[Closed] Buying a cardboard bike box

would rather not go visiting bike shops asking for freebie boxes.

Why as a matter of interest? If a free one bothers you that much pay the shop or tell them you'll donate to a charity.

Bike shops, like most businesses have to pay to get rid of rubbish, I can't imagine why they wouldn't give you one.

Reuse is even better than recycling, get a bike shop box.

Use someone like paisley freight and they have a box option where they supply the box as part of the courier service. It costs a bit extra but all part of the same service.

Any bike shop will have them stacked up outside on bin night and would be pleased to get rid of one to you for free. They have to pay to have them taken away as trade waste otherwise.

Just visit a bike shop. The mountain of cardboard they generate is a massive pain in the hole to deal with - you are honestly doing them a favour.

If you can find one selling the "Adventure" range of bikes, then they come almost fully assembled (both wheels on bike rather than front detached) so the boxes are huge.

Hmm ok thanks, yeah when you put it like that it's perhaps less cheeky. I had it in the same league as asking to borrow workshop tools/free innertubes etc...

Sent a few bikes and frames recently. Local Halfords are always great when I call in for one

My local Halfords always have a few boxes out the back.

Use someone like paisley freight

Someone like but for gods sake avoid them, ended up having to take them to court, bunch of cowboys. They backed down the day before the case and settled 🙂
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Anyway, yes, recycle one from your LBS, they are more than happy to reduce thei waste disposal costs a wee bit too

Ask if you can take a box and exchange for a bag of donuts , seems a fair trade 🙂

Ask if you can take a box and exchange for a bag of donuts , seems a fair trade 🙂

Barring my local post office which is essentially a door then a counter I've been in a shop twice since lock down began, going to a food shop to buy donuts to take to a bike shop would be doubling that figure in one fell swoop...

For all the stresses of lockdown I've quite relished being a recluse!

Better not get a box out the bin then, incase someone has touched it , lid is infected etc etc..... Hang on....... dont send the bike unless you disinfect it. 😉

I've been helping the overworked LBS with some builds at weekends. The volume of cardboard has been an eye opener, ramped up x10 with the Covid surge in demand that will seemingly only end when bike stocks are exhausted...

I used Paisley Freight and their boxes (£20 I think) and they are very very thin, I'd get one from the LBS.

8'x4' sheet of mdf, and some 1/2" square pine. Likely cost you a tenner and lots of mdf left over. Just depends on any diy or suppliers near you holding 3mm which isnt usual.
3mm you can cut with a stanley knife, and will glue to the pine. I reinforce along all the edges with duct tape.
Makes a strong quite light box and any damage from dropping in transit will show up. Im sure cardboard flexes too mauch and the contents can be damaged without it necessarily showing on the packaging.