American Airlines, $150 each way, plus a $50/week box rental from LBS. TBT, $450 round trip. Sounds like a no-brainer. Except that TBT required me to drop off my bike a full 2 weeks before my first IM. I can’t imagine going 2 weeks without anything to ride in the final 2 weeks. I guess I could use the gym Spin bikes, but I can’t believe that’s similar enough.
Is a 2-week full riding break even remotely in consideration? Or am I truly destined to fly it myself and just deal with the assembly at the event?
No catch, it’s what hundreds of people successfully do every race with TBT. (some have roadies to ride while the TT is gone). You’ll be fine. Ride a spin bike if you need something to do. Set up correctly it’s similar enough, and you’re not building fitness at that point, it’s honestly more about just doing something physical to shut the mind up
No catch, it’s what hundreds of people successfully do every race with TBT. (some have roadies to ride while the TT is gone). You’ll be fine. Ride a spin bike if you need something to do. Set up correctly it’s similar enough, and you’re not building fitness at that point, it’s honestly more about just doing something physical to shut the mind up
I guess the “catch” is that I didn’t have a road bike as a temporary. Cozumel being my first Full, I’m over thinking and worrying about every part of it. Thanks for the feedback.
No catch, it’s what hundreds of people successfully do every race with TBT. (some have roadies to ride while the TT is gone). You’ll be fine. Ride a spin bike if you need something to do. Set up correctly it’s similar enough, and you’re not building fitness at that point, it’s honestly more about just doing something physical to shut the mind up
I guess the “catch” is that I didn’t have a road bike as a temporary. Cozumel being my first Full, I**'m over thinking and worrying about every part of it.** Thanks for the feedback.
Course you are. we all do. That’s pretty much the only reason you need to burn off some excess energy rather than sitting and stewing and worrying about everything. Flat course like Coz, you’re gonna be fine even if you don’t ride for two weeks, but spin is certainly an option.
Great race btw, if they hadn’t moved it I’d be doing it again this year.
What’s the catch? Sounds like a great justification to get a backup bike.
Go with TBT.
I flew with my bike once. It was the most nerve racking thing for me…it was terrible. Your mind will be concerned about so many other things with your first IM, just let them handle the bike.
Still say TBT as well but another issue is where you are flying into, CZM or CUN? dragging the bike from CZM no biggie. Dragging from CUN, a little bit of a bigger issue
Still say TBT as well but another issue is where you are flying into, CZM or CUN? dragging the bike from CZM no biggie. Dragging from CUN, a little bit of a bigger issue
Reading various blogs about Coz, I’m paying the extra to fly straight to the island. We have a condo reserved at El Cantil. Assuming the bike arrives in time, I’d like to do 1 lap of the island. Unless an “easy†40 miles isn’t recommended…
I’m going to trust the more experienced here and register with TBT.
I’ll play the other side from most people and say fly with it. Granted, my coach’s training approach is different from many, but there is plenty of justification for being able to ride those two weeks. Flying with your bike isn’t that bad once you get used to it either. And if you plan to fly to races once or twice a year, invest in buying a box and it will pay for itself over time.
I used TBT my first couple of years where I started flying to races. Then it became too inconvenient to go long stretches without my bike. There are just as many horror stories from them as there are with airlines. It took over a month for me to get my bike back from them once because their container got held up. A buddy of mine had his frame clearly handled by someone with some chemicals on their hands. His frame now permanently displays hand prints of some worker and they did nothing to compensate for that after extensive communication and promises to do so.
Bottom line - learning to travel with a good hard case is well worth it and you learn about your bike in the building and breaking down process.
ETA - If you add additional insurance and a wheel bag, the TBT cost starts to add up more than you planned as well. That can easily go another $75.
Good choices all around, except maybe 1
I’m not a huge proponent of needing to ride the course beforehand in races (I was there in New Orleans when a guy was pre riding the course a few days before race day, and we drove up on the scene shortly after he was run down and killed, and he wasn’t even covered up yet…) not to put the fear of god into you. But it’s a flat loop. Literally nothing to it. Race day roads will be closed. Before the race, they won’t. Yes, there is a nice bike lane, but all it takes is one hurrying cab driver or one drunk tourist to cross… or actually drive in (I’ve seen this happen) the bike lane. Just my .02.
Maybe rent a car for a couple hours and drive it. That’s all you need. I picked up my bike from TBT and rode it back to our hotel just south of El Cantil. You haven’t ridden until you’ve ridden in MX…
ETA I think Steve makes good points above as well. Had I bought a case early on, I would be saving money now. But if I travel we tend to race and then spend a week or so on holiday. Being able to hand the bike back and not have to worry about it or a case until I get home has been totally worth it to me.
ETA 2
Make sure you go to
La Perlita for coconut lionfish
El Moro for a drink of xtanbentun and then you won’t care what you eat
Casa Denis for margaritas
Le Chef for Lobster Bacon Club
I’m with sbradley. Fly with it. I’ve done that many times over the years and felt good to have it with me. My case is big, so almost no disassembly and I’m riding within 20 minutes of taking it from the case. I did use TBT once, and my carton was delayed on the way back too, so dropped it off 2 weeks early and had it back late, so pretty much 5 weeks without it. When I did get it, the custom paint was scratched in a few places (and as it was a previous year’s model the paint could NOT be matched) and my Enve wheel was broken. Think about it…you drop your bike off, and a guy picks it up and places it in a truck with tons of other bikes. Then it’s moved who knows how many more times by people who have to move a ton of bikes and have no special concern for yours. Then to either a container on a ship or a plane, and unpacked, times the same on the way back. I prefer to pack the bike myself, watch TSA inspect and they let me help repack, then unpack on site. Take your torque wrench and make it easy on yourself…
American Airlines, $150 each way, plus a $50/week box rental from LBS. TBT, $450 round trip. Sounds like a no-brainer. Except that TBT required me to drop off my bike a full 2 weeks before my first IM. I can’t imagine going 2 weeks without anything to ride in the final 2 weeks. I guess I could use the gym Spin bikes, but I can’t believe that’s similar enough.
Is a 2-week full riding break even remotely in consideration? Or am I truly destined to fly it myself and just deal with the assembly at the event?
How important is your time to you? There is zero percent chance I would go two weeks on a spin bike before an Ironman, this is really not optimal.
if it matters, I will layover in the US, coming from SFO or SMF. So the transfer will be on US soil.
Point taken on the riding prior to the race. I mostly wanted to check the headwinds on the back section to alleviate my anxiety about that part. I live in the California Central Valley. Flat, hot and windy. Other than the humidity, it’s a fair place to prep.
I can wrench. I can also mark seatposts, etc and get things where they go, and safely. I’m arriving on Wednesday, so even if I really take my time, I have days to get it back dialed in.
I’m surprised to hear the stories of damage. But THAT would be my excuse to purchase a replacement. I’m on a 2007 Focus right now. It fits, I like it, and I’m not hunting a podium.
I’m mostly concerned about the bike getting lost on the way, but I guess that can happen with TBT as much as with just my own box, right?