We always recommend taking photos before and after you ship your bike so that you have them in the event your bike is damaged or lost during shipping. Photos document your bike’s condition before and after shipping, and we’ll ask you to submit them if you file a claim. In this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbAbKz9zqG8YouTube,  BikeFlights Ambassador and professional bike racer Kerry Werner walks you through the process of getting good quality images of your bike as well as your box or case both before and after you ship.  

 

Kerry gives the following tips for taking photos before and after you ship your bike:

  • Use your smartphone for convenience.

  • Make sure you have good light so we all can clearly see what’s in your photos.

  • Before packing your bike, take photos of it to document its condition. Get images from various angles and distances, and snap close ups to show special details.

  • As you pad, protect and then put your bike into its box or case, take photos of the packing process to show how you prepared and packed your bike prior to shipping.

  • Once you have put your bike in its box or case, take more photos to show you you secured it and any separate loose items within your box or case.

  • Then, after you tape, zip or otherwise seal closed your box or case, take photos of the outside from all angles. Be sure to get a photo showing how you securely attached your label to your box or case. 

  • After your bike is delivered, take note of any changes to your box or case, including holes, indentations, markings or even extra tape. These could potentially indicate damage, although most of the time  it’s just your box or case simply doing its job in normal shipping conditions. 

  • As you unpack and assemble your bike, take photos to document  the condition of your bike, again noting any changes from its original pre-shipping condition.

  • Take your bike for a test ride. If everything’s fine, you can simply delete your photos.

  • However, if your bike was damaged or lost,  submit a claim including the photos you took at https://www.bikeflights.com/claims.

 

Having photos showing the condition of your bike before and after shipping, as well as your packing process and your labeled box or case, will make it faster and easier for you to submit a claim, and it’ll help us more quickly process it and take care of you.