Shipping bicycle back home question

[John Allen]

I'm going to be riding from Salem, Oregon, to Bar Harbor, Maine, this coming summer.  I'd like to hear from other folks with similar trips in the past about how you ended up shipping your bicycles and other equipment back home.  I'm thinking of flying myself back out of Boston.  Thanks for your ideas.

[John Nelson]

I rode my bike to a bike shop in Bar Harbor, gave them my credit card and my address. Done. I took the shuttle to the Bangor airport and flew home with my gear in a duffle bag. Piece of cake.

[Pat Lamb]

I did the same as John on the other end of the country.  Took a couple weeks for the shop in Anacortes to get to mine and ship it, so I was back home waiting on the bike.

[indyfabz]

The above advice is sound. If you have the time and access to a computer with a printer, you might save a few $$ on shipping the bike home using bikeflights.com.

One option for flying out of Boston is to ride back to Brunskwick and take Amtrak. You can roll your bike on at that station. (Reservation required.)

[DaveB]

Took a couple weeks for the shop in Anacortes to get to mine and ship it, so I was back home waiting on the bike.

Which is why every tourist or other serious rider should have at least two bikes!

[indyfabz]

It helps to get on the shop's schedule, especially if it is a busy shop. (During one loop from/to Missoula, we told the shop when we would be returning but the employee neglected to put us on the schedule. We had to wait nearly five days for boxing and shipping home.) I realize that can be a little difficult to do if you don't know when you will finish, but the closer you get to the destination the better idea you will have of your arrival. Then you can call the shop and give them some lead time, maybe even building in a day just to be safe. With the prevalence of phones, it's easy to keep in touch if things change.

As for shipping time, bikeflights.com that I mentioned above quoted me 4 days from Philly to Missoula. Shipping took 4 days. The return shipping was delayed for some reason. Can't remember the exact cause. It may have been flooding or a labor dispute.

But ultimately, a second (or third) bike is always helpful.

[John Nelson]

Which is why every tourist or other serious rider should have at least two bikes!

Agreed. It can be a bit slow. It was a month before my bicycle arrived home from Bar Harbor. I was beginning to think the bike shop had lost my bike. So don't pack your only bike shoes and helmet in the box, and have another bike at home. The bike shop in Astoria was faster--it only took a week. Also, the bike shop in Astoria told me where I could buy a giant duffle bag just down the street for only $12. That was big enough for all my panniers and gear. I reused that same bag in Bar Harbor by having it sent to me care of general delivery at the Bar Harbor post office.

[John Allen]

Thanks everyone for your response to my question.  It sounds like it won't be near the hassle that I imagined if I just stay flexible and that I'll have some options to choose from.  Thanks again for all your input.

[22hornet]

+1 on bikeflights I just finished  6 week southern tier and had them ship my bike to Florida and now I'm in Arizona and they are picking up my bike tomorrow to ship it home. Pretty easy if you can get a box and pack it yourself. Jim

[mucknort]

Another option is a company called shipbikes.com. Their rates are unbeatable and they use FedEx. I've used them when I've bought and sold used bikes.


http://www.shipbikes.com/home3.html

....or do what I did after a cross country ride. We needed a new used car, so at the end of our trip I found a great deal on a car in SoCal on Craigslist and then drove back to New Hampshire, taking a completely different route than our bike trip.

[John Allen]

Thanks,
The buying a car idea is inventive.  Appreciate the advice.

[raceboy]

When I toured from Santa Cruz back home to West L.A., I found a great rate and rented a car big enough to chuck my bike in the back and drive up there. hat's an option you might want to investigate. Since I only needed the car one day it wound up being cheaper than taking the train.

[OldDogBC]

Hi John and all,

I'm leaving Newport Beach, CA on May 18th and ending in Bar Harbor, ME. Shooting for early August "dip in the Atlantic". I was considering identical alternatives to your return options and like the idea of flying back out of Boston (after a really good seafood dinner of course). If you beat me to the bike shop in Bar Harbor you'll have to update us on how the process worked for you.

Todd