Hi all, I’m completely new to road bikes and over the last few years have been doing a lot of running and swimming.
I’m looking to start triathlons this year and need to get into bike training.
My Dad has this old bike in the UK (I’m now in Ontario Canada) and I’m wondering if it’s worth the cost to ship it over or just try to find something local.
We are roughly the same height and weight, I want to start my training with a kicker core and look at riding outside come the spring.
Any advice or experiences with shipping across the Atlantic would be greatly appreciated!
by Robso96
2 Comments
Do you ever visit him? The cheapest option is to take the bike back with you as checked baggage. Hit up a bike store for a free box, buy packaging/pipe insulation from the hardware store for $10, ~$50 or so for checked baggage fees, and a little elbow grease and you’ve got the bike transported for just $60.
Of course, that’s assuming you are already visiting your father. Otherwise, shipping the bike on its own would probably cost a good bit more.
Looking at [BikeFlights](https://www.bikeflights.com), doubtful. Nearly 600 USD in shipping from two large cities, London, UK to Hamilton, ON and then 150 USD in import duties. That would put it around 1000 CAD. It assumes that your father is comfortable breaking down the bike for shipping. It could be more if it is going to or from a more remote location. About the only way it makes any sense would be if either of you were planning on flying to see the other and bring it as checked luggage. I would guess around 100 GBP for a shop to pack it for transport/flight.
I know the Canadian market can be more expensive than what I expect as someone from the US. Worth taking a look at 1000-1500 CAD gets you.