Boxing up a bike for courier

[beanzontoast]

Does anyone have experience of boxing up a drop bar bike for sending with a courier?

I've obtained a cardboard bike box from my LBS, and have removed the wheels, cranks and bottom bracket (it's going to have a 'ream and sleeve' job - bb threads are damaged). What else do I need to do? Can the drop bars stay on if turned sideways? What kind of internal packing and protection should I use?

 

[Plax]

Well Evans quite literally just threw my bike in the box. The drop bars they turned sideways and put under the crossbar. Pedals weren't on either, otherwise the bike was complete. They bubble wrapped round the frame in places and that was it. Nothing to secure the bike in the box. Wasn't very impressed.
Wiggle had plastic things to keep the rear mech in place, turned the flat bars in and secured the bike to the box via each wheel being kind of cable tied and they had some more cardboard inside to pad the box out and stop the bike moving about too much.

 

[beanzontoast]

Thanks for that.

I've actually taken just about everything off the frame (well, good excuse to explore and clean!) and the courier is coming today. Used loads of packing so it can't move about at all.

 

[bobg]

That cheap foam insulation that wraps round large bore heating pipes is handy to protect the paintwork. BTW I sent one I sold by courier ( cant remember which one) and it got returned because it was re-measured at the depot and was about 3 inches longer than the max permitted ... bastards!!

 

[beanzontoast]

That cheap foam insulation that wraps round large bore heating pipes is handy to protect the paintwork. BTW I sent one I sold by courier ( cant remember which one) and it got returned because it was re-measured at the depot and was about 3 inches longer than the max permitted ... bastards!!

The courier has been - he was impressed that we had it boxed, labelled and ready, as apparently it's common for him to arrive to collect only to find wrapping chaos in progress - or not wrapped at all!