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Shipping bike from US to Europe: advice?

Old 09-23-20, 01:57 PM
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teamzissou
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Shipping bike from US to Europe: advice?

Hi all, I'm moving to France from the states soon (weird timing, I know). I've been looking into the possibility of shipping my bike over with me, after looking into it briefly and finding quotes of around $150, which is less than I expected. I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with international bike shipping and could give me some advice.

I've seen some advertisements for cases made specifically for bike shipments. I'm not planning on doing this frequently, so I don't want to invest in one of those. Is it safe to ship packed in a standard cardboard box?
Anybody have recommendations for particular services? I've seen ShipBike and BikeFlights, anyone have experience with either of these?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if anyone here has been on any bike trips around the Burgundy region, let me know! I'm looking forward to exploring the area.
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Old 09-23-20, 02:47 PM
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You can pack the bike yourself in a cardboard box. Most bike shops will give a box to you. Make sure you know the airline requirements and size for your bike. Look online for how to pack it. Or, let your LBS do it for a fee. You might need some 'special' size packing items, like a piece for your fork so it won't get bent. The bike stores may give you those too. Or, I have seen some cool packing pieces online, that protect everything but I have not purchased them.

We have also rolled our bikes on a Lufthansa flight without packing but they do not have many flights like that. At least they did not a few years ago. I think as checked baggage, airlines are treating bikes like luggage. You may want to check a few airlines since for your total flight costs, a less expensive bike shipping charge may be a savings.

As for the companies, we used one of them and it worked fine.

Here is a link to our Crazyguy journal from out 2019 trip to Italy and France. Perhaps there will be something there that interests you for touring. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=21693&v=dB
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Old 09-23-20, 03:41 PM
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Are you shipping your household items overseas as well? I've shipped bikes over to the UK and back, but they were part of shipping the rest of my household goods along with it.

When we moved back to the states in August I packed my main bike in a case (cheap one I bought from Wiggle) and paid to have it checked on the plane(s) as luggage. I think it was $100(maybe $150) to have it checked as luggage, and I made sure I was under their weight limit (to avoid that overweight fee). When I checked bikeflights.com they were charging almost $300 to ship from the UK back to the states. Perhaps you can check there as well?

Good luck. I had some rides planned for the continent while we were in the UK, but C19 sure put a halt to those. Took the wind right out of our traveling and exploring sails that's for sure.
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Old 09-23-20, 06:15 PM
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How I packed a large 25" touring bike... I could have packed it smaller but lacked the headset wrench to remove the front fork...
Fork and rear were spaced with short sections of PVC pipe, clamped in place by the wheel skewers





NO DAMAGE shipped ~2500 miles across the entire US via FedEx (Bikeflights) three years ago...
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Old 09-24-20, 11:00 AM
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Originally Posted by teamzissou
Hi all, I'm moving to France from the states soon (weird timing, I know). I've been looking into the possibility of shipping my bike over with me, after looking into it briefly and finding quotes of around $150, which is less than I expected. I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with international bike shipping and could give me some advice.

I've seen some advertisements for cases made specifically for bike shipments. I'm not planning on doing this frequently, so I don't want to invest in one of those. Is it safe to ship packed in a standard cardboard box?
Anybody have recommendations for particular services? I've seen ShipBike and BikeFlights, anyone have experience with either of these?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if anyone here has been on any bike trips around the Burgundy region, let me know! I'm looking forward to exploring the area.
Burgundy? Oh man, you're gonna be in heaven! Can't go wrong. It's just hard to cycle after the fifth winery though...

In the old days, you could bring your bike on the plane for free. Nice on that front, but not nice the way they treated your bike. They must have had an incentive program to see who could do the most damage. The best/worst story I heard is of a friend who flew to DC and when he got there, the luggage person retrieved his bike from in back and handed him - just his bike! No box. "Where's my front wheel?" "What wheel?" Front wheel, pedals, other misc. parts GONE. He was pretty pissed off. Apparently the boxed bike sat outside on the tarmac at one point in the rain. Box disintegrated and all the parts were scattered to the wind. So the lesson there is BE SURE EVERYTHING IS FIRMLY ATTACHED to your bike.

Given the airlines' animosity toward bikes - and luggage in general - your are most certainly better off shipping it for $150. FAR less hassle and risk than dealing with the airlines. One less huge thing to bring to the airport too.

And the moving company transporting your stuff abroad? If so, it seems they'd be the ones doing the bike. But if you do, have it properly packaged in a bike box at lease by someone who's VERY familiar with bicycle packaging. Lots of pitfalls with doing it wrong (no fork brace, for example, causes all sorts of problems. Fork tips poke through box, getting bent, even damaging the frame...).

Bon voyage et chance!

PS And if you ever become a frequent bike traveler over the pond, you'll want a travel bike if you intend to always be avec le velo. Breaking down a bike with couplers and properly packaged in two airline-approved hard cases is THE WAY to go. But you say you aren't planning frequent overseas bike travel, so not an issue now.

Last edited by LV2TNDM; 09-24-20 at 11:04 AM.
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Old 09-24-20, 11:36 AM
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Have had excellent personal experience with Bikeflights. I see on their website that US-FR is an option.
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Old 09-24-20, 04:58 PM
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I've moved bikes in the opposite direction, from Europe to the U.S., twice. Both times things were damaged. On one bike, a frame got all scraped up, because parts in the box jostled against it. In the other case, a wheel and pedal got bent. Do your best to imagine worst case scenarios where the box is being jostled, crushed or mishandled and (over)pack accordingly.
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Old 09-24-20, 06:33 PM
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During my Navy career, when I'd transfer overseas, I built an inexpensive wooden crate myself from cheap plywood and 1x4 planks and shipped the bike with my household goods. I had heard horror stories about people letting movers simply wrap their bike in a moving blanket, or pack it in a cardboard box. Somewhere along the line from CONUS to Europe/Asia, as always happens, the shipment would shift and the bike would get crushed by a couch, recliner, refrigerator, etc. (or all of the above). Unpacking at the destination would reveal a bent frame, bent wheels, etc. The box I build was very simple but effective. Just long enough to fit the bike in with wheels on, pedals off, handlebar/steerer sideways, and seat lowered. One end of the box was a hinged door. Once inside, I'd raise the seat tight against the top so that the bike couldn't move around inside. Worked well and I kept it for my entire career and used it every move.

Dan
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Old 09-28-20, 01:04 PM
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Thanks very much to everyone for the tips and advice. Much appreciated! I'll definitely be reaching out to some LBS and seeing if any of them have experience packing bikes up. Seems that I'm going to want to really overpack to avoid any damage.

debade , thanks for the link! Looks like a great trip. I'll actually be living/working in Nevers and Fourchambault, which I see you passed through on your tour. I'm planning on doing a short round trip between Nevers and Paris with some friends in the fall before it gets too cold. Hopefully I can build up to some longer tours in the spring and summer. Always great to look at travel journals like yours for inspiration!
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Old 09-28-20, 01:11 PM
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aplcr0331 , no shipping service. I'm taking a short term work visa to teach english for a year or two, so it's more of a youth mobility program than a career move. We get paid in peanuts and there's no move assistance or anything, so I'm packing just the minimum clothes and other essentials. I thought about buying a secondhand bike when I arrived, but when I looked into shipping a bit I figured $150 would be worth it. I love my bike (early 2000s bianchi volpe) and I'm planning on using it for everyday commutes as well as trips when I get a chance, so I think it'll be great to have an old friend with me instead of trying to find something in good shape that fits in the coronavirus bike market.
Thanks for the luck!
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Old 09-29-20, 02:01 AM
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I'm in the US military and stationed in Europe. I'm quite experienced with this...when I travel for work longer than 4 days (either here in Europe or back to the US), I pack a bike into a bag and fly it as baggage. I've done it successfully more than 15 times over the last 4 years. Some airlines charge, many do not (American and Delta do not, Lufthansa routinely won't, Air France is hit or miss, but mostly miss). Know the rules before you get to the airport....and in this COVID time, you might be able to get them to waive fees since you're flying and most people are not. I have, I'm sure you could too, just be reasonable as you discuss it, and ask to speak to a supervisor if necessary. Also, some airlines require you to notify in advance if you are bringing a large item, or they may refuse it at the counter (KLM, sometimes).

First thing. DO NOT SHIP IT! It costs more than flying with it over the ocean if you use a freight service like FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. USPS is cheaper, but not by much, and they are very slow, 4-6 weeks based on people I know who have done it, pre-COVID, I can't imagine they've gotten faster.

Fly with it, like I said above. That means you'll drop it at the airport, and when you recover your luggage at the other end, it'll be there. Packed properly, there will be no damage (I'll explain how in a minute). The key is to use a good quality bag. EVOC makes one that requires minimal disassembly,—fork remains in the frame—but is large enough that if the airline charges a bike fee you'll likely have to pay. Orucase makes one that requires more disassembly, but frequently can be slid past the counter with no fees (I've done it without fail when I used one before the bike fees started falling off about a year ago and switched to the EVOC bag). Some people use the box method, I don't personally like it; boxes were designed for transporting semi-built bikes in a cubes configuration where individual boxes are not generally being handled, but whole pallets of them. To fly with a box, you have to ensure it is padded and buffered well, or it will get jostled enough to cause damage, cosmetic or worse. I've seen it on other peoples' bikes, and it's why I only use bags. The other reason to use a bag is that TSA will absolutely open the piece, and they may not resecure the box, but a bag with zippers will get zipped back up...this TSA bit is why you need to pay attention to the info about padding below.

Disassembly. If you are not sure exactly how, buy your favorite mechanic a beer and have them talk/walk you through the process. And, then allow yourself a good hour to do it. General stops: (1) remove pedals, (2) Remove wheels, (3) If necessary for the bag, remove chain and rear derailleur, (4) pad the frame, (5) remove the handlebars, pad the stem, or drop the fork, and pad the fork legs, (6) pack it into the bag (YouTube can help on this as well).

Depending on the bag type you use, you may have to remove the fork, or just the handlebars per #5. When wrapping the frame and fork, I recommend using bubble wrap or styrofoam pipe insulation (pool noodles with a longitudinal slit work well). Apply the protection to every member of the frame where it could contact something else, like a fork or handlebar that has been removed and packed into the bag. Pad if you have any doubt, if you don't you'll have chipped paint. Also, if you have disc brakes, REMOVE the rotors, and pack them into a sleeve made from a repurposed cardboard box, ensuring that they do not touch, and are fully encased between layers of cardboard, then taped shut to keep them in the "sleeve." You should NOT need to remove brake calipers or hosing, but as you pack the bike ensure that you do not "kink" any of the hosing near the handlebars. The last thing you'll load are the wheels, follow the bag manufacturer directions for this...even if they do not state to remove the rotors, remove them, or they'll be bent. It sounds a lot more complex than it really is, and I've done it so many times I often am doing the packing of the bike last thing at 8pm the night before a 6am flight. Reassembly is much faster than disassembly, as well.

Happy to answer any questions.
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Old 09-29-20, 02:05 AM
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Also, not sure what you consider cold, but fall is here. It has ben raining Brussels for 4 days, finally sunny today with he rain to return again tomorrow, and the highs have been forecast as 15-16°C, but in reality struggle to get there for more than an hour or so, and generally the temps are 10-12°, and overnight down to 8° with the next days getting even cooler. It'll be a bit warmer where you are, but not by much. And, we've passed the Fall equinox, so the days are rapidly shortening...no worries, put on a jacket, turn on the lights, and go for it...because summer is pleasant and the days are ridiculously long. Safe travels!
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Old 09-29-20, 07:01 AM
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When I moved to Japan I bought a used bicycle hard case off Craigslist, and checked the bike with my luggage. The check-in agent hinted that there was an additional charge for checking a bike, so I claimed the case contained photo equipment. The bicycle fee was $150, not sure what aisles charge now, but it might be cheaper to take it with you than to ship it, and though you may have to worry about baggage handlers treating the box or case roughly, they are no worse than UPS or other delivery services, and, if they damage the bike during the flight, you can file a claim at the airport rather than go through the nearly impossible process of filing a claim with a shipping company.
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Old 09-29-20, 07:09 AM
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Some excellent threads in C&V on packing bikes for shipping

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...p-bicycle.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ike-101-a.html
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Old 09-29-20, 07:59 AM
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We took a bike along to Europe on Delta as checked luggage. This wa few weeks before they officially announced no surcharges for bikes, and they already charged us nothing as it fitted our checked luggage allowance - one of us had a frequent flier bonus of an extra piece. For packing, we went to a LBS and they told us to dive into a dumpster behind the shop to find a suitable box. We picked up two and used up one for packing and the other cut up for extra padding and sealing. We went through the steps of making the bike flat and rugged and it had plenty of accessories.

As a warning, one item we took of was a rear derailleur and it turned into a problem at the other end. As we assembled the bike in front of the airport and in mounting the rear derailleur back, we mangled the thread in the hanger. All ended well, as a LBS at the other end repaired the thread at nearly no cost, but there were tense moments there, Essentially, prepare yourself psychologically for some hiccups around the bike too, as otherwise common with travel/relocation.
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