Shipping Costs?

[mbw234]

Hi,

does anyone know how much it would cost to ship a ~20 lbs bike to Budapest, Hungary. I would probably want to add on some insurance for $1,300 or something.

I tried searching for something online to help me estimate this, but all I could find was something at the UPS site and it didn't help much. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thank you,

Brandon Williams

[mbw234]

Sorry, this was posted in the wrong forum... I meant to post in the touring forum because I thought the people there might have some experience in the area. (I am not shipping a tandem)

[Brian]

You can contact DHL with your box measurements, and get a quote. Their website is useless. I'd invest in some kind of bike case, if possible, the smaller the better. Freight companies charge by dimensional weight. They allow a certain weight per cubic foot, which is not a problem with a bike. The problem is that space is at a premium, so the size of your box is the determining factor, not weight. Does that make sense? I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet. How soon do you need to get it there? If you've got time (3 months or so) then look up freight forwarders and get some rates. They'll take your packed bike and put it into a shared shipping container. The travel time is generally 4-6 weeks, but sitting at ports and in customs can extend that to 3 motnhs. It's still the cheapest though. Will you be joining your bike in Hungary? Bringing it as checked baggage is an option, probably one of the cheapest. If you provide a bit more information, I'm happy to provide more advice.

Cheers,

Brian

[mbw234]

Hi, thanks for the information.

I wish I had asked about this sooner because 3 months is a little too long to wait... I am leaving in just a few weeks.

I will be meeting my bike there, so I guess I would consider taking it on the plane. The only thing is that I am going to Budapest to live for 4 months, so I will probably have a lot of luggage. Would it be a better idea to ship most of my luggage and bring my bike on the plane?

Do you have any idea how much it costs to ship a bike via air (not freight), and how much it costs to bring a bike on the plane?

Thanks for the help.

[Brian]

Take it apart as much as you can, and pack some clothes in with it. Your airline can tell you the dimensional and weight limits for your luggage. Don't forget that you can usually sneak an extra bag on board by wearing a small backpack and carrying some stuff in a paper shopping bag (the fancy ones with handles). You need to contact DHL to ship your bike by air, but I'd try to eliminate anything you don't need to bring, and you can probably do it in 2 bags and the bike. We paid US$90 for an extra bag on one international flight. Don't forget to bring your toothbrush/toothpaste and some clean shorts in your carry-on. Nothing is worse than lost lugagge, even for a few hours.