How do I get further a field

[old donald]

Need some help. I do one 5-7 day tour a year. I have done Northern France and Holland easily from where I live - I just hop onto the ferry from Hull. I would like to go to N.Italy or Eastern Europe - but how do I get there without risking my bike with the luggage handlers on the plane - or is that really my only option ?

 

[Arch]

Need some help. I do one 5-7 day tour a year. I have done Northern France and Holland easily from where I live - I just hop onto the ferry from Hull. I would like to go to N.Italy or Eastern Europe - but how do I get there without risking my bike with the luggage handlers on the plane - or is that really my only option ?

I know it's possible to get to Italy on the train from Paris, and to get to Paris on Eurostar - you could look into taking a bike that way. I think you can take them on the Eurostar, bagged...

 

[ComedyPilot]

Train to london, Eurostar to Brussels/Paris and high speed train to wherever you can get.

 

[P.H]

Bike Express will get you to South France from Hull in one easy stress free go. It's not the fastest way to travel, but you know your bike is going to get there!
http://www.bike-express.co.uk/.

 

[andym]

The most useful site to check out is www.seat61.com - full of lots of useful information.

Amsterdam has very good international rail links so it may be that you don't need to go via London and Eurostar.

There are an increasing number of high-speed services with some kind of bike-carrying facilities, but you'll probably find you need to put your bike in a bag. I'd recommend the Ground Effect Tardis which is a good size for train luggage racks, and when you get to your destination you can fold it up and put it in the post.

One thing to bear in mind is that officially, non-folding bikes aren't allowed on the sleeper services between France and Italy - although you might be able to carry one that had been dismantled.

The German railways timetable site is very useful in that it has an option that allows you to search for trains on which you can take bikes.

PS (for Arch) you can take unbagged bikes on Eurostar (but it's something like £20 each way).

 

[TheDoctor]

One caveat with taking bikes - unless it's a folder it's a big, bulky heavy piece of luggage. I've taken a carbon road bike to Avignon by Eurostar and TGV and it was painful. Kings Cross to St Pancras never felt as far...
I sure as hell wouldn't take on on a sleeper, as you'll be sharing your bunk with it!

 

[andym]

One caveat with taking bikes - unless it's a folder it's a big, bulky heavy piece of luggage. I've taken a carbon road bike to Avignon by Eurostar and TGV and it was painful. Kings Cross to St Pancras never felt as far...

....Or lugging it from one end of the train to the other. It's literally a pain, but it's no worse than lugging a bike to, and around, an airport.

I sure as hell wouldn't take on on a sleeper, as you'll be sharing your bunk with it!

There are spaces you can put a dismantled bike on a sleeper (eg above the doorway) but it is pretty iffy.

The sleeper services within France have bike carriage facilities - so they're a pretty civilized alternative. The same may well be true of services run by German/Dutch railways.

 

[ASC1951]

I would like to go to N.Italy or Eastern Europe - but how do I get there without risking my bike with the luggage handlers on the plane ...?

Just to put it in perspective - I have been flying with my bike for nearly 25 years and I have never had it damaged at all. I don't take any extraordinary precautions, just a a fabric bike bag, some foam pipe lagging and plastic spacers for the dropouts.

BTW, they are the airport's handlers, so you get the same people whether you fly with RyanAir or one of the flag carriers.

 

[rich p]

Just to put it in perspective - I have been flying with my bike for nearly 25 years and I have never had it damaged at all. I don't take any extraordinary precautions, just a a fabric bike bag, some foam pipe lagging and plastic spacers for the dropouts.

BTW, they are the airport's handlers, so you get the same people whether you fly with RyanAir or one of the flag carriers.

+1
I've never had any problems but maybe I'm lucky or the risks are exaggerated. I use a soft bag like ASC and hope for the best. If you want to get to sunny climes it's quick, cheap and easy. I've just booked me and my bike on a return trip to Venice (then the Dolomites) in June for £111.

Insure it, just in case!

 

[snorri]

You might wish to consider the ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg for a tour of Denmark.
It is possible to get another ferry from southern Denmark to the north coast of eastern Germany, but I doubt you would manage that in 5-7 days.

 

[Tony]

Just to put it in perspective - I have been flying with my bike for nearly 25 years and I have never had it damaged at all. I don't take any extraordinary precautions, just a a fabric bike bag, some foam pipe lagging and plastic spacers for the dropouts.

BTW, they are the airport's handlers, so you get the same people whether you fly with RyanAir or one of the flag carriers.

Wrong, completely. There are a number of handling agents at airports, and the airline has a contract with a particular company,such as Servisair, Menzies, GBS, Aviance, Groundstar.....
BA have their own hamdlers.Other airlines....let us just say that you get what you pay for. Scum turds like Ryanair use companies that are as cheap as chips, so when you arrive during night hours at a weekend, forget your luggage for at least an hour.

[I work at a certain major airport...]

 

[jay clock]

+1 for take the plane. I use a plastic bag and have done about 10 round trips in the last few years with very few problems.

The text I have pasted below is my take on this....it applies for my touring bike - for a lighter road bike I would use a box from an LBS and some of their plastic bits off a newly assembled bike....

------------------------
[FONT=&quot]First tip TURN UP EARLY if only to stop any arguments. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]To pack the bike I use the http://www.bikeadventures.co.uk/shop.html bag - have just binned one after about 5 uses. They weigh 550g and will fit in a pannier or on the rack. Remove pedals, swivel handlebars and drop saddle right down. I take tons of cables ties (fix wheel to bike if needed [Flybe], fix pedals to rack etc, and I also unscrew the rear mech (leave all cables on) and cable tie it to the frame to prevent the hanger being bent. On Flybe I use a spacer for the front forks. To tape up the bag I use heavy duty clear tape from B&Q - has a checkered pattern, and tears easily, does not unstick in use, but can be peeled off afterwards.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As a precaution for anyone saying “that is not a bike bag” I print a screen shot of the Bike Adventures website showing the bag on sale and in use. I also print the airline’s own terms and conditions just in case.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Easyjet and Ryanair take payment in advance which has the benefit of knowing you have a booking. I have used both several times with a bike.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have used Flybe on several return trips and they have been great. I live 4 miles from Southampton so there is a big attraction to use them. The ONLY issue I have is that officially it is a standby only arrangement, which could really screw up your hols. However it has always worked fine[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Because they use smallish planes you have to remove the front wheel as well as the usual pedal/handlebar stuff. If you do not have front pannier frames, you can just turn the handlebars and forks sideways, rather than undo the bolts to twist it. I strap the wheel to the RIGHT hand side of the bike as on the first occasion I ended up with a slightly bent outer chain ring (Stronglight softish alloy) which I bent back with pliers. TOP TIP, as Flybe are at smaller airports they may well not have an excess baggage Xray large enough for bikes, so do not seal the bag till they tell you they are happy, as they may do a manual explosives swab.

I have only been asked to pay once with FlyBe. On other occasions they either didn't ask me, or because I was carrying the panniers as carry on bags, they didn't think it was fair. However with new rules on carry on bags (max 1 and rigidly enforced), I will be checking in the panniers, but plan to put these inside a £shop duffel bag I got to avoid being charged on a per-piece basis!

They will only not carry your bike on the same flight as you if it is very full and very laden. Now that people have to pay for bags this is less likely, as more will reduce luggage and carry it on. But there is the risk in which case they will send it on the next flight

However I have had telephone contact with Flybe (trying calling Ryanair!) and they are friendly and helpful - I am confident that if the bike misses the plane they would do their best to help.


[/FONT]

 

[rich p]

I thought the first post made some good points but the last two were utter nonsense, JC

 

[ASC1951]

Wrong, completely. There are a number of handling agents at airports, and ..... Scum turds like Ryanair use companies that are as cheap as chips....

Well, I stand corrected about the baggage handlers, Tony.

I have used RyanAir several times, as well as allegedly more upmarket operators. My personal experience is that RyanAir's service has been every bit as good as anyone else I have flown with.

Better, in fact, because every time I fly with them I get a little glow from supporting someone who isn't afraid to take on the vested interests in the airline industry, in particular the arrogance of flag carriers and their hidden subsidies from the gullible taxpayer.

 

[andym]

Old Donald's question was about whether flying is the only alternative. Of course it isn't. For many destinations in France and the rest of Europe the train is a feasible, convenient and relatively stress-free alternative: although it does depend a lot on where you live in the UK - the train is obviously a lot easier if you live in or near London. And for some destinations like southern Spain the plane is probably the only feasible alternative for most of us.

Yes the train has it's inconveniences but so does flying. It used to be that flying had a certain glamour, but most of the time it's tacky and with endless queueing and hanging around in glorified shopping malls.

Airlines are steadily increasing their charges for carrying bikes, and some like Ryanair make it clear their not interested in anyone with awkward luggage, so surely it makes sense to be at least prepared to consider the alternatives - even if you don't give a damn about your climate footprint.

Jay - any chance of deleting your redundant posts?