[CR]Re: Hobbs Tandem - on the way

(Example: Framebuilders:Tony Beek)

From: "Peter Brown" <peterg.brown@ntlworld.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 07:04:02 +0100
Subject: [CR]Re: Hobbs Tandem - on the way

Sam Lingo wrote: Wow,Mick Butler shipped the russ tandem London to Texas ParcelForce for about $100.Hubs were shipped seperate.

In recent weeks the Royal Mail has issued renewed instructions to their Post Offices and sub-Post Offices to be very strict about size limits, as they had previously been fairly relaxed about it. My small local office recently produced an "official" tape measure with the limit marks shown in bold. The size limit is 1.5 metres long, and the sum of the length plus the girth must not be more than 3 metres. There is no problem in putting a frame into a within limits box with plenty of padding, but a complete bike or a tandem frame will present problems. A tandem frame will now probably be too long. The best way of packing a complete bike is to remake a larger box so that it is exactly on limit, and then make up a strapped together package of the dismantled bike and suitable packing material that will slide into it. My local office also never charged me for more than 10Kg weight, as that was the top limit of their scales, but now I have to take it to a larger office if their limit is exceeded.

I understand that the proposals to charge by volume rather than weight are still not dead, and if that comes about the cost of shipping frames and bikes could become prohibitive, but books about them will be cheap!

Peter Brown. Lincolnshire, England.