View Single Post
Old 11-17-05, 03:24 PM
  #22  
jamawani 
Hooked on Touring
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 2,854
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 91 Posts
How hard is it**********

Let's see - I go to Yahoo Yellow Pages - input, for example, Astoria, OR - and then hit bicycle. I get a list of bike shops with addresses and phone numbers. One minute - tops. Likewise for Yorktown, VA.

Although public transportation IS awful in the U.S. - I can't think of a single airport that has nothing. If you are flying in with your bike as luggage you have to ride from the airport to your starting point maybe 50 miles away. Why not take a bus to an outlying town that's only 25 miles from the start? So you check out public transportation (again on the web) and select a twon that's close to your starting point. Let's say 10 miinutes.

Whether you take your bike as luggage or ship it - there is always the issue of having to overnight in the place you fly into/out of. In my case, I usually get a motel/hostel in the small town on the bus route rather than in the city where the airport is located. It is usually prudent to schedule a night near your starting point and ending point - in case of delayed flights, running behind schedule, etc.

How do I locate the shop - again, Yahoo Yellow Pages - map. Plus I don't send my bike to some huge city. I send it to a small town that's easy to get around. I don't carry a computer with me, but there are plenty of hostels/libraries/internet cafes that have computer access. From journals over at crazyguyonabike - it seems that most cyclists need an internet fix almost daily. The info is easy to come by.

As for assumptions, I always call the bike shop and ask. I've never been told, no. Also, that gives them a "heads up" to expect my bike. Sometimes I have been charged for reassembly - others times not - especially if I buy a few last minute things at their shop. Many times I have been given a complimentary water bottle for the tour. It's just a nice connection at the start of my trip.

As for not having your bike. This is a valid point. If you are doing a 1-week tour that is one thing - but I go for long tours. UPS offers guaranteed delivery in 3-4 days to most places in North America. So I do without my bike for that long. Also, I have two bikes - most cyclists who post here have even more - so I still can pedal around town - but I'm also doing a lot to get ready to be gone for 3 months.

This option is probably not good for remote, foreign locations. But again, most cyclists who use this site tour in the US, Canada, Europe, or ANZ. UPS offers guaranteed delivery dates for business-to-business deliveries. I had a bike NOT arrive as luggage forcing me to overnight PLUS find a way back to the airport the next day. My guess is that the odds of getting your bike there are much better with shipping than with airline baggage.

I've shipped my bike to the Yukon post 9-11 with no problems. Again, business-to-business with a clear customs release form. Seems like customs officials are far more willing to speed up the wheels of commerce than of private travel regarding heightened security.

You mentioned costs. Even if BOTH bike shops charge for boxing and reassembly plus shipping charges - it is less than $75. $20+$30+$20 for example. Many times it is significantly less. I checked a number of airline sites and they are upping charges for bikes. I hadn't checked in a while and when Machka said $80 - I was surprised. It had been $50 - but that is for 1st-level oversize - usually max 60 inches. Bikes are considered 2nd-level oversize - thus the higher charge.

Shipping home is far easier. I just roll into a bike shop in a town (with bus/train service or a hostel shuttle) at the end of my tour and ask if they will box-ship my bike. Again. I've never been told - no. I usually stay overnight and catch the morning shuttle to the airport with plenty of time to make my flight.

I've done it both ways and shipping is easier for me. It's not that hard for me (maybe not other people) to find addresses and phone numbers of bike shops and to find towns near the start and finish of my tours that have low-cost accommodations and connections to the nearby airport. What happens is that I end up starting and ending my trips far more relaxed than I used to be. I ALWAYS have gotten my bike and ALWAYS in good condition. And the cost is about the same as the airline extra fee. It really is not that hard. I (maybe not other people) would never go back to airline baggage unless I had to.

Getting your bike to the place where you are starting your trip has always been a little tricky. And the price seems to always be going up. Airlines are bankrupt and seeking ways to cut costs. Checked baggage is a money-loser for them so I fear that they will continue to add restrictions and increase costs. It could be that shipping is the only option in the near future.

Now then - I've done both airline baggage and shipping many times and can compare personal experiences. For those so opposed to shipping or who say it is just too complicated - Have you done both???

Best - J
jamawani is offline