Weird MN question no: 3 million and 43 - cheapest way to transport a bike from Sweden to UK?

[KatyMac]

I have asked some very odd questions on mumsnet but this one takes the biscuit

I'm getting a new bike from my brother in Sweden for Christmas

So is it cheaper for him to organise transport over there or for me to organise a collection from here or should one of us fly with it?

Can't he just order you one from a UK store for you to collect?

Best bet is probably for your brother to ask the Swedish shop he is buying it from to arrange a courier. Don’t forget you will have to pay some customs charges; for which you will have to sacrifice a goat and read the entrails when the moon is in Aquarius to find the exact amount.

If you can find the same model in the UK, buy it here.

He built it so not really

Customs will be a killer

There’s a company called sendbike.com might be worth checking out.

I can get a return flight to Sweden for £85 with £30 for the bike on the way back!

Sendbike seems quite expensive but include the box

Overland it! Train from Sweden down to Netherlands or Belgium, then hop on a ferry home. No postage or customs charges.

I KNEW you were going to say he built it or suchlike :D

Cheapest way would probably be to fly and get it yourself, but it’s a faff getting a bike on a plane. How about cycling it? Train plus overnight ferry?

if he’s going to courier it, see if he can get a box from a friendly local bike shop. They often have cardboard boxes that bikes come in and he can pack it up himself. If he can build a bike, he’ll be able to make a decent fist of packing one up for transit.

Train/ferry might be ok but bizarrely no bikes are allowed on trains in Sweden!

& FedEx is £600!

I dont think I can afford to get my bike!

That's so weird! Fly I guess?

I reckon I'd have to unpack it at Gatwick (& freecycle the box in advance with an airport pick up) train to Farringdon then cycle to Liverpool Street or Stratford then train home

At least I'll only have a small rucksack as well

Where in Sweden is it coming from? You can put it on the Öresundståg to Copenhagen, and fly home or use trains from there going south.

I think there would be?

But then again, if you buy something expensive abroad, use it abroad and then bring it to the UK, do you pay any customs charge?

Ryan air and Norwegian won't take ebikes

Is Öresundståg a train? is it different to normal Swedish trains

My brother says trains in Sweden are very expensive

You can definitely take bikes on the Öresundståg. It runs between Gothenburg and CPH airport. You can fly with BA or SAS from CPH back to London.

Ba won't take ebikes

Let's look at ferrys

Are there any hire car companies that will let you collect in one country and drop off in another? Doubtful but worth looking into.

I'm not sure I'd drive abroad, especially in Northern Europe in December (coward? Me? He'll yeah!!)

Copenhagen to hook of holland is potentially 5 changes, which is a lot with a bike tbh

I think posting is the only way

Says here EasyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair accept bikes. With Christmas markets on this month they will be running extra flights to Scandinavia.

https://www.theplanetedit.com/flying-with-a-bike/

Oooh look what Jet2 can do!

https://www.mybaggage.com/quote?quote=SE,GB

But not an ebike I dont think - at least not according to their websites

Ooo @NancyDrooo that is worth a phone call in the morning!!

I was going to ask if it was an ebike - I remember you posting about your brother making you one ages ago!
I don't think you will find an airline that will let you fly with an ebike unfortunately. Or more to the point, not with the battery. Is the battery removable? If so, you might be able to fly back with the bike and buy a new battery when you get home though not all airlines will even carry an ebike without a battery. You may be able to get it shipped as cargo but you'd need to go through an agent - I dont think you'll be able to just send it as a private individual as the battery will probably count as a hazardous/restricted item. I'd probably try phoning a few big couriers like DHL, UPS etc and see what they can offer but I'm afraid there is unlikely to be a simple or inexpensive way to fly. When I took my ebike into Europe we went by car/ferry for this reason. Good luck, I hope you get it home after all this waiting!

The other thing which occurs to me is whether the fact that your brother has made it might make it more difficult for you to get it shipped. Presumably there are safety standards that commercially produced ebikes have to meet which a one off individually made bike won't have been tested against? That might make couriers a bit more reluctant to take it. It's perhaps also worth investigating where you'd stand with Customs and Excise if you have it shipped in and they decide to take a look.
Not that I'm suggesting that your brother won't have done a good job and built it to the legal standards but it might be a bit trickier to prove that when compared to something that has been brought from a mainstream company. I guess there will be paperwork that came with the battery, motor etc which might be enough but I think I'd look into it a bit more to be sure you're not going to be thwarted by Customs if it comes in as freight.