BRAG does not accept responsibility for damage to any bike that is not transported in a box.
Every year, BRAG transports roughly 400 bikes across the state of Georgia. We use low-deck box trucks and pack the bikes inside back to front, blanket them, and wedge them in tight to limit movement. We’ve gotten good at it over the years. But here’s the reality every rider should understand before they hand us their bike: a box truck driving across the state is going to hit bumps in the road. No matter how snugly we pack, contents shift, and a bike riding next to yours can lean, slide, or rub against your frame over the course of a long haul.
We do everything we reasonably can to get every bike to the next town in the same shape it left in. What we cannot do is guarantee that an unboxed frame won’t pick up a scratch, a scuff, or worse along the way. That part is on you.
The bottom line
If your bike is not in a box, we take no responsibility for damage. A boxed bike is the only bike we can stand behind. If your bike matters to you—and most of them do—box it.
The safest option: box it
The surest way to protect your bike is simple: put it in a bike box. A boxed bike is fully shielded from its neighbors and from the bumps in the road. Once we reach the start town, you can break the box down, and we’ll store the flattened box on the luggage truck for the week. Your bike comes off the truck protected, and your box has a place to live until you need it again.
If you don’t box it
We’ll still load your bike, but understand that you’re doing so at your own risk. If you choose not to box, take a few minutes to wrap it up. You don’t need anything fancy—a trip to any hardware or big-box store will get you set:
- Bubble wrap around the frame tubes and anywhere two surfaces might meet.
- Plastic wrap (the stretch/shrink kind) to hold everything in place and cover painted surfaces.
- Pool noodles split lengthwise and slipped over the top tube, down tube, seat tube, forks, and stays. Cheap, fast, and surprisingly effective.
- Pipe insulation does the same job as pool noodles and, taped on, stays put.
Pay special attention to your rear derailleur, shifters, and anything else fragile or sticking out. Remove your computer, lights, and other accessories from the bars and frame so they don’t get knocked loose or lost in transit. But know that even with all of this, an unboxed bike rides at your own risk.
A note on your packing materials
If you wrap your bike but don’t box it, plan to store your bubble wrap, plastic, or pool noodles in your duffel or luggage. We can’t store loose packing material on the bike trucks—it gets in the way of safely loading the next 399 bikes, and 2,000 bags for the week.
We’ll load your bike however you bring it to us, and we’ll do our level best to make sure every bike arrives ready to ride. But if it isn’t in a box, we can’t take responsibility for damage. A bike box and a few minutes of your time is cheap insurance for a bike you’ll be riding all week.
