Do you relocate soon? Are you going to move house or go for a longer trip? It might happen that you will need your bike shipped to the final location. If you cannot think of an easy way to transport your bike or even two bikes locally or across countries this article will help you find out.

Secure it, pack it, ship it

If you think about sending your bike with a courier company or take it with you on the plane as a checked in luggage it will be best to pack it carefully in the cartoon box.

Try not to leave too much loose space inside. If you do not pay attention to it, your bike may move sharply during sudden stops and turns. What should you do then?

Firstly, try to find or buy the box that is about the same size as your bike. You can easily find it in the bike stores. Just ask the staff member about it and explain why you need it! Most of them will be willing to help you!

If you are struggling to find such a place just buy a cartoon box of a similar size to your bike.

The box should be stiff and strong. No tears, no cry…as they say 🙂 It should be durable enough to keep your bike safe for the whole journey.

Remember to take off all the stickers and labels from the box you will use. They might mislead couriers or airport staff – and obviously, you want them to put your package in the right car/plane 😀

If you want to make it even smaller disassemble the handlebar and the headset as well. Consider dropping the front tire out.

Remember to secure the fragile parts like gear shifters and handlebar stem – it will save you a trip to the nearest bike repair.

If you decide to carry both wheels in a separate box, just put something soft and squashy between them.

OK! Done. Put your bike inside the box and make sure it is all neat and tidy, with not much free space left inside.
If there are some empty areas, fill it with bubble wrap or pieces of sponge.

Do you ship locally or across countries? That’s a good question to ask yourself before choosing a transport method, cause depending on the final destination of your delivery the costs and complexity of transport may differ.

In the plane

If you want to take your bike for a trip on the plane there are some tricks to avoid extra fees. Prices and conditions vary across airlines.

Some time ago we checked how it works when we flew with Wizzair from Gdańsk to Barcelona. We decided that paying extra for sports baggage is not really for us, and we packed the bike in a cartoon and checked it in.

Wizzair checked-in luggage maximum dimensions below:

149 X 119 X 171 CM / MAX

32 KG /MAX

Our bike, packed in a cartoon box easily met these criteria. The only surprised people at the airport were stuff members smiling suspiciously. We just assumed they became fans of our creative solution!
It’s better to take off all the labels or stickers that would imply that there is a bike inside 😀 If you want to use this solution, make sure you are up to date with the recent regulations.

For sports equipment they charge:

and for checked-in luggage, it varies between…

…depending on the duration of the flight, high or low season and weight of your baggage. If you decide to check your bike in as sports equipment, it needs to fit in the nylon bag with the wheels off and handlebar and pedals positioned in parallel with the frame of your bike. Bike with the uninflated wheels can be shipped in a cartoon box as well.

With Ryanair, we will pay around £60 for transporting one bike up to 30 kg as in the pricing below. The price in the first column applies when you pay online.

Your bike can be shipped under the deck next to your regular luggage, within the limits of the checked-in luggage criteria, but you need to pay extra for that.

If you choose airlines, other than the low-cost Wizzair or Ryanair, you will be able to ship your bike without paying extra fees, though the tickets are respectively more expensive.

With a courier company

If the bike will not leave your home country it’s quite convenient to send your bike with UPS or DHL. Though, if you worry about additional fees you might pay for the large or over-sized package, better do it yourself or stick to the online transport marketplace where you can find a transport provider already going your way.

Standard size of a bike stored in a cartoon box:

120cm X 80cm X 20cm/130cm X 80cm X 20cm.

Important! If your bike is equipped with an electric or fuel engine it will weigh much more than a standard package. Most couriers will not accept it!

In the car

In the boot

You may be surprised what you can actually squeeze in your car.

Wheels and handlebar off and it should work fine!

Just be aware that your car will get dirty. Though, all the elements will be safe inside, with no impact on driving and no extra costs.

Source: bicycletouringpro.com

Tip: Loading your car the night before, may not be the best idea unless you have your own garage or locked and secured parking space. Fancy bikes, stuck up inside the car look quite attractive for thieves.

Roof rack

There is plenty of space up there for you to use freely. It may not be the most convenient option, but certainly feasible one – especially if you have more than one bike to ship. Squeezing three or four of them inside the car might be awkward, not to mention dirty car interiors and no space for your co-travellers.

There are different types of roof racks – some of them will require taking off the front wheel. If you don’t want to be bothered with that just look for those with an extra arm to grab the frame of your bike.

Practical people will appreciate roof rack multi-purpose functionality – once you buy it you can use it for ski, water sports equipment, and other loads.

Each roof rack comes with the installation guide so be sure to read it and follow it carefully.

Source: blog.drivingforce.ca

With transport provider

The transport company is another option to consider, especially if you plan to ship your bicycle across countries. This transport method proved to be the most cost-efficient when it comes to shipping bike internationally.

Another reason to choose a professional transport provider is when your bike is particularly fragile and you would hate to see it damaged upon arrival.

When you decide to ship your bike with a transport provider is will automatically take some weight off your shoulders. You will avoid extra responsibilities like securing and disassembling your bike. This is the part when the transport company wins over regular courier services.  When preparing your bike to be shipped by a transport company you only have to lower the saddle and position the handlebar in parallel with the frame, That’s it! Leave the rest to professionals!

Below you can see sample bike shipping auctions:

Bicycle from Hamel Hampstead (UK) to Southen-on-Sea (UK) (£67)

Bike from Eindhoven (NL) to Amsterdam (NL) (£36)

4 bikes from Sint-Amands (Belgium) to Warsaw (Poland) (£107)

Do you want to get quotes for bike transport? Click on the button below>>

Source : Source