In packing bikes, its best I believe to have the rear wheel on the bike, bars, stem, pedals, front brake, and rear deraillieur and chain off.
All the bits are best in another box or at least secured away from the frame. I typically pad the frame with foam pipe insulation, and then cover the whole unit in a cocoon of cardboard. Then the front wheel can still go in the box - but only after foaming or padding the axle nuts and using lots of material to make sure the axle of the front wheel can't perforate everything and hit a frame tube.
Of course, the front fork must have a spacer.
Using this strategy, when I ran Bicycle Classics inc. and after that period, I've had fantastic results shipping.
Basically, pack it as though you assume the box will be dropped, squashed, and abused and it should be fine.
In general, though, most folks who pack bikes to it assuming things aren't abused, but that is a big if. Handlebars against steel tubes are an especially big no-no. Don't think for a moment a paper towel roll of cardboad will protect the tube. Well it will - less paint will come off the tube when the dent is made.
Mike Kone in Boulder CO
> How true. So bearing that in mind, here's the Pfeiffer Frames
> / Kool Bikes description of how to pack a frame. Click on the
> link on the upper right hand side of the page:
>
> Cheers,
> Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)
>
> > One of the most prevalent sources of damage comes from the
> > struggle to fit
> > in and anchor the wheels and stem and bar assemblies. I think
> > next time I
> > buy a complete bike, I will try and talk the seller into
> > packing the wheels
> > in a second box along with the bar assy. even if I have to
> > bribe him. It
> > doesnt take much skill to pull the inner brake cables to
> > completely seperate
> > the bar and stem on a vintage, exposed cables bike.....Pat
> > (had both kinds
> > of damage) Lay
> >
> >
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