So you’re taking the plunge and moving to Austin. Congrats! It’s a great place to live, and one of the fastest-growing in the country. Now it’s time to get a bike! Already have one? Perfect, you’ll fit right in. But how do you get it down here? You can’t use post office shipping. Guess what? LTL is all good with bike shipping, there’s just a few things to know. Here’s how to ship a bike…

1. Remove the wheels – This will keep the entire product slimmer, lowering the chance of damage. The wheels will be the most fragile part of the shipment.

2. Package the wheels – After removing the wheels from the body, you can leave the tubes inflated. This will provide support for the wheels. If possible, you should try to box or crate the wheels to keep them from damage.

3. Remove the handlebars – Be sure to wrap and package them. Along with removing the wheels, this slims down the package and lowers the risk of damage from other LTL freight.

4. Point the gears and the derailleur upwards – This lowers the risk of snags and protects from other freight.

5. Package everything together – If possible keep your bike, wheels, and handlebars as one shipping item. This decreases the likelihood that the pieces will be separated and possibly lost during transit.

6. Confirm freight class – Bicycles are a density-based item, so each product could have a different class. Freight class you ask? Yeah, we’ve got a blog that explains freight class.

7. Get insurance – We’ve talked about freight insurance before, but especially when you’re shipping your bike, it’s important to have that piece of mind.

And that’s how to ship a bike. Good luck and happy riding.

P.S. Wear a helmet.