Ship your bike to our Orange County bike shop

Who ships bikes to Veloaded

Most of our riders drive in. Some can't, or would rather not: riders in Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County, riders in other states who want a particular build, and riders traveling to or from Southern California with a bike in a box. If that's you, shipping to the shop works well when it's planned before the box leaves your door.

People typically ship to us for three reasons:

• Service. A Veloaded Essential Service, a hydraulic brake bleed, Di2 / AXS / Campy setup, bottom bracket and bearing work, or wheel truing and spoke repair.
• Builds. A frame and fork for a custom build, with or without parts you supply.
• Travel. A bike shipped ahead of a ride trip in Southern California, or shipped to us for a check before it goes home. Tell us your dates when you call so we can confirm what's possible.

How it works

1. Contact us first. Call (714) 760-4908, email veloadedcyclery@gmail.com, or use the contact page or quote form. We open a service ticket and talk through what you want done. Please don't ship without one.
2. Pack it. Use a bike box or a travel case, and follow the packing tips below.
3. Ship it to the shop: Veloaded Cyclery, 3420 W MacArthur Blvd Suite B, Santa Ana, CA 92704. Send us the tracking number once it's on its way.
4. Put your name and phone number inside the box. Labels get torn off. A note inside with your name, phone and ticket details means we can match the box to you no matter what.

When you get in touch, it helps to have ready: the make, model and size; the groupset (mechanical, Shimano Di2, SRAM AXS or Campagnolo); what you want done and any symptoms you've noticed; for a build, the full parts list; and how you'd like it back.

Packing tips

These are general good practices. Your carrier may have its own rules for bikes and batteries, so check those too.

• Mark your saddle height with a strip of tape on the seatpost before you lower or remove it.
• Take off the pedals and turn or remove the bars so the bike fits the box without forcing anything.
• Look after the rear derailleur. Unbolt it from the hanger and tape it, wrapped, inside the rear triangle. It's the part most likely to bend in transit.
• Fill the dropouts. Put plastic spacers or old axles in the fork and rear dropouts once the wheels are out.
• Block the disc brakes. Slide a pad spacer between the pads, and don't pull the lever with the wheel out.
• Wrap the tubes with foam, pipe insulation or bubble wrap, and stop anything metal from rubbing on the frame.
• Bag the small parts. Thru-axles, skewers, pedals and the seatpost wedge go in one labeled bag, taped inside the box.
• Ask about batteries. For Di2 or AXS, ask us whether to leave the battery in or take it out, and follow your carrier's battery rules.
• Wheels on their own: protect disc rotors with a cover or cardboard, fit hub end caps or spacers, and let some air out of tires while leaving tubeless tires seated.

Travel cases and bike shipping services

A cardboard bike box from a shop is fine for a one-way trip. If you travel with your bike often, a hard or soft bike travel case gives more protection and can be reused. Some riders also use bike-specific shipping services, such as BikeFlights or Ship My Bike style services, which sell labels sized for bike boxes; others use a regular parcel carrier. Choose whichever you trust and check its rules and insurance options. Veloaded doesn't have a partnership with any carrier or shipping service, and this page isn't an endorsement of one.

What we do when it arrives

We check the box in against your service ticket and open it carefully. We let you know it's arrived, and if anything looks damaged from shipping, we tell you before we go further so you can take it up with your carrier. Then the work on your ticket gets done. If we find something beyond what you asked for, we contact you before doing it. Every bike gets a final safety check before it leaves.

Getting it back

You can pick it up at the shop in Santa Ana, or we can ship it back by arrangement. Ask about return shipping details when you set up the ticket, so the method, the packing and the address are agreed before anything is sent. If you sent a travel case, we can repack the bike in the same case.

What can't be shipped

A professional bike fit. Edgar Rodriguez, our founder and master builder, needs you on the bike in person. If you're planning a fit as well as service, book the fit for a day you can be at the shop.

Questions riders ask

Veloaded Cyclery has one location, at 3420 W MacArthur Blvd Suite B, Santa Ana, CA 92704. Return shipping is by arrangement. Veloaded has no partnership with any carrier or shipping service.