Wow, that's terrible. I thought they always has the bikes at the expo or hy transition, not at a shop 30 min away? Just thinking of ways to avoid these issues if I have to use TBT.

- Bring extra betteries for PM and switch (stages take a minute to change)
- Dont give them a bike bag, just the bike. Pack everything else in luggage.
-Make sure I know how far the bike will be to pick up.

I'm thinking of using TBT for Ironman Canada, anyone have an experience there?

To the OP, was your bike and wheels itself undamaged? Sorry about your race

I, too, am disappointed Cycle Chauffeur has sold to TBT. Kevin's service was top notch, and I don't think TBT will be able to match it.

When I went out to Arizona 70.3 last year, I flew with this bike bag:

https://probikebags.com/...l0exzKAaAnaxEALw_wcB

All I had to do was take the wheels off. Highly recommend!

If I told my wife I was interested in the bike box, she’d throw a conniption fit at the price. But it would pay for itself in 2-3 trips.

Why do all these batteries die in their trailer??
I would have been stressed too about a bag full of my gear not arriving.

Also......and please take this as constructive criticism, but learn some basic bike maintenance. Putting pedals on a bike is about as complicated as screwing a cap onto a pop bottle, and takes about the same amount of time. Knowing how to do basic stuff like that, and adjusting brakes and shifting, will result in a lot less panic situations! :)

Sorry for your troubles at Oceanside.

I’m a longtme TBT user and fan, and I wanted to thank you for raising an important issue and that is TBT’s local bike shop drop-off model.

It’s possible things have changed in the past year or so, but last July the owner of the bike shop I’ve used many times in California for drop-off told me he was quitting providing that service for riders because there was no value in it for him from TBT.

I asked him if it wasn’t worth the marketing value to have so many endurance athletes becoming more familiar with his shop and making impulse (taper-brain panic) purchases. HIs shop also charges for pedal removal, I forget how much, but I generally let them to it to provide at least some business.

He said it was not worth the time, labor or bike storage space. So next race, I’ve got to schlepp my bike 30 miles to the closest drop-off shop.

So, while I expect to continue to be a TBT customer, and have never had an issue with bike condition or bag delivery, I would be interested to hear what the company is doing to help make bike drop-off a worthwhile endeavor for their partner bike shops.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

Didn't know cycle chauffeur had sold, that's a real shame, I was going to use them again for Nationals.

That's an interesting bag, if I don't have to futz around taking the bars off I'd seriously consider it.

Is there enough room in it for the rest of your transition gear? How does it hold up to being thrown around in an airport?

At the risk of this becoming a "dump on TBT" thread, I feel I should share my poor experience. I had them carry my bike to Honu back in 2015. It takes even longer for this race (3 weeks on either side) because they carry the bikes on a boat. On the way back, apparently they missed the once-a-week shipment, so it was going to take more than 4 weeks after the race to get my bike back. Unfortunately I was racing IM Coeur d'Alene only 4 weeks after Honu, so they had to ship my bike straight to CDA once it made it back to the mainland. This meant they disassembled it and put it back together incorrectly onsite at CDA. I was without my race bike for training for close to 2 months.

And even after all that, I used them for IMAZ because I was flying to a different location post-race and didn't want to carry my bike all the way there and back home.

However, I will be very hesitant to use them ever again.

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Coach at TriForce Triathlon Team: https://www.triforceteam.com

Batteries die because most power meters and ETap rely on accelerometers to wake up. The vibrations in the trailer will keep the devices “awake” the entire trip.

Wow, sorry you had such a bad experience.
I have used them 4 times and have never had a bad experience. Twice out of country and twice across the US. Never had a power meter battery problem either (power tap).
Yes, it does take a bit of time if you are going to Hawaii or out this f country. And drop off locations are not always s close.
Let us know if they try to compensate you in some way.
By the way, I have been doing tris since “81 and still never get more than 4 hours sleep before a big race.

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Team Zoot So Cal

No worries about the constructive criticism. I agree with you - need to learn a lot more bike maintenance. I felt I could have handled it on my own, but juggling a few extra things that I normally would have taken care of ahead of time I figured I would take them up on their offer to meet Rocky and try to nail those things all at once - divide and conquer. That is when I found out the power meter battery was dead. Just like a bad relationship breakup - I have learned about 20 lessons in this one trip.

I would recommend that you find another carrier for your bike to/from races.

Personally I use FedEx as I have more faith in them as a logistics company than TBT as an example. I have the Ruster Sports Armored Hen House that I ship my bikes in (I actually have 2), the case does require a fair amount of disassembly but I have not yet experienced any damage to my bikes over maybe 15 roundtrips shipped FedEx ground in North America (I purchase the postage via Bikeflights.com). I am able to stuff the cases full of the rest of my race or vacation gear as well. I then have them shipped to a FedEx office location near my destination.

Flying with your bike is another option (though lugging a bike through the airport is quite the drag)

If your bike is very large or you are concerned about the disassembly/re-assembly process it may be worth looking into a larger single hardshell case, I am considering the Buxum Box for that purpose as well.

WRT to your complaints about TBT, they seem perfectly valid, but I would recommend removing the emotional element of your dissatisfaction from the complaint, I believe that will make it easier to convey where TBT did not meet their commitments and your expectations.

Sorry for your poor experience. I have used TBT two times, no big issues. However I am jealous if only having to drive 30-60 mins for drop off. There is exactly one TBT shop in Washington, and it will be 8-9 hours total for me for IM St. George (2-2.5 hours each way for both drop off and pick up).

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Interesting case. Not really sure I trust it with those extensions sitting out there like that.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

probikeexpress.com or to reserve: reservations@probikeexpress.com

Much better than TBT from a service standpoint.

Wow-- sorry you have had such rough experiences with flying your bike and with TBT.

I've only used TBT once or twice, with no trouble.
Most of the time, though (well, when I used to do more tri and training travel), I fly my bike myself. I have a Trico hard sided case and can pack my bike in less than 25 minutes and it takes me about 20 minutes to unpack and reassemble the bike. I'm not a huge gearhead, just a regular tri-girl who decided it was better to have control over the bike, where it is, and what condition it is in. I've flown my bike to Europe twice, to Alaska once or twice, and multiple spots in the continental U.S. I suppose I've been fortunate in that the airlines haven't damaged it, but I pack it well, and am very nice to the TSA person who has to inspect it.
At any rate-- the pedals are easy-- I think if I had been in your shoes I would have just tried to go buy or borrow pedals if that was one of the factors as it sounds. Also, I'll agree with a previous poster to carry with you as much as you can. The only race gear I ever checked on an airline was the bike/wheels. (I did use a bag with TBT once-- that made it to the race ok, though that snafu hopefully was not a regular occurrence by TBT)
Have also shipped my bike with Fed Ex and had no issues that way, either. (again packing/reassembling myself)
Again-- sorry you had a tough time, and I hope you have a better experience going to Santa Rosa!

Adding-- the crazy bike airline fees are definitely a detriment to flying. So I get that!
And-- I haven't bought a bike in a while-- I do suppose I'd be more antsy about a newer, more expensive bike.
Good luck!!!

Nice looking service, but looks Colorado local.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

From reading 100s of posts in dozens of bike bag threads I would say that while that case is more likely than not to get your bike to the race ok, it is also the bag that seems to have the highest incidence of reported damage. No way would I put my bike in that case.

The closest TBT to me is eight hours away, so I have always used a hard case and paid the airlines to fly my bike. I have done probably 20-30 races that I have flown to in the past 14 years, and my experience with airlines is no better.
1.Expect dings on your bike. As carefully as you pack it, TSA opens the case, looks around, and crams it all back any way they want.
2. Expect your hard case to get destroyed. I have replaced the buckles several times on the case that I have now. Two buckles on the last flight.
3.One time my case arrived partially open because it wasn't closed properly, and skewers were hanging out of the case.
4. Chain lube sometimes is considered hazardous and gets confiscated.
5. They will pull your CO2 cartridges and dump everything out of any bag you have looking for them.
6. Bike often shows up the next day. Although I will say the delivery people they contract with have always been wonderful.
7. I have gotten pretty fast at tearing my bike apart and putting it back together, but it sure would be nice if I didn't have to tear it apart, load it in the car, drag it across the parking lot to the ticket counter,stand in line, do it all in reverse when I arrive, repeat repeat.
8. At my airport, if you are one OUNCE over 50 lbs, you get charged about $100 or something exhorbitant for overweight baggage. So you had better get a light case and weigh it before you get to the airport.
I think TBT sounds like a pretty darned good option.
ThIs year I am driving to all of my races.

I'm using TBT once this summer for NYCTri and then I'm getting a case. That was always the plan, but glad I've read this...

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Let me give a positive.

TBT stayed around an extra half hour at Oceanside when my flight was delayed from CLE to Orange County. I always cut things close, but a delayed flight got me at closer to 4pm when they had planned on closing on Friday at 3pm. They waited around for me when I was unreachable while on the flight and made sure my bike was there.

Batteries die in transport. Remove them.

I drive 30 minutes each way to my closest shop. Not so bad.

My last three flights on airplanes with my bike have resulted in damage 3 for 3 using two different cases (one hard shell, one air bladder filled soft shell). I'll still take my chances on TBT since its $75 cheaper than flying and they haven't broken my stuff yet unlike the airplanes.

My two experiences with TBT have been positive as well. But how is it $75 cheaper than flying? For me, TBT is $360 I believe, is that not standard? Air fees are high, but $200+ each way?

Why do people fly with their bikes rather than using bike flights?

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Bike Flights doesn't go everywhere...

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Yes actually.

United is $200 each way. That’s my most connected airline for my area.

Sucks a lot.

Also be sure to utilize the $50 or $75 off sales TBT has periodically.

A question for those who use a bike case and the airlines, how often are you charged a sports equipment fee for your bike?

I thought I saw on Delta's website $150 (each way) possible fee, and TriBike was $312. So I used TriBiike.

I will be going to the shop 45 minutes from my house to pick up my bike this week. Not looking forward to that drive with traffic.

What do you mean? It's just FedEx.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

"I raced and tried to not burn my legs out in the 2,800 feet of climbing on the bike. I tried to use the percent grade to attempt to judge how my legs should feel. Unfortunately when we hit wind on the last 20 miles of the ride, I had no way to gauge how hard I should be pushing without power - and yes, despite my best efforts, I burned my legs out. I had a horrible run with tired legs and a high heart rate. I do blame this on the totality of circumstances of what happened during the bike transport. "

Of all the stuff I've read on this thread, this is what jumped out at me and is the easiest to fix.

If you're race is going to depend on your power meter being operational, your doing yourself a huge disservice. Shit happens all the time. Part of your training should be sans power meter so it's not a complete surprise if/when it happens again.

I hope that is one of your lessons learned.

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"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz

United is $150 domestic and $200 international.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

My only experience using TBT was Ironman Canada 2017. It was a very positive experience. Their tents were onsite just next to T2. If I were doing Whistler again, I'd sign up for TBT without thinking twice. I had 2 other friends with me who used them as well and had good experience.

Well it’s a convient excuse at least. If I ever say I had a bad race because my power meter dies I hope someone hits me in the nuts with a wiffle bat.

There has to be a douchebag in every bunch.

Sorry if I hurt your feeling however he’s right with what he said and it is an excuse. If you have to rely on your power meter you’re asking for something to go wrong. Racing at x wattage is a guess at best based on previous rides. There are a 100 things that could cause a change in that number during the day which could make you undershoot what you could ride or overshoot what should have been riding.

I frequently travel to races, and almost always travel with my bike (only 2 exceptions I used fedex).
Southwest Airlines is “only” $ 75, and with the right case often does not charge anything. What is the right case? After trying several, I finally found and settled on Pika Bike works. Simple and effective. I have made over 50 trips, including international and Hawaii, and have never had even the slightest of scratches, and always on time when I get to the airport. No doubt things can go wrong, but that is very much the exception. The main reason I fly with, is that when I travel it is usually to a course I am not familiar with and want to pre ride, often repeating key segments, and with TBT, they always get the bike to the race too late for this to be practical.
It takes me 15-20 minutes to pack, and about the same to set up. I general pack with wetsuit, my massage and stretch goodies, and water bottles, tools and pump. Typically weight of pack bike, goodies, and case is 35 lbs. The Pika Cases are very well made and properly padded.
I learned the hard way about equipment dependency at IM CDA in 2003. After 2 years of focused training for this race, with meticulous training and planning on heart rate, I emerged from the swim staring at a blank watch face, as the watch died during the swim. Never again. I train with power only on my trainer (I find it too distracting when riding outdoors), and use HR to “recalibrate” myself in early base training, but focus entirely on my body responses which I have “studied” during training for my races. Good luck

It’s concerning to see so many people having issues with both methods of transport. I agree with air travel too. I had the top of the line evoc bag several years ago and when I saw the damage that United caused - I swear they had to drop it from two stories high then pile massive amounts of luggage on top of it. It was so bad USAA decided to sue United. After hearing from a few like you, I think power in the pedals may be the way to go. You can remove them for transport and the batteries can easily be replaced. Unfortunately It doesn’t fix the delivery worries. But it is a start. Thanks for the feedback.

Thank you this was very helpful. I have started to train the larger hill courses by feel but I am not quite there yet. The wind throws me for a loop. I’ll keep at it. Much appreciated.

I have a Ruster Hen House and have not been charged in three trips. Most agents recognize it as a bike, they just think the size of the bag is fine. Of note, I have not flown on United with it!

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Dimond Bikes Superfan

If you are in the US, tell the agent to only charge you $150. Also, don’t pay via the App as it will chatge you $200 for oversized versus the $150 for a bike, and sometimes the baggage people forget or are friendly and don’t charge. Here is their site information.

United accepts non-motorized bicycles with single or double seats (including tandem) or up to two non-motorized bicycles packed in one case as checked baggage. If the bicycle(s) are packed in a container that is over 50 pounds (23 kg) and/or 62 (158 cm) total linear inches (L + W + H), a $150 USD/CAD service charge applies each way for travel between the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a $200 USD/CAD service charge applies each way for all other travel. If the bicycle(s) are packed in a container that is less than 50 pounds (23 kg) and 62 (158 cm) total linear inches (L + W + H), there is no bicycle service charge, but the first or second checked bag service charges may apply.


As far as the OP, I got an email from TBT (live in Houston as well) that they are doing visits to talk with customers since the CC acquisition.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

For those airline charges, is it a flat fee, or is it at all dependent on the size of the case?

I was wondering about the Scicon AeroComfort Triathlon 3.0 TSA Bike Bag. This is the one that (supposedly) allows you to pack your entire bike, nothing removed except wheels. I'm assuming this must be a pretty large case to allow handlebars to stay installed, etc. Any issues with the airlines?

Flat fee for the airline bike fee.

The bag you mentioned is a very nice big. It’s a soft case so there’s that but it’s pretty well constructed.

My observations upon using it a few times...

1. Your bike might not fit well or require a bit of disassembly depending on the size and shape of your bike. Fit my large Speed Concept and my brother’s size 56 Felt no problem. I had to take my Dimond, which has nearly identical size specs to the Trek and Felt, half apart to get it to fit in the case. That’s due to the odd shape of the Dimond though. Might as well use a hard case with the amount of disassembly I had to do.

2. No way I’d leave the aerobar extensions in. I can definitely see extensions getting broken if the case were to land hard where the extensions are.

3. The way you mount the bike in the case via skewers (like a bike stand) seems ideal but in my six trips with this bag, not once did the bike stay mounted. Either the front or rear skewer had come loose from getting man handled. The bike is pretty well strapped in and secure but I could see some risk damage to forks or rear dropouts.

4. It is a pretty large case but it scrunches down to a small footprint without bike.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Thanks. Aside from the aero extensions....any concerns about the sides of the basebar getting damaged from side hits? Seems like the case buldges out for them, easy spots to get hit, dropped on, etc. Did you wrap extra padding around the bullhorns?
Guessing my bike size wouldn't be an issue, medium SC and 54 felt IA.
Thx

Because they either do not service the races I go to or are prohibitively expensive. E.g., it cost me ZERO to take my bike from Florida to Ironman South Africa last year. I'm heading to Ironman Haugesund (Norway) this summer. I don't think they are an option there either. Plus, if you do some searching right here on SlowTwitch you can read about some horror stories from bike flights.

It's not a douchebag move to say that becoming more self reliant is a good move when it comes to racing.

I worked at a TBT drop off for a few years and they are a (seemingly) very inefficient company who provide an incredibly valuable service that - due to said inefficiency - experiences logistical problems on a mildly regular basis. But, if you transport 20,000 bikes a year to 100 different races between 500 cities...(totally making those numbers up but I'm sure they're not terrible estimates)...you are bound to experience problems, inevitably.

So, as an athlete, it is your responsibility to armor yourself against these potential issues as best you can. Learn how to do basic stuff on your own bike. Don't own a powermeter where you bike shop thinks you'll need a specially manufactured screwdriver to change the battery. Get other athletes to sign up for a race with TBT (minimum of 3 of 4 I think) and a new dropoff point can be created. Talk to your (more) local bike shop and convince them it's a good idea to be a dropoff location as people will spend money at the shop when dropping it off (this is a lie though, there is zero incentive or reason to be a TBT drop off for small shops. TBT should give them a percentage of transport sales on their shops' bikes but, like I said TBT seems inefficient).

I could go on for thousands of words about the logistics of racing triathlons and how frustrating it can be but I'll stop now.

Thanks for the feedback Gman - I always appreciate your advice and point of view. I think the Scicon hard case is the one I am eyeballing too. I am looking forward to playing around with one to see if I can just breakdown one of two parts. After my experience with United - I will avoid United (if possible) and definitely use a hard case. I can learn the bike better and wrap the hell out of it with padding and feel better that I will not lose it for 2+ weeks for trailer travel with no guarantee of delivery.

The frame is more or less protected on each side by your wheels plus the padding of the case itself, which while not made of vibranium, is sufficient against the case being bumped around. Yes, I'd suggest using extra padding around parts of frame and bars. I use AlboPads, as they can be reused and come with velcro straps and all that. Simple.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Regarding the Douchebag remark... there was no advice he provided about being self reliant. Others found a more productive way of suggesting becoming more self reliant and even provided examples based from experiences they had. I also already addressed this myself in my original post. His remark was purely to demean the way I have trained, was uncalled for and was vulgar by referring to striking his mansack with a hollow plastic bat meant to inflict pain. I clearly stated I was looking for "options and solutions." He provided no constructive criticism, advice or insight. I have zero tolerance for this behavior. Keyboard courage. Pure Douchebag remark.

I appreciate your feedback regarding TBT. I understand things go wrong with mass numbers - hence the reason why I liked the smaller trailer transport companies. Now it looks like we are back to the TBT monopoly and I am just not willing to take the same chances of not having my things/bike arrive since all of my races are essentially destination vacations.

Since my original post I have found out that TBT has pissed off many of the bike shops in Houston. No one wants to work with them any more - combination of poor communication, treatment and no benefit to the shops. I knew they used to come into town a lot with several shops when I used them before and was quite perplexed to hear when they bought out Cycle Chauffeur that they couldn't get the well known bike shops to call them back.

I'll hit you up offline (from ST anyway) with my thoughts on this matter -- power meter and all that. I have an opinion. :-)

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Is this true? The shop gets literally zero for me signing up for TBT with them as the drop off point? I haven't done TBT, but am doing it in a few weeks for IMSG. It will obviously be work for them to accept my bike and store it until the TBT people take it.

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Dimond Bikes Superfan

Yes. TBT gives shops discounted spots and maybe a free one depending on size of shop. But no financial incentive. There is the promise of a TBT customer spending money when they drop off or pick up but in my experience that is not particularly common (beyond some gels or small items). It is quite a lot of work to be a drop off for TBT. The drivers are not always on time and occasionally show up beyond posted shop hours. This creates problems for the shop and its staff. Most shops also don't have tons of extra storage space to house bikes that aren't for sale.

Sounds like your option is to fly in that case. But, airlines lose baggage.

So maybe best option is to drive everywhere. That's what I did for a few years.

There are pros and cons to all things.

I've used them twice (for Alcatraz) and had positive experiences both times. Back when I used them, the drop off point was at Tri on the Run (the old location on Shepherd) which was a lot more convenient than Sugarland for sure. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but sometimes shit happens. If you had flown with your bike it could just as easily been sent to another city by mistake.

I have a Evoc bag and have flown with my bike since; I can't say it's much more convenient given that you have to break everything down to fit it in there, but you can fit a ton of extra stuff in there (helmet, wetsuit, etc).

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

I used TBT to Whistler 2013 and it was flawless. In fact I’ve used them probably 8 or 9 times in the last 8 years or so, including IM Coz. Typically because we race-cation and I don’t want to lug a box around. Actually using my buy 7 and get one feee for IM Canada this year.

Like any service there will be plenty of anecdotal “they suck” or “they’re great” stories. My experiences have been largely positive. I did have a bag go to Florida instead of New Orleans. They got it to me, it was a bit of added stress but I learned from that experience to make sure I carry the stuff I can’t easily replace at a race expo or in town with me Essentially kit, nutrition, pedals and shoes (contact points). The rest I can buy if need be. Otherwise I’ve shipped gear and wheel bags with no issues.

I’m sure the OP knows this and doesn’t need a lecture, and at the risk of being another one of those douches, long course (1/2 and above) racing is as much about how you handle race day adversity as training, IMO. Something will always go wrong. Who hasn’t blown a tube race morning, or had their PowerTap refuse to calibrate, or HR monitor die? What about the first time the airline loses OP’s bike? I’d say thats more likely than a problem with TBT given the number of bikes they ship. Just raising the possibility here that maybe TBT is only a part of the problem.

There’s other things I can say about knowing your equipment but will leave it at that

I apologize I think I missed your questions at the end when I read through the first time. When I flew United I used a brand new high priced EVOC soft case. On the way to Boulder they somehow punctured the carbon in my front wheel causing a 1-2 inch hole. I complained to United and was waiting to hear back when I went on to race with electrical tape covering the hole. On the way back from Boulder United returned my bike back with the front fork completely cracked and several front end pieces broken off. I checked it at the airport, complained and the manager gave me this attitude with blame attached - why the hell would you put a bike in a soft bag? I explained to her the bags were state of the art and used by many traveling racers. She/United claimed responsibility but said they do not pay for bike damage period. If you want to read the whole story here is the thread .... https://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/?post=4702074

I haves used TBT 6x including 2x to Ironman Canada. I have nothing but could things to say about them. They did break one of my water bottle cages during one of the IMC transports and they literally walked me over to the Ironman Village and bought me a new cage.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Research shipping via Fedex using the corporate account where you work, and then pay the expense with your personal card instead of your corporate one.

The rates for something like this might be better than a bikeflights discounted rate plus their "cut".

Unfortunately, lots of reports of damage using that bag. Great in concept but the way the aero bars stick out it really torques the whole package when it gets thrown around.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I used FedEx Ground to ship my bike from MA to CA for a tri camp. It came late and they had crushed it so my frame was damaged.

All manners of shipping has risks.

FedEx did pay to replace my frame and move my parts to new frame.

It sucked to be at a week long tri camp with 25 hours of riding with a rental bike though.

I have an older version of this.

https://probikebags.com/...?variant=23382914823

Yeah it costs more and you’re going to get charged the bike fee. But you can throw that out of the plane and it won’t be damaged. It’s always amazed me that people will spend upper 4 to 5 figure on a bike and then try to find the cheapest case possible.

I used a soft case a few times and I got a dented disc because it it. I’ve never had issues with this one.

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

I have been traveling to race triathlons since the early '80s. Traveling with a bike is hard and airlines are rough and really don't care. I have gone through a number of bike cases through the years and will gladly provide bike case insight if requested (although there are plenty of threads on the topic). Then, in the late '90s and early '00s we started having kids . . . child seats, bike, gear, etc. We (my wife and I) were about at our wits end. I really thought my racing days might be over for a while when suddenly at IMCdA TriBike Transport popped up. The traveling ball and chain of hassling with a bike was now over and my triathlon hobby restored with vigor. In fact, not sure I could have continued to race without them. My wife REALLY loves them!

Now, after many, many trips with TBT I can say I have been basically thrilled. I have used them all over the US, to Europe, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii 4 times. I simply cannot imagine traveling without them . . . it is just SOOO much easier. I've never had so much as a little scratch. The TBT folks also take great pride in their work and their customer service. In fact I just now informed the owner of the company about this thread and he is personally figuring out what happened, and tracking down your number to call you personally. I type slow so you might hear from him before this message is posted.

The business of TBT is very hard. It is a real fight to make the logistics work at a price that consumers will pay. That is why others have gone out of business. They are good folks and they deal with a lot of high strung people (like me) with irrational complaints (not referencing you) and they handle all of that pretty well. They have had something like 100,000 trips with relatively few complaints . . . and that is pretty incredible.

Lastly, I trust them completely. TBT is a small business. They are athletes and they care. You would think they were crazy if you knew how much they work and how little the up side is. I guarantee they are very sorry that your bag got rerouted (BTW - that has happened to me flying to a race and no one really even tried to help). I could address each of your other issues, but I want to be helpful, not critical, and I think those have been addressed by other responders.

NOTE: see my disclaimer in my signature line.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Thank you David. I truly appreciated your post. Mark from TBT called and we played phone tag today. We should be able to hook up tomorrow. Thank you. More than anything I would like for them to understand what the issues are so they can improve what they can and survive as a company. I still love the concept.

The reason why I originally posted this issue was to seek advice and tap into the minds of many triathletes. I think we have brilliant and creative folks in this sport. I have found there are times when you come across an issue, you must figure out how to work it out on your own. I personally love this sport because of this very reason ... and the chaos. But there are other times when it is much smarter to ask those with more experience, who have already traveled their journeys through similar issues and can steer you away from making the same mistakes - especially when it comes to spending exorbitant amounts of money.

With that said, since beginning this post, I have sat down with my trusted bike guy and learned how the 2014 Trek SC seat wedge mechanism completely works from the inside, found a tool that will allow me to change the new power meter battery in the dark (behind the spider with bottom bracket in the way) and learned how to assemble and disassemble most of the bike for transport. Gman is letting me borrow his Scicon Evolution 3.0 TSA hard bike case for practice in figuring out how my bike may fit in this case. No matter what I decide for IM Santa Rosa 70.3 (TBT or fly with it) I will still have to fly with it for IM Santa Cruz 70.3 in September since TBT does not service that race. Like you (almost) said and others recommended, I needed to learn more about bike maintenance and breakdown. Even after 7 years in this sport, and juggling an insanely busy career, I am still humbled by the obstacles I encounter and the incredible people I meet along the way.

Conversely, my wife has used that bag for 3 years with 4 or 5 flights per year and no damage has occurred.

Wow - really sorry about your experience. I've used TBT for three races and have had good experiences, but I admit, when I drop the bike and the bag off, I sort of consign myself to being completely hosed if TBT messes things up. My power meter is the Powertap P1 system which is in the pedals - I always take the batteries out before I send the bike on its way....realize your set up is different. I was a little disappointed that TBT's set up at Oceanside was at registration vice T1 - yes, it's nice to have the opportunity to ride your bike from registration to T1, but frankly, having to haul your transition bag back to your parking space is a pain in the butt. Especially curious since TBT had a pretty nice set up for drop off following the race. There was another transport service (forgot the name) that was a lot closer to transition...

I'll definitely agree with you on the weakness in TBT's business model: the drop off. Nothing worse than baking sweaty, salty, and crampy in the hot sun for up to an hour after the race waiting for the one or max, two people from TBT handling bike return. Seriously, they can't hire a couple folks locally to help with this part?

...I lack the confidence in my bike mechanic skills and even less in airline baggage handling to invest in a case. Unless I've got enough time to get my bike to the local sponsored shop for set up/break down, I'd rather roll the dice and go with TBT.

I have flown Delta with my bike many times, and was hit with the fee EVERY single time, even with Platinum status. I found no flexibility in that rule. One thing that to me makes TBT price competitive is how cheap their insurance is, which I find a nice benefit (though I've never had to make a claim).

How was traveling with Delta despite the fees? So far I may look into Southwest and other airlines to avoid United Airline's purposeful neglect of our bikes. If anyone else had good experiences with airlines I would like to take note.

during what form of travel, outside of you traveling with your bike in your car, do you not consign yourself to being completely hosed if the shipper messes things up?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

How was traveling with Delta despite the fees? So far I may look into Southwest and other airlines to avoid United Airline's purposeful neglect of our bikes. If anyone else had good experiences with airlines I would like to take note.[/quote]
Well, so far Delta has only lost my bike once, and they managed to find it just a couple of days later, so that's exceeded my expectations of Delta. The check-in process with the bike is a huge hassle - on average it takes about 45 minutes (after waiting in line) at the checkin counter with a ticket agent to get the bike checked in when I try to declare excess value under Delta's excess value policy. At times it's taken over an hour for the agent to figure out how to get the bike checked in and excess value declared, and on average at least three managers need to be called over to help the process. Sometimes they inspect the bike case and try to force me to remove from it everything that isn't a part of the bike (including the protective padding) but whenever I've pushed back on that they've given in. They also try to make me sign a waiver saying that they aren't responsible in any way for the bike getting lost or damaged, but I never sign it (I just write "refuse to sign" in the signature line and they never seem to notice/care). Because of my Platinum status I get a "priority baggage" tag on my bike box, yet inevitably the bike is one of the last pieces of luggage from my flight to arrive at baggage claim, and it sometimes appears in random places nowhere near the carousel designated for my flight or the oversized baggage carousel. On multiple times I've wondered around airport baggage claim areas only to stumble upon my bike box sitting unattended in a random place. My expectations of Delta are very low and they are usually met. I would recommend allowing for a lot of extra time at the airport on both sides of the flight.

Every two or three posts in this thread I change my mind about which method to use now cycle chauffeur is gone.

I think the experience really depends on what airport you will travel from. I've flown out of Syracuse 6-8 using mostly Delta but United a couple of times with bikes (2 once, just on cardboard boxes) and surfboards and I have never been charged extra fees. I always let them know what it was too. However, I have been charged every single time I came back from San Diego, Hawaii, Brazil, etc. So, if you are flying from a smaller airport you might get lucky.
So far I have not had anything break.

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Tiago
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Sponsors: : Blueseventy :

Fair point!

Any surfer reading this thread is laughing. People that actually do all the transport for you?

heck, try a board bag that is 6'5 with 2 boards inside...and 2 bags. $150 each way for 1 board and some airlines let you slide and get away with $150 per bag. Most all bags are soft base bags and you need pool noodles, bubble wraps, wetsuits, towels, etc to pad..then the boars is foam and fiberglass haha

now that is some fun traveling haha I got yelled at by a lady at Hawaiian air because I packed my clothes in with my board for padding and to save a luggage fee. It was right at the weight mark and she was not pleased I loop-holed the system haha

Hi SBRcanuck, not to hijack this thread but here is how I pack my bike in a Scicon Aerocomfort case... more steps than they say are required, but makes me feel like I'm doing all I can to protect it.
http://yearofalison.blogspot.ca/...-scicon-edition.html

Also, I mainly fly Alaska Airlines (super convenient for those of us on the west coast). They charge $25 for a bike, same as their luggage fee. Or if you fly enough to be an MVP, your luggage (including bikes!!!) flies free! Best deal ever!

Cheers.

I have both an Original Hen House and a Scicon bag.

The Hen House worked great. The bags were so roomy that I could actually pack all my clothes (race and non-race) and gear into them. In order to give a bit of padding and not have to check another bag, I would just tie all my clothes into plastic bags and use them to pad my wheels. I only ever got charged for an additional standard bag depending on the airline. My only complaint was that the bags (mine do not have wheels) were a pain to drag around. But, it was manageable since I only really need to get them from car to airport and from airport to hotel. The only reason why I bought a Scicon bag is because I am TERRIBLE at taking my bike apart and putting it back together. I always seemed to put something together incorrectly. I was over the personal headache.

The Scicon case is AMAZING. I just recommend adding extra padding around the frame (I used the pool noodle type padding and straps from my Hen House). I've flown with it about 6x including cross-country to Colombia and never had much of an issue. Only problem so far was that the handle bars were a bit off-center once (easy fix). You DO usually have to pay a bike fee. But, I usually fly Jetblue or Southwest which makes their total fee about 85 each way. (Jet blue is 35 fee for an extra checked bag plus 50 bike fee). The airlines have also waived the bike fee for me several times for whatever reason.

I normally drive when I can that said the only time I’ve had issues was with Quantas. They didn’t lose the bike it just took them awhile to get it to Australia.

I’ve flown United, Southwest, American, Quantas, British Air, Alaska maybe?? I’ve really never had issues. Besides using a soft case and probabaly didn’t pack it as well as I should have and it was just the dented disk.

A lot of airlines maybe most?, contract the baggage handlers so a lot of times it depends on the airport you’re going to not the airline. Multiple airlines could have the same baggage handlers. So you have a guy making 10-15 bucks an hour throwing bags off a plane. Yeah you really shouldn’t expect much.

I would like to provide an update after speaking with Marc Lauzon, Founder and President of TriBike Transport. This is long but I feel important to share with everyone.

First, I shared with Marc that I love the triathlon community and all of the companies big and small that contribute greatly to our sport. I would never want to harm a company such as TBT because in the end I love the concept and I would want them to survive and improve to help many racers for years to come. We both agree feedback is important allowing them to understand what they are doing right and how they can improve when things go sideways.

Marc apologized, took responsibility and expressed genuine concern about what happened with my bag in Oceanside and the chain of events that resulted from its delay. After an internal evaluation, Marc explained in great detail what went wrong and what they are doing to make sure it doesn't happen again. Unfortunately in my situation they had a brand new trailer driver and this was his very first TBT load. He picked my bike/bag up in Houston traveled to Dallas next and dropped my bag off instead of another racers' bag. He traveled to Oceanside later in his journey. Marc was bothered that the error was not caught during the drop off in Dallas nor the drop off in Oceanside despite a system of checks and balances already in place. Marc and TBT folks have already gone to great measures to correct this issue so other customers do not have to worry about their equipment arriving. He understands triathletes use companies like TBT to reduce anxiety. He explained out of the many trips TBT has conducted, they have a small percentage of errors that unfortunately happen. I understand it's impossible for any business to be perfect. When these errors inevitably happen TBT will continue to try their best at remedying the situation so the triathlete can still race.

Marc explained, should a bag/pedals not arrive in the future they will make sure the TBT employee will obtain pedals for the triathlete so they can test their bikes out for other issues (like my power meter battery or gear/derailleur problems) before mandatory bike check-in. If they can't get our bags to us in time for the race, they will take us shopping and buy us new equipment. If a bike doesn't make it off the trailer or it is damaged (very rare but has happened) they will arrange for us to race with another bike.

FYI - TBT has our bikes/bags delivered to each race site the night before the first race check-in date. After what happened in Oceanside, Marc is concentrating efforts to have employees catch any error in delivery at this time -days before the race. This will allow TBT to ship anything over night. Marc added, if needed, they will fly the item with a person to get it to the location in time for the race.

Marc also discussed a few other things like improving bike shop dropoff/pickup locations in Houston. If you get a chance to share feedback with TBT in your areas, I recommend sending them an email. He also wants to know if there are other areas they could improve to make everyone's journey easier. They are listening and they care.

I have to say after discussing this matter with him, I feel at peace with the knowledge that these errors are a rare occurrences and confident that if things do go wrong they have a damn good plan in place to make sure we get to race. That was my #1 concern.

With all of that said Marc was kind enough to ask that I give them another try to erase what happened in the past. He wanted an opportunity to gain my confidence again in TriBike Transport. So he offered to ship my bike and bag to IM Santa Rosa 70.3 for free. I gladly took him up on that offer and the reservation email is already sitting in my inbox. That was very generous of you Marc - thank you.

I have learned so much from this thread. I definitely take responsibility for a lot of things that I can improve on. I still have to figure out my bike case situation for IM Santa Cruz 70.3 as I believe flying is the only way to transport. I hope that you all continue these discussions so that we may all improve and enjoy our sport.

This is why I stopped bring surfboards on vacation and just renting a board or buying a used one and giving it away to some kid on the beach when it was time to go home. $150 (or less) will get you a pretty nice used board almost anywhere. On my last surf trip to Costa Rica, I rented a brand new Seven board for $75 for the week. Didn't even have wax on it yet!

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Live long and surf!

Hi. I used Tri on the Run for drop-off before as well. I believe they closed down within the past 2 years. TBT said they just worked out an agreement with Shama and Tru Tri. Shama is very close to me. I agree with shit happening - it looks like my number was up with this past race. I purchased the EVOC bag 3-4 years ago and was super excited because it allowed minimal breakdown of my bike. Needless to say this was the very bag that United abused and damaged my bike both to Boulder and from Boulder. The damage was pretty extensive. I gave the bag back after the trip - the store gave me a full refund.

I'm glad you are getting things worked out. I've used TBT and one other Florida-only transporter about 8 times, always with great results. And I've used a soft side bike case 2 to 3 times for each time I paid for a transporter - also without ever incurring any damage (knock on wood). Most of the races I do, a transport service is not even an option, or is prohibitively expensive compared to flying with the case. I hope I'm not repeating too much of what's already in the thread, but I have these suggestions:

1) Always fly with your gear. E.g,. whether I ship my bike with TBT or put it in a case, my helmet, trisuit, bike shoes, run shoes, pedals, sunglasses, race belt and all other racing essentials are in my backpack on my person. If my bike is sent to Timbuktu, I could look for a rental/loaner and still have everything I need.

2) Your bike will do best if it is broken down the most and you do more than bag manufacturer suggests to protect it. I always remove the RD, insert steel fork locks, bubble wrap everything in sight, etc.

I bought a new case for this year simply because I now need one with wheels. It is a semi-rigid soft side with a hard bottom. The change makes me nervous but I still think taking special care in packing is more important than the case. FYI - EVOC was in the running, but I went with this: https://www.thule.com/...trip-pro-xt-_-100505

I am happy to hear that you are satisfied with the response from TBT. I want to share that I also had an issue with TBT. I own three bike shops. I tried for many months to contact TBT to become a pick up location. I say I tried, because I called and emailed and received no response. Finally, after many calls and emails, they responded and told me no, they were not interested. My shops are located 10 minutes from a major north/south interstate and 10 minutes from an east/west turnpike. I thought my locations were convenient for a pick up location, but they didn't agree. The nearest drop off location is 90 minutes away. Otherwise, you have to use their "pack and ship" service. Although I have always taken my bike with me on the plane I decided to try the pack and ship. I was looking for an easier way for my customers. I tried that service and will never use them again. My bike was not assembled correctly at the race and I had to take it to the mechanic at Ironman Village. The response you received from TBT to your complaint was almost verbatim to what I received (it was new employees, taking corrective action, refund, etc). I now take my bike with me on the plane and take my chances with TSA, and advise my customers to use alternate shipping services: bike box - take with on plane, Fedex, Bike Flights.

I bought a used thule hardcase. Have flown with the race bike a few times. Mark everything before you break it down, take photos, practice putting it back together. Get foam pipe insulation and bubble wrap. Take off the rear derailleur. Keep pedals on my person. I flew to Frankfurt, $50 for the bike on Air Canada. Not a single issue. Flew Alaska the last go around ,aside from fog delays at connection in Seattle, bike did make it the next day, not an issue. Because I did not check other bags and the bike and box was right at 52 lbs, I didn't pay a penny. New fee is $25 but because I didn't check a bag, that counted as my free bag. Didn't pay either way. I think it is important to be competent breaking down and putting your bike back together, that includes us females. You never know when you'll need to make adjustments after you scrape yourself up after a crash, to keep going. I've also run into a few incompetent bike mechanics out there who do more harm than good. I have no idea but some tend to want to start changing things up, don't mess with my friction shifting- saved my race after the crash. I had a seat post drop early on the bike due to a incompetent mechanic. Never again. If I mess something up I can live with that and know better next time, I still trust my skills more than a strange mechanic at some race I've travelled to. If someone else screws it up...Ya I'm gonna be pissed when you see me next.

Wow... interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Honestly it’s really good to hear this kind of advice. I have Gman’s Scicon hard case, new foam wrap and egg crate cushion. My project this weekend is to mark everything, custom fit the protective materials and break the bike down to fit - including rear derailleur. Then reassemble.

My bike wheels were damaged by TBT back in 2011.
I never used them again.
I was unaware of the CC acquisition.
That makes me sad.

It will give you the confidence and power to deal with almost anything when you travel with a bike. I could disassemble and put back together with a multi tool in the early days. I do not drag the torque wrench along now but carry specs for when I do track one down. I learned the hard way asking for an Allen wrench on a bike course :P. Good luck and have fun!

Any options other than Albopads that you’re aware of? Their site has been down for days. Wondering if they’re even still around.