Originally published at: We Spotted: Bike Transport for Kona – Slowtwitch Blog
The collapse of TriBike Transport last year left a gaping hole in the race marketplace. Having polled our readers, nearly 35% of respondents for racers traveling used TBT’s services for various IRONMAN branded events, and almost 25% of respondents said that it would now be a struggle for them to travel to races without TBT.
For those 25% of respondents, or for those who really don’t want to have to pack and ship their own bike, there’s now an alternative service available, at least for this year’s IRONMAN World Championships in Kona: The Bike Sherpa.
The Bike Sherpa is a new service offered by the same people behind Race Day Wheels, the long-time wheel rental company who has served various IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events since 2005. The service is simple: select the bike shop your bike needs to get picked up from, remove your pedals, drop it off at the shop by the deadline date, and it arrives in Kona for you.
We talked with the man behind the two organizations, Marc Lees. Marc has been providing transport services for a lot of the gear that you find at an IRONMAN World Championship event — fencing, tents, and many of the vendors you see at expo or around it. Transport from the bike shop drop-off locations is done via truck to Long Beach, CA. Marc then personally loads his containers, ensuring their arrival to Kona; the process then reverses when heading home.
The Kona service is TBS’ pilot case. They’re looking to have 150 bikes transport via this method for this year’s event, with bookings required to happen by September 15th. (Note: if they don't hit that number, and you had booked with them, you get a guaranteed full refund.) If the pilot is successful, Marc and team will look to expand the offering to select IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events in 2025 within the U.S.; they cited logistics, cost, and customs as reasons for not potentially expanding to the overseas market.
I’ve used Race Day Wheels numerous times in the past. They use high-quality products and a white-glove service for your bike; as in, by the time I’ve either finished my run or emerged from medical, they’ve already taken my bike from transition, reinstalled my wheels, and put it back for me to bring home. I would not be shocked to find such an excellent experience on the TBS front.
Find out more, or book your reservation, here.