Bike shipments to foreign lands

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May 23, 2012, 02:38:41 AM

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[ianandangie]

Hi all,

Has anyone had any experience of shipping bikes abroad. I am sure the real cycles guys can advise a bit. Its just it looks like I may be heading abroad - (middle east) for the new year to work and would like to take my commie 55xt - or at least 'ship' it out at a later date.

I had 1 quote off the internet from a company who are obviously pirates or something - basically i would have been better off buying a new bike - so i crossed them off my list.

Anyway any advice or links to reputable shipment companies would be welcome and appreciated.

cheers

[steveb]

I only ship bikes to Euroland, and it costs on average, including full insurance, about £70-100 per bike. Somwehre like the middle east i suspect will be super expensive.

[ianandangie]

 cheers guys,

we shall see if anyone can add to this - its just i dont want to live somewhere being all bikeless - if worst comes to worst i would buy one but again may struggle to find a commie dealer in those parts or any bike shop for that matter.  i may end up camel racing instead.

[Vic-Tim.com]

Weather might be a bit better there and I am sure there are some 1st descents to be had?

I've airshipped kayaks around the world a fair bit and they are more awkward than bikes.

You are probably looking at £100 and if you will need an address to send it to ( never send stuff 'to depot' it always gets lost! )

You will also need to declare what it is for customs. Though experience tells me that they get all confused when you say you are sending it to yourself!

What country are you looking at?

Tim

[MussEd]

Can you not take it on the plane with you? Not ride it up the aisle obviously! but book it on the flight, sure BA allow this don't they? Suppose it'll depend on who you fly with...

[MussEd]

Mmm, just occurred to me that you might be in the forces? If so I guess mu suggestion sounds a bit stoopid now?

I was assuming you meant UAE or somewhere like that on an civilian airline...

[Vic-Tim.com]

Sports goods on planes is causing lots of issues at the moment. But it is worth checking as historically the 'golf' allowance has helped ( this is the standard 30kg limit which airlines have for sports equipment based on the weight of those rich boys with golf clubs )

Tim S

[ianandangie]

hi again,

i will be flying into dubai most likely? at first just with me and basic clothing etc. the bike and other items would follow on a seperate journey.

As i mentioned i tried a shipping company and they wanted over a grand for a bike and a few boxes of clothes and bits and pieces - crazy fools. obviously i declined their offer.

i think i shall explore the shipment by air option - if it is a couple of hundred quid then that would be great.

i shall have a look.

cheers

[Vic-Tim.com]

Try Shenker ( though might be hard to deal with as an individual )

or failing that UPS, Fedex the normal culprits.

Quite a few companies charge high rates if it sounds like you are re-locating ( as many companies pay employee relocation fees ).

Hope that helps, if you need any more info hit me up with a message!

Tim

[ianandangie]

cheers tim,

yes i am sure i will have my flight paid by the company - however i am not relocating as such so the bike and other stuff would be down to me to pay for and there will not be a lot. i will be keeping it to a minimum.

i think you are probably right that a big and famous company will turn out the best and cheapest option for my needs. i will also look at Shenker?

Cheers

[ianandangie]

FYI,

ups quoted 312 quid - would probably need fine tuning with weights and package size - this is just for a package approximating what i think a bike breaks down into.

its not too bad a price to pay if it means getting my bike out there. certainly better than buying a new one - or is it?

its quite complicated but ball park figures is all i needed for now so i guess thats someting to think about

cheers for the help.

ian

[Vic-Tim.com]

That sounds about right as an individual user.

I don't suppose the company you work for have a UPS account you could use? It will be a lot cheaper as a 'business' customer.

Tim S

[ianandangie]

HI IAIN,

good point of course - i have attempted to email a dubai based club - i think run by ex pats - if they are still going i will hopefully get their take on things. like u say 600 quid - for 'nothing' is a bit much.

if i do buy one out there it probably wont be a commie though i have found a couple of bike shops out there in dubai. maybe i can get a second hand machine of an expat on the way home? i have been in asia a lot of times and that seemed to be a system that worked for furnitures and tvs and stuff - so why not bikes.


i shall see what the existing expats out there think if they reply.

cheers

[bong69uk]

Can you not take it on the plane with you? Not ride it up the aisle obviously! but book it on the flight, sure BA allow this don't they? Suppose it'll depend on who you fly with...

yeah i agree with mussEd here,cos surely u will be taking the essential items with u when u travel over? and ure bike defo fits into that category 
You would get a reasonable deal with the flight company,i havent tried to take a bike abroad yet but when taking my snowboard it only costs £10-15 extra at the time of booking the flight. and my board bag is quite a bit of kit,it comes in at 190cm long,weighs 25-30 kg. so just as bulky as a bike in a bike box,but prob actually heavier!

[ianandangie]

HI BONG69,

yes i was wondering about snowboarders and the like and if the same concessions would apply to bikes.

Has anyone flown a bike with them on alpine holidays in  Europe? if so who with and how much extra. I am sure the same would apply to the middle east?

my only concern is my first few weeks there would be in a hotel until an apartment was arranged and i would be busy at a new 'office' so my bike may be in the way - hence my thinking to ship it out later. obviously if it is much cheaper taking it with me on my flight then that also makes sense.

Iain1775 - thanks for the 'hot cog' link - they are the club i had found and emailed already - i am awiting some response.

As for UAE being a mountain bike 'hot spot'  - who knows? off road jeeps seem to be the main activity out there in the desert so i guess just get myself one of them nissan shogun/pajeros and lash a bike in the back and see what happens or where i end up. The hot cog club seems to have some organised events and trips out at their weekends.

Anyway - we are getting ahead of ourselves - still need to confirm a few things yet, i wont know if i am going for sure til about mid november.  

cheers