We could get all 49 bikes underneath if we were prepared to take off wheels, mudguards, racks and pedals, turn handlebars, and take off derailleurs and tape them to the frame, and possibly put spacers as reinforcement in place of the axles to prevent any unwanted bendiness of forks and rear bits.
The bikes could then be wrapped in some sort of plastic bought at a garden centre. This is much easier than it sounds, and quite possible for a complete numpty to do at Nantes railway station at 5am while in a bit of a rush for a train. I know this.
It takes about 40 minutes, and the bike can then be treated as an abnormally-shaped piece of luggage and placed on a number of trains, such as TGV and Eurostar. Dealt with like this, two bikes and a chap plus six panniers can fit in the back of a small and old Nissan Almeira. I know this. It can be done. It hurts, but it can be done. Whether FNRTtC peeps will want to do this is another matter.
A dismantled bike takes up a surprisingly small amount of space. It still weighs enough for a thin piece of webbing - with which only a fool would try to carry the bike - to cut deep and painful weals in one's shoulder as you cross Paris on the Metro in the rush hour with assorted camping kit on one shoulder and a bike on the other.
