A shout out ask if anyone has flown to Geneva with an ebike?

I’m planning a Morzine trip next year and the BA website specifically states “non-motorised pedal bicycles” and I’m wondering how strict this is? Obviously, I’ll have to remove the battery and just take a range extender (or two) in my hand luggage.

No way you’re flying with an ebike battery regardless of where it is in your luggage

Nope, you’ll struggle to get an ebike on a plane.

Nope, you’ll struggle to get an ebike on a plane.

You can remove the battery and take it, but the batteries aren’t allowed

To be fair it is a nice drive

You can remove the battery and take it, but the batteries aren’t allowed

Not strictly true. Usually you can take up to a 100w/h battery without even asking, and if you clear it before, you ‘should’ be able to take up to a 160w/h battery. Which co-incidentally is what the Specialized range extender capacity is.

However, expectation & reality are always never aligned & dealing with idiots at airports is painful at best of times. The amount of jobsworths arguing about letting tyres down & carrying Co2 cartridges in the bike bags is astounding, regardless of what the airline says 🤦‍♂️

ship your bike in advance with a shipping agency? probably won’t cost much difference to flying with it anyway

Train?

To be fair it is a nice drive

From where, Les Gets?

ship your bike in advance with a shipping agency? probably won’t cost much difference to flying with it anyway

Bikes are included in the BA economy plus fare as checked luggage provided it’s under 23kg, along with 46kg of hand luggage.

@northernmatt how long does it take you?

From Sunderland I’ve done it door to door in 24hrs with a fair few stops along the way. That’s sharing driving, if you’re alone you might want to take it easier.

I’ve only flown once and to be honest I wish I’d driven as it was a right ballache with the bike bag and overly officious oversize luggage security bods.

When we lived in Sunderland it took us 24 hours almost to the minute from leaving home to pulling up in the campsite in Les Gets. It’s coming home that always destroys me. Obviously the further south you are the easier it is.

I’ve flown a couple of times with mates but I always drive when I’ve got the choice. You can take so much more useful stuff with you including a proper tool kit, spare parts and tyres, multiple outfits and bad weather gear. Having your own car allows you to go exploring when you get there.

La Bresse and Lac Blanc are good places to ride if you want to break up the drive.

We’ve done it in ~9hrs from Calais. But it’s the most soul destroying, mind numbingly boring driving I’ve ever done.

Given the choice, I’m going on a plane, every time.

Still grumping about next month as we’re off to Sospel/Molini/Finale & have in a moment of madness, decided to drive, as there is a group of us going. 🤦‍♂️

I’ve flown out twice, driven out loads of times. With an E bike it really has consolidated my view that it is easiest for me to drive. It’s a long drive from Carmarthenshire but we break it with relatives in Kent on the way out before catching a ferry to Calais. The return trip we tend to do in one hit. Having two drivers helps.

The drive isn’t in the least bit interesting until you get to Bourg en Bresse when the fun starts. The autoroute through the Jura is stupendous, one tunnel emerges from the cliff and straight onto a massive viaduct. There are tunnels and viaducts galore until Geneva/ Annemasse when it all calms down a bit before the final twisty turny fun up and over to Les Gets and then five mins later, Morzine.

I’ve heard talk of some dealers renting batteries thus allowing you to fly with your bike (no battery) and then hire at your destination. I’m not certain who/ what/ when/ where/ how etc, but it might be worth a look.

I’ve driven to Samoens shit loads of times and it’s a doddle. 9 hours from Calais is about right. I live in Leeds so going home try to get the overnight to Hull, as the worst bit of the journey is the UK bit.

Driving can get in the sea! At an optimistic 35mpg it’s around £400 in fuel at current prices, plus the channel crossing and tolls.

Genuine question… I’ve never been but Morzine appears to have loads of chair lifts, why do you need an ebike?

You can hire Turbo Levo batteries abroad. I was told there is one place in Morzine that does it.
Still prefer to drive than fly although the hike in fuel prices have bumped it up quite a bit. Always swap the Tesco vouchers for the Tunnel.

35mpg! Your car needs to get in the sea.

If there’s 2/3 of you driving can work out the same or cheaper than flying. If it’s just you then fly, but you’ll be on a batteryless e-bike.

Genuine question… I’ve never been but Morzine appears to have loads of chair lifts, why do you need an ebike?

I only own an eBike and hiring a bike in Morzine is £360…

35mpg! Your car needs to get in the sea.

3L V6. It’s better without the bikes on the back though.

If there’s 2/3 of you driving can work out the same or cheaper than flying.

Two of us, flights with BA are currently £280 inc bikes.

If it’s just you then fly, but you’ll be on a batteryless e-bike.

No, I’ll be on an eBike with a range extender. Or two.

You can hire Turbo Levo batteries abroad.

MTB Beds hire Levo/Kenevo batteries but I have an SL.

Bikes are included in the BA economy plus fare as checked luggage provided it’s under 23kg, along with 46kg of hand luggage.

true, but you then have to carry a weeks worth of gear (inc helmet) in your hand luggage, and the ba non-plus fare is around half the price. £150 might not be enough to ship 2 bikes (i’ve no idea) but when you factor in the faff of dragging them to the airport and back at both ends, its not a bad option.

I’d also be surprised if a bagged up e-bike, even without batteries, came in at under 23kg. an evoc bag is 9kg on its own, and a battery-less levo sl is apparently 16kg..

Driving we arrived early enough to get a ride in before dark. Lifts were closed but the bikes were charged up already.

Re: the need for an Ebike when lifts are available- I have an arthritic hip. The Ebike allows me to access an activity that I love.
Interestingly the VTT Electrique route map only shows one route that I haven’t previously ridden on non E bikes.

Hmm, from your responses I think you just needed confirmation that flying was the best option and that driving was never really on the cards.

Enjoy it anyway, I love it out there and I haven’t been since 2018. Get over to Chatel and Morgins if you can.

No. I actually asked if anyone had flown to Morzine with an eBike. None of the responses are a yes to that specific question.

I’m not saying that some of the responses haven’t contained useful information, but I certainly didn’t ask for a comparison between driving and flying.

As it stands, there’s two definites and two maybes so currently flying looks cheaper but with another person to share costs that changes.

To add; my car is the only suitable vehicle out of the two definites and I only have a 2 bike rack so 3 people presents other challenges and 4 people puts us in to 2 cars because 4 KSLs plus bike rack will exceed the weight limit of my tow bar.

You can 100% fly to Geneva/ Morzine with an ebike, however you can’t take the battery on a plane, we drove last month and took our mates betterer and charger. (North Shields Netherlands – Germany – Switzerland – France)
His bike and gear ended up being over weight without these items.

Drive, get the tunnel, use Tesco vouchers. Takes about 12- 24 hours at a steady pace depending how many drivers and how much sleep you need.

Why not fly with the ebike, but courier out the batteries to meet you there? No way an ebike with batteries and bag/box is under the carrier limit anyway

Problem solved

As previously posted, I don’t need the main battery and the range extender is within carry on limits.

Drive, get the tunnel, use Tesco vouchers.

I don’t shop at Tesco

And there’s still no answer to my actual question… 🙄

No, I’m not new here. 😂

So you and your mates can afford 4 Kenevo SL’s between you and you can’t just hire a private jet to Geneva?

Surprised no one has suggested ride your bike, then you can take your main battery, just charge it at service stations…

None of the responses are a yes to that specific question.

Because you can’t take the battery. Pretty simple answer.

Courier for bike/battery is a good idea, but you’ll need to use one that’s set up for shipping batteries and the appropriate getting it over the border paperwork.

Your next question should be… “can you ignore the notices telling you not to take ebikes on the lifts?” (I don’t know the answer to that, and it came up in conversation this week… anyone been over this summer with an ebike?)

If you actually bother to read the whole OP you’ll see that I’ve already acknowledged the battery issue. It’s the wording on the BA website regarding “non-motorised pedal bicycles” that I’m asking about.

don’t need the main battery and the range extender is within carry on limits.

Did you not flatten the range extender with one accent of the Golfie?
That’s less than 400 meters.
Maybe you can smuggle a few batteries on the plane by concealing them in some kind of waistcoat or vest?

So you and your mates can afford 4 Kenevo SL’s between you and you can’t just hire a private jet to Geneva?

No, but we might have to fly business class with it’s 32kg baggage allowance if we can’t get our battery-less eebs under 23kg…

Did you not flatten the range extender with one accent of the Golfie?

We did indeed, although as I recall, the chairlift at Golfie was out of order… 😂

I’ll do you a favour. If you can drop your batteries off in Sheffield I’ll take them there and back in the van. We’re definitely going down next year but we’re flexible on dates.

If you check in with a battery that’s within limits and a really heavy bike in a bag it wouldn’t take Einstein to realise you’re taking a motorised bike on board. You’ll then have the fun of arguing your point with check-in staff. Good luck with that in Geneva.

And that’s why I’d like to hear from anyone who’s done it.

I haven’t flown with an ebike. If I was considering it then the first port of call would be the airline, not the forum, and any confirmation would need to be in writing. I would hate to turn up at the airport and be declined.
If I considering riding the bike without the main battery and just the extender then again I would want clarification from Specialized UK.
You will also be aware that there is no guarantee that the bike will be on the plane. We have had this in the past.