Bali Expat Forum - Bali Travel Forum

[Stephanb]

My wife and I love to get around Ubud by bicycle. Most of the bikes for rent are in pretty bad condition, and for possibly a one year stay, we thought about either shipping a couple of mountain bikes, or purchasing them in Bali. Any advice? Has anyone shipped a bike, and how much did the airlines charge? I'm sure it depends on the airline, but just an estimation would be good. I know I can get almost anything once there, but bikes might be much more expensive.
Also, in regards to shipping, we may travel a bit in Thailand before coming, but don't want to bring all out stuff when backpacking. I thought we could ship a container direct to Bali and pick it up after we arrive. We have a contact with a shipping company in Ubud, but I can't reach them for another couple of weeks. I know a price is impossible without the size of the boxes, but is this, generally, a better way of bringing things into the country as opposed to bringing it on a plane and paying the extra fee?

[FreoGirl]

If you don't like what's on offer with the hire bikes, I suggest you just buy new bikes in Bali. There is a pretty good selection in Denpasar, certainly fine for riding around Ubud and surrounding areas. The only thing you may have a problem with is frame size if you are very tall.
I have seen someone ship a bike who was a mad keen cyclist and rode all over Lombok. I'd check with the airlines on the cost as it is a fairly common thing that they do. I do know any bike that is to be shipped needs to be packaged up properly - so if you ship yours perhaps get in touch with the local bike shop and see if you can get a couple of boxes from them (specially shaped cardboard box that bikes come in - disassembled of course)

[Stephanb]

I'm not a bike nut, but after a couple weeks the old bikes got a little rough. This will be our main mode of transportation, so a decent bike is a plus. And yes, I'm pretty tall, so that also can be a problem.