Bernie's Bike Shop, Ocean Beach neighborhood, Pt. Loma
Today, I devoted some time to researching shipping the Trek 520 back home. I checked out several bike shops in the Point Loma area within several miles from the Pt. Loma Hostel regarding packing and shipping the bike to Bellingham, Washington.
I chose Bernie's Bike Shop on 1911 Cable Street in the Ocean Beach neighborhood which is about a mile from the hostel. Roger and Yasuko run a small shop with great service and reasonable prices. They have operated the store since 1989. Roger is the third owner of Bernie's has been in operation since the 60s.
After quickly assessing the Trek 520, Roger weighed the bike, and gave me the total weight (box and bike), and box size dimensions which would be used to ship the bike. He obviously is well versed in the shipping process. There is a convenient FEDEX station within a block from the store where I purchased a ground shipping label using the weight and box size specs provided. It was a very straightforward and efficient process. Using this method, the total cost to pack and ship the Trek back to Bellingham, Washington was about $100. I recommend Bernie's Bike Shop and their services.
I chose to return by airline because I found one-way discounted airline fares from Alaska Air direct to Seattle for $105. Also, I had to be back at a certain date so travel time was an issue.
In comparison, the Amtrak option would have involved departing at 6:05 am, changing trains at the Los Angeles Station, and travel time would have been 34 hours and 27 minutes. The cost would be $164.00 for the ticket, $15.00 for the bike box, and $10.00 check-in luggage fee for the boxed bike.
Both the airport and the train station are about five miles from the Pt. Loma Hostel. For a more extensive discussion about bike shipping, see my Blog entry from October 13, 2013.
I chose Bernie's Bike Shop on 1911 Cable Street in the Ocean Beach neighborhood which is about a mile from the hostel. Roger and Yasuko run a small shop with great service and reasonable prices. They have operated the store since 1989. Roger is the third owner of Bernie's has been in operation since the 60s.
After quickly assessing the Trek 520, Roger weighed the bike, and gave me the total weight (box and bike), and box size dimensions which would be used to ship the bike. He obviously is well versed in the shipping process. There is a convenient FEDEX station within a block from the store where I purchased a ground shipping label using the weight and box size specs provided. It was a very straightforward and efficient process. Using this method, the total cost to pack and ship the Trek back to Bellingham, Washington was about $100. I recommend Bernie's Bike Shop and their services.
I chose to return by airline because I found one-way discounted airline fares from Alaska Air direct to Seattle for $105. Also, I had to be back at a certain date so travel time was an issue.
In comparison, the Amtrak option would have involved departing at 6:05 am, changing trains at the Los Angeles Station, and travel time would have been 34 hours and 27 minutes. The cost would be $164.00 for the ticket, $15.00 for the bike box, and $10.00 check-in luggage fee for the boxed bike.
Both the airport and the train station are about five miles from the Pt. Loma Hostel. For a more extensive discussion about bike shipping, see my Blog entry from October 13, 2013.
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