Thinking about doing IM Cozumel but the transport logistics are piling up. One option would be to rent a decent road bike in Cozumel and bring my shoes, seat etc. This will not be my A race but more a holiday with a long workout day.
Has anyone done this before, or been forced to ride on a ‘new to you’ bike?
I rode the Kona course on a rental with my seat and pedals. It’s a long day on a non-optimal bike. You should ship your bike to your hotel Fedx ground.
I would work really, really hard to figure out logistics before renting a bike for an Ironman. That is a long way to ride on a bike that isn’t fit to you properly. And it could end up being an even longer run if things go poorly.
I rented a bike off of Spinlister for IMAZ in 2014 because I didn’t want the hassle of packing and shipping mine. I used my pedals and saddle, the experience was ok but probably wouldn’t do it again as I spent allot of time trying to dial-in that bike pre race. I’m MOP so overall time wasn’t a big concern, but because the bike fit wasn’t quite correct it really affected my run, so overall my day wasn’t the best. My recommendation…Pack your bike.
I did Mallorca 70.3 last year on a rental. I went there for a week holiday and thought why not… more as a good training and a nice experience.
I rode the Kona course on a rental with my seat and pedals. It’s a long day on a non-optimal bike. You should ship your bike to your hotel Fedx ground.
I did the same (Bikeworks in Kona, yes?) and has similar results. Riding 100 miles on someone else’s bike is a bad idea.
I rode the Kona course on a rental with my seat and pedals. It’s a long day on a non-optimal bike. You should ship your bike to your hotel Fedx ground.
I did the same (Bikeworks in Kona, yes?) and has similar results. Riding 100 miles on someone else’s bike is a bad idea.
In any IM really, but especially a flat windy course like Coz.
And I thought it wouldn’t need to be said but 56 is much different than 112…
Tri bike Transport if nothing else.
One advantage of doing it is you have a ready made excuse when you fall apart on the run.
“I was ready to have the race of my life and KQ but for that darn rental bike.”
Last year when figuring out logistics for 70.3 worlds I found out QR rents bikes at some races. They were sold out by the time I found them but In I would have used them in a heart beat because I ride a QR. Looks they don’t rent one for Coz (sorry to the OP) but might help others…
I rode the Kona course on a rental with my seat and pedals. It’s a long day on a non-optimal bike. You should ship your bike to your hotel Fedx ground.
Thanks for the suggestion about Fedx ground. The quick quote I got though was $500 one way. Perhaps I’m filling out the wrong section.
I think much of the success or not of renting will depend on the bike and the shop you would rent from. I did a half IM on a rented bike and it was great, but it was a new Cannondale Slice and I sent all my tri bike’s measurements to the shop ahead of time and they had it set up perfectly for me. If you can get the rental to be close to your normal bike measurements then this will significant;y increase the chances of it working out for you.
I think much of the success or not of renting will depend on the bike and the shop you would rent from. I did a half IM on a rented bike and it was great, but it was a new Cannondale Slice and I sent all my tri bike’s measurements to the shop ahead of time and they had it set up perfectly for me. If you can get the rental to be close to your normal bike measurements then this will significant;y increase the chances of it working out for you.
Thanks, that is a great idea. For what it’s worth the bike I am considering renting is a Specialized Tarmac.
Cheers
I’ve traveled a lot and ridden loaner bikes frequently and never had any problems. The BIG “however” with this is that they have all been road bikes and ridden as road bikes. The classic road bike fit is I sense easier to get dialed in on a loaner bike than a TT/Tri fit.
I’ve found that with a tape, measure and knowing my basic measurements at home on my regular road bike, it does not take that long to get the fit dialed in pretty close.
Tri Bread: I would highly recommend paying the transport fees. There are many companies that transport very affordably. I always take my bike on the plane (~$75-100) just for the piece of mind. If your putting in all the hard work (time = money) to participate in an Ironman the cost to transport bike is well worth it!
I’ve traveled a lot and ridden loaner bikes frequently and never had any problems. The BIG “however” with this is that they have all been road bikes and ridden as road bikes. The classic road bike fit is I sense easier to get dialed in on a loaner bike than a TT/Tri fit.
I’ve found that with a tape, measure and knowing my basic measurements at home on my regular road bike, it does not take that long to get the fit dialed in pretty close.
Thanks for your response Steve. My bike now is actually a road biked dressed up as a TT, so maybe it wont be too difficult to set them up similarly. In fact it might make sense to get them to send me their measurements and try to set my bike up for the last month of indoor training.
Cheers
Sorry, I should have been more clear. If you don’t have a Fedx account, ship Fedx ground through Bikeflights.com and get just about the same discounted rate.
I did Coz last year and bringing my bike on the plane was very easy. $75 each way on Southwest and borrowed a bike box, not that hard to take apart and put together, and the bike mechanics at the race can look it over at check in.
I did Coz last year and bringing my bike on the plane was very easy. $75 each way on Southwest and borrowed a bike box, not that hard to take apart and put together, and the bike mechanics at the race can look it over at check in.
Thanks for the reply. I am looking at 3 planes each way, so their will be extra fees and more chance for problems. If I don’t bring my bike I will probably just take the ferry from Cancun and eliminate at least one plane ride.
Anyway, thanks for all the responses.
Well I flew a connection with a 40 min layover and had no problem. Landed in Coz but on way back ferry then the bus to Cancun airport. The ferry bus option was surprisingly easy, think it was a $5 charge each. The busses are nice, tvs, assigned seats and about $15. As long as your bike box has rollers and you limit your other luggage its not that difficult for a guy.
I know you’re talking about 140.6, but here’s my thoughts after researching for the 70.3 in October
With weddings possibly killing two of my best Midwest 70.3 options, I have been researching the 70.3 there in October. Here’s my summary so far:
There’s lot of good info on ST already. Check out anything kathy_caribe has written.
Bike Flights was wildly expensive and would need nearly two weeks to get there. I just tried it again and am getting an error message.
Tri Bike Transport is not an option for the 70.3 in Cozumel, but they are for the 140.6.
I couldn’t figure out shipping to Cozumel. Bike Flights is using existing shipping companies, so I would think Bike Flights should always be looked at instead of FedEx, UPS, etc.
The airline fees really varied. Southwest was definitely one of the better options and could be worth going through a different airport.
There’s no Quintano Roo (the company) event rental at the 70.3. However; Sombrero Rentals rents Quintana Roo bikes for $400-450 for the 4 days around the 70.3 or 140.6.
If we pull the trigger and do an anniversary tri(p), we’ll be dragging along my work stand and bike (rent/borrowed bike box with wheels) on a flight O’Hare direct to Cancun and ferry it over to Cozumel. If renting a bike, I would want to take along wheels, seat, crank/pedals and possibly aerobars (along with spare cables). This makes renting a bike seem fairly foolish in my instance.