shipping bike to Kona

[sah]

I am shipping my bike to Kona in February.. any suggestions for shipping.. FedEX vs UPS ground or 2day? I thought it would be easier to ship ahead to a bike shop and have ready to go when I landed. Thanks

[OakLeaf]

I've used FedEx six or seven times with no complaints. I have a Thule hard case. I think you have to ship express to get the insurance you'd want on a race bike - anyway, IMO things are always safer express than ground. Two-day is still considered "express" for those purposes, no reason I know of to ship overnight.

I wouldn't ship a roll of bubble wrap across town by UPS, but I know other people have had different experiences. When we order something and the shipper uses UPS, it's literally rare that the box isn't severely damaged, opened and re-sealed, etc. Luckily most of the time the contents are so well packed that they're undamaged, but still...

[Owlie]

DBF's shipped his bike to and from Cleveland and Arizona via UPS (several times) with no problem.

[mauisher]

I live in Hawaii and have shipped my bike several times to the mainland and back using FedEx ground (it goes by air from Calif to Hawaii, even though it is ground). You'll see why ground is used when you see the cost of shipping a bike box less than 50 lbs either 2 day or overnight to Hawaii. You might get reduced rates if a bike shop ships it for you if they have a commercial account with lower rates. I use a Trico hard case and have never had any damage to my carbon frame with FedEx. It is possible to insure an expensive bike with them shipping ground. I've found that the costs differ when shipping to Hawaii (more expensive) than shipping from Hawaii. It may have to do with the volume shipped each way. So, be sure to check the prices to and from. The last time I shipped my bike from Florida to Hawaii with FedEx it cost me about $400 bucks one way, insured. I also have checked in the Trico case as luggage on the airline, which is cheaper, but I believe riskier for damage. Luckily, I haven't had any airline damage but handling the big bike box in airports, rental cars, etc. is a hassle. I got sick of paying these high costs and recently had a nice Lynskey titanium built with S&S couplers so I can take my bike as regular baggage. Good luck!

[sah]

Thanks for all the advice.