are much better protection and stay in place better than the plastic freebees (the . When I'm shipping Comete disc wheels, have a rubber or wood mallet and simply whack the axle on one end and it comes out. Wrap it in bubble wrap and you won't have to worry about axles punching holes in discs, plus you can get two discs into almost any wheel box. Do the same (slightly modified procedure) with Zipp discs as well. Phil Wood hubs are great for track wheels you travel with a lot because they use allen bolts and don't have the big long threaded axles waving around to chew up another wheel or the box.

4. It's not unusual to have problems finding wheel boxes. But cut the end off a bike box, especially an MTB box or kids' bike box, and you have a fine wheel box. Get some brown paper tape with the fiber reinforcement (Office Depot usually has it, as does ULine and eBay), because it's much easier to tape up a box with the stuff than with the clear plastic kind.

5. The best protection you can give a wheel within a box is a big heavy duty plastic bag. If I don't have plastic bags from wheel boxes, I use the super heavy duty trash bags from Home Depot. They keep your wheels from scraping against each other in shipment, and protect your wheels in case your box gets torn.

6. Don't try to use cardboard forms to lock in your rims. Always let the rims float free in the box and pin in the hub. I'll take the small Priority Flat Rate boxes, assemble them, tape them to reinforce the adhesive on the boxes, and then make a small cut in the middle of a flat side and stick it on the hub. You can tape them into the sides of the box if needed, and they help hold everything nice and safe.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Now that I am easing into a liquidation sale I wonder about the best, cheapest way to ship wheels. I have a couple of brand new sets that I now know I won't use but would the cost/hassle of shipping them mean I should just pursue a local Craigslist sale?

2 single wheelboxes taped together or a frame box...

[ntb1001]

Originally Posted by chiasticon

this. keep 'em when you get 'em, if you have the space. my shop used to give them and bike boxes out, now they charge.

if you have to go to a shop for wheel boxes, and have options, I recommend Mavic boxes. they're the nicest ones I've seen.

This dosn't work when you have a significant other constantly getting rid of "all of the garbage I hoard"


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[54ny77]

well for the record, tell your wife you pack bike stuff superbly and i appreciate it!

Originally Posted by ntb1001

This dosn't work when you have a significant other constantly getting rid of "all of the garbage I hoard"


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