louky

I received a donated bike for a charity I work for. I looked it up just for fun, only to find it has a recall on t fir cracked downtube. I contacted Schwinn and they are going to replace the bike. They want me to strip it down to the frame and ship the frame back to them. I will get to keep all the parts I take off for spares, so I will end up with the spare parts plus a new bike for the charity. Has anyone experienced this? I think they are going to send me a shipping label after I get it boxed up and ready to ship. Where would I get a box suitable for shipping a bike frame, and any tips on packing it?

bboy314

First question - are you paying to ship the frame, or is Schwinn?

A bike shop should have a cardboard frame box, or something like a tv box may even work for a bare frame. If it’s on your dime, trim down the box as small as possible. Since you probably don’t have to worry too much about shipping damage, I’d just put it in the box with some crumpled packing paper or anything you have on hand to take up space so it’s not banging around too much and damaging the box.

Bikeflights.com is what I usually use to ship a bike or frame.

Kontact 

Why is Schwinn going to give you a whole bike to replace a bad frame? Are you sure that's what is going to happen? (They may, like when the old bike was rim brake and the new disc, but I have yet to see that happen.)

Andrew R Stewart 

Good will, a lack of a warranty frame that also has the same specs that the old one has (parts fitting), less inventory management hassle to stock frames for warranties. A number of reasons why a complete bike might be offered.

I agree with getting a bike box from a LBS or a box supplier like Unline and cutting it down to fit the frame. If the OP is paying for the shipping do the homework on box size and how big it can be before oversize costs come inti play.

Most all LBS brands (and this is boarder line when talking about Schwinn) will want the process handled by their retail dealer. Andy

wheelreason

A bike shop or other place that sells bikes, final answer...

Iride01 

If you've been able to talk to someone at Schwinn to get all the recall info, I'd think they'd be the people to talk to about what you ask here.

If they aren't to concerned about the condition it comes back to them in, then just find any pieces of cardboard you can find and plenty of shipping tape. However a bike shop probably will have some boxes. If not try a appliance store and just modify the box.

Wanting the frame shipped back to them is also a way of ensuring that the frame is disposed of in a way that they won't risk it being subsequently used by someone else that might be injured by whatever the defect is.

louky

Thanks for all the replies. I agree that the liability (for them) is the reason that they want the frame back. I am including the message I received from them. I only assumed that they would take care of the shipping due to it being a recall. If they want me to pay for the shipping it will be a no-go. It was a less than $200 bike new, probably from Walmart. The low end parts have no worth (to them) if they have to take them back off the bike and it doubles their shipping due to size. The parts will be useful for repairing other bikes for the unhoused charity. If I am reading it correctly, they will replace the bike (not sure what with) at NC and no shipping, and this new replacement bike will go directly to the charity. This is the first bike of this type I have received for a donation. Full suspension, 29er, mechanical disc on front, v-brake on rear, VERY HEAVY.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________
Hi Ray,

There was a voluntary recall issued for the Schwinn Abbott. Please stop using the bike at this time. In order to process the claim, can you please send:

Serial Number
Phone Number

Once I'm able to verify your bike is included in the recall and have this info, I can create a return authorization and place an order for the replacement bike. We will ship the bike frame back to us at our expense. You can take all the other parts and keep them for spares. You can also return the bike to Walmart for an exchange.

Thank you,Annika
Sr. Consumer Care Representative

maddog34

most flat screen TVs have boxes appropriately shaped and strong enough for the shipping of a bare frame.... it's not like the condition upon it's arrival matters much.. schwinn just wants it to be sure it gets destroyed, and possibly to further isolate the serial number run involved in the failures....

Schweinhund

I haven't worked in a bike shop in over 30 years, that being said, We would cut the head tube off, the bottom bracket with the serial number and the rear drop outs and put in an appropriate size box. The left over frame tubes were turned into wind chimes.
I would ask, it's easier to ship and all they usually want is the frame beyond use.

louky

Yes, I agree that since they really just want to get the bike off the road that should be good enough. However, they would not let me cut it up, wanted the frame intact. I got a free box from the LBS and packed the frame up. When I notified them that I had this done, they emailed me a shipping label. I took it to a UPS store and I was done. The turnaround was 6 days between taking it to UPS and receiving the replacement bike via Fedex. The frame shipped to Chicago area, the new one came from Georgia. The new bike was aluminum vs. steel frame, and both mechanical disk brakes vs. 1. This bike will still go to the homeless organization that was earmarked for the original donation.

grumpus

Late '80's early '90's Cannondales we just hacked off the serial number on the NDS chainstay. It was unlikely that anyone would make the effort to repair such a frame, given that it also had some intrinsic defect that triggered the recall.

_ForceD_

The bike (frame) is already broken. I would think they’re not going to consider repairing/re-issuing it. Consequently…why does the frame need to be packed in a box? I would spend as little effort as possible to pack it. My wife does lots of shipping for her business. The post office issues her these large durable poly bags to use. I think a bike frame would fit inside it. Go to your local P.O. and see if they’ll give you one to use. — Dan

grumpus

While it might be acceptable to Schwinn to ship the frame by simply attaching a label to it, the carriers aren't geared for handling irregular items that might damage their operators or equipment or other items in transit.

louky

The only reason I could see that they would really need to get the frame back whole is that they may be monitoring how many of the returned frames are actually showing signs of the stress defects so that they can extrapolate their future exposure. It was just a few extra steps for me to strip the bike, get the box, and ship it out and since I didn't pay for the shipping, the size of the box wasn't an issue for me.

grumpus

That's a good point.