Because of airlines’ grossly exaggerated baggage fees for sporting equipment bikes and the hassle of trying to manage a boxed bike with all of your other luggage, many choose to risk the cheaper and slightly more aggressive alternative of shipping their bike to their destination. However, handing your precious bicycle to a stranger that is going to hand it to another stranger, and so on until it is back in your capable hands always leaves a sinking feeling in the back of your head until you receive your bike unscathed… until you realize you’ll have to go through it all over again when shipping it back home.
Bopworx came up with a reusable solution that protects you bike in the right places while it’s being mishandled during its journey…
When shipping a bike, we have to use something to protect it from itself knowing it’s going to get tossed around inside its container. We’ve all done it… myself included. Rather than purchasing proper packing materials, we search around the house for any thing we can get away with. Old clothes, kitchen sponges, decorative bath towels… you name it, it’s been done. We first saw Bopworx back in September when they first launched a kickstarter for their products and now they’re available.
The universal (mmm) Bop Bumpers ($20), have “semi-soft” contact points and simply strap on just about anywhere you want to protect the bike from contact.
For safely attaching two items together, the Double Bumper ($35), works well for attaching things like handlebars during shipping, but would also be handy when trying to keep two bikes from banging into each other while on a bike rack.
The Bopworx Fork Guard ($50), is pretty neat in that although it will create a safe structure to prevent your fork from being crushed, it will also hold your bike upright and the wheels roll to assist you in loading your bike in the back of an SUV. It also comes with a disc brake insert to prevent you from having to reset your pistons when you accidentally grab your brake lever. The Fork Guard fits both standard dropouts and 15mm thru axle.
One of the most common reasons for bad shifting is your bike’s dropout getting bent from getting mashed, (or crashed… I should just leave this on there). The Rear Derailleur Guard ($25) attaches to the bike’s dropout which is much sturdier than the derailleur hanger.
If your the really thorough type, Bop Wrap may be right up your ally. Designed to wrap around your frame, pedals and handlebars, it fits securely and protects the more exposed parts of your bike. Except for the Bop Wrap, Bopworx is available and in stock at REI and other outlets around the globe.
