I am looking at a races either 6 or 8 hours away by car. If I drive I can just load the bike in the back of the SUV. If I fly, I will have to figure out how to box the bike and unpack/set it up or pay a bike shop to do so. What distance cutoff do you guys put before you would fly? Obviously you wouldn’t drive across the country and you wouldn’t fly for a 2.5 hour trip. But between the extremes, where’s the break even point (and how hard is it for a novice to set-up a bike on the other end)?
If I can drive it in 2 days, I likely would. Otherwise I would fly.
M~
As a newbie, I think it depends quite a bit on the bike box you have. If it’s the “stand up” kind where all you have to do is remove the wheels and the aero bars, it’s not bad at all.
If you have a pretty small box it will require lots more assembly/disassembly…anyway lots of people are going to tell you that you should know how to do it. 
I just changed my first rear tire flat…I’d been agonizing over it and it turned out be not bad at all.
by the time you travel to the airport, arrive early, sit on the tarmak, fly, land, gather up your stuff, you’ve spent almost as much time as the drive.
there is luxury in driving and not having limitations on how much stuff you can take. for that distance, i would def drive. i’m sure you’d be less frustrated.
Thats easy. Drive! From my experience, you are much more in control of the variables.
Option 1 - Fly
Dissasemble bike and pack in box.
Total: 60 minutes
Drive 45 minutes to airport, park car retrieve luggage and bike, get on shuttle from parking lot to terminal.
Total: 90 minutes
Wait in line to check in, fight with desk clerk about the price of shipping the bike, wait in line to go through security.
Total: 60 minutes
Wait in departure lounge…and wait and wait…flight delayed again.
Total: 120 minutes
Board plane for 1 hour flight, but they have to wait for the connection arriving from Boise, then once you get off the ground you get stacked above your destination for 30 minutes.
Total: 120 minutes
Disembark, wait for luggage, then go looking for bike at the oversized carousel…and wait and wait and wait…luckily it is not en route to Caracas and the neanderthals in baggage haven’t destroyed it.
Total 90 minutes.
Leave airport and get in line for shuttle. Get on shuttle to your hotel…which is ALWAYS the last one on their drop off list.
Total: 90 minutes
Rebuild bike
Total: 60 minutes
Grand total 11.5 hours
Option 2 - Drive
Load up the car with gear and favorite road food…Bonnie Rait CDs and some John Hiatt. Drive South.
1 hour.
Drivetime 7 hours.
Grand Total: 8 hours of stress free personal time where nobody messes with you, or your stuff.
I have driven to Coeur d’Alene both of the past 2 years after having flown to several IMs. It’s a 20 hour drive and I much prefer it to flying. The hassle of crating & uncrating your bike far outweighs the extra time of driving (IMHO).
Gary MC
You’re probably going to have to rent a car when you get there, and then somehow fit your bike-in-a-box into that car. By the time you pay for airfare, the extra for the bike box (both ways) and the car rental, you’ll be kicking yourself that you didn’t drive your car, with all your tunes on CDs, to get to the race.
Lee
Drive!
8 drives, 0 flies. That was certainly definitive!
I’d say drive. That way you have MUCH less to worry about. I’m making the 800+ mile drive to IMFL this November. It will be worth it.
-C
For a half Ironman or full Ironman, I’d drive up to 10 hours. For a marathon 8 hours. Olympic tri 30 min Sprint 20 min (in fact, I have not entered a sprint in 15 years…I’d rather spend my time training).
even a marathon? I would think that there you wouldn’t need to worry about the bike so you could fly no problem.
This would be for a 1/2im.
Drive!!!
There is nothing that beats a road trip.Even with these F@#!'d up gas prices.
Hitting the road like MattinSF said w/ some Bonnie Raitt CD’s ,some Dylan,a little Nirvana…nothin like it.
Just make sure to get out and stretch a lot so you don’t lock up by the time you get there.
I’d invest in a back cushion for the car seat,and one of those lumbar rolls that keeps your legs close together.Awesome as far as anti-tightness measures .
Drive… Leave at 6:00 am and be there in time for lunch…
Better yet, leave at 3am. The cops don’t really care how fast you go until it gets light. 6 hours really means 5.5. 8 hours means there is the potential to do it in 7 to 7:15.
It’s a challenge…drive.