Need help with European bike

[Bill Stew]

Hello All,

My wife and I have just recently retired and we having been planning a bike ride down the Rhine River from it's source.  Our big snag is, funny enough, getting a bike.  We checked into renting touring bikes in Zurich and Geneva, but they were charging ~$1000+/bike for the amount of time we want to be on the road.  We feel that we might as purchase a bike rather than rent.  Unless you know of a cheaper rental alternative, we need help determining how we should go about buying a bike for this ride, i.e. buy one here in the States and have it shipped or buy one, used or new, in Switzerland and keep it for future travels or sell it at the end of the trip. We understand that buying a bike here in the states and trying it out would be preferable, but we're concerned about the cost of shipping 2 bikes to Switzerland, then having them re-assembled at a bike shop in Zurich then shipping them both back after the trip vs. buy a new or used bike in Zurich (expensive, we know)and sell in Holland or have them shipped back here after the trip.  Any and all advice on this matter would be most welcome.  Many thanks!

[RonK]

I would contact De Vakantiefietser in Amsterdam and see if they can help.

[DaveB]

Given the shipping costs both ways for your own bikes and the fact you need to have a bike shop assembled the bikes at the European destination and perhaps packed by them for return to the US, that $1000 rental cost is starting to sound reasonable. 

[Galloper]

I think you would be better buying a bike locally on arrival.   There are plenty of bike stores in Switzerland, have a look at the following

https://www.athleticum.ch/de/home/velo/velos/citybikes

Most of those bikes will be more than adequate for the Rhine Cycle Route and you can probably find a bike shop to buy them at the end of your trip.

[Walter]

i shipped my bikes from and to the us/europe many times.
airline charges vary from free to $ 150 one way. (remember a bike is oversize baggage)
sometimes an airline will require you to use a box.

i never disassemble my bike; except for the front wheel.

walter