Originally Posted by
Rowan
If only it was that simple with the Bromptons.
We spoke to St John St Cycles in the UK... as in, in the shop, face to face with the warehouse guy... and he said the delivery time on Bromptons is now 17 weeks. They aren't stocked in shops anymore; you have to order and wait, or get lucky with an order that wasn't finalised.
The folding bikes were a suggestion, based on the OP's question about whether to take or buy. Based on our experience with full-sized touring bikes for over two months in Europe, including a generous amount of time in France, we would suggest folders for the logistics.
It is a pain to disassemble and reassemble when arriving and departing, and when dealing with trains, taxis and accommodation (like, being able to take the bikes into the rooms rather than having to store them less secure).
The VAT refund is a realistic option, too. I think there are offices in airports for processing these refunds, but you do need to have the documentation in order from wherever the bike is purchased, and the spend needs to be over a certain threshhold, I think.
It's 12 weeks where I am, just checked on the weekend. When we were in Barcelona this fall, we saw a crazy amount of people riding Bromptons, that's why we got interested and checked out how much they were there. Both stores we went to had a bunch in stock, so maybe it depends on location.
Yes, it is a bit of a pain, assembling and disassembling, but not too bad. It's just at the beginning and end of the trip. You don't need to do that to get the bike on the train.
From what we found it was a much better way to travel. In fact, a couple of us suggested Bike Fridays to Machka when you were getting ready for your trip
Oh, and during our three weeks in France we were only allowed to take our folding bikes up to the room once. Some things seem much better on paper than in practice. Still, wouldn't travel with another bike than my NWT.
Anyway, back to original question. I hope OP comes back and tells us if he would consider a folding bike.