bike trip to ireland

Old Nov 7th, 2002, 01:37 PM
  #1  
kc
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bike trip to ireland

we're considering a bike trip with b&r to western ireland. has anyone done this? and would you do it again?

we also want to spend a bit more time before/after the trip. what would you recommend?
 
Old Nov 7th, 2002, 07:38 PM
  #2  
molly
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karen, i did a great trip with Easy Riders few years ago- they have 3 or 4 different routes in west ireland- coasting kerry was the name of mine. fabulous fabulous- great guides, challenging rides, with good sag-wagon support, wonderful food, comfy hotels or BandBs(not fancy), i can't recommend them enough!! Even with rain virtually everyday, there was also sunshine! email me diectly if you can't find this company online.
As for before/after, I'd recommend seeing Dublin- a real happening city, really transforming from years of economic depression. The countryside is my favorite, though.
 
Old Nov 7th, 2002, 07:45 PM
  #3  
molly
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correction its www.easyridertours.com. the other will take you to biker sites, smile.
 
Old Nov 8th, 2002, 05:51 AM
  #4  
xxx
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ttt
 
Old Nov 8th, 2002, 08:03 AM
  #5  
Mike
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Unless money is no object, I suggest you skip the organized tour and do it on your own. By "b&r", I am not sure if you mean Backroads, but I checked out Molly's suggestion of Easy Riders, and teh prices are exhorbitant. I think most of these hike and bike companies charge way too much.

The Easy Rider price for 9 nights is just over $2,000 per person. That means between two people you are paying over $400 per night. Most bed and brekafast places in Ireland are about $50 to $60 per night, for the room. If you add in $30 per person per day for food and $20 per day for bike rental, it comes to about $160 per day for two.

So for the bargain price of $240 PER DAY, you are getting someone to plan your route and carry your bags.

I suggest you plan your own route, and save the money. I have biked in Ireland, and bike shops all seem to have suggested routes for their area. You can base yourselves in 2 or 3 places, and do loop trips each day. Take a bus, or even a cab to base yourself in a new place every three days or so.

Another alternative, pay me oh say $180 per day (saving $60 per day), and I will go to Ireland with you, handle the logistics for your trip, and have myself a free vacation to boot.

I am usually not this flip, and you are not at fault, but I think these prices are rip-offs.
 
Old Nov 8th, 2002, 08:18 AM
  #6  
Julie
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Mike--I think like you do as far as money and figure I can always do it better and cheaper myself. But, here's my question. Where do you find quality rental bikes for a trip? We tried your strategy in France this summer and despite the fact that we had been assured that there were plenty of good rental bikes available all over France, and despite the fact that I'd even called bike shops ahead of time, what we found for the most part for rent was junker $5 garage sale type bikes. Local tourist offices were of no help for the most part. 2 of the places we stayed (a cottage and a b & b) had also assured us ahead of time that they had good bikes we could use. But, those were also not what you would want for a real biking trip. They were ok for maybe an hour jaunt around the neighborhood, but that was it. Getting decent bikes seems to us to be the greatest hurdle in planning such a trip.
 
Old Nov 8th, 2002, 08:26 AM
  #7  
Mike
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Julie, I think you bring up a good point about the quality of bikes. In Europe I have rented bikes in England, Ireland, France, and Italy, as well as otehr countries outside of Europe. For the most part, I have gotten pretty good bikes, not top quality, but not $5 clunkers either. They were good enough for what I often do, perhaps 20 - 30 miles per day. If you are looking to do real serious riding (say 50+ miles), these may not be adequate, but I think with a littel homework, you could find better bikes. You can always bring a bike with you on the plane if you absolutely need a great bike, and it would still be much cheaper. By the way the price I quoted above for the Ireland trip is without bike rental - they charge extra for that.
 
Old Nov 8th, 2002, 01:15 PM
  #8  
Ann
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Why not take your bikes with you? You can check them on the plane for no extra charge on most airlines.

 
Old Nov 8th, 2002, 08:31 PM
  #9  
julie
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We thought about bringing our own bikes but they are a hassle if you are not planning to bike every single day and plan to move around. Plus, I might be wrong, but I think many airlines charge something like $80-$100 for a bike and it also has to be in an approved carrying case which means that you either have to have your own bike bag (which will then have to be stored somewhere) or hope that the airline will have a bike box for you when you are ready for your return flight.
We have another plan that will work when we actually can guarantee ahead of time that we will find good rental bikes. We have a lightweight folding bike rack for the rear of a car that adjusts to many different car sizes. It fits into a very large zipped canvas tote bag that I have from Lands End. We can also fit our helmets in the bag. We took the rack with us this summer because we were going to have a rental car. Renting a car is actually a money saver over the group trips. So, all we need to do now if find the right bikes and we will be set. By, the way, we are not 50 mile a day bikers either (25-35 miles a day is more like it) but having a decent bike makes all of the difference between having fun and being miserable.
 
Old Nov 10th, 2002, 06:40 AM
  #10  
steve
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Domestically (USA), you will be charged on most airlines for bikes. But Internationally, they go as one piece of checked luggage. Therefore, be sure to have your bike checked thru to the international destination (you would probably normally do this anyway).

Check with the airlines to get a good bike box (TWA used to have the best ones, but they are now merged into American which has only adequate boxes.)
Free boxes from bike shops usually require almost complete disassembly of the bike. Coming back, you can usually ship the bike without a box (I have done that 3 times) although you risk the possibility of damage (I have suffered none)

I think the B&R is Butterfield & Robinson.

I agree with mike that doing it on your own and staying at least 2-3 days in one location is a good way to cycletour. Certainly much cheaper. Ireland is full of small roads that are conducive to cycling.
 
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