Shipping bike to bike shop in Europe

[Mr. Pink]

Couldn't find anything in search.

Anybody ship a bike in a bike box to a shop in Europe (hopefully Italy) and have them unpack, assemble, and check it for you, and then do the opposite on the back end (pack and ship)? I did this once on a back and forth to Colorado, and I will gladly pay a reasonable sum for the service to Europe to make my life easier.

[AngryScientist]

Couldn't find anything in search.

Anybody ship a bike in a bike box to a shop in Europe (hopefully Italy) and have them unpack, assemble, and check it for you, and then do the opposite on the back end (pack and ship)? I did this once on a back and forth to Colorado, and I will gladly pay a reasonable sum for the service to Europe to make my life easier.

Europe? pretty big net you're casting there no?

[Mr. Pink]

OK, well, Italy. Florence, Rome, Milan, Siena, Turin. Probably near an airport and the car rental for this to work.

But, France would be cool, too. Somewhere near Velotel. I'll figure that one out.

[AngryScientist]

OK, well, Italy. Florence, Rome, Milan, Siena, Turin. Probably near an airport and the car rental for this to work.

But, France would be cool, too. Somewhere near Velotel. I'll figure that one out.

excellent, just trying to help you out. there are lots of folks here who can probably help you, just trying to narrow your search a little.

:)

[elong8]

I'm unclear on the actual question here, but I've both shipped and received from Europe (Italy, Belgium, UK) and never really had any problems.

[zerocool5468]

just research a shop that works with bikeflights and pack it up well!

[Mr. Pink]

just research a shop that works with bikeflights and pack it up well!

That is not a very well functioning web site. Besides, my problem isn't shipping out. I can easily drive to a UPS or Fed Ex store and drop off the box. It's having somebody on the other end assemble it and keep my box until I come back to the shop and give it back to them. They have nobody listed in Italy for that service, and one shop in France. I think. I'm confused on the latter. So, I guess what I want here is names of shops in Italy somebody may have dealt with for this service. I guess I have to start e-mailing shops and hoping for the best.

Sign of the cross.

[Mr. Pink]

I'm unclear on the actual question here, but I've both shipped and received from Europe (Italy, Belgium, UK) and never really had any problems.

Are you talking about buying and selling bikes (one way shipping) or shipping your bike to Europe instead of dragging it onto the plane? And, then, back?

[kgreene10]

Buy a travel case (soft works better than hard IME) and learn how to disassemble and assemble yourself. It's very easy. It will be cheaper and then you can go anywhere you want. I travel with my bike fairly frequently. With a soft case slung over the shoulder it isn't much of an issue.

[ultraman6970]

Mr Pink, why not to travel with your bike?? Even the travel case from performance works fine for international flights. Assembly will be minimum if you know what are you doing.

Some travel cases are designed in such a way that you take the two wheels out, the handlebar and stem is turned 90 degrees, wheels at each side and ready to go. All depends of what you get.

There is another box that is made of cardboard, the whole bike goes inside, but you might need to get like a portable dolly to pull it because that thing doesnt even have wheels. Even my friends used regular carboard bicycle boxes (i wouldnt) for international travels.

[Mr. Pink]

OK, I have a Trico box. I trust that thing for a 3000 mile journey to a foreign land. But, what do I do with the box when I get there? I can only afford a small Fiat 500 when I'm there, and I'll carry the bike on a trunk rack I'll also bring. I want to drive around to a few different base camps (agriturismos) in Tuscany and Piemonte. No room for a box.

Besides, I'm lazy. One less hassle to deal with.

[rccardr]

I'm looking at the same deal. Recently retired and the wife says buy a hard case and bring a bike whenever we travel (note: she has no sisters, and does not ride herself).

My plan is to bring it on the plane with us and then check the case at the first hotel we stay in the baggage room, or at the local train station. Works if you leave from the same place you arrive or at least stop by there at some point to pick up the case. And we tend to rent larger cars...

[Mr. Pink]

Large cars are expensive. Hell, small cars are expensive, but less so. The expense comes with taxes. There is a 21% vat tax added to the bottom line, after some fees and other taxes.
And a small car is much easier to use in fifteenth century hill towns with very tight lanes.

[kgreene10]

OK, I have a Trico box. I trust that thing for a 3000 mile journey to a foreign land. But, what do I do with the box when I get there? I can only afford a small Fiat 500 when I'm there, and I'll carry the bike on a trunk rack I'll also bring. I want to drive around to a few different base camps (agriturismos) in Tuscany and Piemonte. No room for a box.

Besides, I'm lazy. One less hassle to deal with.

I'm tellin' ya, soft case is the ticket. Pack able and storable.

[Mr. Pink]

I don't understand. Would you put a 5000 dollar bicycle into a "soft case" and hand it to a low paid airline baggage handler?

[kgreene10]

I don't understand. Would you put a 5000 dollar bicycle into a "soft case" and hand it to a low paid airline baggage handler?

I put my more expensive bike and carbon wheels in a Pika Packworks soft case for airline travel fairly regularly and recently brought it to Europe with me. No trouble at all. I used to travel with a Trico and, perhaps ironically, my Time cracked while using it. The Trico requires getting the plastic lip of the top half over the bottom half. TSA failed to do so and the case was left semi-open. That was pretty random but the main point is that I travel with my race bike in a soft case and I can't see going back to the hassle of a hard case.

[Satellite]

That is not a very well functioning web site. Besides, my problem isn't shipping out. I can easily drive to a UPS or Fed Ex store and drop off the box. It's having somebody on the other end assemble it and keep my box until I come back to the shop and give it back to them. They have nobody listed in Italy for that service, and one shop in France. I think. I'm confused on the latter. So, I guess what I want here is names of shops in Italy somebody may have dealt with for this service. I guess I have to start e-mailing shops and hoping for the best.

Sign of the cross.
Mr. Pink,

Have you done a quote to send your bike via FedEx/UPS to Europe. I recently sold one of my Ibis SilkTi's to a gentleman in Singapore. It was over $650 to ship it one-way. He ended up opening a MYUS.com account to get it shipped to him. I had decent quote from BikeFlights.com about $350 definitely better than FedEx.

I seriously would just take it on the Plane with you. Find a local bike shop to build it back up for you and hold the box. I don't think Airlines charge additional fees to travel with your bike internationally, but even if I am wrong it might be cheaper than shipping it ahead of time. Domestic flights charge $85/each way. I am sure you can figure out how to get from the Airport to the bike shop. Maybe ratchet strapped to the roof of the Fiat?

My VaMoots is S&S Coupled and I travel with the hard case, I love it. It's my favorite bike I own, and I have a VaMoots SL. If I was forced to only keep one bike it would be the S&S Coupled bike.

Satellite

[ultraman6970]

Hmmm the performance box one fits in the front seat of a small car just in case. dont see why it wont fit in a fiat 500, worse case scenario should fit in the back seat. are you going alone or with somebody else?

If you put the plastic box in the back you can put the other bags on top or even inside of the bike box.

Another solution is just use a carboard bike box, then toss it in europe. Then you have to try to find another one to get the bike back to the US tho.

[rccardr]

We travel in Europe quite a bit and find that as older Americans we tend to get the old "we haven't got the small car you requested but have this luxurious Alfa/Mercedes/Citroen that we'll give you for the same price" dealio. Seriously, it happens like 85% of the time. And we've gotten used to driving them in the hill towns. Like Assisi, Montefalco, all up and down the Rhone, through Burgundy, the Pyrenees, etc.

[Mr. Pink]

Mr. Pink,

Have you done a quote to send your bike via FedEx/UPS to Europe. I recently sold one of my Ibis SilkTi's to a gentleman in Singapore. It was over $650 to ship it one-way. He ended up opening a MYUS.com account to get it shipped to him. I had decent quote from BikeFlights.com about $350 definitely better than FedEx.

I seriously would just take it on the Plane with you. Find a local bike shop to build it back up for you and hold the box. I don't think Airlines charge additional fees to travel with your bike internationally, but even if I am wrong it might be cheaper than shipping it ahead of time. Domestic flights charge $85/each way. I am sure you can figure out how to get from the Airport to the bike shop. Maybe ratchet strapped to the roof of the Fiat?

My VaMoots is S&S Coupled and I travel with the hard case, I love it. It's my favorite bike I own, and I have a VaMoots SL. If I was forced to only keep one bike it would be the S&S Coupled bike.

Satellite


Oh well, sounds like the plane is best. Just have to figure out how to stash the box. I'm pretty sure I'm going to fly in and out of Milan because there are a lot of cheap, direct flights from JFK, and Milan is the most modern of Italian cities with four or five shops, and it's a short drive to Piemonte and Como riding.

I could see an S&S coupled bike in my future.

[Mr. Pink]

We travel in Europe quite a bit and find that as older Americans we tend to get the old "we haven't got the small car you requested but have this luxurious Alfa/Mercedes/Citroen that we'll give you for the same price" dealio. Seriously, it happens like 85% of the time. And we've gotten used to driving them in the hill towns. Like Assisi, Montefalco, all up and down the Rhone, through Burgundy, the Pyrenees, etc.

The only time I was there, we rented a Fiat 500. Next time, I would love to rent an Abarth 500, because the only thing I didn't like about it was the lack of power. Surprisingly comfy for two people and luggage. Just hang two bikes off the back.

[Satellite]

Oh well, sounds like the plane is best. Just have to figure out how to stash the box. I'm pretty sure I'm going to fly in and out of Milan because there are a lot of cheap, direct flights from JFK, and Milan is the most modern of Italian cities with four or five shops, and it's a short drive to Piemonte and Como riding.

I could see an S&S coupled bike in my future.
Mr. Pink,

Did you check FedEx/UPS? Maybe it's just Singapore that cost $650/one-way. The bike box I got from the Colorado Cyclist was 54x29x7 I thought it would be too big but it took every bit of real-estate mostly due to Wheels. Oh wait you said you have the Trico Box. I would be curious what the shippers want to charge you. The box only weighs 32 lbs., due to size they want to charge me for 126 lbs. ridiculous. It's a conspiracy against Cyclist!:bike:

Best regards,

Satellite

[christian]

If you fly into Malpensa, you can load the bike, in a box, on the Malpensa Express bus, which drops you right at central station in Milan. You can find a shop near there, or get a room at the Hotel Bolzano for one night coming and one night going. They are awesome and likely to let you store the box if you do that.

[Mr. Pink]

Awesome, Mr. Christain. Thanks for the detailed advice. I want to spend some time in Milan, anyway. Looks like a cool town.

[MadRocketSci]

The Ruster Armored Hen House seems like an interesting option if you're thinking about S&S for the size advantage. It fits within airline standard baggage size but requires no couplers. I have no personal experience but it also looks like it might break down and become easier to store. A bit pricey at $625 but there is a cheaper version without the armor and wheels.

http://rustersports.com/product/armored-hen-house/

The other "small" option is the Gavilan BFF.

http://www.gavilanbff.com/