1. Avoiding Bike Fees
One of the most annoying things about going to a race is getting hit with all these hidden fees. You end up paying a lot more to go race than you initially expected. If you're like me you race Ironman which means you're already paying at least $300 a race plus your travel fees. On my recent trip to Maryland I was flying with American Airlines. Somewhere in the back of my mind I must've known that the fees for American were more than other airlines I'd flown recently like Southwest and Spirit. Both of those airlines offer a $75 fee both ways making it $150 to take your bike wherever you go. However, American among other airlines charge $150 each way, ouch. There are a few different companies that have come up with some interesting ways to avoid bike fees. One of these companies is ORUcase. They offer this ingenious bike case that breaks your bike into two separate pieces. The wheels and bike frame fit into two different packages. This allows you to check these bags as normal bags instead of as a bike. Some may consider this a little bit unscrupulous, so take it with a grain of salt. Frankly it's a pretty good deal considering the case called the airport ninja is offered for $400. This pretty on par with a lot of your case manufacturers so it is on anything unusual talk about $400 for by case. The downside is that the airport ninja is made specifically for your bike frame in size so it may not fit your bike if you switch to a new frame at a later date. That leaves me looking for a little more homemade alternative to the airport ninja: finding luggage that fits a bike case and wheels separately. Of course the downside to this one is going to have to make sure that it's packaged properly. Foam, bubble wrap, padding, and whatever else you can find to make sure your bike will arrive safely. The upside for being your own MacGyver is that you to avoid potentially $300 in fees for every triathlon you do out of town. Especially when you consider flying with Southwest who has two checked bags for free with every flight. Here's a breakdown of airline bike fees as of June 2016. Fees are ONE WAY. So if you plan on coming back with your bike, double them.- Delta $150
- American Airlines $150
- United $150
- Southwest $75
- Spirit $75
- Jet Blue $50
- Air Canada $50