[QUOTE=maddog34;23701158]....maybe they leave the rear der. off the bike now, to limit shipping damage...?[[size=13px]QUOTE]

Not on these two Specialized, no; they both had their RDR's attached & cabled when I took them out of their packaging.

Both were well packed, secured by zip ties with flexible foam fitted blocks to the major structural points like dropouts & bottom bracket. Those were then encased in cardboard that was taped shut. Lots of free space between those compartmentalized protective covers and the outer cardboard shell of the shipping cartons.

Thanks for your insights on this BTW. I appreciate all the contributors here and how they add to my knowledge base.[/size]