Bike box to borrow

not-another-hillǃ
not-another-hillǃ Posts: 1,310
edited January 2017 in Road general
Heading to Majorca in March for 4 days....anyone in Kent got a bike box they'd like to lend me? There's nowhere close to me that hires them for a reasonable price

Thanks

Comments

  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    You have a Colnago with Di2 and a Wilier Zero 9 and yet baulk at the price of hiring a bike box?
  • not-another-hillǃ
    not-another-hillǃ Posts: 1,310
    It's because I am thrifty that I can afford a Colnago with Di2 and a Wilier Zero 9 :lol:
  • tourdriving
    tourdriving Posts: 228
    Here are a place http://www.bikeboxrentals.com/ also delivery service else use this google map https://goo.gl/maps/YC79vScEbV42
    https://tourdriving.wordpress.com bike hire and travel links, in 47 countries http://ukbikerentals.com UK Bike & Motorcycle hire in Counties after ABC
  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    Any good? £6 a day:

    https://panaguabikes.com/pages/bike-box ... IHOvlOLSUk
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Not-another-hill! wrote:
    It's because I am thrifty that I can afford a Colnago with Di2 and a Wilier Zero 9 :lol:

    Haha! Yeah, fair point. Looks like the right question was "Where can I get a good deal on a bike box" as the replies above seem to hit the mark :)
  • AK_jnr
    AK_jnr Posts: 717
    4 days before leaving. Gave yourself plenty of time. You can borrow mine for £400 if you like.
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    AK_jnr wrote:
    4 days before leaving. Gave yourself plenty of time. You can borrow mine for £400 if you like.

    Err, he is off in March FOR 4 days! You might need to revise your offer ;-)
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    For 4 days - would renting be an idea ? Less cost in baggage. Easier to get to and from the airport ? No faffing around breaking down, rebuilding, breaking down, rebuilding.
  • not-another-hillǃ
    not-another-hillǃ Posts: 1,310
    thanks for the links guys - one is still nearly £80 for the hire, the other seems to not deliver and I cant get up to S.London.
    I have hired before (the excellent Bruce @ Pro Cycle Hire)...I fancied an F8 from Pinarello Experience Majorca, but their process have rocketed up to £196 for 3 days hire!!
    Maybe Im just being tight...anyway, think I may have found a bike box off a builder friend for nowt! £70 carriage on Easyjet and Im good to go
  • AK_jnr
    AK_jnr Posts: 717
    Oh doh! Ha serves me right!

    I rented one for £50 for a week from bikeboxhire

    I ended up buying one for a bargain £230 in the end as I was fed up of hire bike prices.
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    rent a bike when you get there?
  • animal72
    animal72 Posts: 251
    You can borrow mine, but
    A)It's a canvas case, which may not be good enough for you
    B)I'm in Cambridge...
    Condor Super Acciaio, Record, Deda, Pacentis.
    Curtis 853 Handbuilt MTB, XTR, DT Swiss and lots of Hope.
    Genesis Datum Gravel Bike, Pacentis (again).
    Genesis Equilibrium Disc, 105 & H-Plus-Son.

    Mostly Steel.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Or go to Halfords and get a delivery cardboard box!

    How my mate bought a new bike back from Asia, and with BA sports equipment is carriage free.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    The Rookie wrote:
    Or go to Halfords and get a delivery cardboard box!

    How my mate bought a new bike back from Asia, and with BA sports equipment is carriage free.

    Have you ever had a bike damaged on a flight?
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • pastryboy
    pastryboy Posts: 1,385
    Just watched a video on Philip Hinde's youtube channel - he had a British Cycling branded cardboard box.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    The Rookie wrote:
    Or go to Halfords and get a delivery cardboard box!

    How my mate bought a new bike back from Asia, and with BA sports equipment is carriage free.

    Have you ever had a bike damaged on a flight?
    No, pack it properly in the box and it won't get damaged unless it's so badly mishandled the box is crushed (and I've seen photos of £400 boxes crushed).
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Not-another-hill! wrote:
    thanks for the links guys - one is still nearly £80 for the hire, the other seems to not deliver and I cant get up to S.London.
    I have hired before (the excellent Bruce @ Pro Cycle Hire)...I fancied an F8 from Pinarello Experience Majorca, but their process have rocketed up to £196 for 3 days hire!!
    Maybe Im just being tight...anyway, think I may have found a bike box off a builder friend for nowt! £70 carriage on Easyjet and Im good to go

    You can hire excellent bikes (Canyon, Trek, etc) with Ultegra in Majorca for £100 for 4 days MAX.

    If you really want to splash out get something really nice from Bikehead.se (like Colnago with DA Di2).

    When you factor in £70 of 'we don't give a sh!t about your bike' transport, breaking down, building up, airport hassle at both ends (x2), risk of damage, time lost, extra transfer hassle, etc. etc. and the favour you now owe your mate, I'd say it's not worth it. Rent.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    The Rookie wrote:
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    The Rookie wrote:
    Or go to Halfords and get a delivery cardboard box!

    How my mate bought a new bike back from Asia, and with BA sports equipment is carriage free.

    Have you ever had a bike damaged on a flight?
    No, pack it properly in the box and it won't get damaged unless it's so badly mishandled the box is crushed (and I've seen photos of £400 boxes crushed).

    I have and I wouldn't recommend anything other than a hard box. And extensive packaging.
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • AK_jnr
    AK_jnr Posts: 717
    When I first got my hard bike box, the skewer I used to attach the wheels was too long so it stuck out past the recess. Less than 10mm, but the weight of all the bags that were thrown on top of it bent it 90 degrees. Pretty impressive over about 7/8mm!!
    No chance would I risk my bike in anything other than a hard case.
  • not-another-hillǃ
    not-another-hillǃ Posts: 1,310
    Yeah, I'm going to hire from Bruce again.....thanks for all the comments
  • Jerry185
    Jerry185 Posts: 143
    Last time we travelled (Corsica), my bike had been barged off the fixing rib (SciCon Aerocomfort) but was OK, but girlfriends bike (hard case AeroTech) wasn't so lucky; bent rear derailleur - mental image of angry trolls hammering away at bike cases with oversized industrial mallets. I mean, what do they do?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I lent my bike box to a friend (against my better judgement) and it came back broken.

    He blamed the airport (said they opened the box and broke the internal support) but was not interested in pursuing a claim (surprise surprise).

    There are certain things you should never lend people (the guy that said you could hire his for £400 got it exactly right) and a bike box is one of them IMO.

    People just don't give a fcuk about things they did not pay for.
    Even being Christian about it, they have not been through the learning curve of ownership that means they know how to look after it.

    My 'friend' did me a favor though.
    I have sold the broken one for virtually no financial loss and will be getting a DB one when I next need it.

    Main thing is that I now have the resolve to dispatch anyone who asks to borrow it for free 8)
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    My CF bikes have flown in soft bags many times for races abroad. Once I had an alloy bottle cage broken - but that's the sum total of damage. You do have to take your time packing them away though - lots of foam, plastic, tape, bubble wrap, zip ties etc.

    If you're not confident of lobbing the bike down the stairs then its not packed well enough.

    Even in a hard shell case I'd pack it the same way. It only gives you a bit more security for a lot more weight.

    Mate of mine had his mech hanger broken in a hard shell case - he'd not secured it in the box and it had smacked on the inside of the box - but that was user error.

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