Leaving the bike, and UniCycle50

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
From the end of next March I'm beginning the ride of a lifetime. For more details, see http://www.unicycle50.com.

Several times on this trip I'll need to get back to the UK for Open University residential courses and exams, and I don't want to drag the bike with me each time. I have a few friends scattered across Europe and I could leave my stuff with them, but there's a good possibility that there won't be anyone nearby when I need to go back to the UK.

Has anyone ever left a bike like this? I was thinking that maybe I could rent a lockup garage for a week or two, but can you think of anywhere else that would be less hassle and cheaper than that?

Cheers,
Steven
 

RedBike

New Member
Location
Beside the road
What a fantastic idea!!


I will certainly like to hear how you get on.


Perhaps you could book the bike into a shop for a minor repair (it's bound to need something doing after all those miles) then simply arrange to collect it in a week / two weeks time?
 
OP
OP
smith4188

smith4188

Veteran
What a fantastic idea!!

I will certainly like to hear how you get on.

I don't know if you use FaceBook but Like-ing the UniCycle50 page on FaceBook will bring news as it happens and photos. I'll also be blogging it on the Open University's Platform website, and I'll stick further links on here when I have something to show.

Perhaps you could book the bike into a shop for a minor repair (it's bound to need something doing after all those miles) then simply arrange to collect it in a week / two weeks time?

Ooo, what a beautifully sneaky plan. I like it. Thanks.
 
C

chillyuk

Guest
Pawn shops are good.

Raise a loan on the bike, say a tenner, then go back when you are ready, give them their tenner back plus a bit of interest and redeem your bike.

When laptops were a lot of money I did that a couple of times in case my flat got burgled when I went away for a holiday.
 
OP
OP
smith4188

smith4188

Veteran
Pawn shops are good.

Raise a loan on the bike, say a tenner, then go back when you are ready, give them their tenner back plus a bit of interest and redeem your bike.

When laptops were a lot of money I did that a couple of times in case my flat got burgled when I went away for a holiday.

Do pawn shops still exist? And do they exist outside of the UK? Good idea though if they do.
 
C

chillyuk

Guest
Do pawn shops still exist? And do they exist outside of the UK? Good idea though if they do.

My apologies, just realised you needed somewhere outside the UK.

I'll go back to sleep!
 

hubbike

Senior Member
I would recommend using

warmshowers.org
or
couchsurfing.org

to find someone willing to put up your bike in 4 star luxury whilst you are away...

otherwise self-storage places are not too pricey.
 
OP
OP
smith4188

smith4188

Veteran
I totaly misread your OP as a trip on a unicycle :rolleyes:. Good luck anyway.

Cheers! And you're not the first person to do that.
 

andym

Über Member
I have a similar issue: only of course with a bicycle you have a bigger problem.

IME hotels are helpful eg I had to fly back from Italy for a couple of days so I booked a room in a hotel for two nights either side of my visit home. The hotel were happy to store the bike and my stuff.

Looking at the problem from another perspective: have you thought of contacting the OU about exam centres abroad?
 
OP
OP
smith4188

smith4188

Veteran
I have a similar issue: only of course with a bicycle you have a bigger problem.

IME hotels are helpful eg I had to fly back from Italy for a couple of days so I booked a room in a hotel for two nights either side of my visit home. The hotel were happy to store the bike and my stuff.

Looking at the problem from another perspective: have you thought of contacting the OU about exam centres abroad?

Actually, that's not a bad idea although I don't think the OU owns any property abroad. I can only speak for my exams next week in Madrid, but they'll be in a swish hotel in the centre. But in any case maybe some well connected bod at the OU could put a word in for me at the hotel. Thank you.
 

andym

Über Member
Actually, that's not a bad idea although I don't think the OU owns any property abroad. I can only speak for my exams next week in Madrid, but they'll be in a swish hotel in the centre. But in any case maybe some well connected bod at the OU could put a word in for me at the hotel. Thank you.

Ah. In fact I simply meant finding out whether you can do the exam abroad (as you are doing) rather than going back to the UK.

But I'm sure the hotel will have a 'rincón' (corner) where you can leave your bike. It's certain that people will be turning up with suitcases, so there's bound to be some storage - even if it's a matter of leaving your stuff at the back of the room.

Oh I should have said, that train stations might be an option, but only for very short term storage.
 
OP
OP
smith4188

smith4188

Veteran
Ah. In fact I simply meant finding out whether you can do the exam abroad (as you are doing) rather than going back to the UK.

The only difficulty is that you have to rearrange your exam location about two or three months before the exam. If I do a steady mileage I should be able to predict where I'm going to be at any given time, but once arranged it can't be unarranged.
 
Top Bottom