Shipping with a bike shop simplifies your shipping experience. You don’t have to know how to work on your bike or already have a bike box or case. Here are some tips on ways you can work with shops to help ship your bike.

Get a Box: Bike shops will often have gently used bike boxes and packing materials available for a fee or for free, but availability can vary. Call ahead to inquire about box availability and politely request that the shop save a box and packing material for you.

Hire a Pro: Hire a mechanic at a shop to professionally pack and assemble your bike on either end of your shipment. Not only will you save time, but you can also have the shop conduct a safety check to spot any potential issues that could ruin your trip.

Some shops prefer to handle both the packing and booking of your shipment while others will ask you to book after they pack. The person who books a shipment is ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the order information including dimensions, weight and addresses as well as proper packing. They will also serve as Bikeflights’ primary point of contact for communications and receive labels and pickup confirmations.

Whether you or the shop is doing the booking, it’s necessary to communicate with each other about shipment details before, during and after shipping.

Looking for a bike shop? Check out our Bike Shop Finder.