Old 11-03-12, 12:14 AM
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dkmatdrum
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Buy or Rent a bike in France or bring my own?

Hello
I would like some general bike trip info for an upcoming trip.

We are going to France in the Spring for 5 weeks. We will have a car and will be traveling from small town to small town, staying two or three nights for each day of travel. I want to ride most of those days while my wife spends time in town exploring. Some days she would go to the next town and I would ride and meet her.
I currently ride a classic touring bike that has been modified to an Ultegra drivetrain. This is what I would prefer to ride but I have never taken it on an airplane and have the following questions about my options:

Is it a major struggle to deal with a full sized bike in a box in an airport and then a taxi to our first destination?
Would it be better to ship the bike ahead of time to our first destination and if so who does this?
Is it possible to rent a good bike only one way----say Paris to Nice?
If I were to buy a bike (say a Trek 520 or comparable) in Paris and use it on my trip and then have my brother in law sell it in Nice at his leisure would this cost more than paying the airline baggage fees?
Are there any recommendations for bike shops in Paris for moderate touring bikes?
Thank you
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