Help needed! Shipping spacer for rear wheel replacement.

[Grog]

Dear Wise Women of TE:

I am packing my bike in a bike carrying shell (soft) to fly home tonight. I am using the bag for the first time. It's great. I just don't have an appropriate rear wheel spacer. The ones I have are too narrow or a bit too long.

How dangerous is it to ship the bike without the spacer in the rear? Should I try to build one with something???

Help!!

[DebW]

You can cut a piece of wood to the correct length and hammer a nail part way into each end to make it stay in the dropouts. New bikes used to come like this. You should definitely put something in there. Guess you could also remove the axle from your rear hub and use that, along with the cones, locknuts, and quick release, but that's alot of work.

[Grog]

Phew!

I found a correct spacer at a bike shop on the other side of town.

Thanks Deb for your advice! I was going to take an Ikea shoerack apart if I didn't find a spacer!!