For bike buyers, sellers, online retailers, and cyclists who may want to bring their bike to a destination race or vacation, it’s important knowing how to ship a bike, and how much it might cost. In the realm of online buying and selling, or traveling with your bike, having accurate information about the costs and expenditures is essential.
Let’s say you were lucky enough to get a spot to escape from Alcatraz, a grand destination triathlon, and of course you’d like to ride your own bike during the race. that’s where shipping can come in handy, but it’s not something you want to think about only at the last minute.
Or maybe you’re planning to go on a bike vacation with a friend, several states away. Your options are to rent a bike that fits or doesn’t fit, carry your bike in your car or on your car’s bike rack, try to check it as luggage on your flight, or have your bike shipped so you know it will be there waiting for you when you arrive. .
Is it expensive to ship a bike? is it safe for the bike? Will it be a nuisance on someone’s part? in this article we will answer all these questions.
how much does it cost to ship a bike?
The price of shipping a bike varies depends on the level of service you seek, and the service and shipping providers you choose. Expect anywhere from about $50 (short distance, slower shipping,
and do your own packing) to upwards of $250 (longer distance, faster shipping, professionally packed).
expect the price to increase with 1) the amount of service you need, such as disassembly and packing, and the box itself, and 2) the speed at which you need the bike shipped.
bike shipping options
Major shipping companies like ups and fedex will of course ship your bike for a fee. Shipping the bike is only part of the equation, and if you ship directly with one of these carriers, you’ll also need to figure out how to pack the bike.
In addition, there are several services such as shipbikes, bikeflights and sports express that specialize in shipping bicycles. Whichever option you choose, the cost will largely be determined by the dimensions of your bike, the distance and the service. p>
the advantage of using a service like bikeflights is that they will help you through the process step by step. once you place an order, they can send you a box that fits your bike well. they have online resources to help you break it down and pack it up, and then they have couriers that will come and load the bike for you.
Another obvious advantage of a service like this is that they get better rates with carriers, due to their volume and experience shipping bikes. if you, as someone who might ship a bike every few years, ask for a quote, you’ll get the “flat rate”.
An estimated shipping price range for a bike in a box, with a total package weighing about 30 pounds, is $75 to $400. yes, that’s a wide range. Here are some sample prices to ship a bike from New York to San Francisco.
How quickly you need to get your bike from one place to another obviously has the biggest influence on price. if you can settle for 4-day shipping, you’ll get the best rates.
here is the breakdown using ny to sf as a test example:
ship a bike via shipping companies (ny to sf)
- fedex: You will pay $75-$175, depending on the speed at which you need to ship. this price does not include insurance, which can be added for an additional fee.
- oops: you’ll pay about $145. this price does not include insurance, which can be added for an additional fee.
shipping a bike via bike shipping services (ny to sf)
- bikeflights: The approximate cost of shipping a bicycle is $85 plus disassembly and box. Our Preferred Customer Experience – You can find it here.
- Shipping Bikes – The average cost of shipping a bike has been $65, plus the disassembly and box. however, in mid-2022 shipbikes stopped its shipping service and was only selling boxes. hopefully they’ll re-enter the market when shipping prices are more reasonable.
- sport express: shipping for a bike starts at $174, plus teardown and box .
check a bike as airline baggage (if flying) from ny to sf
- Different airlines have different rules, and those rules are changing with the dynamics of a covid and post-covid environment. check with the airline, but usually the cost is around $35 to $55, plus the price of your plane ticket, of course.
Whatever shipping option you choose, consider spending a little more to protect your bike. all services offer insurance and protection plans that will definitely give you peace of mind. In this way, you will not be stressed and worried about losing or damaging the bike.
packing the bicycle for shipment
There are a few ways to pack your bike for the journey. This article is not intended to be the 
authoritative piece on packing a bike, because it is a project that could warrant 2,000 words on its own. Whichever way you choose, you will want to make sure you are shipping in a box designed for bikes, not a generic box. There are a few ways to get your hands on a good bike box.
- Have a service provider like bikeflights send you one. Because they have so much experience shipping bikes, they can be sure you’ll get the right box for your bike. it’s part of the service they offer.
- buy a box. you can buy a box online through amazon or other sources. it’s not terribly expensive, maybe around $10 plus shipping.
- get one at a local bike shop. Those bikes that bike shops display came in bike boxes, the same type of box that will be perfect for you to ship a bike. if you’re near a local bike shop, you might be able to snag a box. they often have some on hand for shipping.
The next step will be to disassemble the bike. the teardown process is pretty universal, whether you’re shipping a road bike, a trike, a gravel bike, a mountain bike, anything really. you don’t need to disassemble it all, just enough to fit securely in the box. this usually involves removing the front end, removing the seat, and securing any parts that might move during transit. here are some quick tips; again, this is not meant to be a how-to article on bike disassembly:
- have plenty of padding, bubble wrap, and zip ties on hand, plus your bike tools
- remove any accessories you want to carry separately, like your bike computer
- remove the handlebars
- remove the front wheel
- remove the pedals
- wrap the bike so that no metal enters- friction on metal or metal on carbon in the box
- secure moving parts with flanges, such as the rear wheel or crank
- while loading in the box, take care to fix everything so that no part can scratch or hurt another person
If you hear metal on metal as you move the box, you should reopen the box and see what it might be rubbing against. you want the bike to be completely cushioned, that it doesn’t rub against other metals and that it doesn’t move inside the box.
You can certainly do it yourself, if you have the tools and know how to ride a bike. or you can take it to a bike shop and ask them to do it.
A quick call to our local bike shop told us they would professionally break down and pack a bike for $50 in a used bike box. From there, they hire bikeflights to take the bike to the destination and pass that cost on to you without surcharges.
the other extreme: receiving the bike after shipment
You can choose to receive the bike a few different ways. If you are shipping the bike so that you can ride it on a once-in-a-lifetime ride, or use it in a destination race, we suggest not skimping. We recommend having the bike shipped to a bike shop, so that it can be professional re-assembled while 
you travel, and be ready for you when you arrive. If you are shipping a bike to do an A-Race, why not have a pro put it together.
if you are shipping a bike because you sold it on ebay or elsewhere online, then of course you can ship it to the buyer. they decide how to mount it.
Others, like snowbirds or those going to a destination for many days or weeks, may want to have it shipped to their condo or second home, where they will stay at their destination. if this is your plan, just make sure you have the tools to rebuild lists once you get there.
Reassembly is made easier and much more accurate if you marked the key points on your bike while taking it apart. for example, use a marker or a piece of tape to mark how far you want the seatpost to go into the seat frame, so you have exactly the same fit after assembly as before.
what mistakes do people make when shipping bikes?
We asked bikeflights pros what common mistakes they see people making, in an effort to help you avoid them. this is what they told us.
“The number one mistake we see is that people don’t pack their bikes properly. Proper packaging is essential to keeping your bike safe during shipping, so we’ve spent a lot of time putting together resources to help those who choose to pack their own bikes do it right. for example, an unprotected wheel axle end can cause a dent or hole in an unpadded or insufficiently padded down tube or seat tube if they come in contact during shipping.
Another common mistake is not giving enough time to ship your bike. While the weather may be perfect where you live and where you’re headed, excessive rain, snowstorms, floods, and hurricanes elsewhere along the way can cause unforeseen shipping delays. ship your bike on time to give you an extra day or two to arrive before when you need it, just in case.”
excellent tips. don’t skimp on the packaging and don’t cut it on time.
Learning how much it costs to ship a bike and how to do it carefully is important to both buyers and sellers, as well as touring cyclists and destination racers.
If you want to use our recommended service on bikeflights, you can find them here.