Gogocld

My cycling buddy is going to Italy and wants to take his bike with him. He's flying into Rome, hanging there for a couple of days and then off to Tuscany for a week. He'd like to have his bike in Tuscany so that he can ride but is concerned about having to cart it around Rome and on the train to the villa in Tuscany. I'd like to get some input regarding;

1. Cheapest way to get your bike over to Italy.
2. Is it feasable to ship the bike to Tuscany so that he doesn't have to travel with it in Rome?
3. Is it worth the trouble to ride your own bike in Tuscany when you can rent a bike over there?
4. Any issues, comments or suggestions not covered.

Thanks in advance from the lucky bastard I cycle with.

merlinextraligh

When I investigated this, I found that shipping the bike fed ex or UPS was prohibitively expensive. Last time I checked to france it was it was $400 each way. Also you have to worry about the bike getting where it is supposed to be when it is supposed to be. And when you ship it back, customs may give you a hassel if you can't prove you didn't buy it in Europe.

Flying with it is $80 each way. It is a hassel getting around the country with you, but not that bad, particularly if you get a case with wheels.
Regular trains are not a problem. However, some of the high speed trains won't let you on with a bike. It often comes down to the individual conducter (which does make it a little difficult to plan.
I'm not sure what kind of bike you can rent in Tuscany. I didn't see any obvious place to do it when I was there, but I wasn't looking.

CardiacKid

There was a similar thread a few months ago that included the quote, "you don't ship a bike to Italy, you ship it from Italy."

AndyGrow

From what I have heard and read, as long as the bike is NOT completely assembled, you can get away with checking it in as luggage while it is tucked away in either a hard-case or a soft-sided case. You just can't have it complete and expect to roll it on to the train.

Jakey

You might want to drop an email to bill mcgann at torelli. He goes over to Italy yearly to ride... torelli.com

zorana

Bringing bike to Italy is like taking a pigeon to Venice.

Zo

patentcad

Italy has a tremendous bicycle surplus.

DON'T DO IT!!!

Baldanzi

Pick up a new Viner at the factory in Tuscany? That sounds A LOT easier

cmcenroe

exactly what I thought when i saw this thread

AndyGrow

Another option is, as mentioned above...buy a new one in Italy! If you call ahead of time, the Tommasini family can have a new frame/fork built just for you before you arrive. Head on up to the Campy HQ and buy all your components direct from them at one heckuva low-cost, and viola', you have a 100% pure, Italian born bike!

Guest

Well, you can fly Swiss Air and check your bike as luggage. I did that, and for the first time EVER, arrived with a bike that didn't have a dent or scratch or something wrong with the components. It was great! They will hand carry your bike to the plane and back to the luggage area upon arrival. I didn't even have to break it down hardly- just take the front and back wheels off and drop the seat. Then I put it in a soft shelled bag and handed it over to the baggage handler.

Koffee

bellweatherman

Seriously?! Can you actually buy straight from the manufacturer (ex: Campy, Tommasini, who else?). I thought you have to go through all the middle-men, distributors, bike shops, etc. I mean, hell yeah if you can bypass the bike shop and get it direct, that would be ideal.

Guest

One caveat- I don't know how much cheaper it is for Campy components in Italy. I really suspect it's cheaper. By how much, I don't know.

Koffee

Phil from VA

I bought a bike Tommasini and it was about 1/2 the US price. No savings on Campy components.

Guest

Did you go to the Campy factory, or did you try to buy the Campy components from Tommasini?

Koffee

patentcad

I was cycling along yesterday listening to Luciano Pavorotti singing the "Nessun Dorma" aria from Puccini's opera 'Turnadot'.

It just doesn't get more Italian than that. I was in NY State, not Tuscany, but it felt more Italian that way : )

bellweatherman

WOW! That is awesome! That alone makes the trip to Italy worth it.

hi565

don't get your hopes up. It may have been he bought it when the Lyra was around. now there is the EURO and it is no fun. I was going to get a bike there, but it seems I may not.,

Nubie

There was an article in Jan/Feb Bicycling mag about cycling trips, and there were a few about Italy. Even if your friend is not going on a tour, maybe these websites will have more information:

Tuscany - Cinghiale Cycling Tours' Eroica Classic
https://www.cinghiale.com

Madonna di Ghisallo - Cycle Italia's Legendary Climbs Tour
https://www.cycleitalia.com

Bormio - Granfondo Cycling Tours, Italia Alps-Pinarello
https://www.granfondoracingtours.com

I went to Rome last spring and it was beautiful. The Euro was really strong then, so it was tough getting around and eating and such, but still wonderful.

Baldanzi

New stuff is not much cheaper (in general). Campy cost slightly less due to better selection on the lower groups - somtimes it costs a lot more , all depending on the shop. From what I've been told you cannot buy direct from the campy factory either. Trust me if there was a Campy Factory Outlet....I'd be driving to Vicenza right now. I'd love somone to tell me I'm wrong!

cyclezealot

I had this problem last October when we moved to Europe. Fedex, UPS over $700. Just to ship on a boat in a box the size of a footlocker. Like $500. Going to take your bike. Only choice is to take it on the plane. Usually about $75 even if you have surplus bags. Taking much to Europe. Seems cheapest way is an actual mover.

Guest

I'm not 100% sure about not buying campy from the factory, but there are probably places in Vicenza where you can buy it cheaply. When I was walking around Vicenza, there were a lot of people riding crap bikes with top of the line Campy. I finally got to talk to one of the locals, and he told me (sitting on a crap bike as he said this) that the reason why he had such great components was because the Campy factory was nearby.

Koffee

Guest

Strange. Because every airline I've flown internationally and brought my bike has not charged a fee, as long as I pack it as one of my checked bags. If I go over, I get charged, but if you are not over your bag allowance, you're fine.

Koffee

bellweatherman

Hey man, that is what I thought too, but that dude above (andyGrow) said that you can, in fact, get it straight from the Campy HQ in Italy! That would be f'ing awesome! I could deck out 2 bikes with Record components, get a frame and with the money I save, pay for the trip to Italy! THAT is totally worth it in my book!

Baldanzi

If someone can tell me how to buy direct from the Campy factory as a non-wholesale entity...tell me. I'm a two hour drive from the factory. It was my understanding that they only sell to distributers/shops - not individuals.

Back OT, the eurostar trains have a checked baggage car so if the bike was in a case there should be no issue getting it to Tuscany. Putting that cased on small local trains could be a PITA.