Bike on a train... Choo choo...

islwyn

Hello you lot,

Quick question... If you had to put your bike on a train in a designated carriage - would you lock it?

I live in London but often on a weekend head back to Devon to see my friends etc - My brother lives there too and has recently got into riding so I took my bike down before Christmas on the train and spent the whole journey worried sick that someone was going to take it away - as I travelled by First Great Western and you have to put your bike into a carriage where there are signs everywhere saying you can't lock it, I'm also sure I saw a sign saying there's a fine if you do. (I asked the train guard and he said because it slows down departures at station stops)
Identical to this picture from google.


So do/would you lock yours?!

I need to travel by train as I don't own a car any more... I'm thinking of just buying one of these little things http://www.evanscycles.com/products/abu ... ike%20Lock just so people can't wheel it off that easy.

DavidBelcher

I've made countless bike-on-train journeys and never locked it to anything, not least because the train companies are insistent that you don't do so. In any case, where bikes are kept in a special compartment that passengers wouldn't normally have access to without permission of traincrew, there shouldn't be any security issues. Travel on any of the following and your bike should be as safe as houses as there is just such a section set aside; all InterCity 125s, East Coast's electric trains and the driving trailers used by NXEA and Chiltern Mainline even have something akin to the old-school "guard's van":

East Coast
National Express East Anglia, aka NXEA (Norwich main line trains)
Chiltern Mainline
Virgin (Pendolino services)
First Great Western (InterCity 125s)
East Midlands Trains (InterCity 125s)
Grand Central (Intercity 125s)

Hope this helps.

David

islwyn

Hi David,

That's good to read. It is a FGW InterCity 125s, and as you mention it does have a special compartment but there is nothing to stop anyone from just opening the door, going in and removing the bikes?

That's why I feel like I'd want to lock it.

markos1963

Islwyn wrote:

Hi David,

That's good to read. It is a FGW InterCity 125s, and as you mention it does have a special compartment but there is nothing to stop anyone from just opening the door, going in and removing the bikes?

That's why I feel like I'd want to lock it.

People will only be able to open the door at stations, just sit in a carriage nearby and pop your head out of the door(once the train has stopped stupid ) to keep an eye out.

iainment

Take the saddle off? That'd stop a casual theft methinks.

DavidBelcher

markos1963 wrote:

People will only be able to open the door at stations, just sit in a carriage nearby and pop your head out of the door(once the train has stopped stupid ) to keep an eye out.

All of which reminded me of that bit in The Young Ones where Ade Edmondson ends up kicking his own severed head down the railway line.

David