Purchasing a bicycle in France
 

My husband and I are avid cyclists and are planning our 2nd Tour de France trip for 2013. In 2010 we took our bikes with us. It was a considerable amount to check our bikes as luggage to and from France, and we kept thinking that maybe for the next trip we could arrange to purchase bikes in France for our three week stay. Of course we could always rent, but the problem is location. We most likely will be starting in the Nice area and then ending up in the Alps, flying in and out of the nearest airport. Also, thought about selling back to a bike shop at the end of the trip. Has anyone had any experience purchasing bikes? And, selling?

The hypermarkets all sell bikes, as do the main sporting goods chains like Décathlon or Go Sport -- as for resale, I'm afraid you're on your own, but I would imagine that the smaller bike shops and repair shops must do trade in such things. Impossible to be more precise until you know precisely where you want to get rid of the bikes.

I should mention that a couple of weeks ago, I was at Mont Ventoux, which has a zillion cyclists every day during the summer, so you might check out the nearby towns.

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Thanks kerouac! In 2010, we stayed in Bedoin and climbed Mont Ventoux the next day. The bike shops there were extremely helpful. I had to buy tires and it took two different shops to find the 650 size of my old bike. I briefly looked at the chains you mentioned, and I'm not familiar with either of the bike brands they carry. We plan on doing some intense riding/climbing. At least I have a lot of time to research!

The sporting chains generally sell their own brands. That would make resale quite easy in France, since people recognize the names here.

You might post this question on the Cyclist Touring Club website - ctc.org.uk

What price range are you looking at, and what distance are you looking to travel?

If you're looking at a >= $1500-$2000 road bike with Al or C frame that's a very different story then getting a steel city bike at a hypermart.

What I've done in the past is put out feelers for bikes I could borrow (or rent from a private person), but this has usually mean knowing at least one local person who knows somebody who knows somebody...

A local bike shop in France may also have used bikes for sale, either their own or on consignment or want-ads - I know my LBS does.

I'd also search for local riding clubs in your start area. I've never done that outside the use, but in the US it's been a good starting point for finding local group rides and routes mapped out on one of the mapping websites such as mapmyride

There is a lot of solidarity among bikers, so it is true that you might be better off checking some cycling websites.

My wife and I were in the same situation a few years ago - even scanned the craiglists and Kijiji for our destinations but the logistics were difficult. I ended up buying a bike on craigslist near our home and taking it over with the intent to sell it before coming back. Our trip ended in Brig Switzerland and selling it was hard not because there weren't bike shops (there were) but because it was 10 years old and apparently not in demand. We ended up giving our bikes to a local youth club which felt worthwhile.

Eric