Buy or ship my own bike?

[Raindrop]

I'm planning on visiting my really good friend in Oro Valley, AZ this January and I'm wondering whether I should ship take my bike on the plane, which means buying the box, getting the LBS to dismantle it for shipping and then hoping her husband will reassemble it for me when I get there only to have to do the whole shebang again when I return home OR see if I can find a decent bike, my size, on Craigs list down there and then ship it back home for a commuter bike here at home.

I've been watching the bikes down there and my main issue is the sizing because I need a fairly small bike since I'm a fairly small person (5'1") who currently rides a Specialized Ruby, 50cm. I've seen some that are very promising, but obviously, I'm up here in the PNW and leery of buying without trying.

Any ideas?

Prices for flying a bike have gotten very expensive, along with every other extra these days which is why I'm thinking buying down there might be the way to go.

[azfiddle]

There are quite a few shops that rent bikes in the Tucson area. Not sure about Oro Valley (check with Oro Valley Bikes) but definitely Fair Wheel near the university of Arizona. There are other shops but they are further away.

If you have other questions about the area, pm me.

[OakLeaf]

If you belong to a bike club, sometimes they have cases to rent or borrow. Larger bike shops will sometimes rent cases, too.

Whenever I've traveled with my bike, I've shipped FedEx. You don't have to schlep it around the airport, or pay extra for a van taxi, and it will be delivered right to your destination. And there's a much smaller chance that it will be opened for inspection and put back together insecurely. Express shipping - which I'd recommend for best handling - still isn't any more expensive than checking it on an airline.

But yeah, if there are good rental options, that's simplest. Just don't forget to bring your own saddle and pedals.

[Sky King]

Chiming in with OakLeaf, ship FedEx if you can't find one to rent. Ask your favorite LBS to save a box for you, perhaps one a bit larger than your bike so you can tuck other things in the box. Then you may be able to simply turn your handlebars, take off your pedals and wheels - easy things to adjust once you get there.

We used to have a reuseable shipping box we loaned out - good for about 3 RT's but haven't invested in the new, pricer ones yet.

[Aromig]

There are quite a few shops that rent bikes in the Tucson area. Not sure about Oro Valley (check with Oro Valley Bikes) but definitely Fair Wheel near the university of Arizona. There are other shops but they are further away.

I asked last year and you recommended FairWheel and my entire group rented carbon bikes (at least one odd size) and we LOVED it. We reserved our bikes about two months in advance (they say the odd sizes go quickly) and the price wasn't unreasonable. Two of my colleagues decided to buy those model of bikes so it was a great opportunity for long test rides.

I'd guess other areas of Arizona likely have lots of rental opportunities as well.