I'm doing the MiamiMan in ~5 weeks. First time to travel that far with a bike. Any recommendations on doing it affordably? Fly it vs ship it? Ship / rent a bike rack vs rent a SUV?

I'm making the trip with a buddy, so we'll have two bikes to transport once we get there, if it makes any difference.

Thanks for any suggestions.

If you're already driving, just borrow a rack from someone. If you're flying (I assume you are), use tribike transport. Hands down the easiest, safest way to get a bike to a race other than taking it yourself. You drop it off a LBS, they pick it up and will have waiting for you at the race site. After the race, you give it back to them and they return it home. I've used them multiple times and I've flown with a bike, worth every penny to use them.

that assumes that tribike transport is available for the race.

after a couple shipping debacles with bikes, i'd NEVER use UPS/FedEx. Additionally, a friend of mine recently flew to france for Nationals and the airline lost her bike. Luckily, she got it before the race, but had to miss a pre-race meeting to pick it up. During the meeting, she missed a rule about taking your helmet off too early coming off the bike.

result: 20 sec penalty

she missed the gold in her AG by 10 secs.

yes, she should have read through the rules, but still.

anyway, if you can take it yourself, do that. next on the list would be tribike transport or similar services. flying would be the next option, and absolute last would be FedEx/UPS.

Looks like tribike transport is a no-go, as this is not an officially sanctioned IM race.

We're thinking about renting a case from our lbs (I think $25), pack it ourselves, and then fly with it. I need to look at my bike rack and see how well it breaks down.

Anyone know off the top of your head how much baggage cost is? I know it's light, but I'm assuming it's an oversized luggage charge. We're flying American. That's a separate worry all on it's own.

Flying with your bike isn't cheap; especially on the major airlines. My guess is you'll be charged $80-100 both ways.

if you pack it into a case, don't tell them it is a bike. tell them they are display racks. typically charge you less.

WOW

BICYCLES
Allowance/Requirements
One non-motorized touring or racing bike

Handlebars must be fixed sideways and pedals removed or pedals and handlebars must be enclosed in plastic foam or similar material. Bike must be in a hard-sided case built for bike transport or a bike bag or box. Bikes not in a hard-sided case are considered fragile.

Cost
$150 regardless of the number of checked bags.

Exception: If bicycle and container are less than 62 dimensional inches and under 50 lbs., the bike is charged the applicable 1st checked bag rate.

Maximum Weight and Size
70 lbs., 126 inches

Additional Information
Acceptance conditional on aircraft size and load factors
Exception: If a bike is less than 62 dimensional inches and 50 lbs., the above conditions do not apply

http://www.aa.com/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/baggage/baggageAllowance.jsp&v_locale=en_US&v_mobileUAFlag=AA

http://www.realgeeksride.com/2009/04/15/cost-to-bring-your-bicycle-on-different-airlines/comment-page-1/

this is a big part of the reason we drove to madison for IMWI. three people, bikes + flights = over $1500, plus we still would have had to rent a car up there.

Just got a text from my buddy:

quote:

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I checked all that out last night and came to the conclusion that it'll be cheapest to buy a new pair of shoes and run the bike portion of the race... we're screwed as for it being cheap to get our bikes there.

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Southwest charges 50.00/bike case and no charge for other luggage, but I think you have to fly to Ft Lauderdale.

Not that it helps for this trip, but I also fly Frontier as they don't charge extra for bikes if you buy a classic ticket (about 50.00 extra roundtrip). Always something to consider in the future for other races (if you are willing to connect in Denver).

quote:

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this is a big part of the reason we drove to madison for IMWI. three people, bikes + flights = over $1500, plus we still would have had to rent a car up there.

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Two days in the car with my parents on the way home made me think it's worth it.

I love road trips, but the trip back was a little long.

The drive back always sucks. The drive there is always better because there's something to look forward to.

I flew SWA Austin to San Diego with my bike last December for a half iron and really stressed over the fact that my bike case was larger than what their website said they would allow. When I got to the Austin airport they called a baggage manager to the desk who said "no problem - this is Austin and we are used to bikes". Basically the same in San Diego and I imagine Florida. If you fly any other airline you will pay more and likely won't find any flexibility.

It's longer whenever your parents have a 20 minute squabble about which gas station in Muskogee might be 3 cents a gallon cheaper.