My baby Olmo will go to SanFran to 1 Lugnut,

He will complete the project and promises to show us his progress.

I thought it could be fun to see how we pack bikes or partial bikes.

this was fun.

bb axle is in the fork tube,
the second arm is on the backside of the seattube.
I could put the no-name rear axle and 4speed regina on but the weight of the complete box would go over 5kgs.



Note the flying crankset to protect it from being squished!

Here is a 23 inch MTB I packed to go in a 108 inch dimension box. I was proud of the packing job.

-Kurt

Wow, I'd have been thrilled to receive bikes packed with even half that care. So far I've been extremely lucky and any damage has been very minor.

How long would you estimate it took to pack the bikes like that?

I would be really concerned about the placement of that crank. The arm is almost touching the DT, while the chainring is almost touching the TT and ST. Myself, that crank would be wrapped up, put in a small box, and secured inside the main triangle.

+1 I would be using pipe insulation or similar to protect the tubes.

This is one I shipped earlier this year. I have since learned from Miamijim to have the DT level with the bottom of the box, that minimizes the box size. I use those foam water toys, sold at dollar stores around here. Cheaper than insulation, and colorful.

To below, wow, 15 minutes! I really need to improve in that regard. Old slow Bill = about 2 hours.

15 minutes for a frame, if it's done entirely with foam padding (no bubble wrap).

1-2 hours for an entire bike, provided the size of the bike facilitates itself to be installed in a bike box with little effort, and that the handlebars are shipped in a separate box.

As for the latter, I've developed a rather efficient method wherein two Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate boxes are used as a safe location for all the components removed off the frame. These boxes are wedged on either side of the rear wheel. Not only does it provide excellent crush protection for the rear triangle (and if you've padded everything in the boxes properly, you won't have to worry about damage to the components themselves), it centers the bike, saves on box padding, and ensures the rear axle will never punch through the box.

-Kurt

great stuff, people! Id really like to see a pic of Kurt's 2-box wedge for a full bike (when you next ship one).
As for the baby Olmo: make sure that crank can't bounce or rotate, if it's really secure then you should be OK, but I'd still put a brace inside between the rear DOs. Even though the fork is zip-tied there, I wouldn't rely on it to serve as an "axle". A piece of wood or plastic with a couple washers and screws still should not put you over the weight limit.

Like a fool, I never did photograph the Superior or the Masi when I did so. The fellow who bought my '70 Paramount intends to have me pack it in about 4 months time; if nothing comes up in the meantime, that'll be the next complete bike up for shipment.

If nothing else, I'll bring home a Trek bike box one day and do a mockup.

-Kurt

the 3 cable ties are hard on-that crank isnt going anywhere!
I will do something more about the dropouts, Im not happy with it.
maybe a piece of spruce and more cable ties

dont have a box yet, hopefully in the morning fetch one from LBS

I put the BB axle in the fork tube.
Wife is going to wonder what happened to here exercise mat!

the olmo is not made of paper thin tubing- she will be just fine.

FYI the postage from FIN should hopefully be 40 euros- 50 bucks

If that's the case, then you're damaging the paint. Ditto for the FD, which has been raised up the seattube.

There's no way around it - there's nothing excusing that crank from going in a box with a bit of padding, nor the FD.

-Kurt

It takes me a couple of hours with some trial and error.

Me and 1 lugnut both agreed that the bike frame will be repainted.
I have not continued packing, but will consider repack.
the deal is on hold at the moment untill an issue with size is solved.

I'm bumping this thread up for you - I just packed Ron Huff's Trek 600 using the 2-wedge format:





For the record, the whole bike. I took out the waterbottle cage later and removed the left-hand crankarm.



-Kurt

i usually get the welder out and take the frame apart so it looks like this:



this way you save a lot on shipping costs.

Great idea! However, it's pretty cheap of you not to include the powder coating. I always make sure to pack at least 4 different colors!

^^^^^^^ * some assembly required.

You guys are all artists. Remind me of that goofball Christo, the German building wrapper.

My only contribution to this thread would be to agree with Unworthy1. A short length of 3/4 pvc tubing, or other suitable brace, between the dropouts. Makes a lot of sense, IMO.