# How do you ship wire bead tires?



## eatdrinkride (Jun 15, 2005)

For those of you with experience shipping wire bead tires, is there any way to minimize the size of the package? With Kevlar tires I simply roll them up.

Any tricks? I ask here b/c I'm betting a lot of you on this forum use wire beads.

Thanks.


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## chooofoojoo (Feb 22, 2007)

well.. i just shipped them in a wheel box... folding them can gum up the bead. so long as you aren't shipping them out of the country it shouldn't be too bad on the pocketbook.


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## PedalshopLLC (Feb 26, 2007)

Kevlar bead = do whatever you want... no biggie.

steal = you gotta be careful. I hate it when we order tires and "they" twist them into an "8" to smaller "O" shape.... specially big fatty FR/DH's. Sometimes they kink the bead and it's tough to bend those back out. I don't think I have seen a tire become unusable because of it though. 

Tell you what:
If I ship a tire to someone, I will never do the 8 to O trick unless it's a smaller XC tire.

ask me, fold er down only as a last resort.


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## RickyD (Jan 28, 2004)

Sticking them in a box is the absolute worst thing you can do. It will add massively to the weight, bulk and price of shipping.

Heres how you do it.

Go to the office supply and get the clear stretch wrap that comes in a roll about 6" wide. Stack your tires together. 4 tires is about the max you want to go. Anymore and it becomes hard to handle. Now wrap the tires completely. NOT THE MIDDLE. You want is to look like a big Saran wrapped donut. Tape off the loose end. Slapped your shipping label on the outside and you're good to go. 

IMPORTANT. You MUST ship USPS. Reason being, UPS and FED EX have oversize surcharges. USPS does not, well they do, but its tiny compared to UPS. As long as you are under there max size, which you will be, your good to go. 

Pack a pair up and go to USPS.com and check the rate. Then check UPS and make sure you enter dimensions on both sites. You'll be amazed at the difference in price.

:thumbsup:


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## chooofoojoo (Feb 22, 2007)

RickyD said:


> Sticking them in a box is the absolute worst thing you can do. It will add massively to the weight, bulk and price of shipping.
> 
> Heres how you do it.
> 
> ...


Damn good idea... I'm going to do that next time for sure! :thumbsup:


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## PedalshopLLC (Feb 26, 2007)

RickyD said:


> Sticking them in a box is the absolute worst thing you can do. It will add massively to the weight, bulk and price of shipping.
> 
> Heres how you do it.
> 
> ...


hmmmm
Your Post Office is either going easy on you or my Post Office people don't understand the rules they go by. I tried that and I have even tried to triangulate boxes for bike frames, making them take up as little space as possible. They base the measurement by a virtual line of a square.

Sorry I gotta profile a little: it's gotten worse since we lost all the "American" employees. Maybe they were bending the rules, maybe not but grrrrrr, don't even get me started on the Post Office. I'm sorry, it's pretty pathetic what it is like at our local office. Now I know why the phrase "he went postal" was started...


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

PedalshopLLC said:


> hmmmm
> Your Post Office is either going easy on you or my Post Office people don't understand the rules they go by. I tried that and I have even tried to triangulate boxes for bike frames, making them take up as little space as possible. They base the measurement by a virtual line of a square.
> 
> Sorry I gotta profile a little: it's gotten worse since we lost all the "American" employees. Maybe they were bending the rules, maybe not but grrrrrr, don't even get me started on the Post Office. I'm sorry, it's pretty pathetic what it is like at our local office. Now I know why the phrase "he went postal" was started...


That sounds racist...


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## eatdrinkride (Jun 15, 2005)

RickyD said:


> Sticking them in a box is the absolute worst thing you can do. It will add massively to the weight, bulk and price of shipping.
> 
> Heres how you do it.
> 
> ...


Come to think of it, I bought some Kenda's a few years back and that's how they were shipped. Thanks for the info. I'll give it a try. At worst, it's better than shipping them in a box which I have little doubt will cost more.


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## RickyD (Jan 28, 2004)

PedalshopLLC said:


> hmmmm
> Your Post Office is either going easy on you or my Post Office people don't understand the rules they go by. I tried that and I have even tried to triangulate boxes for bike frames, making them take up as little space as possible. They base the measurement by a virtual line of a square.
> 
> Sorry I gotta profile a little: it's gotten worse since we lost all the "American" employees. Maybe they were bending the rules, maybe not but grrrrrr, don't even get me started on the Post Office. I'm sorry, it's pretty pathetic what it is like at our local office. Now I know why the phrase "he went postal" was started...


Shipped plenty like that. From both California and Colorado and multiple Post Offices. Never a problem. THEY WILL TAKE IT. Some may whine, but thats a prerequisite for the job. Postal employees are certified whiners. It's policy to ship anything they accept, as long as it's addressed correctly and postage is paid. If you want to be sneaky, get everything setup online. Then carry it into the post office and set it in an empty window and walk out. They'll take it. The way I do it for everything anyway. I not waiting in the line just to hand it directly to the guy behind the counter.

If you absolutely can't get them to take it. Ship Fed Ex. Next best. They will definitely take 'em. Still cheaper then boxing them up.


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## MattP. (Oct 3, 2005)

chooofoojoo said:


> Damn good idea... I'm going to do that next time for sure! :thumbsup:


That's how Trek ships tires to our shop quite often. They'll take like 8 tires, wrap them in packaging tape several points around the tire, and ship them out.


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## lelebebbel (Jan 31, 2005)

this: http://www.rideyourbike.com/tirefold.html
works if the tire is not too fat. otherwise, just make 2 loops and fold them over each other


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## eatdrinkride (Jun 15, 2005)

lelebebbel said:


> this: http://www.rideyourbike.com/tirefold.html
> works if the tire is not too fat. otherwise, just make 2 loops and fold them over each other


Wow! Thanks.


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## RickyD (Jan 28, 2004)

lelebebbel said:


> this: http://www.rideyourbike.com/tirefold.html
> works if the tire is not too fat. otherwise, just make 2 loops and fold them over each other


That is not for wire bead tires. If you manage to fold a wire bead tire that way, you'll ruin it.


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## Pedal Shop (Dec 14, 2006)

XSL_WiLL said:


> That sounds racist...


yeah - toward me...

For me, it's not something I'm doing different--- I haven't changed anything I do as far as shipping things through the PO. Before, I'd be able to ship anything. They would just toss is up on the scale and kick it out.

Nowadays, they're pulling out measuring tape and the big books of rules.

I don't know, maybe our location is a training ground.


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## 317000 (Mar 2, 2007)

RickyD said:


> Postal employees are certified whiners.


Fedex guy got stuck on a hill in the snow on my road a few weeks back and had to walk up to my house. Whined like no other.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Pedal Shop said:


> yeah - toward me...
> 
> For me, it's not something I'm doing different--- I haven't changed anything I do as far as shipping things through the PO. Before, I'd be able to ship anything. They would just toss is up on the scale and kick it out.
> 
> ...


They're actually doing their jobs... Even if they were discriminating, that's no excuse or justification for you to do the same.


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## mobile chernobyl (Apr 12, 2006)

lelebebbel said:


> this: http://www.rideyourbike.com/tirefold.html
> works if the tire is not too fat. otherwise, just make 2 loops and fold them over each other


Haha thats how you fold a bandsaw blade. It works OK for shortterm tire storage like trips to a race, not sure on the effect it would have in the long run such as shipping for a few days. I'll give er a try on an old DH tire tonight tho to see instead of whine about it like everyone else lol :skep:


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

Someone who sent me a wire bead 2.5 tire just stuck an address label to it and that was it! Must say I thought it would have at least been wrapped in plastic!

If you pack it in a square box (well with Australia Post anyway) it becomes measurable & thus they can apply the cubic rule to it which generally makes it more expensive than if they just go by the actual weight of the items. Plenty of tricks to figure out with experience, although some Post Offices are good & will tell you if there is a cheaper way. My PO in the country is great, when I lived in a bigger city they seemed a lot more stringent (I suppose they have to deal with lots more of all sorts of people).


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## wormvine (Oct 27, 2005)

I had 4 Maxxis Mobsters tires sent to me from Jenson in a box and they charged me $17 for UPS ground. 
I have seen the plastic wrap technique and it seems like a decent idea.


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## thump (Aug 10, 2007)

dowst said:


> Fedex guy got stuck on a hill in the snow on my road a few weeks back and had to walk up to my house. Whined like no other.


But he actually walked to deliver it. USPS would probably have turned around and tossed it behind a shelf in the office until the weather got better or it became "lost mail".

A plus for Fedex ground is that you automatically get $100 insurance and a tracking number. You'd have to add the cost of delivery confirmation and insurance to get that with USPS, and even then it takes months to get reimbursed for a lost item.


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## lelebebbel (Jan 31, 2005)

RickyD said:


> That is not for wire bead tires. If you manage to fold a wire bead tire that way, you'll ruin it.


yes it is, and no you don't ruin it. It's just kinda hard to fold a big DH tire like this.


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## RickyD (Jan 28, 2004)

lelebebbel said:


> yes it is, and no you don't ruin it. It's just kinda hard to fold a big DH tire like this.


I gave it a try with a old 2.5 Mobster. Folded OK, without damaging the bead, but it was still somewhere between the size of a soccer ball and a basket ball, couldn't really get in flat. Is that how it should look?

Looks like it would do OK for shipping one or two. But any more and you'd be back to a really big box. Not to mention a lot of buyers would freak when they found them all balled up. Damaged or not.

Could come in handy though. Next time I have to ship tires, I'll do a comparison of costs. Thanks for the tip.


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## BikeMk (Mar 2, 2004)

Also could try giving the tire a half twist and then folding it over--not as small as three loops, but might be easier with DH tires.


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## creyc (May 24, 2005)

get kevlar bead tires!


No really go with the shrink wrap idea. Wrap them up nice and good and put the shipping label on and you're good to go. I've done this and never had a problem.


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## Iranian-Mechanic (May 6, 2004)

Wrap them into a (( 8 )) like position by twisting them .Then fold the two loops on each other and tie it with some thing or scotch tape.


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## boogenman (Sep 22, 2006)

the tirefold link is the best way I know of. That is how tires are shipped to us at the bike shop. Even DH tires and what not, unless there is a bulk order, then they are all strapped together in a big heavy bundle.


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## Pedal Shop (Dec 14, 2006)

holy KeyRap, this thread is still active?


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