I know that I filled up a lot of space yesterday with my idea of how a bike should be packed, but I did leave out a couple of things.
Of course the pedals are removed, I doubt the bike would go in the box without doing this. They are wrapped and put in the little box with the skewers and other small items. I like to use the cardboard cylinders from inside paper towel rolls to slide up on the crank arms and tape them in place. Most importantly, I omitted to mention the extra padding that should go at the top of the seat tube, as this is more fragile than one might think and easily damaged. I may put the seat post back in, minus the seat, to strengthen this area next time I pack a bike.
Most of us get and send a lot of bikes. This is a mundane but essential part of collecting the type of bikes that cannot be found at the LBS. I know I've bored a lot of you with this, but there was at least one member who had questions about shipping. I promise, not another word unless requested on the subject from me (Massive sigh of relief heard from all, I know!)
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi