Buying a bike in San seb?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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Franki eb
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Joined: 22 Jun 2017, 4:19pm

Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by Franki eb »

Hi all,
Im planning to do a tour from san seb to Roscoff at the end of August. I am meeting my boyfriend there and this will be my first tour. I have not yet got a touring bike and im wandering if anyone knows a shop or website in san seb where I can buy a second hand touring bike from. Or does anyone have advice on flying a bike to Bilbao as I might buy one here before I go.

Thanks
climo
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Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 8:08am
Location: Warminster

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by climo »

Flew Bristol to Bilbao in April with 2 bikes via Eastjet. They will take bikes in bags (look up CTC bags) but as we got a lift to the airport we boxed ours using free boxes from a bike shop. From Bilbao airport we took a taxi FULL of bikes + bags to the city 30euros as we planned to hire a car after a few days in Bilbao to drive a coastal route to San Sebastion then start cycling.
Take your suncream and watch out for the aggressive drivers south of Biarritz. North of there the French drivers are lovely.
Ivor Tingting
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 9:57pm

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by Ivor Tingting »

You could buy a bike from Decathlon over the border in France say in Anglet near Biarritz, ride it on your tour and then bring it back to the UK?
Also the Picos de Europa southwest of SS and Santander are worth a ride around.
"Zat is ze reel prowoking qwestion Mr Paxman." - Peer Steinbruck, German Finance Minister 31/03/2009.
simonhill
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by simonhill »

Depends what you mean by a touring bike. If you want a proper UK style tourer then the chances of finding one in SS are slim, even slimmer being your size.

If you open Google's maps for the area, then search for bike shops you should find plenty. You can then zoom in and see if any are likely to have what you want.

If you just want a bike to tour on, then the Decathlon option sounds good.

Best would be to get the bike you want here. Get it all set up for you and take it with you.
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horizon
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Cornwall

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by horizon »

Franki eb wrote:Hi all,
Im planning to do a tour from san seb to Roscoff at the end of August. I am meeting my boyfriend there and this will be my first tour. I have not yet got a touring bike and im wandering if anyone knows a shop or website in san seb where I can buy a second hand touring bike from. Or does anyone have advice on flying a bike to Bilbao as I might buy one here before I go.

Thanks


Everyone else goes to Plymouth or Portsmouth and goes over on the ferry. Since you are coming back to Roscoff I'm a bit baffled as to why you want (a) to fly (b) buy a bike when you get there. Both are possible but not, on the face of it, the best choices.

PS If it really is your first tour, the best advice anyone can give is that you get some practice in before you go.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
MarkF
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Joined: 4 Apr 2011, 10:20am

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by MarkF »

I have also flown in with Easyjet twice from Manchester, but I cycle into Bilbao from the airport with no problems. As soon as yous start removing your bike from the box and assembling it, an airport employee appears to take away your packaging debris, nice.

If I was in your shoes with a lack of bike knowledge that might lead to an expensive mis-purchase, I'd just buy a trekking bike from Bilbao Decathlon and ride it back, deduct the flying out costs (& hassle) and the bike may not cost you much more than £100.

If I am going out to Spain for a week or less, I just get a rental hybrid/trekker rather than fly out my own bike. They are always Decathlon's most basic models, heavy but robust, I'd happily ride one back to the UK.
Franki eb
Posts: 2
Joined: 22 Jun 2017, 4:19pm

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by Franki eb »

Thanks guys i will look into the decathlon but sounds like getting a bike here and setting it up to my spec is the best thing to do.

Horizon I found your post a little passive aggressive, not everyone gets the ferry as you can see be the rest of the posts, that would be Ok if I lived in the southwest but i don't. I want to fly as I live in London and im not set on buying a bike out there I was just asking for peoples advice. Also I worked as a bike courier in London so im not stupid enough to just jump straight into a tour without the obvious training required. If you were trying to be helpful you could have used some less condescending sentences. hope you don't find this as a rude reply im just telling you how it felt from this end.

Thanks again to everyone else.
:D
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horizon
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Location: Cornwall

Re: Buying a bike in San seb?

Post by horizon »

Franki eb wrote:Thanks guys i will look into the decathlon but sounds like getting a bike here and setting it up to my spec is the best thing to do.

Horizon I found your post a little passive aggressive, not everyone gets the ferry as you can see be the rest of the posts, that would be Ok if I lived in the southwest but i don't. I want to fly as I live in London and im not set on buying a bike out there I was just asking for peoples advice. Also I worked as a bike courier in London so im not stupid enough to just jump straight into a tour without the obvious training required. If you were trying to be helpful you could have used some less condescending sentences. hope you don't find this as a rude reply im just telling you how it felt from this end.

Thanks again to everyone else.
:D


The key word is baffled: if you don't say why you are doing it that way, then it's hard to know how to respond - I was just having to guess. The obvious reason is that you live a long way from the ports but you didn't say that. And yes, lots of people do the return trip by ferry - there are loads of posts and threads by people doing or having done it. The whole idea behind the ferries is that it gives a tour without the flying - but yes, lots of people fly it too. But there was no obvious reason why you were doing the port on the way home if it wasn't practical on the way there (you see my point). And if you haven't got a bike and it is your first tour and you might get the bike out there, then it's obvious that the first thing that comes to mind is - will you be ready for it and up to speed with the other rider.

I was only trying to help.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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