Sizes and weights
Typical ranges for what we actually meet in Central London rather than one manufacturer's specification. Measure yours before you rely on them.
| Type | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Road or hybrid bike | 170 to 180cm long, 100cm tall8 to 14kg | 8 to 14kg |
| Mountain bike | 175 to 190cm long, wide bars12 to 18kg | 12 to 18kg |
| E-bike | as a hybrid, with a battery in the frame or rack20 to 30kg | 20 to 30kg |
| Cargo or longtail bike | 200 to 260cm long30 to 50kg | 30 to 50kg |
For reference, a standard UK internal door is 762mm. Older Central London stock is often narrower. Full door and van measurements.
Will it fit?
Does a bike fit in a van?
Any solo bike fits a long wheelbase transit standing up or on its side, and a cargo bike at 260cm needs the length of a Luton or goes in diagonally. Fitting has never been the issue; how it is secured once inside is.
What comes off?
The front wheel on anything with a quick release or a thru axle, which takes 30cm off the length and makes the bike far easier to stand. Pedals come off with a 15mm spanner where space is tight. Nothing else needs to.
How should it travel?
Upright in a rack or strapped by the frame to a van side, with the drivetrain facing away from anything hard. Never lying on the drive side, and never with anything resting against the frame or the wheels.
What about e-bike batteries?
The battery comes out and travels separately in the cab. It is the one part of a bicycle that is genuinely a hazard if damaged, and lithium batteries are also what most van insurance policies have the most to say about. Removing it takes ten seconds and removes the whole question.
How we move a bicycle
- Front wheel off where the bike has a quick release, and pedals off where space is tight
- E-bike batteries come out and travel in the cab, separately from the bike
- The bike is strapped by the frame, never by the wheels or the drivetrain
- Nothing is stacked against it, which is the main cause of damage on a shared load
- Chain and cassette are covered, so the rest of the load does not pick up oil
- The wheel and pedals go back on at the other end and the brakes are checked
When a bike is worth a booking of its own
Most bikes travel as part of something else: a flat move, a marketplace pickup, a run to a shop. As a standalone job it is a single item booking at £90 to £130, and the honest answer is that if you can ride it and the weather is reasonable, riding it is free.
Where a dedicated booking earns its keep is a bike that cannot be ridden, one being bought or sold across the city, a cargo bike that does not fit anything else, or several bikes at once. Four bikes in one booking is £140 to £210 and considerably less faff than four journeys.
Cargo bikes
Cargo and longtail bikes are increasingly common in Central London and they are the one bicycle that genuinely needs a van rather than a ride. At 200 to 260cm and 30 to 50kg they will not go in a car and they are awkward to lift alone.
They fit a long wheelbase transit diagonally or a Luton straight. Tell us it is a cargo bike rather than a bike, because the length decides the vehicle and it is not something to establish on the pavement.
Before we arrive
- Say if the frame is carbon, because it changes how and where it is strapped
- Take off the pump, computer, lights, bottles and anything else clipped on
- Remove the e-bike battery and keep it with you
- Have an allen key set if the bike has an unusual axle, which saves a delay
- Photograph the frame before it goes if it is worth anything, particularly the top tube
What tends to go wrong
Leaning a carbon frame against furniture
Carbon does not dent, it cracks, and a crack from a point load can be invisible until the frame fails. A bike travelling loose against a wardrobe for a London drive is taking exactly that load. It gets strapped by the frame with nothing touching it.
Leaving the battery in
An e-bike battery is a large lithium pack and it is the one component that turns a bicycle into a hazard if it is crushed or punctured. It comes out and travels separately, and it takes ten seconds.
Strapping it by the wheels
A strap over a rim pulls a wheel out of true and can crack a carbon rim outright. Straps go over the frame, at the top tube or the seat tube, where the bike is designed to take load.
Bicycle transport: common questions
How much does it cost to transport a bicycle in London?
Between £90 and £210 including VAT, most near £120. A single bike with good access is £90 to £130. Several bikes, a cargo bike, or a job with stairs at both ends runs £140 to £210. Four bikes on one booking costs far less than four separate ones.
Do you take the wheels off?
The front wheel where the bike has a quick release or thru axle, since it takes 30cm off and makes the bike much easier to stand and strap. Pedals come off with a 15mm spanner where space is tight. Both go back on at the other end and the brakes get checked.
Can you move an e-bike?
Yes. The battery comes out and travels in the cab, separately from the bike. It is the one part of a bicycle that is genuinely hazardous if crushed or punctured, and removing it takes ten seconds.
How do you protect a carbon frame?
It is strapped by the frame at the top tube or seat tube, standing, with nothing touching it and nothing stacked against it. Carbon cracks under point loads rather than denting, and the crack can be invisible until the frame fails, so tell us if the frame is carbon.
Can you move a cargo bike?
Yes. At 200 to 260cm and 30 to 50kg they need a long wheelbase transit diagonally or a Luton straight. Say it is a cargo bike when you ask for a price, because the length decides the vehicle.
Other single items
Moving more than one thing?
This page is about a bicycle on its own. The single item and furniture delivery page covers the service generally, and what a move costs prices a whole flat or house.
Across Central London
We move a bicycle anywhere in the 37 areas we cover. What changes between them is the parking and the staircase, which is what decides where in the band you land.