HOW TO BOX A BIKE LIKE A PRO

Maybe you have recently sold a bike, or maybe (lucky you!) you’ve hit on the perfect vacation to some long-dreamed-about destination replete with buff singletrack, high-mountain vistas, and the best pizza west of Jersey City (looking at you, Fruita). Maybe you’re the racer type, jetting off to a competition. In all these scenarios, you are going to need to box up your bike.

Packing a mountain bike for shipping isn’t super high on the difficulty list of shop chores, but it is full of important details. If it is done wrong, your bike could suffer some type of minor damage—or worse, arrive at its destination completely trashed. If you’re not up to the task, plan on paying a shop anywhere from $75–$150 to box up your bike for you. You will pay more if they provide shipping and hand off to a carrier like FedEx or UPS. If you go the professional route, don’t show up at the shop the day before you need the bike shipped. Most shops’ lead times are at least a week for this type of service.

• Notepad and pen

• Tape measure

• Electrical tape

• Hex keys (generally 4mm, 5mm, and 8mm for modern MTBs)

• Torx keys (typically T25)

• Pedal wrench (15mm wrench or 6mm or 8mm hex)

• Rotor lock-ring tool or T25 Torx wrench for removing rotors

• Diagonal cutters

• Scissors

• Sharpie-type permanent marker

• Cardboard bicycle shipping box (get 2 if you can), sized for your particular bicycle’s dimensions.

• Small cardboard parts box. All bikes get shipped from the manufacturer with one of these, so your shop should have a few on hand.

• Pipe insulation or recycled frame-packing foam from your local shop (we’ll just refer to this as pipe insulation from here on out).

• Heavy-duty packing tape.

• Masking or painters’ tape.

• Zip-ties (minimum 10 inches long and at least 30 of them).

• Dummy axles for open drop-outs, or tubular spacers to go over thru-axles (we like 1/2-inch PVC tubing cut to size for these).

• Brake-pad spacers and rotor covers (thick cardboard can work in a pinch).

• Recycled plastic axle end-cap covers (ask your shop for the right type for your wheel’s axles).

• Two to three Ziploc-style freezer bags. Gallon size.

• Bubble wrap.

• Duplicate mailing label or the address of the recipient printed large on a piece of paper.

Place your bike in your work stand and remove the front wheel. (If you’ll be playing along without a stand, set it upright on the floor of your workspace.)

With your handlebars as they would be while riding (meaning don’t turn them), measure from the front of the fork dropouts in a straight line to the very back of the rear tire. Write this measurement down on your notepad. You’ll use this number to get the correct-length box.

Next, measure the outside of the widest parts of your frame. This will probably be at the rear axle or the distance between the crank faces where the pedals go. (Note: not the handlebar, that will get removed and tucked in close later.) Write that number down, too. This one will make sure you get a box wide enough for your rig.

Next, take your bike out of the repair stand (if in one) and place it on the floor, resting on the fork and rear wheel. If you have a dropper post, put your saddle in the all-the-way-down position and then loosen the seatpost clamp on the frame and push the static part of the post all the way in. No dropper? No worries! Just leave the seatpost in place for now. We’re going to grab three measurements. First, measure from the ground to the top of the saddle if still installed with the dropper post. Next, measure from the ground to the top of the seatpost clamp, and then measure from the ground to the top of the steerer tube above the stem. Write those numbers down, too. This will ensure you get a box tall enough for your bike and will give you some choices depending on what your shop has on hand in box sizes. Instructions for dealing with the dropper come later as needed.

Hit your local shop with the numbers you wrote down on your notepad, plus the make and model of your bike. Tell them what you’re up to and ask for at least one box that meets your size needs. Ideally, the box should be at least 2–3 inches bigger in length, width and height over the numbers you measured on the bike. The second box mentioned in the materials list will be cut up for extra padding and protection, so size isn’t as important. Also ask for any frame-tube padding they may be able to supply, axle end-cap covers, rotor protectors (these can be plastic or built-up cardboard), dummy axles or spacers, and any other frame protection items on the list. Get extras if you can. Most shops recycle this stuff, so getting a second (or more) use out of them is often welcome. Collect the rest of the stuff on the list.

This could be as easy as a quick wipe down (if you live in a dry climate or regularly wash your bike) to a full immersive scrub if it has been a while. Pay particular attention to the frame. Grit like baked-on mud, sand and other grime can act as an abrasive under the pipe insulation you’ll use to protect the tubes. No one likes a needlessly scratched-up frame, so clean that bugger before packing.

Now that you’re ready, gather all your tools and materials and put your bike in your work stand.

Shift the chain to the lowest cog (closest to the spokes). Remove the front wheel and pedals. Zip-tie the pedals to each other, place them in a Ziploc and put the bag in the small parts box. After removing the front wheel, put the thru-axle (if equipped) back in the fork. If your wheel has a quick release, remove it from the front hub, reassemble it and place it in the bag with the pedals.

Mark your saddle height on the seatpost at the seatpost clamp with the Sharpie marker or electrical tape or both.

Align the left (non-drive side) crankarm with the left chainstay. Zip-tie the crankarm to the stay through the pedal hole.

Using two zip-ties, secure the chain to the chainring top and bottom where it enters and exits the chainring.

Grab your pipe insulation and cover all the main frame tubes with it (top tube, down tube, seat and chain stays, etc.) Cut the pieces to the correct lengths as needed.

Hold them in place with masking/painters’ tape. You may need to double up on larger tubes. Don’t be stingy with the tape. Use any cut-offs to fashion small pieces to cover shocks and suspension linkages. Secure the rear wheel to the stays with zip-ties so it won’t rotate.

Wrap the rear derailleur with pipe insulation and secure it with a zip-tie. Make sure the derailleur is covered front and back. Remove the derailleur from the frame. The cage may want to snap back when the tension of the chain is released, so watch your fingers. Zip-tie it to the underside of the chainstay or to the spokes of the wheel. This protects both the derailleur and the hanger in the event of a side hit during shipping. The chain may be droopy at this point, but that’s okay.

Place a brake-pad spacer between the pads of the front caliper. Secure it in place with a zip-tie or tape. No pad spacer? Cut a thick piece of cardboard 2×2 inches and slide it between the pads. Use tape to hold it in place.

Make a spacer for the fork legs from the 1/2-inch PVC tubing. Cut it to match your fork spacing (100–110mm) and hold it in place with your thru-axle. On QR-style forks, use a dummy axle and secure it with tape and/or zip-ties.

Wrap the fork legs, head tube and fork crown with pipe insulation, and tape in place. Place a piece of pipe insulation over the ends of the fork from below and secure to the thru-axle or dummy axle with two zip-ties.

Take the front rotor off your hub with the appropriate tool. Lock rings or bolts go back on the hub. Wrap the rotor in cardboard and tape, and put it in the small parts box.

At this point, you know if your box is big enough to leave your seatpost in place or if it’s coming out. (Remember those measurements you took?)

If it’s coming out, remove your dropper trigger from the handlebar or, if attached to it, the left brake lever. In a little while, you’ll need to be able to partially pull the line through the frame if internally routed.

Mountain bikes are tough enough to fit in boxes as it is. Getting to the jigsaw puzzle point of fitting the bike in the box, I find that cables and Hydro lines often suffer when left attached to the handlebar. I like to pull the controls off the handlebar, (only takes a few minutes), pad them all in bubble wrap, and stuff them in a Ziploc. This lets you tuck them in the box without the risk of a kinked brake line or split derailleur cable housing.

To remove the controls, mark locations with the sharpie at the split of the clamps so you can reassemble them in the same place and angle. Remove the grips and controls from the bar. Shifters that are connected to brake levers can stay that way. Dropper levers should be detached from anything they are bolted to as previously mentioned. Wrap everything individually in bubble wrap and place all the controls in a Ziploc. Use a zip-tie to hold the cables together and close the bag. It’ll look like a deflated balloon at this point.

To leave all the controls in place, wrap everything on the handlebar with a generous layer of bubble wrap taped in place.

Remove the faceplate of your stem. Remove the handlebar, and reinstall the faceplate. Wrap the bar in pipe insulation if you removed the controls and set them aside or let dangle if controls are still attached.

Cover the stem with pipe insulation.

To remove the dropper post, take the bike out of the stand and set it upright on the floor. You may need a helper to keep it upright or lean it against a wall. Loosen the seatpost clamp and pull the post from the frame. Let the line from the trigger come with the post. If you feel resistance, push the line through the frame where it enters at the front of the bike. Once the post clears the frame, detach the cable from the bottom of the post by pulling down on the housing, clearing the ferrule on the end of the housing out of its stop and detaching the anchor from the trigger mechanism. Wrap the trigger in bubble wrap and tape it to the frame wherever it is. Don’t pull the post end of the cable back into the frame if you can help it. Wrap the seatpost and saddle in bubble wrap.

If you have a RockShox Reverb with a hydraulic line, you’ll need to leave the line attached. Pull the post from the frame and get as much of the line through as possible the same way as above. Bubble wrap the post and saddle, and gently, without kinking the line, lay it along the top of the rear tire and zip-tie it in place.

At this point, your frame is wrapped, all loose ends are collected, and you’re ready to package your steed.

Dry fit your bike in the main box. Provided it fits well, remove the bike and, with your utility blade, cut both the ends, top and bottom flaps, and the side panels off of the spare box. Place the base of the spare box in the bottom of the main box. Trim it as needed so it fits reasonably well. Trim one of the top flaps to the width of the fork. Bend it in a “U” shape and secure it over the fork from the back of the crown, under the fork tips, and up the front of the fork. Tape it in place. This helps keep the fork from punching through the bottom of the box.

Slide your bike back into the box. Take one of the side panels and place it in the box against the non-drive side of the bike.

Grab your front wheel and put the appropriate axle end cap covers on it. Slide the front wheel in the space between the non-drive side of the bike and the outer shell of the box. The first side panel we put in will shield the bike from the wheel. Slide the second spare-box panel between the outside of the box and the front wheel, effectively doubling the outside of the box.

Place all your spare parts in the small cardboard box and tape it closed. Make sure the rotor, pedals, and any other items you took off are in there and secure. If you’re making a return trip, add a roll of packing tape and some zip ties, too. Place it in the main box next to the rear wheel. Put the seatpost assembly in next to the rear wheel, too.

If the handlebar is bare of controls, cover it in bubble wrap, and put it on the other side of the rear wheel.

If you left all the controls installed on the bars, you’ll need to gently place the handlebar either alongside the fork or parallel to the top tube. Hold it in place with zip-ties or pad around it with more bubble wrap. Careful when you bend the lines and cables so that you don’t snag or kink them.

Check around your work area to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything you removed from the bike (you wouldn’t be the first), and, as long as you haven’t, place the duplicate mailing label on top of the bike and seal the box with packing tape, then affix the shipping label. And last, look the box over for any old labels, and either remove them or black them out with a permanent marker.

Bon voyage and rubber side down.