Taking your own bike vs renting a bike on vacation.

[openwheelracing]

Take a bike on an airplane is the easy part. The hard part is whether you have room or travel option once you land.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

Having travelled with my bike once and having the frame bent leaves me questioning whether rentals are better. The damaged bike was a cheap Kona 29er, but it would suck if you damaged one of your gorgeous bikes (that are in my size, take note for future gifting purposes ! )

I am sure that if you use a proper travel case (mine was a soft one) it’ll be fine, but I would take a cheap bike.

I have rented several times and while you don’t get a Pegoretti, they usually provide a decent bike and will no doubt furnish SPD pedals (or you just stuff yours in your suitcase)

Jealous! It’s been over a decade since I was careening through France on my bike! And no kids - 🤩 amazing!!

Gordes is a baguette’s throw away! 😘

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by HowardCosellsPR

I tend to rent if it's a mtb. And bring my own if it's road/gravel. Largely because I can generally ride any ball-park fit on mtb where as my road set up kind of requires shorter cranks etc..

That said... I DO NOT (and would not) travel with my 'A' bikes. For flights I prefer bringing a bike that can handle some abuse and is easy to break down/work on.

If I do take my own bike, it will probably be this one: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...ielo+stainless

Biggest advantages: (a) not having to fiddle with disc brakes (b) no paint to chip (c) 34/34 gearing (d) mech shifting. No worrying about batteries.

[AngryScientist]

My bike flies for free so it’s always the cheaper option.

That said; I’d prefer to rent if I could.

It’s no secret that I’m a retro grouch and renting high end bikes is an excuse for to experience something really nice; high end and modern without having to commit to owning it.

International travel; especially solo is stressful enough trying to manage all your own luggage with only two hands; so it’s certainly easier to not have to lug a bike case.

With that out of the way; for various reasons I’ll be taking my own bike to Europe later this month.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by echappist

Depends on how exacting one is re: at least contact points, if not more.

^^^This. I'm remarkably adaptable, to the point of being indifferent, to the fit of a bike. I can ride nearly anything. Mind you, I do greatly prefer riding a bike that was custom made to fit me, and so I have that bike to bring along when the cycling will be the bulk of the trip's purpose. But I can be easily convinced to forego the time and agita of packing/unpacking my coupled bike if I know there are decent rental options available and I won't be on the rental bike more than ~3 or 4 hours a day.

Conversely, my wife is the proverbial Princess & The Pea; she is extremely sensetive to even the slightest variations in bike fit, and so it is* well worth the effort to bring her custom-built coupled bike and know that everything will be in the correct place, rather than futz around with a rented or borrowed bike and constantly having to stop mid-ride to whip out a hex wrench and do some +/- 1mm tweak.

*or rather, was: Her S&S coupled bike was destroyed in a crash several years ago, and so the last two cycling vacations we took she rented or borrowed a bike. Lots of stopping & tweaking ensued.

[Elefantino]

I've flown to Europe with my bike twice. The rentals are nice, but you sacrifice generic contact points for your particulars, and I haven't been willing to sacrifice. Build-up/take-down from my travel case is easy.

[mass_biker]

I go to Europe each summer for a few weeks - as a result, the Ritchey Breakaway cross has accumulated some decent frequent flier miles, and is great to have over there. No disc brakes as others have mentioned makes things easy. Going eTap would be ever easier, but this works for my needs. Not a race bike by any means, but it does the job and is so fun to ride. The only reason I go with my Breakaway is that the travel to/from CDG to my family’s house can be a bit of a logistical hassle, so having the smaller case makes a difference.

Traveling domestically I rely on my DaKine bike case. Again, I stash a rim brake/steel bike in there. So far it’s held up great on multiple trips. As others have noted, shipping ahead does save a lot of hassle. Quite often, I’ll “ship there/check it back” as the risk on not having it at the location (when the whole point of the trip is to have to a bike on location!) is greater outbound than inbound.

MB

[CAAD]

It's really not even a question, if it's a vacation, a bike is coming with me. Both domestically and internationally. I will not rent a bike because I usually don't plan my destination around cycling, but always find places to get plenty of miles in via local groups and ride with GPS. I do have a dedicated "travel" bike. Aluminum, rim brake, room for 32s, full mechanical. Goes into an Orucase airport ninja. I have become pretty efficient when it comes to packing. For 2 weeks I can get away with just my bike bag and a carry on. We don't have issues with taxi cabs, train luggage racks, and rental cars.

[d_douglas]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

If I do take my own bike, it will probably be this one: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...ielo+stainless

Biggest advantages: (a) not having to fiddle with disc brakes (b) no paint to chip (c) 34/34 gearing (d) mech shifting. No worrying about batteries.

That’s my bike - be gentle

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

That’s my bike - be gentle

All my bikes identify as “ours.” 😉

[herb5998]

If you have the ability to move with the bike once landing (public transit or airport transfer service/rental car), it's a win getting things dialed and organized on a bike you know, versus a rental, which may require some time to get used to.

I have flown a bike quite a few times for vacation and for long work trips. No issues (fingers crossed) with luggage handling, and most carriers now treat bikes as standard luggage, so that's a win as well.

We did rent gravel bikes last year while staying in the Dolomites, we'd brought our road bikes, but figured we'd at least explore the gravel in the area to get an idea of how it was (TOUGH). Rentals from the hotel were great, I had time to work with the mechanic and install the pedals/saddles on our two rental bikes, as well as talk shop with the hotel mechanic.

[572cv]

Looks like you are going to be in Provence/ Alps Maritimes… terrific riding areas throughout. Last I knew, there were some high end rental places scattered around that area, so some searching may turn something up . But I would want it to be close by. As others have said, the fixed location makes bringing or leaving a bike with your pal real options. Not sure where you might be flying from, but for a flight to Nice, look for a direct flight, to minimize the travel time as well as the potential for bike transfer issues.
We go to a different part of France, fly direct (from YUL, which we’re close enough to in the US) and leave some bikes here (we’re in SW France at the moment). It makes life so much easier.
When will you go? There’s great spring riding, but it can be cold enough higher in the Alps Maritimes.

[bthomas515]

This will be a controversial option - but, the last 5 or 6 vacations I’ve been on, I’ve actually just stalked the internet and bought a bike wherever I’m going, rode it, then brought it back with me. I’ve learned getting somewhere with a bike is harder than bringing one back. Flying with a bike is maybe $35 normally (it’s free on Delta for me). Boxes are easy to source. I try and get a good deal, enjoy riding it, then maybe resell it and offset costs of the vacation or ride it for a while.

When we went to Hawaii, I bought a giant that a military guy was selling because he was going home. PayPal’d the money before we got there. Rode it all over the big island and resold it and paid for all of our fancy dinners.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by 572cv

Looks like you are going to be in Provence/ Alps Maritimes… terrific riding areas throughout. Last I knew, there were some high end rental places scattered around that area, so some searching may turn something up . But I would want it to be close by. As others have said, the fixed location makes bringing or leaving a bike with your pal real options. Not sure where you might be flying from, but for a flight to Nice, look for a direct flight, to minimize the travel time as well as the potential for bike transfer issues.
We go to a different part of France, fly direct (from YUL, which we’re close enough to in the US) and leave some bikes here (we’re in SW France at the moment). It makes life so much easier.
When will you go? There’s great spring riding, but it can be cold enough higher in the Alps Maritimes.

It looks like mid-late October. We’ll be based near Nice. I’d like to do a “Cezanne Loop” in Aix-in-Provence if I could swing it as well.

[ojingoh]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

The purpose of the trip is expressly “cycling.” No kids, partners, to-do lists, etc.


Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

Bring your own bike. It's the focus of your trip. Sounds like great memories on tap, memories that you'll cherish. Seems weird to do it on a rental whip.

Back in 2017 I debated taking a telescope to the Solar Eclipse. You don't need to bring a telescope to experience an eclips, just show up and put on the glasses.

Then I realized, welp no, I'm an astronomer, this is a big deal, I'm going to experience this my way. I brought my scope.