<p>D is staying in her college town for the summer and I was hoping to ship her bicycle. Has anyone done this? What is the best way? Is it really worth it financially or better to buy one off craigslist or at Target?</p>
<p>I’d just buy a used one. A cheap one. Bikes are often stolen. </p>
<p>A little more research tells me that the thing to do is take it apart and fit it in the smallest box possible. This wouldn’t make much sense for her as she would have to put the thing back together on the other end. hmmmmm . . . :-w </p>
<p>I shipped my son’s from Seattle to his dad’s once, in a bike box, packed as instructed by the bike shop. It…did not survive the trip well. My younger D is perfectly happy with her Target bike. That might be a better option for your D. </p>
<p>Thanks for the input - that’s what I am starting to think.</p>
<p>I researched this last year and used <a href=“http://www.bikeflights.com”>http://www.bikeflights.com</a> . Most reasonable shipping costs I could find.</p>
<p>Perhaps you could ship it to a local bike shop, that could reassemble it.</p>
<p>We’ve shipped bikes fairly frequently (we tend to take biking vacations).</p>
<p>Couple of options: Amtrak will take bikes as cargo. We can usually pick up a bike box at a local bike shop or sometimes Amtrak will just have them available at the station, especially with advance notice. If the bike has a quick release tire, usually taking off a tire and loosening the handlebar nut to turn the handlebars sideways is all you need to fit it in a bike box. Shipping this way is fairly cheap. Our bikes usually get their own train car even, because they put the oversized stuff in one car.</p>
<p>We’ve also used bike shops to ship to bike shops before, if they are the helpful sorts on both ends. (This summer we are shipping the bikes to Canada while we drive up, and doing the bike shop to bike shop thing.) advantages are that the bike shop will ship it right and the other end can unpack and troubleshoot if needed.</p>
<p>We’ve flown bikes too, but that’s generally the more expensive option.</p>
<p>All that being said, we have nice bikes. If you’re talking about a bike purchased at Target, I personally wouldn’t waste money shipping it. I’d buy one on Craigslist or from Target on the other end as suggested above. She could even check out a bike shop in her area for a good used bike.</p>
<p>Yeah the bike choices to send are not super nice bikes and she just needs a bike to tool around town not a specially fit one for racing or something. I sent a link to the local bike shop that sells used and she was going to send out an email to see if anyone is selling on at the end of the school year. Otherwise I think Target or craigslist</p>
<p>We found a great deal through UPS to ship DS’s bi8ke to college. It was stolen the first day 
Then he shipped his high end bike via USPS. That was a major hassle and took forever. Was cheaper to use UPS, tough that was years ago.</p>
<p>Buying a bike will be a better deal. My son races, so we know all about shipping bikes. Fed Ex charged us $75. The airlines charged us $200. Then there’s the bike shop rates to take it apart and put it together, something he’s going to have to learn to do. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t suggest Target for a bike, if she wants something reliable. A used bike would be a better choice. Are there local used bike shops?</p>
<p>Pawn shops and thrift stores are also good places to look for a short term bicycle.</p>
<p>There is a shop in town that sells reconditioned used bikes - she will try the college email system first and go from there. I was just hoping that I could wave a magic wand and have a bike ready to go at her doorstep. O:-) </p>
<p>We have a relative who got an awesome nice bike on craigslist for a song. If your daughter is in a college town, this might be a good time to look for used. Seniors are probably asking the same question about the financial soundness of moving vs selling their college bikes!</p>
<p>It can definitely make sense to buy a low-end bicycle rather than shipping one. If the plan is short rides in good weather on flat ground, a $300 bicycle–and that would be the new price–makes sense. If the plan is long rides, not so much. Shipping a bike will run $50 or so, what with packing/unpacking/shipping/etc. If someone happens to be driving that way and has room in their car or a bike rack, it would be much less. </p>
<p>BUT… be aware that pawn shops, Craigslist, and classifieds can often mean buying a stolen bike. </p>
<p>When looking at a used bike, she should watch out for frame rust, shifters that don’t shift properly, cracked tires, and worn brake pads/cables. All of those are safety issues. Going to the local bike shop and asking if they have any used bikes can get her something that has been reconditioned and checked over.</p>
<p>My son got a LOT of money (finally) from United after they (TSA, really) broke his bike on the way to Kona Ironman, despite that it was in a hard, huge bike case and he paid a fortune to fly it from PHL to Kona. On the return trip he had the bike shop in Kona box and ship the bike. Flying bikes is a crapshoot, for sure, even with the best of care. I would buy a used bike for her at the destination.</p>
<p>I agree with others who suggest buying a used one at the destination, or an inexpensive one at a nearby store. </p>
<p>My son is heading to a college where bikes are the norm. The tour guide suggested NOT bringing an expensive bike, as bikes do get stolen regularly. A nearby KMart does a brisk business in student bikes. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>dmd, where are you finding a way to disassemble, ship and reassemble a bike for $50? I want to ship my mountain bike to Montana for a trip, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to do it for less than $200. I thought shipping by itself was more than $50.</p>
<p>I’d buy one there. She just wants transportation, not a fancy road bike or tri bike, so a cheap, locally sourced bike should be fine. lf many kids ride for transportation, there should be a vigorous market. </p>
<p>My D bought a used bike on Craiglist from a graduating senior last year for $75. The seller threw in a heavy duty lock, bike basket and we still think it’s overpriced since we sold my old bike last summer for $25 to a local college kid. Place an ad on CL and quickly sold to the first response. Right now, every graduating student is trying to get rid of their stuff. D also got a lot of old furnitures for a song.</p>