To box or not to box

Don't Chute!

Looking for some advice about cycling abroad. I'm going to the alps in june for two weeks. Don't know whether to renta bike box and bring my own bike or rent one over there. I found a rental place where I can get a bike for about €350 for the two weeks. Is that normal or expensive? Bringing my own bike, while great to have it over there seems like a pain in the arse. I would have to make sure that we rent a car big enough to take it and that obviously brings up the cost. Also we have a three year old with us so will have all of her stuff too. Any advice would be welcome!

crosstownk

I'm not sure exactly where in the Alps you're going but I used Cycle Huez last year. Great service and decent bikes at a good price. They'll deliver for an extra €20 if you're local enough.

Puggy

Took my bike to Spain last year for a month. It cost me €50 on Aer Lingus going out and €70 on Ryan Air coming back. I bought a bike bag from Decathalon for €30 and pipe insulation and duck tape in Woodies for €5. I had recently bought a set of wheels from CRC and still had the packaging they came in.

Didn't factor in a torque wrench, so went to a lsb in Spain, were they were delighted to practice their English, and gave me 2 bidons for free. Also gave me contacts for local clubs.

Both flights were fine, though Ryan Air took better care of the bike, as the check in attendant actually put the bike into its own luggage bin which I saw go into the hold.

Your welcome to the bike bag if you want to borrow it. Though it offers no protection from crushing. My bike is Ali frame.

Don't Chute!

Thanks for the replies guys. We're staying close to a town called Aiguebelle so i think its too far for cyclehuez. Still not sure about what to do will have to sort something out!

Seaswimmer

I have travelled Ryanair and Aer lingus with my bike many times and have always used a cardboard bike box which any cycle shop in Ireland will give you for free. You may have to cycle from the airport over there however as it sounds like all 3 of you and bike wont fit in car. I normally leave the cardboard box neatly beside a litter bin in the arrivals hall.
Coming home you should be able to arrange a similar box from a local cycle shop. they may even box it for you for a small fee. Alternatively check the departure airport as some airports provide a bike box service.

do car hire companies ever supply a bike rack??

cdaly_

Last trip I did, I turned handlebars and pedals and wrapped the bike in clear plastic. It was handled reasonably carefully both ways.

I noticed a luggage cling-wrap service at both airports costing €10 per go. Might be worth considering for the next time...

Seaswimmer

cdaly_ wrote: »

Last trip I did, I turned handlebars and pedals and wrapped the bike in clear plastic. It was handled reasonably carefully both ways.

I noticed a luggage cling-wrap service at both airports costing €10 per go. Might be worth considering for the next time...

I think they sometimes charge double for a bike as it uses 2 goes of the machine. Also they wont wrap it fully assembled. You need to remove pedals, front wheel, lower saddle, turn bars ect so it can be clamped in the wrapping machine. This means you need to have tie wraps, tape, Velcro or such items.

I wouldn't recommend it. We did it from Faro to Dublin last October. I put the helmet over the derailleur and protected it as best I could but it just got thrown on the belt like regular oversize luggage. It arrived back in Dublin with helmet smashed and a few scuffs to saddle but thankfully nothing more serious.

My advice for anyone coming back is to contact a local bikeshop near the airport in advance and arrange a time to call and let them box it for you then get a taxi to airport. Failing that arrange for a cardboard box only and do it yourself but you will need pedal spanners ect.
Another option is to buy a bag in Decathlon but the cheaper bags don't provide much protection.

We always go out and back from different airports so have never been able to bring our own bike boxes/bags, always cardboard boxes from bike shops.