European Bike Express -- all ok?

[CopperBrompton]

I suppose the timing is probably excusable, road works, break downs, tardy punters at earlier drop off/ collection points they will all add up.

They claim it was all due to heavy traffic, but it would have to be something rather unusual to amount to a four-hour delay at night ... Others on the coach also told me the driver was going round in circles looking for the pickup point, and at one point sat in the wrong place for five minutes thinking he was there, so it all seems rather chaotic.

 

[oldfatfool]

They claim it was all due to heavy traffic, but it would have to be something rather unusual to amount to a four-hour delay at night ... Others on the coach also told me the driver was going round in circles looking for the pickup point, and at one point sat in the wrong place for five minutes thinking he was there, so it all seems rather chaotic.

Sounds like a new driver at the beginning of the season.

Is there plenty of leg room with the seats reclined?and are the bikes looked after? where my major worries.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The seat design is weird ... There's a foot-rest which is fine, similar to the ones typically found on airlines in premium economy, but there's also a calf support which is completely separate (unlike the airline ones which usually work in tandem) and which I found didn't line up at all when extended and was uncomfortable when (not very) back against the seat. The recline mechanism on my seat was broken, so it kept going back when I wanted it upright. But yeah, actual leg-room fine.

Bikes looked after ... normal ones would be fine, I think. One of the coach staff tried to lift my trike by the fairing mount, but I spotted that in time and stopped him. There is no hoist mechanism or anything on the upper deck, so three of us just had to manhandle it up there which was a bit nerve-wracking, more so when lowering it. The fairing was already very scratched, so I wasn't bothered, but it did get scraped on the ground when offloading.

 

[Danny]

Luxury it ain't.

Appearance-wise, it's ok, a bit tatty in places but nothing terrible. Timing-wise, comfort-wise and food-wise is another story!

So the message seems to be bring a good book, bring plenty of food, and don't bring a trike

 

[CopperBrompton]

Bring food, bring your own seat, bring somewhere warm to wait. :-)

 

[doog]

Prices seem extortionate to me...never been tempted, air travel is so much cheaper. 2 hour flight and you are there for half the price.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Yeah, it is expensive for what it is. To be honest, the main reason I selected it was because I'm totally mechanically incompetent and I could get the trike back to the UK without having to dismantle it at all.

 

[oldfatfool]

Prices seem extortionate to me...never been tempted, air travel is so much cheaper. 2 hour flight and you are there for half the price.

So long as you have a decent bike box and are willing to gamble on your kit arriving in one piece at the same airport and at the same time as you do!

The coach is considerably cheaper (for one person at least) than traveling down and back by car, and hopefully more relaxing and less hassle.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Oh, I forgot to mention their famous on-board entertainment system. One small-ish screen, right at the front of the coach. What looks like a repeater halfway up the coach isn't, or at least didn't:

Fortunately I had my iPad to entertain me.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I've used them twice and found them great. On time, bikes looked after and comfortable. Would recommend them to anyone.

 

[psmiffy]

I have used EBE over the years about a dozen times - always picked me up and dropped me at about the time they said they would- food is basic but OK - Seats are not luxury bunk thingies but adequate - I find its a hassle free way of getting my bike and my kit into and out of France - certainly less stressfull than flying to places - my only criticism is that over the years the number of destinations has diminished.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Maybe the food has diminished too ... A 'bacon sandwich', for example, that was a single piece of dry, tasteless bacon between two slices of plastic bread (in France!!!) with no butter. Honestly, I think they must have brought the 'bread' over from the UK as no self-respecting French shop would have sold it.

 

[vernon]

I've used the EBE for five seperate journeys and have found the catering, seating, customer care, punctuality and bike transport perfectly fine.

For me it's the perfect solution with the Leeds pick up/drop off point being only four or five moles from my home.

 

[Penfold]

Just to clarify.....Trikeman is NOT reporting on the EBE service in these posts. (as I have read it anyway) See post #12

 

[CopperBrompton]

Just to clarify.....Trikeman is NOT reporting on the EBE service in these posts. (as I have read it anyway) See post #12

Post 9 was not about EBE, which was what post 12 clarified, the rest is indeed describing my experience of EBE.