What would you pay in depths of winter to have your road bike and kit taken to Spain in say Mid Feb- your bike is waiting at an airport served by low cost airlines. You book flights and collect bike, ride in warm sunshine for up to 10 days then fly back and your bike follows. UK pick up / drop off at main airports as these are best connected places by public transport. I 'think' there is a market for it somewhere - be interested what you would pay for shipping service - image long weekend or a week with YOUR bike in Spain - Barcelona being one possible location as good connections / flight availability.
Not sure how much I'd pay Al, but I have no doubt there is a market for it out there. Can only imagine what it would be like to have a forum outing like this. It'd be a great trip.
Not my idea mate but a damn good 1 none the less. Just need Al to get back with some figures now Chop chop now Al
Don’t get me started, when the weather is like this I don’t for the life of me know why I moved back here.
I think £300 minimum, but even that may not be enough - all depends on size of wagon / number of bikes etc. Focused Events tried it but you hire bikes in Spain at high cost so the trip becomes mega money. All pie in the sky ideas for now.
i found this quite interesting Driving to Spain Gill and myself looked at this for me a couple of years ago, the only difference was i was thinking of a trailer, and of course i didn't need to factor into the cost accommodation! running along side the air freight route, probably worth considering a transit van? van size dependent, you'll get your three bikes and three passengers plus all the gear to a given destination within 24hrs albeit with different prices, Whilst the calculations have yet to be done, it's simple enough to split the cost three ways. At this point i would be giving careful consideration either to hire a van or use one of our own, things do happen and if its a hire van that cocks the company are committed to fulfill the contract, if its a private vehicle? well, not as much back up, certainly worth considering top ease these winter blues, perhaps not for now, as spring is here and the weather is...oh hang on anyway its a good project to get our teeth into on a cold saturday with no potential of getting out, so lets see what can be put together, for those interested of course
bike ready to go out nice and sunny down here in the depths of cornwall so out i must go,enjoy your snowmen guys people pay alot of money to go to the alps and such for the stuff. Happy riding cheers
Think you would have to charge £300 minimum for the bike transport alone - you would book your own flight from your local airport at times to suit you. In my 'ideal world' the truck would stay near one airport for 10 days - you would collect / return your bike to the truck at times to suit you, then hop on flight home. of course reality is cost of wagon and trailer hire may mean you say 'its a long weekend - you have 4 days Fri to Mon' As GaryB says - one for a pint in the summer
just quickly put together......... UK to Spain to UK Based upon Blackpool-Barcelona-Blackpool Ferry Dover-Dunkirk-Dover Transit Van 3 persons £210 Return Fuel Approximately £600.00 Based on 2200 miles Tolls Approximately £300 Accommodation Big difference of opinion here, 3 peeps one apartment for 7 nights in Barcelona. Worlds your oyster prices from £800-£1000’s Suggest somewhere as a base not quite as exclusive. Base price £1810 Split three ways has you finding £603.00 that’s before you even but the bike on the road fuel/insurance depending on miles probably another £300-£400. Factor in food & drink and you have done well into a £1000. Even shortening the trip, your only chipping off the price of accommodation, the miles are still the same. When you see it broken down, it soon becomes apparent the 17 days Steve and I are doing in Andorra this coming September is quite competitive in comparison. Either way you look at it. A European trip is the same all over, I guess it just boils down to when you want to go, and where you want to be, my guess will be the Pyrenees are not too comfortable this time of year To put this against other methods of getting there we now await from air freight companies with their quotes
Did Barcelona last June, Hopped on the ferry in Southampton then rode from Caen Northern France. It took 2 days to get there and cost about £1800 for ferrys, fuel, tolls and accommodation for the week. Next time I'd take a ferry down to Santander way cheaper and you miss out on 48hrs of rather dull motorway.
Gary, as a business it would be a vehicle to take say 20 or 30 bikes down. All pie in sky ideas but may talk to mark at no limits as they must have or hire in transport for their euro days. Just feels like a good idea today lol
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