How To Ship A Bicycle

There are safe, convenient ways as to how to ship a bicycle. There are plenty of shipping carriers to choose from. All of the major shipping carriers like Fedex, UPS and USPS have shipping services for bikes. And there are some specialized shipping carriers like Shipbikes.com, Bikeflights.com, and Sportsexpress.com that offer door to door delivery. The requirements for shipping a bike are basically the same.

If you need to know how to ship a bike, follow these easy steps:

1. Decide which shipping carrier to use. If the decision is based on price, you may want to use FedEx, UPS or USPS. These shipping companies will charge you less if you are willing to do some of the ground work yourself, like printing out the shipping label and bringing the packaged bike to one of their locations.
2. Decide if you will ship the bike in one piece or broken down. You can save on shipping cost if you break the bike down. For example, you can break down the bike by removing the seat, front wheel and loosen the handlebars. This way you can use smaller standard box sizes.
3. Pick up a bike box at your local bike shop or buy a shipping case. Bike stores sell shipping boxes for a small fee. They also sell shipping cases. You may consider buying a shipping case if you will be shipping your bike often.
4. Package the bike. The shipping carrier will give you expert advice on packaging the bike. Remember to use packing material that will protect your bike from damage.
5. Measure and weigh the packaged bike. Measure the length, height and depth of the box. The price will depend on the weight and dimensions of the package. 
6. Calculate the cost. Go to the website of the shipping carrier and plug the dimensions and destination address into the postal calculator. It will give you the cost and you can print out the shipping label at that time. You should also receive a tracking number.
7. Gather information you will need to give to shipping carrier. Don’t forget to have the destination address and a valid contact number. Have this information handy, if you opted not to print out your own label. 
8. Bring the packaged bike to carrier’s service center. You may need to bring the packaged bike to a drop-off  location. If you choose to use a door to door service, schedule a pick up.