Transporting bikes for trips abroad.....best options?
Discussion
Looking to go somewhere abroad for a cycling holiday in June/July but not sure on the best course of action.
Anywhere in the UK, I'd drive. But if I wanted to go to, say, somewhere in Italy, I'd be looking at over 1000 miles of driving each way which, clearly, can cost quite a lot when your only car has a 4.4 litre petrol engine, mated to a 2 tonne barge....obviously a great car for the job, but you lose 2-3 days in travel time (1-2 days each way)
flying....obviously the faster route but...how does one go about transporting your own bikes over there; and what about when you are there? Is it easy to hire a car, as I'd like to be ale to drive around when I am over there.
Many thanks in advance
Anywhere in the UK, I'd drive. But if I wanted to go to, say, somewhere in Italy, I'd be looking at over 1000 miles of driving each way which, clearly, can cost quite a lot when your only car has a 4.4 litre petrol engine, mated to a 2 tonne barge....obviously a great car for the job, but you lose 2-3 days in travel time (1-2 days each way)
flying....obviously the faster route but...how does one go about transporting your own bikes over there; and what about when you are there? Is it easy to hire a car, as I'd like to be ale to drive around when I am over there.
Many thanks in advance
The best box I have found for flying is this bike box Alan - http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/
I havent used them but you can rent and they get very well reviewed. I guess it depends how long you are over for versus the cost of the bike whether renting or buying.
Buying an Alan is too much for me but I also need something. Not sure what the best budget box is? Preferably something which will take either a large road bike or 29er mountain bike. Hopefully someone else will recommend something.
I havent used them but you can rent and they get very well reviewed. I guess it depends how long you are over for versus the cost of the bike whether renting or buying.
Buying an Alan is too much for me but I also need something. Not sure what the best budget box is? Preferably something which will take either a large road bike or 29er mountain bike. Hopefully someone else will recommend something.
Joey Ramone said:
Fly to Italy, hire a bicycle there. Very simple.
Not so. Firstly, I'd like to do it on my bike. It's been set up for me very, very well (took 5 hours, and a lot of work!) and is absolutely wonderful. Secondly....I want to get some pics of MY bike with some great backdrops. Basically, it has to be my bike
I can never decide between flying and driving. So I tend to alternate.
Driving down Autoroutes/bahnen/strade in a day is doable but boring, so I take a scenic route over two days. Still arrive tired, though I can take all my kit and the bike(s) just go in the back.
Flying is quicker but I have to pare down the kit I take, pack up the bike, and deal with getting it to/from the airport, hiring a car the other and reassembling the bike the other end. Plus I worry (perhaps unjustifiably, perhaps not) about it getting damaged or not arriving at the same airport, at the same time, as me.
I too am not overly keen on the idea of hiring. Not only have I got my position just so, but I'm too used to having my front brake on the right and rear on the left. Perhaps brakes could be changed over, but if I'm only going for a long weekend it's time out to pick up/sort out/drop off when I could be riding. Assuming there's even a road bike rental business in whatever little mountain town I'm basing myself at.
Driving down Autoroutes/bahnen/strade in a day is doable but boring, so I take a scenic route over two days. Still arrive tired, though I can take all my kit and the bike(s) just go in the back.
Flying is quicker but I have to pare down the kit I take, pack up the bike, and deal with getting it to/from the airport, hiring a car the other and reassembling the bike the other end. Plus I worry (perhaps unjustifiably, perhaps not) about it getting damaged or not arriving at the same airport, at the same time, as me.
I too am not overly keen on the idea of hiring. Not only have I got my position just so, but I'm too used to having my front brake on the right and rear on the left. Perhaps brakes could be changed over, but if I'm only going for a long weekend it's time out to pick up/sort out/drop off when I could be riding. Assuming there's even a road bike rental business in whatever little mountain town I'm basing myself at.
NorthDave said:
The best box I have found for flying is this bike box Alan - http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/
This. Flown a lot with mine. Works a charm. By far the cheapest option is to nip down your local bike shop and ask them for a bike box they don't want any more, by which I mean a cardboard one that a bike was delivered in.
I've just done this for a trip to the US. Wheels off, twist the bars round, pedals off, put it in the box, seal it up, job done! If it's good enough for a manufacturer to ship it's good enough for me, mine got here totally unharmed and free of charge
Box is disposable and your probably doing the shop a favour in getting rid of some unwanted recycling.
I've just done this for a trip to the US. Wheels off, twist the bars round, pedals off, put it in the box, seal it up, job done! If it's good enough for a manufacturer to ship it's good enough for me, mine got here totally unharmed and free of charge
Box is disposable and your probably doing the shop a favour in getting rid of some unwanted recycling.
I bought a Planet X bike bag for my trip in June. I'll be putting pipe lagging on every tube and wrapping the whole lot in bubble wrap following the GCN video on YouTube.
Hopefully Easyjet won't break it! The bag only cost about £40 in one of their daft sales, so only has to work once, and it's rolled up and stored under the bed.
Hopefully Easyjet won't break it! The bag only cost about £40 in one of their daft sales, so only has to work once, and it's rolled up and stored under the bed.
Back in the 80s I used to take a bike over to the US fairly regularly. Cardboard box as described above was fine. Seem to remember you used to be able to get the boxes at the airport. It's a five minute job to wip off the front wheel, rotate the handlebars round and under, remove the peddles and saddle. You can shove an old towel or a bit of cardboard between front wheel and frame to reduce risk of scratches. Never suffered any damage.
Ross I cheekily asked on here if anyone had a box to borrow (Hampshire), Dowks was kind enough to lend me his subject to terms. Worth contacting him.
His is an Alan and did the job fine, friend used a soft bike box which was also fine. Biggest issue is getting airport to accommodation. We used taxis which was fine, if s couple of you are taking more than 1 box then checking hire cars is important.
My local shop hires them out at £50 per week (pedal heaven).
His is an Alan and did the job fine, friend used a soft bike box which was also fine. Biggest issue is getting airport to accommodation. We used taxis which was fine, if s couple of you are taking more than 1 box then checking hire cars is important.
My local shop hires them out at £50 per week (pedal heaven).
Kermit power said:
Is there still a rail option?
I seem to recall you could hop on a ferry to Holland, load your car onto a train, go to your cabin, then wake up the following morning in Italy?
Sort of. Called Autotrain, from Paris.I seem to recall you could hop on a ferry to Holland, load your car onto a train, go to your cabin, then wake up the following morning in Italy?
http://autotrain.uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/
Proper bike bag/box. If not, or you are touring and returning from a different airport (a great idea in itself), then a plastic bag. CTC or one that mattresses get delivered in.
No need to disassemble and the theory is that the handlers can see what's inside so are less likely to put it under 10 tonnes of suitcases. Bit of padding and protect or take off rear mech.
All you could possibly need to know here vs a box, millions of comments.
http://travellingtwo.com/resources/flying-with-a-b...
No need to disassemble and the theory is that the handlers can see what's inside so are less likely to put it under 10 tonnes of suitcases. Bit of padding and protect or take off rear mech.
All you could possibly need to know here vs a box, millions of comments.
http://travellingtwo.com/resources/flying-with-a-b...
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