Re: [CR] Shipping a bike to anywhere: The need to make it as compact a package as possible

(Example: Framebuilders:Bernard Carré)

Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:03:42 -0800
From: "Marc St. Martin" <marc.stmartin@earthlink.net>
To: Tom Sanders <tesanders@comcast.net>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR] Shipping a bike to anywhere: The need to make it as compact a package as possible


Hello,

Here's a great packing job. Shipper got the frame to fit in a BMX box. Really well done.

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/stmartin/Zunow/

Marc St. Martin Livermore, CA USA

-----Original Message-----

>From: Tom Sanders <tesanders@comcast.net>

>Sent: Feb 20, 2009 6:17 AM

>To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

>Subject: [CR] Shipping a bike to anywhere: The need to make it as compact a package as possible

>

>Shipping is expensive and getting more so all the time. With size of the

>package being so crucial to the cost, it is perhaps time to discuss making a

>packed bike a more compact package.

>

>The first recommendation is something Brian Baylis told me years ago. When

>shipping a frame, remove the fork, wrap it (Brian recommended newspaper to

>wrap the fork in) and put it between the stays. This is about the smallest

>possible space you get a frame down to and also keeps the fork from

>producing a severe strain on the front end of the frame if a close encounter

>of the worst kind arises with the package and all the mysterious things that

>seem to so often impact shipped bikes.

>

>Next, a seller from Poland sent me a bike and he had the package within the

>box right down to the exact length of the frame and fork for an entire bike.

>It was all trussed up like a turkey with the wheels on the sides and I will

>send pics of the package to anyone who requests it. This sounds pretty

>basic, but I was much impressed with his cleverness. Most anyone can think

>of ways to make the bike itself a smaller package within the box. Often

>when shipping a bike around the country where pricing is not quite so

>ruinous there is a huge amount of empty space inside the box. So much so,

>that saavy shippers like Lou Deeter will tie off the bike within the box to

>limit movement within the box.

>

>Hope these hints will help some in lowering folks shipping expenses, and

>like I said above, I'll forward some pics of the Polish E-Bay seller's

>shipping package to any interested parties. I thought it was really clever.

>

>Tom Sanders

>

>Lansing, MI USA