Shipping bikes (one way)

I'm moving, and I have three bikes to move with me.

I'm trying to figure out what the best way to handle it is. I can either box them up and ship them via FedEx or UPS (FedEx looks like it has the better rates) to DBF and have him reassemble and clean them, although depending on the size of the box, that will get pretty expensive. (I think my worst-case was around $430-$450 for all three.) Or I can send them on the moving truck with my other stuff. Downside is that I won't have the facilities to reassemble them, and reassembling 3 bikes is going to be $$$ as well.

What makes more sense?

If there is a big time gap between when you get to your destination and the moving truck how about fedex'ing the one you most often ride and moving truck the others. For sending my bike to portland for my STP ride I got a used bike box, fork and derailleur guards and wheel plugs from my lbs for free. Bubble wrap (I'd use foam wrap for a painted bike), zip ties and roundtrip fedex with insurance from the los angeles area to portland was $160. I was able to pack it with just taking the wheels off, skewers out, handlebar off the stem, pedals off and lowering the seat. There has to be how to box a bike videos on the net. Personally I'd box the ones going in the moving truck too.

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Originally Posted by rebeccaC

How about fedex'ing the one you most often ride and moving truck the others. For sending my bike to portland for my STP ride I got a used bike box, fork and derailleur guards and wheel plugs from my lbs for free. Bubble wrap (I'd use foam wrap for a painted bike), zip ties and roundtrip fedex with insurance from the los angeles area to portland was $160. I was able to pack it with just taking the wheels off, skewers out, handlebar off the stem, pedals off and lowering the seat. Personally I'd box the ones going in the moving truck too.

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I work at a bike shop, so I have access to packing materials. ;) And yes, all three of them are getting boxed, regardless of how they're traveling.
Good thought on the sending them separately. My only concern is that the bike I ride most often (the Avail) is not the one that would cost the most to replace.

We always express mine because you get better insurance, the ability to hold for pickup, and just less transit time means less opportunity for damage.

But there is FedEx Home, which I haven't priced in quite a while, but at least used to be MUCH cheaper, like $50 or $75. The destination address has to be residential and you have to drop the box off. That IMO would still be safer than a moving truck.

If it were me I'd probably express the Charge and FedEx Home the other two.

How are you getting to Arizona? I'd you're driving, is there any chance you just put one or more of the bikes in your car?

We had a bad experience with FedEx Home, shipping to Tucson. Granted, it was 10 years ago, but DS's bike was packed very carefully and ended up with a huge scratch. Personally, I think they decided they could get away with not taking responsibility for it, because they were dealing with an 18 year old. If we had been on the other end, it might have turned out differently.
Frankly, you take a chance no matter how you are shipping a bike.

Express with FedEx. Most generally I prefer USPS for parcels, but it's cost prohibitive for something that large, and I've never had a problem with FedEx express (touch wood).

Check Fed Ex Ground. They use the same trucks, just not as fast. Just a couple of years ago I sent a bike from CO to WA for $55.

No shipper is perfect. Pack as well as you can, insure, and take photos if something goes wrong.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

Downside is that I won't have the facilities to reassemble them, and reassembling 3 bikes is going to be $$$ as well.

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How much of a facility do you need? Touring cyclists pack and unpack bikes in weird places (airports, train stations, hotel rooms) all the time. If you don't have the tools, $30 should get you everything you need.

If you're hiring movers, insure them for replacement value and put them on the truck. Movers handle high-value items all of the time. Mark the boxes so they don't lay them flat, and read the fine print on the contract before you sign.

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Originally Posted by soprano

How much of a facility do you need? Touring cyclists pack and unpack bikes in weird places (airports, train stations, hotel rooms) all the time. If you don't have the tools, $30 should get you everything you need.

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True that. Since you work in a bike shop you've already done everything it takes to reassemble a packed bike with the exception of putting the RD on, and there's nothing to that - I've never even needed to adjust the cable. Ratchet handle, 4- and 5- mm Allen bits, torque wrench for the carbon, whatever you need for your pedals, whether it's a 15 mm flat or an 8 mm Allen, tire inflation, you're good to go. I've done it in 20 minutes in the FedEx parking lot.

Just don't forget to deflate your tires before air shipping. And you're not allowed to air freight CO2 cartridges.

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Originally Posted by soprano

How much of a facility do you need? Touring cyclists pack and unpack bikes in weird places (airports, train stations, hotel rooms) all the time. If you don't have the tools, $30 should get you everything you need.

If you're hiring movers, insure them for replacement value and put them on the truck. Movers handle high-value items all of the time. Mark the boxes so they don't lay them flat, and read the fine print on the contract before you sign.

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It's more that I don't want to deal with trying to find somewhere to put the boxes and unpack them at the same time that I'm trying to unpack the rest of the apartment. If I were to FedEx them, DBF would take care of rebuilding them for me and then just drive them down once I'm unpacked. (It helps that he has a workstand and his parents' tile-floored family room to do this in!)

Too bad you can't move yourself and bikes by train with a bike train car.

I know....too much hassle if the train stops are not in your vicinity. (But then you bike it, right ..to your new home?) But Amtrak offers it for some of their routes. I will comment: We do find Amtrak's passenger fare quite reasonable (if you book 2 wks. in advance.) Cost of passenger fare + bike transport (probably varies....under $20.00. I dunno. But super cheap.)

When we ship our bikes for touring we use FedEx and all has been good so far. We also have our distributors ship bikes to us via FedEX over UPS - to many issues w/ UPS. Do pay attention to box size as sometimes even an inch can make a big difference. The Bike Hermit did a you tube on packing a bike but it is done with the re-useable box we own and not a standard bike box. Good Luck with the move!

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Too bad you can't move yourself and bikes by train with a bike train car.

I know....too much hassle if the train stops are not in your vicinity. (But then you bike it, right ..to your new home?) But Amtrak offers it for some of their routes. I will comment: We do find Amtrak's passenger fare quite reasonable (if you book 2 wks. in advance.) Cost of passenger fare + bike transport (probably varies....under $20.00. I dunno. But super cheap.)

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Wow ... I didn't think things were so much different in Canada than they are in the USA. Train travel here typically involves a 3 a.m. departure, a 10 to 15 hour layover with a 2 a.m. departure from the hub station, two to three days on the road and a fare that's typically triple plane fare. I suppose the more luggage you can get in your room-ette, the more economical it becomes vis-à-vis air travel, but I guarantee there is no room for even one bike box in a room-ette.

Or, if you're willing to sleep in a coach seat for three days, the ticket price is usually about the same as air fare.

I wish for trains too ... I wish really really hard ... but it is not a reality here, sadly.

Not all Amtrak train routes are the same. I'm only familiar with the U.S. west coast routes. And not all segments are time efficient. Depends on the start and end points.

No, please some of the trains have dedicated bike cars..for bikes only. Look at the Amtrak options. It is unbelievably easy for people between Vancouver and Seattle or Portland to travel with bikes... just roll on your bike.

No Canadian rail system outside of southern Ontario, is not passenger-time efficient ...but yes, you see what Canada is truly like in its widespread, contrasting glory. We hardly have any train route options outside of southern Ontario.