Transporting bikes and e-bikes – no scratches, no battery risk
Road bike, e-bike, or the whole family fleet: standing strapped inside a van, a bike travels safer than on any rear carrier.
- Instant price before booking
- Insured transports
- Carrying help bookable
How to transport a bike correctly
Prepare the bike
On an e-bike, remove the battery and transport it separately, cover the contacts. If space is tight, unscrew the pedals and turn the handlebar sideways.
Fix it standing
Strap the bike standing by the frame – never by spokes, carbon seat posts, or the derailleur. Block the front wheel against rolling.
Pad and keep distance
Frame protectors or blankets between several bikes so nothing chafes. Point the delicate derailleur outwards, not against the wall.
Which vehicle do you need?
A single bike fits the compact van; the family fleet or a cargo bike takes the 2.7 m class. By the way: for small city deliveries, Maxmove rides cargo bikes itself. All dimensions and payloads in the van guide →
Shipping a bike: parcel with a bike box or direct drive?
If you want to ship a bike, there are two fundamentally different routes. A parcel service only takes the bike packed: DHL carries items over 120 × 60 × 60 cm as bulky goods up to 200 cm long, 360 cm in girth and 31.5 kg. The girth is the longest side plus twice the width plus twice the height – a bike box measuring 140 × 80 × 20 cm comes to 340 cm, and at 30 cm deep it reaches exactly 360. The bike has to be partly dismantled and carefully padded for this, and on the way it runs through sorting systems.
A direct drive needs neither box nor dismantling: the bike is strapped upright in the van at the pickup point and travels to its destination without reloading. That suits when the bike is collected in NRW and it needs to be quick – often the same day – when several bikes travel together, or when the bike is too big, too heavy or too valuable for parcel shipping, such as a cargo bike or a carbon road bike.
For long distances without time pressure, a parcel service with a bike box is usually the practical choice. E-bikes have their own rules because of the battery – see transporting an e-bike.
Packing a bike for shipping: step by step
You can often get a suitable box from a bike shop, which receives new bikes in them. For shipping, the bike is dismantled just enough to fit flat inside: unscrew the pedals – the left pedal has a reverse thread and loosens clockwise – remove the handlebar or turn it lengthways, take out the front wheel and lower the saddle.
With hydraulic disc brakes, a pad spacer goes into the calliper once the wheel is out. It keeps the pads apart if someone squeezes the brake lever; without it the pistons extend and the rotor will no longer fit between the pads later. Protect the rear derailleur, rotors and fork ends with cardboard or foam, pad the frame tubes and fix the wheel and small parts with cable ties so nothing rubs.
Finally, measure and weigh the packed box: if it exceeds 200 cm in length, 360 cm in girth or 31.5 kg, DHL will not accept it. With a direct drive none of this applies – the bike travels assembled, upright and strapped by the frame.
Road bikes, carbon, cargo bikes: the special cases
Road bikes and carbon frames do not forgive pressure in the wrong place. If a road bike has to lie down, it goes on its left side, with the derailleur and chainrings facing up – that keeps the derailleur hanger and derailleur clear. Carbon tubes are neither squeezed nor loaded at a single point by straps: lay straps wide and padded, and secure the bike via the wheels rather than the thin top tube.
Cargo bikes exceed every parcel format. With a long frame and cargo box they are often over two metres long and considerably heavier than a regular bike. They travel best standing in the 2.7 m class van, with straps on the frame and the wheels blocked. Measure the length and handlebar width before booking.
Several bikes – the family fleet during a move, for example – stand side by side, alternating handlebars forwards and backwards, with blankets in between so pedals and bars do not snag. How to attach lashing straps in the vehicle correctly is shown in our article on load securing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the transport cost?
From road bike to cargo bike: strapped safely, insured, at a fixed price.
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