Bike postage to Europe

patbishop2004
patbishop2004 Posts: 11
edited July 2009 in Tour & expedition
The situation is that I am moving abroad to France for a year in August. I will be living in Pau, not far from the Pyrénées, and would like to have my bike over there with me. However I am flying with Ryanair and the charges for a bicycle are £30. It is not so much the price that has put me off taking my bike on the flight with me but more the fact that I will have two bags already and carrying a cumbersome bike box will be a bit of a pain. Also there is obviously the risk of the bike getting damaged in transit. This has lead me to look at the option of having the bike posted over to me once I am settled via an international courier.

Has anybody done this before who has some rough prices? If not, can anybody recommend a courier to use for posting bikes internationally?

I am hoping that this thread doesn't drift into a thread of rants about Ryanair.

Any advice would be kindly appreciated.

Comments

  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    patbishop2004 wrote:
    I am hoping that this thread doesn't drift into a thread of rants about Ryanair..

    How about rants about Parcelforce? (I think they're Ok as it happens but lots of people seem to hate them).

    Try here:

    https://www.parcel2go.com/
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • Wooliferkins
    Wooliferkins Posts: 2,060
    I run a mail order company and even with a trade account it's more expensive than the airline charge to ship a bike by courier. Parcel force are OK we use them in preference to the major couriers for our large parcels.
    Neil
    Help I'm Being Oppressed
  • Wooliferkins
    Wooliferkins Posts: 2,060
    See here to estimate your price
    Neil
    Help I'm Being Oppressed
  • unCivilServant
    unCivilServant Posts: 600
    A long shot maybe, but could you try seeing if anyone is going on holiday from your current neck of the woods to your new one who'd be prepared to carry your bike? Maybe offer them a good dinner for their efforts? :P

    <holiday advert mode> Pau's prettily situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees, a delight for walkers and also scenic-but-not-impossibly-hilly for cyclists. Nearby there are various tourist attractions, forests, lakes.<\>

    Joking aside, I went to Pau for the start of a trekking holiday last year. If someone likes southern France but their tourism low-key (just down the road is a FREE campsite, the village in question obviously wanting to drum up trade), it & its surroundings are worth a visit.

    Your alternative would be to go by train, either booking the bike on the Eurostar and then a night train from Paris (about £20+£10) or carrying it bagged all the way from London (free, no reservations needed or restrictions on which trains you can use). That wouldn't entirely solve the 'bulky luggage' problem, but at least means your bike is reasonably safe in transit. Also a bit of a faffy multi-stage operation to get there from where you are, but at least you wouldn't have to do it in reverse within a year :wink:

Categories