the same design pantani rode? DAMN!!! i'll swim back with the bike if i have to...

you should just check with your flight and see whether they can allow large items that is out of normal baggage size... and if they do, the only question is how do you plan to ferry the darn thing back... and if it is something as priceless the reparto corse... i'd get a god damn hard shell travel case to bring it back... at least it will offer a certain a degree of protection against those cargo bungholes who tries to get the bike case to do a tony hawk in mid-air...

as for customs... it depends on what you were in helsinki for... you can say you went for a bike tour and the bike is yours on the return trip (the bike is not exactly new anyways).. but then again, road bikes don't get taxed to begin with anyways... not quite a worry in the first place...

- Check your airline if they special allocation for bikes on board? Air asia have sports equipment allowance which is separated from the usual baggage allowance, eg for me when i comeback i have 40kg of sports equipment allowance (carried 2 bike bag) and 40kg allowance for my baggageand stuffs. Airlines like MH usually calculated your bike weight under normal allowance, eg 30kg economy class including your bike and your baggage together.

-You gotta choose how pack up you bike, soft shell like Sci-con aerocomfort or hard case like bikeboxalan. Both got good and bad, I choose aerocomfort cos i no need to disassemble as much as hard case (just remove the wheel). My trip with scicon so far so good, i talked to some of the owner and they are satisfied with it. My bag together with bike only weigh around 16 kg &17 kg. It will be much more heavier if you use hardcase. Just make sure you pad the bike well when you packing up your bike in either soft or hard shell box. Another cheaper option is the brown box where u can get from bike shop, its cheap and its effective as well but you got to know what are you doing when you packing it, best pay the bike shop to pack for you. Not to mention the bike will be taken apart so you gotta have the right tools (torque wrench) to fix it back.

-Malaysia customs, they will ask for sure as the bag is unsually big ass size. Just tell them its a bicycle and they will let you go. That what happen to me when i lugging two bike bags and my baggage in lcct.

what exactly are u looking for: reliability? value for money? money no object? budget?

actually are you in japan now or wat??? don't japanese meters show japanese words or something like that?

cateye is definitely shit at producing meters that have all function... rule them out at all cost if you want something that has it all... tats all i gotta say.. the rest is a~o-kay unless you want to hear miao rant about polar and garmin problems...

looking for one that got less problem..
yea, currently in japan..

sorry that english is lousy.. m@@m..

is good to hear about the problems if brother miao,doesnt mind to explain..

thanks

yea, currently in japan..

sorry that english is lousy.. m@@m..

looking for one that got less problem..

is good to hear about the problems if brother miao,doesnt mind to explain..

i think if u want the most reliable option, then go with separate units. wristwatch type heart rate monitor, and standalone wired cyclocomputer without cadence. this is the most basic, practical and reliable option.

HRM = polar rs300x
cyclocomputer = cheapo wired cateye for speed only.

to me cadence is unnecessary

when it comes to HRM, polar is the benchmark. their local product support is good too (athlete's circle).

i've never used cateye v3 nor have i tried their HRM. so can't comment on it. but u can refer this link http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/vi...php?f=8&t=70862

if u want everything and budget permits, u can try garmin. there are some used garmin edge500 units at bbs. u can use the gps to record the speed. get a new HRM transmitter n strap n u r good to go. the downside of garmin is, u need to charge the unit almost every week. and garmin transmitters are not that reliable. signals are strong, but reliability is questionable. just ask mr google, he can tell u. garmin product support stinks, at least locally. by that i mean, they don't have one-to-one policy. if ur transmitter kaput, they'll have to send the unit back to taiwan for inspection, repair or replacement. but the good thing about garmin is, the head unit is reliable. so u can make do without the speed n cadence transmitter, just use the gps.

polar cs500, damn bulky la. ugly. as i said earlier, when it comes to HRM, polar is the gold standard. but their speed and cadence sensors leave a lot to be desired. really weak signals.

that's why i'd suggest, get a polar wristwatch with HRM, polar handlebar mount, and cheapo cateye wired cyclocomputer. not the coolest, but the most reliable.

if garmin, the coolest but not the most reliable.

cateye, no idea.

hmm..im not too sure if it's the same as what Marco rode. It's reparto corse sl lite alloy, i would say it's early 2000s model.  the frame is still in good shape, just some minor scratches. equipped with mavic wheelset and groupset wise, mixtures campy record and chorus. for EUR750, i personally think it's a good buy... the shop even offered me free packing(on big brown box + paddings etc) they seems to know and handled plenty of past customers who travel aboard with bicycles. i have checked the flight company and it seems like they will be charging EUR75 and thats OK for me. my early concern was customs part, but now im more relaxed after getting both your comments. i will visit the shop tmrw!

the easiest way was what color it is... if it is black with white bianchi letterings... i think it's definitely post 98... pre 98 was the bianchi green and some that are replica's have the bianchi green with some yellow livery on it...

it's about 4 grand converted to MYR? if you treat it as a collector's item.. i guess it's a good buy, especially if it is really a replica of the 98 winning bike...

the replica looks something like this...


the actual one has the fork painted in actual team colors as well...

there's a hot chick ipoh mari riding Bianchi with 11-speeds!

point being???

now im only aware Bianchi bike why always green color lo....

I called the guy up and made arrangements to meet him in half an hour at the main street McDonalds. (McDonalds, yes, McDonalds) When I pulled into the parking lot I still had no plan of attack. I got there and saw the guy with my bike. He was wearing board shorts, a raggy tank top and dark sketchy glasses. I noticed that it was my bike right away because of the RIDE ON stickers on the frame and the fact I have a silver handle bar plug on the left and a black one on the right. A description I gave to the police already. Here is where I started thinking on my feet.

I asked the guy if I could take it for a ride around the parking lot. He was weary and said “yeah but don’t take off…” I said not to worry that I would even think of it! My heart was pounding and I had no idea what to do so I just got on the bike and was like f*** this guy and started to ride. As I was riding away, I called my friend who was driving to meet me as backup. I rode to the adjacent parking lot where she was pulling into as I was riding. We watched the guy start to look for me and he got super freaked out and he suddenly just took off running.

Three construction workers who had watched the whole thing go down, made comments like ‘we knew something was up, there is no way a guy like that owns a bike like that.’ They watched me walk up and then just ride away. To be honest I was shaking and freaking out. I hands down couldn’t believe what the f*** just happened.

After that I called him and personally left him a message apologizing for not sticking around to pay him for the bike HE F@CKING STOLE FROM ME!!! (insert a bunch expletives.) I went home and checked my serial numbers, which of course matched. I looked his phone number up on craigslist and noticed that he was selling a bunch of bikes and iPhones as well. I called crime stoppers and gave them all the information I had, and I called the police back to let them know I didn’t need to file that report after all. The lady and I had a great laugh about the day’s events.

the easiest way was what color it is... if it is black with white bianchi letterings... i think it's definitely post 98... pre 98 was the bianchi green and some that are replica's have the bianchi green with some yellow livery on it...

it's about 4 grand converted to MYR? if you treat it as a collector's item.. i guess it's a good buy, especially if it is really a replica of the 98 winning bike...

the replica looks something like this...


the actual one has the fork painted in actual team colors as well...

and it needs to be matched to the then funky selle italia flite il pirata saddle...

btw, replica means fake??

now that is one really confused bike; pantani frame + armstrong saddle

no compression...better used cheaper arm sleeve...