I’m fixing to sell my house . A moving company will pick everything up and store it for about 4 months, at that point I hope to have purchased a place near where I’m currently renting.

So would it be better to box the bikes up or let them wrap them in bubbles or whatever they do. Both are of the irreplaceable vintage type. Gleaming paint, no scratches. Stuff I won’t be riding any time soon but not something I want messed up.

I'd say it depends on who's packing the bikes. Bike shop? Box should be fine, they should know how to pack the bike, with appropriate padding, so nothing gets scratched. Moving company? Pay for a roll of bubble wrap per bike. Bikes aren't something movers normally pack, so it's a crap shoot as to whether or not it ends up well packed.

IME, anything movers store is subject to damage. Isn't there a friend or relative who could keep them for a few weeks?

If they're my size, I'll look after them for you.



Barry

Why not just keep them in your rental?

My modern gravel and mountain bike are at my rental. I’m at my house packing to live there, 1200 miles away. In my garage I have a 2001 Tallerico and a mint 1985 Spectrum. Not really the top of the food chain anymore but I’ll never sell them.

I may box them up and mail them to myself.

I worry. About all of this really.

If you want the job done right....

Make sure you document what's being packed and stored. Friend of mine did something similar, had moving company pack everything in his house and stored it for six months. When the shipment was finally delivered to his new house, all the good stuff (an extensive tool collection) never made it. I don't remember the details, but since there was a long time between packing and unpacking and I think the storage place was separate from the moving company (a lot of finger pointing), he lost with no recourse.

Boxes, for sure. Especially at this time of year, bike shops will have plenty of them to give you, complete with the packing materials. (New bikes come with round cushiony material around frame tubes -- looks a bit like pipe insulation.) Remove pedals and front wheels, loosen stems and turn handlebars sideways. and -- if a bike doesn't fit snuggly in a box -- punch holes in the sides of the box and run long zip ties to hold the bike in place so that it doesn't bounce around while being moved.

Seriously, for the vintage bikes--I'd buy lumber and plywood and build solid crates for them, thoroughly cushioned inside.

Those bikes would stay with me. I can't tell you how much stuff I had stolen from moving companies or storage when I was in the service. Especially if they are irreplaceable.

You can avoid scratches to the frame by wrapping frame parts with foam pipe insulation. It's cheap, lightweight, and effective if you tape the pipe insulation closed around the frame. You might ask a bike shop to save you the plastic protective pieces that may come with bikes shipped from the factory. One example is a circular piece that attaches to the end of the axles and spread the pressure out over a few inches so the axle or QR end doesn't penetrate the box.

On one of my many moves I was assured that my bikes would be bubble wrapped and packed in a small mattress box. To my horror when moving van arrived and I looked inside when they opened doors my bikes were not wrapped or boxed but simply thrown on top of the load. When I asked the driver he said they never wrap or box "toys." Luckily they survived unscathed. Moral of this experience I never let a moving company handle my bikes again. Always found a way to transport them myself

VegasTriker's suggestion about buying the inexpensive 6 foot lengths of foam pipe insulation from LOWES/HOME DEPOT in order to protect the bike's paint and frame tubing is a great suggestion. You can then also use those inexpensive and very common swimming pool noodles that you'll see everywhere from May thru August in discount stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, Wal-mart, Target, Ace Hardware, and even LIDL's , Kroger, Publix, and Walgreens.

If it is a prized possession, you will want to "mummy-fi" and wrap it up completely with taped up foam pipe insulation & swimmy noodles.
You wanna wrap it up like King Tut.
Remember what Sam & Dave, and also The Fabulous Thunderbirds sang: "Wrap, wrap wrap it up......" - before the maniac mover-destroyers take it.
Another advantage of wrap, wrap rap pin it up is that the very unskilled, low hourly wage earners of the movers' crew and warehouse cannot immediately visually determine that said bicycle can be immediately sold for quick cash to obtain drugs to fuel their habit or to obtain a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 to keep them in their usual alcoholic haze.
Yeah, Bubba on the mover's crew or as part of the warehouse team will undoubtedly know that it is a bicycle that someone values since it is all taped wrapped with pipe insulation/noodles, but Bubba isn't likely gonna take the 43 minutes that it might take him to unwrap/unmummy-fi it. Just too much wrapping stuff to dispose of and just too many minutes of working to get it unwrapped and then stealthy sneaking it into his Ford Econoline van or into his Ford F150 pickup truck covering it with a ratty blanket. Somebody might see Bubba doing that, and though Bubba knows where to walk there--park there at work , to elude the range of what the security cameras
capture, he knows that most of the others there working at the warehouse are uncool who frown upon and will report, prosecute and fire any employees who are caught stealing.

Excellent point.

The plan is evolving. Turns out my vehicle can tow the uhaul big boy.

That and every moving company we spoke to seems to think all the other ones are fraudulent. They all have a bad rating with the BBB. The entire industry seems to be soundly hated. Makes the insane rant above sound well reasoned.

So we’re going to shove it all into a trailer, drive it over, and store it while we house hunt for the next few months. I’ll bubble wrap the bikes and they’ll get a nice safe spot in the trailer. I’ll apply the appropriate padding to keep them intact even if it’s an emergency stop.

The bikes are steel and not fragile. It’s the cosmetics I want to protect.

I'm old enough to have used movers several times before they were deregulated. It's not surprising the consumer experience has since deteriorated.

Have a bike shop box them up and send them, not the moving company. Moving companies are known for breaking stuff.

[QUOTE=rosefarts;22844789]TThat and every moving company we spoke to seems to think all the other ones are fraudulent. They all have a bad rating with the BBB. The entire industry seems to be soundly hated.

My n=2, but both experiences were negative.

Driving your own rig is a pain, but it's the only way to control the safety of your possessions and the arrival date.

Something here tells me you live in the south.

If it were me I would keep the bikes at my rented place and move them myself in my car when I was moving to the new house. I do this with lamps as well as it is safer and no big deal to transport them in a car, even if you need to rent something.

I reckon that you’re off by a couple thousand miles.

lol bro

Paying movers to pack and pickup items sounds expensive.

Wouldn't it be drastically less for a self-storage locker rental filled with vertical bicycle nook stands?

This would allow me to move and store my bikes without any disassembly.

It also gives me flexibility in going back and forth to the rental locker anytime to add/remove/sell things.

This is why I never trust movers for anything other than Ikea furniture:

Ask them in advance, what are the procedures for property damage or loss? Know your course of action to deal with this before hiring them, not figure out how to long after it happens.

Almost always, they will just blame you that it was already damaged like that. In the event of a loss, they deny ever having the item.

They will tell you to settle it with your homeowners insurance. Your insurance will deny claims and say to sue them instead. In the event you do have proper insurance, do you really want to go thru with it? I don't buy home insurance with hope that I'll score from a fire.

Movers are in this business for good profit and will work even harder to stop you from dipping into their sauce. They won't pay a dime for anything unless they are forced to by powers more powerful than they are.

Movers have been gaming customers for decades and know exactly what they can get away with. You don't.

I am so happy this isn't me.

It’s best to box them up with custom or specialty bike boxes for maximum protection. Inside the box, use foam padding or bubble wrap to cushion delicate areas, and consider partially disassembling the bikes to fit them snugly. If you trust the movers, you could let them professionally wrap the bikes, but be sure to supervise and ensure they use high-quality materials. Clearly label the boxes as fragile and provide specific handling instructions. Lastly, ensure the storage facility is climate-controlled to prevent damage from humidity or temperature changes. Also, some facilities utilize unit AI chat systems for real-time updates and assistance, offering added peace of mind regarding your bikes' safety.