Bike box help

[shawnc]

Hey everyone,

can anyone share some wisdom on traveling with a cardboard bike box? It has to be cardboard, as I'm taking the Greyhound in one direction and biking home.

I plan to pick a box up from a local bike shop but I don't know what tools I'll need, how much of my bike I'll need to disassemble, or how to properly pack it.

For those who are curious, I'm planning on taking the bus to Port Hardy and then riding back to Victoria over the course of a week. I want to head west after Nanaimo and loop down to Lake Cowichan, then return to Victoria via Port Renfrew. If I survive I'll write up a report

Thanks for your help!

Shawn

[Brian S]

Pretty straightforward--Allen keys and if necessary, a pedal wrench. If your lbs has them, the plastic fork and rearwheel braces (inserts into the dropouts) are helpful. Really just a matter of wheels (remove the skewers and pack separately), pedals, handle bar and seat/post off, then fitting it all in (bike first, then wheels). Bits of foam to protect contact points and close it up. I always packed other stuff like shoes repair stuff, and bottles in with the bike. Have a great trip. There is an older book I that I will track down and post a link that had some good guide points on the North Island.

[AdamD]

Also undoing the cable on the front brake will give you a little more room to move the bars around to find a good position. Try getting a box that a MTB came in, they are wider so more room for the wheels.
Good Luck

[conway]

I successfully used a bike box to fly my bike to the UK. I bought pipe insulating styrofoam to cover the top tube, seat post etc and cut 3/8 inch sheets of styrofoam to place on the inside of the box to provide additional protection. The following sites provide additional information on how to box your bike.

http://www.rideyourbike.com/boxbike.html

http://www.adventurecycling.org/features/boxingbike.cfm


Mark

[steven grandy]

You might want to try this. http://victoria.en.craigslist.ca/rid/ Potentially the same price but without the hassle of boxing your bike. I caught a ride with a friend to Port Alberni, stayed overnight at his place and rode home the following day.

[Lister Farrar]

Good tips above.

I have a box of foam pipe insulation and various shapes for padding bike parts, and dropout braces. Let know if you want to go through it. Alex has taken some stuff, but there's lots left. I'd like them back if you can.

You're in good company with cardboard. Alison Sydor advised the following when I was asking around about a padded bag for Karen March's handcycle that would n't fit in regular hard cases.

i had great success 2 y ago when i did cross with bike boxes, a utility knife, and lots of tape. made custom bike boxes that fit in the airline guidelines to save xs fees. ok different issues here. but make a custom box outa one or 2 bike boxes. too bad im in yvr or id do the cardboard origami for her:-)

im no fan of soft bags anyway. dont protect much. a clear airline bag even allows the handlers to see what they are dealing with.

for packing i remove all delicate parts regardless. even just leave them loose and hanging, or wrapped up in bubble wrap and taped to the frame. but not attached to the frame. dont know what the bike looks like tho. di2 wires are delicate, but alas if they get broken its just a simple splice job. if the di2 parts cant be removed then seriously pad them up. just too pricy to take a chance on!

a

Only things to add are put smaller items in a larger bag or box in case the box gets torn, and small stuff could spill out.

Consider braces from side to side to prevent crushing. Even Norm's take-apart bike in a hard suitcases has 4 or 5 rigid plastic posts to prevent crushing.

The derailleur for sure should come off the dropout and be taped loosely onto a stay. I bought a bike once from the states and despite being packed by a bike shop, when it arrived the derailleur hanger was broken because the derailleur was left on. It would tough to get one of those at short notice in Port Hardy.

[Brian S]

Good tips above.


The derailleur for sure should come off the dropout and be taped loosely onto a stay. I bought a bike once from the states and despite being packed by a bike shop, when it arrived the derailleur hanger was broken because the derailleur was left on. It would tough to get one of those at short notice in Port Hardy.

Only comment there is making sure chain re-alignment is right when you re-attach the derailleur. I have seen a couple of references where you shift the derailleur to the inside, then zip tie it to the chain stay for security.

[Lister Farrar]

Good tips above.


The derailleur for sure should come off the dropout and be taped loosely onto a stay. I bought a bike once from the states and despite being packed by a bike shop, when it arrived the derailleur hanger was broken because the derailleur was left on. It would tough to get one of those at short notice in Port Hardy.

Only comment there is making sure chain re-alignment is right when you re-attach the derailleur. I have seen a couple of references where you shift the derailleur to the inside, then zip tie it to the chain stay for security.

I don't think removing the derailleur affects alignment or derailleur throw, it threads back on in the same place. Is that what you meant? Zip tie it when it's on the dropout? Or off?

Still, good advice to check derailleur throw, there could be change in the cable seating etc.

[Brian S]

Zip tie it when it is on the dropout.

[4827north]

Pretty straightforward--Allen keys and if necessary, a pedal wrench. If your lbs has them, the plastic fork and rearwheel braces (inserts into the dropouts) are helpful. Really just a matter of wheels (remove the skewers and pack separately), pedals, handle bar and seat/post off, then fitting it all in (bike first, then wheels). Bits of foam to protect contact points and close it up. I always packed other stuff like shoes repair stuff, and bottles in with the bike. Have a great trip. There is an older book I that I will track down and post a link that had some good guide points on the North Island.

I have a set of the plastic fork and rear braces if you need. Another technique is to boost the strength of the box with plywood base ... Insert into the box to stiffen it up, tape and glue it in.

[shawnc]

Thank you to everyone for your help! I appreciate it. I'll let you know how it goes.