People often ask us about shipping their tandem.

Whether you have a full sized bike or a coupled bike in one or two cases, you can save a lot of energy by shipping your bike in advance.

There are two companies that specialize in bike transport – BikeFlights.com and shipBikes.com. BikeFlights.com uses UPS and shipBikes.com uses FedEx. You could ship your bike directly with FedEx or UPS; however, unless you have access to a corporate account, you are likely to spend substantially more and not be with a company that understands the shipping issues specific to bikes. Both companies claim to have a less than 1% damage rate and losing a bike is very rare.

Here are a few things that you should know if you are contemplating shipping your bike.

Bike Cases – If you have a coupled bike, we recommend that you pack your bike in hard sided cases. If your bike is not coupled, then you will need to pack it in a box. Soft sided cases are not a good idea when shipping your bike. Believe it or not, the airline baggage handlers treat your bags with more care than the shipping companies do!

The maximum permitted box size is 165 linear inches, that is the sum of the length, 2 times the width and 2 times the height. ShipBikes.com sells an XL Tandem box that is 72 x 14 x 32 inches, meeting the 165 linear inch limit with an inch to spare. The box sells for $179.88 plus $30 shipping and tax. The box includes metal mounts. ShipBikes explained that you could expect the box to last for “six to eight shipments”. The interior metal mounts are guaranteed for life, so if you deem that the box won’t last another flight, you can replace just the box for $89.95 plus $30 shipping. You will need to stay within a 100 pound limit on your bike and box.

You could build your own box, but unless you really know what you are doing and understand the forces that may get applied to the box and how they will be transmitted to your bike, it is not recommended.

Packing Your Tandem – Your bike will need to be disassembled for packing. For a full size tandem, this generally means taking off the wheels, pedals and handlebars. You may need to take off the captain or stoker seat, or at least push it all the way down. For a coupled bike, there is considerably more disassembly needed.

Before disassembling anything, make sure to mark the height of your seat post, stoker stem, handlebar angle, etc. You can use tape or make a small scratch to indicate proper placement.

Pad your frame with wrap or foam tubing. Put some sort of brace in your rear drop out and fork to prevent crushing. Make sure your derailleur hanger is safe from getting bent. Make sure there is nothing loose or rattling around. Take pictures of the packed bike. Remember to bring the supplies you need to pack your bike for the way home.

Labeling Your Tandem for Shipment – the shipping company will give you specific directions for labeling your bike. Make sure that old labels and bar codes are no longer on the box as these misleading directions are the main reason for lost bikes. Be sure to mark the box as Fragile and which side is up, even though the shippers may not always pay attention to that. It’s a good idea to write your name, phone number and email address on the actual box, in case the label comes off.

Insurance – It is important that you insure your bike for potential damage. Both BikeFlights and shipBikes have stated that losing a bike is extremely rare. Bikes are generally lost (temporarily) when they are not labelled properly. Even though loss and damage is rare, you want to make sure that you have some insurance just in case the bike is damaged. Insurance is likely to cost 1.2%-1.5% of the value insured, each way. So each $1000 of insurance is likely to cost $12-$15.

Shipping Your Tandem – You can either bring your bike to FedEx or UPS or you can have the bike picked up at your home. You should ship the bike to someplace that you can trust, like a UPS Store, hotel, friend’s residence or bike shop. Make sure that the recipient knows that the bike is coming. Note that FedEx (shipBikes) has more Saturday hours than UPS. If you have insured your bike, the shipping company will require a signature to receive the bike. If you are shipping your bike after a tour, make sure that you have arranged for a pick-up at the end of your tour.

In general, we recommend that you ship your bike a day or two early so that if the bike is delayed for any reason, it will still be there when you need it. It is also a good idea for you to fly out a day or two before your bike tour begins. This way you have time to relax, get over jet lag, take your time assembling your bike and deal with any problems that you can have with the shipping and bike assembly.

Traveling Internationally with Your Tandem –  While both BikeFlights and shipBikes ship bikes both domestically and internationally, we have found that shipping internationally can be very expensive.

While most of our customers bring their bikes on the flights with them, we have had some ship their bikes. We have never had a problem with a shipped bike. We would love to hear your stories.