Korean Job Discussion Forums

[technique]

I'll be leaving for Korea in a few weeks, and I'm set on bringing my bicycle. For those of you who have brought bicycles from another country, how did you do it?

At the moment, I've been given a box from the local bike shop, and I was planning on paying the fee to have it loaded onto the plane (that's bound to be cheaper than shipping it, right?). But what do I do with it when I get to Korea? I'm going to be located in Uijeongbu, and I'm worried about getting it there from the airport.

Any suggestions on this topic would be appreciated. If you haven't brought a bicycle with you, hate bicycles, think I should leave it at home, etc., please do not reply. Thanks!

[the ireland]

you might be cheaper just buying a bike here, it's what i done, considering yu will have to take it to korea, get it to your apartment, and then take it back to the airport at the end of yoour contract and take it back home again.

however if its a real good bike and you are too used to it and really want it then take it with you as you said, shipping could take 3 months to get here so really not worth your while!!! you will get it into the luggage part of the bus and you could prob get it into a taxi's boot/trunk ( i would advice you to take a length of rope with you, then if get picked up at the airport you can tie it in securely to the car, or put it in safely in the taxi)

just my 2 cents, hope you get it here safely!!

[climber159]

Depending on the size and type of bike you are riding you might be better off buying a bike here. If you ride anything under a 19" mountain frame or 56cm road frame you'll have no trouble finding a bike.

I would discourage anyone from riding on the roads in and around Seoul. This leaves the many miles of bike paths along the rivers (which are alright).

I bought a decent Korean brand mountain bike and swapped out the tires for slicks, put on the necessary accessories (clipless pedals, computer, etc) for about 600,000KRW. It's not the fastest or lightest bike in the world, but I've got a couple thousand kilometers on it so far and it's doing fine.

[Crockpot2001]

I agree with what others said about buying a low to mid-priced bike if you are of a smaller stature. The airlines are sometimes charging as much as $150 (US) each way for most flights. There are some exclussions but it applies for frequent fliers usually. Higher end bikes are often sport prices that reflect how trendy they are and the import duties making them quite expensive in most cases.

We flew over with our bikes in real bike cases but had an overnight layover in Denver. They would NOT hold the bikes overnight so we had to take possession of them and call local friends to come get us for our overnight stay. The airline insisted we pay $150 for each leg of our trip to Korea that was not international. That would be 4 total legs (round trip) times 2 bikes. $1200 dispite having clearly confirmed with a person at the airline by phone weeks previous. Luckily I had the person's name AND I was somewhat able to control myself...mostly.

But to answer your question about transport, you can take the bike on the subway systems if it is still in the box. If you are taking a bus line, they would not care either if it is in the box. Many cabs seem to run on LPG so they have minimal trunk space. You can rent van cabs but that may be pricey.

[nosmallplans]

I brought my bike and wasn't even charged - that said you could pay as much as $300 for the box. Just don't tell anyone it's a bike, even if it says so on the outside.

It's also worth having your LBS do the packing work for you in order to make sure it arrives in one piece. When you get here just drag the box to the local bike shop and have them build it back up.

BTW, Shipping via FedEx will be around $700.

Edit: My school hired a taxi van to get me. I let them know ahead of time I would be bringing my bike and that it would be in a large box. Bikes are also allowed on trains but prepare to get some nasty looks and try to be smart about it. Aim for the first or last car and try to avoid major hubs and traffic periods. Trying to put your bike onto a Line 2 train at 6:00PM on a weekday, for example, would be stupid.

[kiwiduncan]

[JungMin]

I flew Air Canada when I brought my bike over. I didn't pay a cent. I didn't pack it in a box. Just took the front tire and pedals off, swung the bars around parallel with the frame and taped the tire to the side of the bike. Went to oversized shipping counter and dropped it off. I was lucky that when I arrived back in Korea, my bike was delayed and was coming on the next flight. So it was delivered to my door the following day. Not sure what its costs these days.

[technique]

Thanks for the replies.

I had a feeling there would be a wide range of fees offered up for shipping. Telling the school I'm bringing a bike is a good idea. Hopefully they'll offer a van-taxi as well. I had definitely thought about just putting it back together in the airport (I have no mechanical weakness).

No disrespect JungMin, but weren't you afraid the seat stays or fork would get bent?

On a somewhat related note, I am a perfect fit for a 57cm track frame, and that's what I ride. I really don't want to have to find something as soon as I get there. I'm not worried about traffic. I did a couple weeks as a messenger in Chicago, had friends who were messengers that I rode with daily for a couple years, and have spent a great deal of time in crazy traffic in large cities.

[nosmallplans]

well you'll find the streets more or less free of other track bikes.

the fixed crew here is a bunch of bar-spinning, river-path-riding, aerojoke-riding, hipster-wannabes. they've run up the prices on decent used track frames so high you're better off buying a bareknucle back in the states than trying to find anything in reasonable shape here in korea.

first things first, save some cash, then go talk to bob at camel bikes in namyangju and he'll get you the hookup with a custom track frame by young cycle. kalavinka, columbus, filet, lugged, you name it, they do it. my kalavinka road frame just needs some shifters and it'll be ready. i'll probably order a track frame from young cycle before i leave so i have something to ride northbrook with (also from chicago).

[technique]

[technique]

[nosmallplans]

[dbmctague]

I'm 6'4 with an inseam of about 34 inches, or 86.4 cm. That equals roughly to a frame size of 23 inches/ 58 cm.
Will I be able to find a frame my size, or would I have to go to some drastic measure such as going to a US Military base to try and find a bike to buy off a tall soldier.

[nosmallplans]

you can get 'em, they just won't be in stock. if you can ask around and see if a place has one that's been sitting around (which it will have been) they might give you a discount.

don't expect to be allowed to test ride it so be sure of your fit before you start. have someone help you measure your exact stand over height (balls to the floor) and pick a bike with a stand over that gives you at least 3 inches - this should be a decent fit if you're just looking for a recreational bike.

if you're looking for a more performance oriented fit then i'd suggest you head over to competitivecyclist.com and use their fit calculator.

[Crockpot2001]