HOW-TO: Box a Schwinn cruiser 26” adult trike e-bike for bicycle transport
Have you ever wondered How to box a Schwinn cruiser 26” adult trike (tricycle bicycle with a single wheel up front and 2 at the back)? And to make it more adventurous, this was the Chilled Squirrel e-bike conversion, so it had electronics running to the front for the hub and the rear for the battery. This is how to box that bicycle quickly and easily and get it ready for bicycle transport all across South Africa. Send it with #bicyclecouriers.
From this…
Our example was a good-as-new Schwinn® Town and Country Trike | 26″ Cruiser Alloy Frame | 2023 in bright red and it came complete with the back basket which was very convenient to fit the Chilled Squirrel e-bike battery onto. Below is what the tricycle looks like sans the e-bike conversion, which adds a few more bells and whistles onto the frame, including a big bold display right on top of the handlebar. Oh, and it seems these all-inclusive e-bike trikes sell for around R45k as on obike.
…to 2 of these!
Oh and this is an interesting venture – the above bicycle company decided to put a pic of a TV on their bicycle boxes, obviously to encourage all bicycle transporters and bicycle couriers and bicycle shops and anyone else who handles that bicycle box to do so with due diligence and care… handle with care! From Dutch bike manufacturer VanMoof as on this Bicycling article.
Top Tip for Tricycle Transport
But before you even get to the bicycle shop to start boxing the bicycle, it needs to travel there. So, the owner can either cycle it to the shop; or you can transport it in the back of a van. Or seeing as this is South Africa, in the back of a double cab bakkie – and yes, with the canopy open it does fit in the back. Just ensure that you fasten it. *Top tip: cable tie the brake lever to the handlebar so that full brake force is applied which means the disc brake at the back is fastened and the tricycle wheels cannot move at all. Thereby safely sitting in the back of the bakkie so it won’t roll out when you pull away or drive up a steep hill…
There are 2 chains of thought when packing this bike: electronics vs hardware
Either take off the battery and the cable and the control unit and the display on the handlebar and the thumb controller also on the handlebar. But as you can see, this involves a lot of cables and taking off the electronics from the handlebar alone will take some time, because of the old-school way this handlebar is attached to the stem.
The alternative is much easier, as you can leave all the electronics on the bicycle and just remove the hardware from the bicycle itself. Now to box a bicycle there are usually just three things to keep in mind. The LBH, length and width and height of the item. To reduce the length, we take off the front wheel. To reduce the width, we take off the pedals. And to reduce the height we usually don’t have to do anything.
A clever Schwinn® Town and Country Trike | 26″ Cruiser frame
Fortunately, the design of this Schwinn® Town and Country Trike | 26″ is a very clever one. Especially the Cruiser Alloy Frame from 2023 onwards. The rear screws off and splits into 2 separate wheels. Which we can easily remove to reduce to width and make it fit in a box. In this case though, because of the third wheel and the wheel covers and the battery and control unit for the e-bike conversion, this bicycle and all its kit takes up 2 standard cardboard bicycle boxes in which to ship it.
How to split the contents into 2 bicycle boxes
It was split up as follows: the frame and front wheel and handlebars and battery park into box 1. (Note the battery remained fixed onto the basket at the back, folded flat onto its 4 sides). And the remainder into box 2. Which included the read axle, 2 rear wheels, 2 rear wheel covers, the massive saddle. Plus the pedals and odds and ends. And don’t forget the bicycle manuals and all screws/fasteners.
All done and ready for bicycle transport
There you have it. Neatly packed and ready for transport, from Somerset West and Stellenbosch to Postmasburg and beyond. We wish the new oner many happy miles on this very practical and unique bicycle. We don’t often see these adult e-bike tricycles. But after careful consideration for packing and sending, now we know for next time. E-bike or not.
Where can we send your (unique) bicycle today?
