Hi -- I'm packing up a touring bike, preparing for a year or possibly longer based around Lausanne and Geneva. I'm in NYC now.

It's a 1980s Japanese frame, made for 27 inch wheels. Right now I only have a rear wheel for it. It's made for v-brakes, but I took those off in order to allow for the possibility of using 700c wheels if necessary. I've got a pair of extra long reach cantilever brakes for that purpose.

The airline will charge US$100 to fly my bike in a box (as opposed to the $45 they charge just to check a second piece of normal-sized, normal-weight luggage). There's a weight limit on the bike box, so I'm trying to be strategic, and only bring the bike stuff I can't easily and/or cheaply obtain in Suisse.

For example, I could buy a drive chain here, but I understand I can buy one for just 10chf from the Coop Do-It (love that place). That's better than the US$16 my local bike shop here would charge.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are things that I can't easily obtain cheaply in Suisse. I could purchase a 27-inch front wheel, for instance, for just $40 here; not even sure if I could find one there. Same goes for tires.

So I'm hoping folks on this thread with some experience and knowledge about what's available in Switzerland -- whether it be at bike swaps, flea markets, bike shops, or hardware stores -- can opine on whether I should bring x, or find it over there. And by 'x', i mean just about everything, including: handlebars, pedals, brake levers (interrupter/cross and/or aero/road), fenders, racks, saddles (brooks?), seat post, panniers, tubes, bells, lights, and tools.

Also worth considering, I guess, is the availability of stuff via internet/mail order. I know that, here, you'd be smart to think ahead and buy tires online rather than in stores ... is that generally true there as well?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.