Bicicletta per mi?

Hi all,

I'm living in Italy from next week until October and want to get myself a bike. Will be based in Bologna and will use it mostly for day trips ( < 100k) and maybe the odd longer bike packing trip. Have saddlebag so happy with road but really looking for audax.

Nothing too expensive (sub £300 ideally) and will want to sell on again (or return?) in October. I'm 183cm (long back short legs) so 56/ 58 / 60 depending on saddle height.

All hints & tips about where to get one much appreciated! Happy to travel within reason.

Thanks,
Ed

Hi Ed,
Better you familiarize yourself with subito.it website or marketplace when you get there.
No reason for spending 60£ for travel cost (ryanair fee) which is 20% of your proposed budget.
Bologna city isn’t very hilly (unless you star discovering the Appennini around) and full of students that might sell cheap bikes to. Prefer always f-2-f and try your bike before committing

Thanks Albb! Will definitely check out subito.it. When I said happy to travel, I meant within Italy. Yep looking forward to getting some Appenine air in my lungs and acid in my legs.

If anyone has any particularly special rides to recommend that would be good too!

Air-quality wise, Emilia is probably one of the most polluted regions of Italy but any places on the Appennine might be better for your lungs!

The "equivalent" LFGSS forum for Italy is FixedForum where you can find bike info (not only fixed as we are now old bonkers :P , sales thread, trip etc.).
Have a look here: https://www.fixedforum.it/forum/forum/11-bologna/

Just to riff off of Albb's comment, I'd recommend flying your own bike over. You could either invest in a bike bag (especially if you have storage for it once returned home) or just ask for boxes at your LBS (or consult the thread here on the forum), it would work out cheaper either way and if you have a nice bike you'll get to enjoy it on some truly lovely roads.

Also agreed on air quality - I am from Emilia myself and down in the plain air can be pretty bad, Alps to the north and Apennine to the south means you're in a bit of a hole and air can stagnate quite a lot. This does however improve significantly once you get a little elevation up the hills which are just at your doorstep in Bologna.

If you want any more info about the region do feel free to DM me - I'm from the western end of Emilia but know the region as a whole and city of Bologna quite well. The Alps seem to get all the glory when it comes to riding it Italy, but the Appennines are an absolute gem 👍

PS: it's 'Bicicletta per me' 😜

Thanks both - really helpful. I probably won't fly my bike over because I ride this gem around London and the countryside around and tend to borrow a friend's road bike for longer distance things. Plus I'm going by train and the hassle of a bike + luggage across Paris, Frankfurt and Munich would be a struggle.

Will have a dig through Fixed Forum and subito.it. I might drop you a message when settled out there for more hints and tips!