Cycle touring south India - buy bike in UK and ship or buy then sell in India?

well you could do either but i think your trip is quite an easy one in cycling terms so i would probably buy a bike in Chennai......although i would say that Bangalore is more of a cycling city and has better or should i say more quality bicycle shops. .........i would add that Chennai is definitely an easier place to start your trip and would probably suit you needs

Good quality touring bikes are probably not available in India off the shelf although i think the route you are doing is not very difficult. In fact for the most part i would class it as very easy cycling. Given that you want a hassle free trip you could probably get a decent local bike for £100 ( i am guessing here) that would serve you quite well for the journey you have planned. The western ghats have some steep hills but the rest would be easy on a local bike and if you are quite happy to get a train to Mumbai then i imagine a taxi up the steep hills of the western ghats wont be an issue either.

Normally for a tour i would say bring your own bike but for you given what you are doing i would say buy local.....the only issue i can think of is the bags for your gear......perhaps you could bring them with you......also dont forget you will need tools as well but i am sure a bike shop will sell you enough for a short tour.

I usually advise taking your own bike

But.....I also say travelling on a bike is heaven, travelling with a bike is hell. I think you have enough of travelling with to make it worth buying and disposing when there.

You will need to research where to buy, but I would say don't buy too cheap. The W Ghats have some big hills and while good and low gears are important to get up, good brakes are far more important for getting down. Indian traffic is notorious for using both sides of the road and overtaking anywhere. You need good brakes (and rims) unless you want to walk down.

Taking your own panniers is a good idea, but may again be a logistical problem as you won't want to carry them all over the north. A small backpack can be lashed to a rack. If doing this take a couple of locking webbing straps as bungees slip.

I'd Advise you to buy a bike in India. It would be much cheaper and much more convenient.
I'm pretty sure you could get something really great for 800 GBP.

This though is something you could expect to buy for 120 GBP
(I'm not advertising this , this is a sample link from Amazon.)
http://www.amazon.in/Hercules-Roadeo-A100-Speed-Bicycle/dp/B00LHRVVSK/?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1439546486&sr=1-5

Its good enough , sturdy , has disc brakes upfront and power brakes at the back, 21 gears.

You also have the option of pre-ordering it and having it ready for pickup when you get to India.

If its budget range you want , look for the Kross brand of cycles (Under 125GBP).

For slightly medium budgets , choose Hercules or Hero. (Hercules is sturdier , but Hero is more fancy and will get you a slightly better resale -- I'm guessing you want sturdy rather than fancy)
These should cost between 100 -250 GBP.

For above 250 GBP , look at the FireFox, BTwin or Giant brand of cycles - These are made from lighter alloys , more durable and can take much more punishment. (Firefox is the best IMO)

Alternatively , if you have the budget , you could get one of the really expensive bikes as well.

However , be prepared to take a 40-50% cut on the buying price when you try to re-sell your bike.
Also , a very expensive bike would be prone to theft.

My best bet -- Go for a good medium range bike like Hercules around the 150-200 GBP Price band, you shouldn't be too disappointed when you end up having to sell it on the cheap.

I have taken my own bike but am still in two minds as to whether it was the best thing to do, it was good to have a quality bike to ride in some difficult conditions but was an expensive pain on public transport, I am considering taking a Brompton on my next trip.
If you do decide to take your own both Gulf and Emirates have larger luggage allowances that let you take it for free, I carried it in a cardboard box from a bicycle shop and beware of some rigid bikes cases as they can be too big for oversize luggage.

Thanks for the people who have replied so far. I'm not sure if I made it clear enough in the first post, but I am not planning to fly with the bike as luggage - if I do take me own. I am going to Nepal/ northern india fist and then plan to either get a bike couriered from the UK to an address in Chennai - not sure what address, perhaps a hotel - and then courier the bike back to the UK from Mumbai as I will be flying on to continue my travels.

if I do take me own. I am going to Nepal/ northern india fist and then plan to either get a bike couriered from the UK to an address in Chennai - not sure what address, perhaps a hotel - and then courier the bike back to the UK from Mumbai as I will be flying on to continue my travels.
I would recommend you don't do this as it could disappear into Indian customs and take a lot of time and possibly some money to get it back, buy one there.

That's the clincher. The cost of shipping is likely to be very high. It has been discussed here a number of times and it is unlikely to be worth it.

Also, probably lots of hassle with Indian Customs. I wouldn't risk it.

Hey there,

I would defo suggest going to Bangalore to pick up your bike if that is what you decide to do, there is a number of bike outfits and clubs that operate in the city and has more of cycle culture, as mentioned. You could then get a train to start your tour from Chennai, it is easy enough to book your bike on trains as luagge and in expereince have always travelled in the same train and costs very little.

India Hero & Hercules bikes are fine for the flat lands of costal Tamil Nadu, Kerela etc but would not be great for the ghats, where in my IMO is the best cycling in the region. The Coorg in Karnataka is also great.

Firefox would be the best branded model bike to go for and have a webiste with links to shops in city where they sell, but stock in these shops always seems to rather limited from my experience. Finding panniers in India may also pose a headache as touring is not really that big a sport in Indian, and cycling with a back pack in the heat would just be a hell.

I would have to agree that sending a bike to India is not a great idea, the cost for shipment via air would be very high, and no doubt involve paper work and import duties, India is well known for its Red Tape and bureaucracy. We had parts flown in from Germany when we toured South India and this ended up costing us to get them released.

4 - 6 weeks would give us a nice amount of time touring, places of interest, in no order would be; Bylakuppe (large Tibetian settlement) Maduari, Thanjore, Coorg region, Mysore, Kodaikanal, Mudumalai NP, Wayand NP, kerala back water trip or maybe Gokarna or somewhere in southern Goa such as Agonda for some after cycle R&R.. Of course this depends on area you choose to tour.

Happy Peddaling...

Great advice, thanks, unless some new info comes to light will start my trip in Bangalore and just take the sourcing of equipment as part of the challenge.

One thing that has been bugging me though is the idea of cycling through the Western Ghats - which I will definitely be doing as it looks like the best area - with the number of tiger reserves in the area.

Seems to me most people have the same approach as surfers off the west coast of Australia surfing in known shark territory 'oh well that's just part of the risk - very unlikely to actually be attacked' which I'm not comfortable with at all. Does anyone have anymore experience of cycling in known tiger territory or know if they are easy enough to avoid if cycling in the Western Ghats.

Cheers.