Any one of y'all out there on the interwebs ever use bike transport (like Tribike) to get your bike to a race? I'm trying to figure out how to get my beaut of a bike to Louisville from Boson.
Tribike seemed like a good option--they pack it up, move it, unpack it, tune it up, give it to me, and then repackage and move it when the race is over. And they set up right by the race. BUT it's $300, and I'd have to drop off my bike to the bike shop by Aug 2nd, almost a full THREE WEEKS before race day. I feel a panic attack coming on just thinking about being away from my bike for that long, especially right before my biggest race ever in life. I'm sure i'll welcome the thought after a month or two of peak training and multiple mountain centuries, but still.
And I'm not confident that I (or the CTO) could take my bike apart and then put it back together without ruining it in order to ship it on my own. And bike boxes are just as expensive as the transport service...
Can I just buy my bike a seat on the plane? Isn't that what the extra legroom on JetBlue is for, anyways?
Please give me your wisdom, internets.
Ugh, I just posted a long comment about this and it got denied - will try it again.
ReplyDeleteSo I would TOTALLY use Tribike Transport. Here is why:
1. Your bike will arrive just the way you dropped it off - they don't take it apart, they literally package it safely next to the others and drive it fully assembled for you to the race. That means no one will mess with it.
2. It is cheaper in the end. Airlines charge $100-150 ONE WAY! SWA has the lowest fee at $50 so that is ideal but it adds up, and that doesn't include the bike box itself. AND, if you want the bike shop to pack it, it is $50. Assembling it on your own for the first time is scary and I did it for the Nation's Tri, but I would be nervous as hell for anything bigger.
3. When you use a bike box, the airlines WILL search it. Usually they make you stand there while they go through it but what if they open it again and bend something, loose something, etc.? Race over.
4. I have seen the bike pick up at LV and it is WAY easy. They have it for you at the Expo and worst case, you can grab it a bit early and we can go pre-ride some of the course together. :)
My recommendation is to rent a bike for the weekend at your local shop and ride if you need to within those 3 weeks and send your baby safely with the transport folks. You won't regret it.