Bike shipping ideas from Europe?

Maybe you could ask the hotel where you will be staying for the race if they can hold onto you bike for the next week while you travel?

Some airports have lockers big enough for a bike cases (I looked into this for Amsterdam last year - didn't do it in the end)

Hi Huzkers!
I will be in 70.3 Rapperswil too! I live in Zurich and if you want you can leave your bike to my place for a week. No problem for a BT friend. I will just ride it in the meanwhile...I ll keep it warm enough

I am in the same situation, but with IM Austria. Endurance Sports travel suggested I ship my bike to my final hotel for my return trip. I will probably do that. I won't be traveling back from the same airport though. Returning from Rome. I don't want to drag my bike with me for a week getting from Austria to Rome.

I'll watch for any other ideas people have.

Flying bikes as baggage is not an additional charge to europe so long as you stay within the weight limits (at least it use to be). I bought a case from specialized (Iron case I believe) but had one friend ship his in a soft case and another in a bike box he got at a shop.

One suggestion, get it packed two days before. You don't want to end up as I did, trying to break free the parts the night before and find a frozen bolt.

Also geneva had a storage room at the airport (which is connected to a train station, but I don't know about Zurick. If you take it on a train you will need to buy a specific plastic tarp for the bike, and it might not travel on the same train.

Edited by badnews 2008-02-07 3:03 PM

Most Europeans airlines will carry a bike as sports equipment for no extra cost/weight restrictions, but some will charge you, so be choosy whom you fly with.

Most airports in Europe(if not all) have storage rooms as somebody else mentioned. You can use either one of those or try to store the bike at the hotel for free.
I don't think shipping is am option because of the costs involved.

Beware at least of KLM (dutch airlines). They charge you for taking a bike case extra and if the weight of the bike case exceeds 20kg (about 40-45 lbs) they will charge you for excess luggage at a very hight fee. I had a very bad experience with them last year. Traveling with the whole family (5) with a 100kg luggage allowance and had to pay big money for my bike case that was 32kg although our total luggage weight including the bike was under 90kg.