Taking a 'non folding' bike on the London Underground

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ontodva

Active Member
You can take a full size bike on some London Tube journeys. Can anyone who has tell us what that was like? Where did you put the bike in the carriage? How well were you tolerated? Any advice?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
I’ve done it once on a Saturday afternoon from Wimbledon to Barking on the District Line in advance of Ride London. There were two of us with roadbikes. It was fine, a few funny looks but of course that was pre Covid. Out of choice, I’d use the overground instead
 

Twilkes

Guru
Surely a bicycle is just a tool for enforcing social distancing? If it gets in someone's way then they're too close to you.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Plenty of stories of Bromptons being snatched a second before the carriage doors closed.

Even with a full size bike, I would keep a very close eye, or preferably a hold, on it.
 
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ontodva

Active Member
What bothers me most about the prospect of taking a full size bike on the Tube is where in the carriage to put it. Across a door is so awkward and so is across several seats. Folk who have done it - where did you put the bike?
 

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
What bothers me most about the prospect of taking a full size bike on the Tube is where in the carriage to put it. Across a door is so awkward and so is across several seats. Folk who have done it - where did you put the bike?
The modern S stock on the Met, District, Circle and the Hammersmith and district are articulated so there is space between the carriages which I have done, or by one of the grab poles in the middle , there is plenty of room for passengers to get around the bike.
Remember, full sized bikes are NOT allowed on tube lines, such as the Piccadilly, Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee in tunnel sections at any time.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
We've taken a tandem on the Met line more than once from central London out to the sticks. It fitted very neatly across the flip-up seats. Nobody batted an eyelid, after we'd promised the station staff that we'd split the bike up to shrink it if necessary.

Outside of rush hour, much of the Underground, even in Central London, runs with plenty of empty space. Taking bikes on it is allowed because there is plenty of space for bikes. Don't worry about it.

And the risk of theft is overplayed by those who know nothing. Just keep the bike, Brompton or otherwise, close to you. I've commuted with a Brompton on London trains and tubes for over 20 years and have never felt the need to lock it up.
 

Solocle

Über Member
Location
Poole
Every time I've been passing through London, thus looking to get from one station to the other, I've found it easier to just ride, rather than even consider which tube lines I can and can't use.

For the outskirts of London, it might be a different story.
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Location
London
District is subsurface with full-size cars. Can't imagine it would be much fun on actual Tube trains.
You can't take bikes anywhere on the real "tube", ie deep level. Even though as i student me and a mate once took a full size table.
Have used allowed lines a fair bit, no great problem. As vickster says, the overground is very handy during permissable hours. The overground network is actually very extensive these days.
 
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ontodva

Active Member
You can't take bikes anywhere on the real "tube", ie deep level. Even though as i student me and a mate once took a full size table.
Have used allowed lines a fair bit, no great problem. As vickster says, the overground is very handy during permissable hours. The overground network is actually very extensive these days.
Blue Hills, where do you put your bike on Overground trains? I took mine from West Croydon to Dalston Junction recently and kept it against the end of the end carriage where it blocked one seat completely and one partly. It could have stayed against a standing seat and projected across part of the doorway because I knew that Dalston Junction is the first stop where the doors open on the right on that route. On other routes and when there are already people in those seats I am not sure where I could put the bike.
 
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