Transporting bike from UK to USA (and back)

[pineapple]

Has anybody tried shipping / sending a bike transatlantic before?

I live in the UK, but I'm spending a year in the USA and am trying to figure out whether it's worth sending my bike across, and back again afterwards.

Any advice much appreciated, thanks!

(I own a softish bike bag and lots of bubble wrap.)

 

[Jaguar27]

Has anybody tried shipping / sending a bike transatlantic before?

I live in the UK, but I'm spending a year in the USA and am trying to figure out whether it's worth sending my bike across, and back again afterwards.

Any advice much appreciated, thanks!

(I own a softish bike bag and lots of bubble wrap.)

Where in the US are you moving to?? (Just being nosey)...but of course you'll need your Bike, if you have an address to send it to have you considered getting a Cardboard Bike Box that new Bikes come in from your LBS, pack it really good..ie, wrap the Tubes in foam Water Pipe insulation, the rest in Bubble wrap, send it UPS of fed-ex, insured, and voila!!
Airlines charge to carry Bikes (call your airline), so you can offset that against the cost, problem is, airlines lose stuff all the time...plus you have to lug a Bike Case through the Airport, collect it, then try and get it from the Airport to where you're going...if the airline hasn't lost it....

Hope this helps...

Cheers then....

 

[pineapple]

Where in the US are you moving to?? (Just being nosey)...but of course you'll need your Bike, if you have an address to send it to have you considered getting a Cardboard Bike Box that new Bikes come in from your LBS, pack it really good..ie, wrap the Tubes in foam Water Pipe insulation, the rest in Bubble wrap, send it UPS of fed-ex, insured, and voila!!
Airlines charge to carry Bikes (call your airline), so you can offset that against the cost, problem is, airlines lose stuff all the time...plus you have to lug a Bike Case through the Airport, collect it, then try and get it from the Airport to where you're going...if the airline hasn't lost it....

Hope this helps...

Cheers then....

Thanks! I'm going to Boston, doing an exchange year there.

I won't be bringing it on the plane with me as I already have too much luggage

Has anybody actually shipped a bike trans-atlantic before, who can tell me how much they paid, whether it worked for them, and whether it was good value? I'm also considering just buying a cheapo bike when I get there, and re-selling it when I leave.