Coming to Sweden From NYC

areessea · Post by **areessea** » 17 Jul 2008 14:21

Hej!
I will be coming to Sweden in late August to study in Kalmar. Unfortunately I cannot bring my track bike with me and i am wondering if anyone can give me some information on where i can get a used bike that i would be able to use while i am out there. Also, if there is anyone in the area it would be awesome to hang out while i am there as i will not know anyone.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

Tackar så mycket,

Kyle
kdsola@gmail.com

p.s. sorry, i am learning Swedish now but i don't think it would have made complete sense if i had attempted to write it, btu soon enough i will be speaking and writing your beautiful language. Growing up here everyone was taught to understand Spanish.

bo_martin · Post by **bo_martin** » 17 Jul 2008 14:53

hej. i live in bodafors, not too far from kalmar.
youd be best off goin to odd number in stockholm to get a bike .
hit me up for a ride. martin

jon · Post by **jon** » 17 Jul 2008 15:16

Finding a track frame in sweden is quite hard(& expensive). Mainly beacause sweden have zero track cycling tradition(we are the only country in europe that don't have a velodrome!).
Most people here ride road conversions...
If you allready have a complete track bike I sugest you pack it in a bikebox and let USPS ship it here. It will be much cheaper and less time consuming than trying to source frame an parts over here.
Good luck!
P.s. Welcome to sweden.

areessea · Post by **areessea** » 17 Jul 2008 15:30

Hey thanks for the info. I have an older Pista Concept that i am considering shipping over because the weight is very low, I may be able to get it on the plane, seeing that i am coming over with only a backpack. I would be happy to be riding a conversion, are there any small local shops in the area that anyone knows about where i may be able to find an inexpensive steel bike that i can convert myself...is it difficult to get parts for a conversion? I am thinking i am going to sell my steel track bike so i have money for a bike while i am out there, once i leave i would sell it to someone local who would like it.

areessea · Post by **areessea** » 17 Jul 2008 15:36

also, how is the transportation in Sweden? How easy is it to get to Stockholm? I am planning to fly into Copenhagen and take a train up to Nybro.
Any suggestions on train passes and where i should go to visit while i am there? How easy is it to get to Amsterdam? I have some family there.

I will be studying Glassblowing with Hogskolan i Kalmar in Pukeberg... Are there any Kalmar students on this site?

Aron · Post by **Aron** » 17 Jul 2008 15:50

I brought a bike on the plane from amsterdam a couple of months ago.. all you had to do was to remove the pedals and twist the handlebar 90°! you buy a bikebox (they have them at the airport) and then pay a bit for the weight of the bike (not much, probably like 60-70 bucks)

anyway, if you wanna go to amsterdam from sweden it's not that expensive. well, it depends on when you're going and when you book your flight. the flight will take you like two hours i think

hope you'll enjoy sweden!

Mossa · Post by **Mossa** » 17 Jul 2008 16:11

areessea wrote:also, how is the transportation in Sweden? How easy is it to get to Stockholm?

There are coaches (Swebus Express) going between Kalmar and Stockholm, costs around 200-300 SEK one-way and normally don't have to be booked in advance. Trains are usually a bit more expensive unless you book early in advance and also includes switching train in Linköping.

areessea wrote:Any suggestions on train passes and where i should go to visit while i am there?

In the Kalmar area I would suggest you visit Öland and maybe take a boat-trip to Gotland if you're into nature or medieval stuff.

They are quite nice islands. I don't know much to see in the region. Kalmar isn't a metropole - a couple of minutes and you're done! I would recommend also going to Copenhagen, a bit closer than Amsterdam but still a lot of bike culture and a really nice city.

hejdå · Post by **hejdå** » 17 Jul 2008 16:41

areessea wrote:also, how is the transportation in Sweden? How easy is it to get to Stockholm? I am planning to fly into Copenhagen and take a train up to Nybro.

There are direct trains from copenhagen all the way to Kalmar, the best way to book a ticket is to log in to http://www.sj.se and book a ticket via the site. You will get a booking nr and when you get to the Copenhagen main station, there is a swedish ticket machine where you can get your ticket. The fare shoud be around 400-600 sek. It's allowed to bring a bike on those trains, in sweden your not allowed to bring bikes on the coaches (swebus doesen't allow it atleast) and most of the trains. If you bring a bike you'll have to pay a couple of hundred extra though.

snarkus · Post by **snarkus** » 17 Jul 2008 16:43

Mossa wrote:
In the Kalmar area I would suggest you visit Öland and maybe take a boat-trip to Gotland if you're into nature or medieval stuff. They are quite nice islands. I don't know much to see in the region. Kalmar isn't a metropole - a couple of minutes and you're done! I would recommend also going to Copenhagen, a bit closer than Amsterdam but still a lot of bike culture and a really nice city.

..And if you're going to Copenhagen you might as well visit Malmö - be sure to visit on a thursday so you can join Pista Malmoes thursday ride!

jon · Post by **jon** » 17 Jul 2008 16:51

SimonBusk wrote:
areessea wrote: It's allowed to bring a bike on those trains, in sweden your not allowed to bring bikes on the coaches (swebus doesen't allow it atleast) and most of the trains. If you bring a bike you'll have to pay a couple of hundred extra though.

Just to clearify. Most trains and coaches won't allow you to bring a bike that is assembled. Some train companies make an exeption on specific routes, especially in the south of sweden, but for an extra fee(usually the price of a childrens ticet).
However if you have your bike disassembled and packed down in a box or bag they won't have a problem with it, plus you don't have to pay the extra fee.

hejdå · Post by **hejdå** » 17 Jul 2008 16:59

jon wrote:
SimonBusk wrote:
areessea wrote: It's allowed to bring a bike on those trains, in sweden your not allowed to bring bikes on the coaches (swebus doesen't allow it atleast) and most of the trains. If you bring a bike you'll have to pay a couple of hundred extra though.
Just to clearify. Most trains and coaches won't allow you to bring a bike that is assembled. Some train companies make an exeption on specific routes, especially in the south of sweden, but for an extra fee(usually the price of a childrens ticet).
However if you have your bike disassembled and packed down in a box or bag they won't have a problem with it, plus you don't have to pay the extra fee.

well, when i called swebus to get the lowdown on whats allowed and not allowed on the busses they told me that packages must meet the requirment 30cmx40cmx40cm, but maybe i just called them on a bad day. But yes, it's true that they wont fuzz on the trains if you got your bike in a box or a bag...

jon · Post by **jon** » 18 Jul 2008 00:21

SimonBusk wrote:
jon wrote:
SimonBusk wrote:
areessea wrote: It's allowed to bring a bike on those trains, in sweden your not allowed to bring bikes on the coaches (swebus doesen't allow it atleast) and most of the trains. If you bring a bike you'll have to pay a couple of hundred extra though.
Just to clearify. Most trains and coaches won't allow you to bring a bike that is assembled. Some train companies make an exeption on specific routes, especially in the south of sweden, but for an extra fee(usually the price of a childrens ticet).
However if you have your bike disassembled and packed down in a box or bag they won't have a problem with it, plus you don't have to pay the extra fee.
well, when i called swebus to get the lowdown on whats allowed and not allowed on the busses they told me that packages must meet the requirment 30cmx40cmx40cm, but maybe i just called them on a bad day. But yes, it's true that they wont fuzz on the trains if you got your bike in a box or a bag...

I stand corrected.