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Moving To France: Bring bike or buy there?

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Moving To France: Bring bike or buy there?

Old 01-24-17, 12:39 PM
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Hmmm
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Moving To France: Bring bike or buy there?

I'm moving to France to stay for a year. I can't decide if purchasing a bike case (a friends Thule RoundTrip for $200) and flying it over on Delta, or purchasing a bike there and then selling it when it comes time to move back home. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?

I have a CAAD10 with 105 and I would be happy with anything comparable.

Also I would appreciate tips on finding a good group to ride with in Nice and Paris.
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Old 01-24-17, 01:25 PM
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I don't have experience bringing or buying a bike overseas, but I do have experience with extended stays overseas.


With the chaos of trying to figure out a new city and a new job, buying a new bike where there may be a language barrier may be a larger burden than you anticipate. Having a bike that already fits and that you are comfortable with will be the easier, more comfortable option.


On the other hand, going to buy a new bike means you may have access to brands that are harder to find here in the US. Also, in the process of finding the new bike you will likely meet other people who like to ride, who may give you good route info and possibly be a new riding partner. To me, this sounds like the more fun option that follows the spirit of moving overseas, but it is dependent on you putting in a little extra effort.


Where in France will you be living?
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Old 01-24-17, 01:42 PM
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Buying a new bike in the new place sounds like a good way to get to know the local culture. At least the bike culture. I'd get something French, not a clone of what you already have, something you could bring back home and it would be "exotic".
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Old 01-24-17, 01:48 PM
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There's no burden to buying a bike. It's not a car - with registration, insurance, upkeep. It's a simple commodity no different from buying a blender whether new from the shop or used.

Consider your new housing size will be limited. Where will you keep the case? Besides shipping the bike over you're probably gonna want to ship personal belongings, too.

Unless you're 5'2" or 6'8" with a handmade bike, just get a new one.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:01 PM
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If you speak french you can go to: Vélo 101 le site officiel du vélo - cyclisme vtt cyclosport cyclo-cross You will find plenty at the local level.

Used to take my bike in a case, but it is now so expensive--it used to be free on some airlines--can you imagine that? I may use a BikeFriday, the case is much smaller for this year's trip.
Also you have to make it fit in a car/taxi or the train?

If you are not use to ride in big town, get a feel by riding in the country side before, city traffic is very busy and can be intimidating particularly in Paris and all along the coast and even more in summer--it is gridlocked actually.
Personally for a year I would take my own bike.

Bon voyage.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:05 PM
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What part of France? I'd suggest leboncoin.fr , put in your region and search in the "velos" section, there are loads.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:09 PM
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Originally Posted by redfooj
There's no burden to buying a bike. It's not a car - with registration, insurance, upkeep. It's a simple commodity no different from buying a blender whether new from the shop or used.


My point was not that the bicycle itself would be the burden. The burden I referred to is getting yourself settled with life basics in a new country. When moving to a new country the OP will have the challenge of trying to navigate a new city, find out where to buy food, how to use a new transportation system, get his utilities hooked up, and if he is working will likely have a crazy first few weeks on the job. Additionally, OP may be in a rural area without a bike shop, which would require traveling to another unknown city to get the bike.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Ajkollme
My point was not that the bicycle itself would be the burden. The burden I referred to is getting yourself settled with life basics in a new country. When moving to a new country the OP will have the challenge of trying to navigate a new city, find out where to buy food, how to use a new transportation system, get his utilities hooked up, and if he is working will likely have a crazy first few weeks on the job.
None of that is impacted by taking out half a day to buy a bike.

Or, rather, there is no realpotential riding time lost by not having already having a bike.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by redfooj
None of that is impacted by taking out half a day to buy a bike.

Or, rather, there is no realpotential riding time lost by not having already having a bike.
That is a nice opinion, mine is different.


Edit: Just to clarify, I don't think the OP hasn't provided enough info about himself or where he will be living to say that there is no riding time lost by not bringing his bike.


In one scenario, OP could be living in a rural town with no car, no bike shop, speaks no French, and has social anxiety that he manages by going for long rides on his bike - in this scenario, I think there is a significant burden to buying a bike.


In another scenario, OP could speak fluent French and be renting the apartment above a bike shop - in this scenario, there is no significant burden to buying a bike.

Last edited by Ajkollme; 01-24-17 at 02:42 PM.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:33 PM
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Bring your bike to France, and buy a bike. When you return, fly both bikes home. And then buy a third bike.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:39 PM
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Originally Posted by HTupolev
Bring your bike to France, and buy a bike. When you return, fly both bikes home. And then buy a third bike.
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Old 01-24-17, 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Ajkollme
That is a nice opinion, mine is different.
I've moved overseas 4 times.

He may have to take a train to a bike shop? Like as is normal daily life for many many people to buy normal goods?

The guy has a road bike. Presumably he's not overwhelmed by what is hybrid vs fitness vs endurance vs trail bikes. And he knows how a brifter works. And what a 53/39 chainset means.

The dollar is at a tremendous position relative to the Euro. He has easier access to Lapierre. And Canyon and Rose by internet order. (Trek and Cannondale and Specialized and Cervelo are still distributed worldwide). And an opportunity to get N+1 with a current-generation drivetrain.

Easy decision.

What should be brought over are compact, basic tools. No point in buying a duplicate cassette tool, torque wrench, chain remover, etc
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Old 01-24-17, 03:43 PM
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Going to France is its own reward, such a beautiful country. Any questions about bicycles is insignificant in the overall picture. Have a great time.


Really, buy a used bike over there and sell it if you don't want to bring it home. Shopping will be fun as the French know a thing or two about cycling.
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Old 01-24-17, 03:51 PM
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Sorry guys. For more detail I will be in Nice, close to the center of town for the first 5 months then up to Paris.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I would be buying there to save costs then selling before coming home. Since the case + air fees both ways would be $500.. so as long as I can get out of the used bike for less than that I would consider it worth it.

I'll check the sites listed! And anymore comments are appreciated!

Also, yes I can handle myself in city traffic

And oui, je parle un peu Français.

Last edited by Hmmm; 01-24-17 at 03:54 PM. Reason: Addition
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Old 01-24-17, 03:53 PM
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Nice is like hitting the jackpot!

Colnago Dream Campagnolo Record | eBay
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Old 01-24-17, 04:10 PM
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I moved from Texas to DC and hated I sold my bike before I left....Until I purchased a way better bike than I perviously had (Scott Speedster 50 to CAAD12 Ultegra).

If your just going to get a comparable bike, I would suggest taking the one you have.
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Old 01-24-17, 07:41 PM
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If you know you're only there for a limited time, and will be returning, just buy a cheap beater when you arrive, and you won't worry about it being kicked, nicked, and left out in the rain.
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Old 01-24-17, 07:49 PM
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why not become a gigalo (sp?) and let some French chick buy you a road bike and an all white FDJ kit? dura ace no less
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Old 01-24-17, 08:15 PM
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You could always bring your bike, and then sell it when you leave. Once you go back then you can buy a new one.
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Old 01-24-17, 08:29 PM
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I'd buy one there just for the fun of getting something a bit different.
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Old 01-24-17, 09:32 PM
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My son's experience going tp Warsaw for summer college credits was he bought a very nice used steel Basso with full Campy for about half what the same bike would have cost here. He then had a bike shop pack it up in a bike box and shipped it home. Still has in his stable. Still rides it a bit.
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Old 01-24-17, 09:46 PM
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Buy it there. No brainer.
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Old 01-25-17, 08:58 AM
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Buy a new bike in France. Something great that you can't get here. Like someone said before, the dollar is strong. When you come back to the US, disassemble the bike, pack it in a box and UPS it home. Then you don't have to deal with travel bags and airlines.
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Old 01-25-17, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Hmmm
I'm moving to France to stay for a year. I can't decide if purchasing a bike case (a friends Thule RoundTrip for $200) and flying it over on Delta, or purchasing a bike there and then selling it when it comes time to move back home. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?

I have a CAAD10 with 105 and I would be happy with anything comparable.

Also I would appreciate tips on finding a good group to ride with in Nice and Paris.
I think traveling with bikes is a pain and have a lot of racing bike traveling experience. When it came to just riding and training - we rented.

You can normally rent pretty nice Shimano 105 level bikes in most of Europe. We rented in Italy and Spain. My son used his in France. When you buy there you pay VAT. When you buy outside the EU some sites (starbike) will give you a 19% VAT discount.

Last edited by Doge; 01-25-17 at 01:47 PM.
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Old 01-25-17, 11:03 AM
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The decision is very personal. Are you very a very experienced rider that can quickly adapts to different bike fits? Do you need perfect bike fits (your current) in order to ride comfortably? How much upgrade how you done to your CAAD 10?


Unless your have a very strong personal bond with your CAAD10, from a pure economic perspective, it's probably not worth it to transport it abroad. In addition, CAAD10 105 in general has a very good resale value here in US.
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