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Bikeshuttle to Geneva - anyone used it?

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derillius24
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PostPosted: 17:12 - 08 Feb 2017    Post subject: Bikeshuttle to Geneva - anyone used it? Reply with quote

Hi All,

As per the title, has anyone any experience of Bikeshuttle they'd care to discuss? In a nutshell, they operate a specialist bike transportation system (read: lorry) that will transport your bike and gear from Northampton to Geneva overnight while you fly to Geneva from Luton.

You arrive in Northampton, they deal with your bike and gubbins, then they shuttle you to Luton airport. You then fly to Geneva that evening, get a night's kip in a hotel just outside Geneva airport then your bike and gear are delivered to you for 9-10am the following morning, an hour from the French Alps.

Being based up here in Scotchland, the 400 mile ride to the Northampton base sounds like a pain in the cock, however missing out the 700+ miles of not much (except a lot of motorway if you're Alps-bound and time-limited) through Holland / France is very appealing. It also makes a week-long trip with 5-6 solid days riding time in the Alps very achievable, whereas the way I've always done it previously (North Shields to Ijmuiden ferry) requires two full days of largely mind numbing riding to get to the good stuff and then another two days back to the port on the return stretch.

As you can imagine, it comes at a cost. I got my abacus out and have come to the following, assuming an early July trip:

    Bikeshuttle return cost: £435
    Hotel in Geneva on night one: £45pp sharing, £80 single occupancy (no breakfast included)
    Northampton to Luton return shuttle: £48
    Easyjet return flights to Geneva: £71
    Fuel from Dundee to Northampton and back: £110


Total: £744, single occupancy Eh?

What reckon? Is it worth paying for a bit of convenience and a short cut to the Alpine goodness? Or is this a rip-off?


Link to website for anyone interested: https://www.bikeshuttle.co.uk/

Cheers
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CaNsA
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PostPosted: 17:23 - 08 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Touring for those who don't like the miles.

Why not fly and hire a bike when you get there?
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derillius24
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PostPosted: 17:34 - 08 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably a fair cop! I've done the full slog a couple of times now and there's nothing enjoyable about the 2-3 solid days of motorway blats involved at either end. Especially not on a naked bike. Also, I think the main benefit is being able to go away for just a week and still having a good amount of time in the mountains. It's really difficult for me to get much more than a week away from work at any one time. Hmmm...

I've looked into renting a bike before but it ain't cheap. And I'd have separation anxiety away from mine.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 17:53 - 08 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

My mate did it last summer with his tiger. He was 100% impressed and hasn't shut up about it since.

So no, I can't recommend the service because it makes people annoying.
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derillius24
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PostPosted: 18:05 - 08 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:
My mate did it last summer with his tiger. He was 100% impressed and hasn't shut up about it since.

So no, I can't recommend the service because it makes people annoying.


Good to know Laughing
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A100man
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PostPosted: 23:53 - 08 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you need to cost all the options and compare.

1) your previous ferry method

2) Bikeshutttle

3) Fly/ride..

The real F%cker is that you can no longer get a ferry to Norway from Newcastle - that would be my trip if choice these days.
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spnorm
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PostPosted: 07:51 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

The advantage of these transport services is that they save a few days holiday leave.

I'd like to tour Southern Italy, but it'd take 3-4 days travelling in each direction. I've looked at hire bikes, but they don't seem to offer fully comp insurance.

Using Euro Bike Trans in Bradford (shipped from the DSV Transport depot in Manchester) to ship the bike to Pisa would save a good weeks holiday leave which I could then use exploring Italy properly Thumbs Up

They also ship to Spain, Portugal and Norway. They organise tours for my local BMW and Ducati dealers and seem very professional

www.eurobiketrans.co.uk
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derillius24
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PostPosted: 14:55 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

As ever, thanks for the helpful replies.

spnorm, that was interesting to hear about, I wasn't aware of that company either. Unfortunately, having just spoken with them, it takes four days for the bikes to arrive at the foreign destinations after dropping them off at the UK depot which only really works if you're local(ish) to Manchester. Unfortunately I'm not so it wouldn't fit in with plans.

Cheers
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Bonnie Lad
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PostPosted: 15:00 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unless you live in the Highlands of Scotland surely it only takes a day to get your bike to Manchester and catch the train home?

Just do that the week before you want to go away and bobs your uncle
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ScaredyCat
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PostPosted: 17:10 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pay me £743 and I'll ride it there and back
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garth
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PostPosted: 17:10 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've done UK - Geneva in a day, two up, on a gsxr600.

It wasn't particularly enjoyable but it was a lot cheaper than £750.
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Matt B
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PostPosted: 17:27 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

garth wrote:
I've done UK - Geneva in a day, two up, on a gsxr600.


It's doable if you don't mind bashing out miles on toll roads and motorways but I reckon it would be horrific on a naked bike like a Striple.

My first thought was OP should just get the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam and ride down through Holland & Germany. Once you add up the costs and time it's similar to the Bike Trans though.

OP - don't forget to add about £30 to your cost for a Swiss Vignette if you intend to use a major road getting out of Geneva.
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Kris
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PostPosted: 17:32 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why not plan your route to include a few days getting to the Alps via some nice roads? One of my favourite road trips was a massive loop round France on twistiest D-roads we could find. The Alps were good fun, but the deserted 'middle-of-nowhere' roads were epic too.
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derillius24
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PostPosted: 17:53 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies again, food for thought.

I know it's doable, as I said I've done it a couple of times before. However the issue isn't really the motorway miles, although chopping that out would be a good thing, it's the number of days it takes to ride to the Alps and back from Scotland - two weeks away from work are really needed and I won't get that time away this year in one go.

Perhaps as mentioned I could aim for 'unknown' territory type stuff. But I do love the Alps Thinking .

Interestingly, I just found a post on another forum where a guy states how unimpressed he was with their service at the Geneva end and wonders if he received second rate treatment because he wouldn't pay the fees for the Geneva hotel that Bikeshuttle push, instead opting to do his own thing.
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rubyhorse2
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PostPosted: 17:53 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

go for it!!

we're doing another trip to europe this year and for me, the ride down from manchester to the ferry is mind numbingly boring and horrible.

Any chance to avoid a long boring ride should be taken Thumbs Up
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derillius24
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PostPosted: 17:56 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bonnie Lad wrote:
Unless you live in the Highlands of Scotland surely it only takes a day to get your bike to Manchester and catch the train home?

Just do that the week before you want to go away and bobs your uncle


True, although having to do that at either end of the trip would be an enormous inconvenience, and add hundreds to the price in train fares. Having spoken to them today, they are also over £100 more expensive than Bikeshuttle to begin with (£550) so it's a non-starter for me.
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Bonnie Lad
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PostPosted: 21:29 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

You really need to sort out your sense of perspective and googling skills if you think riding to Manchester is an 'enormous' inconvenience or you'd pay 'hundreds' of pounds to travel anywhere in the UK by train
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derillius24
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PostPosted: 22:05 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bonnie Lad wrote:
You really need to sort out your sense of perspective and googling skills if you think riding to Manchester is an 'enormous' inconvenience or you'd pay 'hundreds' of pounds to travel anywhere in the UK by train


Thank you for the hostile response.

I'd suggest you might consider that not everyone's life circumstances are exactly the same as yours before you plaster attempts at reality checks all over the Internet, you sanctimonious arse.

I work more weekends than I have off each month on call at a busy hospital and care for my brother many of those that I don't work. So trust me, having to ride to Manchester and back either side of two weekends away on holiday is an 'enormous' inconvenience.
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Ed Case
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PostPosted: 23:02 - 09 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ride the damn bike there !.
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kgm
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PostPosted: 10:19 - 10 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

Personally I'd just ride the bike there but I can get time off fairly easy so I can see the appeal for those who can't. Just a bit too expensive for me, I'd rather just deal with the slog.
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alan29
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PostPosted: 17:28 - 10 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wonder how the cost/time would compare to getting the Hull ferry to Zeebrugge.
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james1988
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PostPosted: 18:17 - 10 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

You could look at the auto train which runs from Paris to Lyon. You can stick your bike on there and travel on the same train saving yourself the mind numbing motorway journey. If I were to do the Alps on the bike again that's what I'd look at doing.

James

Edit
You can't travel on the same train, I don't know where I got that idea from.
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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 13:11 - 11 Feb 2017    Post subject: Re: Bikeshuttle to Geneva - anyone used it? Reply with quote

derillius24 wrote:
Total: £744, single occupancy Eh?

What reckon? Is it worth paying for a bit of convenience and a short cut to the Alpine goodness?

If you're costing this out as you have, then you need to compare like with like... assuming that if you rode all the way to the Alps you would regard the trip from home as necessity rather than 'holiday' or 'fun', then you should knock off the return cost of fuel/tyre wear; ferry, 4-5 nights accomodation etc. That will give you the figure you need to decide whether it's value for money.... I think you'll find the above deductions make quite a big hole in the £744.

Have to say I've never heard of bikeshuttle etc until now - interesting concept and food for thought!
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nerald
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PostPosted: 20:04 - 13 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used Eurobiketrans last year for a trip to greece. Dropped the bike off at Manchester, train home to Cumbria £10 at work for 4 days, flew to Pisa (£35) train to Prato £6 then walked to the depot and picked up my bike.
1 way trip £325 cos I rode the bike home from Greece via the Nordkapp.
Good service.
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andru8
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PostPosted: 23:31 - 13 Feb 2017    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm planning to ride down to Dubrovnik and maybe as far as Kotor in Montenegro and Bikeshuttle seem to be the best value so far. I simply do not have the time or body to go from South Wales there and back in 15 days so they seem the obvious choice.

I do have the option of another company that will drop the bike to central Italy and I get a ferry to Albania and ride up through Montenegro,Croatia etc back to Calais.

I've just got to do the maths and routes and pick the best one for me in the timescale I have.
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