travelling on LNER / Transpenine with a Brompton

[djhep]

Good day all.
I'm starting a new job very soon, and the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to get there is by train (LNER / Transpenine Express) with a bicycle and a shortish ride of a few miles at either end.
This will be my first time commuting by train or bicycle apart from a year or two in the eighties, when i would ride across Johanesberg and back every day, so it's all new to me.
(Oh, i wouldn't recommend trying the same Jo'berg route these days....you may not make the destination, and your bike most certainly wouldn't make it lol)

Anyhow, I've bought myself a new Brompton folder to do the new commute, and rather than turn up at the station with no clue as to where to put the bike etc, i thought i would ask here if anyone has done similar.

Basically, can i keep the bike in the carriage near where i would be seated (in folded configuration), or would i have to leave it next to the normal bike parking racks?.
I would obviously prefer to not leave the bike out of line of sight if poss.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

All the best.
Dave.

 

[djhep]

Forgot to mention, i'm loving the Brompton .
It's a 6 speed, one week old, and i've already been fiddling. Can't help it lol.....
So far it has a Brompton ti seatpost (kindly donated by my cousin), A dura ace 7407 crankset, which fitted perfectly, and 44/39 chainrings.
Apart from that i'm planning on leaving it standard....no more mods!!

 

[harlechjoe]

Whilst these bikes fold neatly and can fit into the luggage space I would only do so if the no-one else is storing luggage; I've witnessed so many people not caring about other peoples belongings and would not like your bike to suffer from other peoples lack of care. If it were my bike I would keep it close to me and should the train have social distancing spare seats, this should be possible. if bot, the train will have a bike space in designated carriages but these need to be booked.

 

[TheDoctor]

Fully folded Brommie, you should have no problems at all. If you've got an IKEA nearby, the Dimpa bag fits perfectly and costs less than a fiver.

 

[u_i]

Are there any Brompton dealers in S Africa? When I tried to access main (UK) Brompton website from elsewhere in Africa, I was being thrown off with an error. It looked like they did not care for African market. I had to use a VPN to get there, which was spooky

 

[djhep]

Thanks for the replies gents.
TheDoctor....is a cover required by the train operator, or do you advise it purely for protection against the damage that Harlechjoe mentions?

 

[djhep]

u_i
I'm not sure if there are Brompton dealers in S.Africa.
Purely judging by my time there over the years, i would doubt it, as i don't recall ever seeing anybody commuting on a folding bicycle.
Many South Africans do commute by conventional bicycle however, but mainly in the more rural areas.

The main roads in and around the cities are now too busy and ultimately dangerous, and it would be a risk travelling on public transport with an expensive bicycle in my opinion.

My original post relates to commuting within Uk by the way 👍.

 

[TheDoctor]

Thanks for the replies gents.
TheDoctor....is a cover required by the train operator, or do you advise it purely for protection against the damage that Harlechjoe mentions?

You don't need a cover, but it's a bit of protection. Not to mention camouflage.

 

[shingwell]

I carry a lock for when I have to leave it in a luggage area at the end of a train carriage. Nothing heavy/complicated - nobody's going to stand in a train carriage trying to cut a lock off - but enough to stop a grab-and-run as the doors are closing. On some trains where the seats are back-to-back there's a triangular-shaped space between the seats that fits a B suggly.

 

[djhep]

Shingwell...are there points in the luggage area to attach to?
Between the seats would be really good if its possible

 

[rogerzilla]

Generally you just sling it in a luggage rack (floor is best). Then watch it like a hawk at intermediate stations.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

I have seen a Brompton flat under the train seat on an SWR service. Are the seats on your trains high enough to allow this? Alternatively, if the train part of your journey is only ten minutes you might as well stand in the vestibule.

 

[u_i]

I'm not sure if there are Brompton dealers in S.Africa.
Purely judging by my time there over the years, i would doubt it, as i don't recall ever seeing anybody commuting on a folding bicycle.
Many South Africans do commute by conventional bicycle however, but mainly in the more rural areas.

The main roads in and around the cities are now too busy and ultimately dangerous, and it would be a risk travelling on public transport with an expensive bicycle in my opinion.

Sure, conditions vary from place to place and one needs to go by the nose concerning the dangers. I actually commuted on a Brompton quite a bit elsewhere in Africa and actually often worried less about the parked bike there than I would have in Europe or US, because it was actually so different from what anybody else was riding. If you were to steal it you would need to scratch your head what to actually do with it. I was more worried about a kid managing to take something off the handlebars. I also took it along for some long distance travel where it could be tossed with other luggage on the roof of a bus. It gave me freedom for thorough local explorations. However, I was worried about something breaking and not being to able to fix it.

 

[shingwell]

Shingwell...are there points in the luggage area to attach to?
Between the seats would be really good if its possible

Not specifically for the purpose but usually an upright or horizontal you can use, as you can see in rogerzilla's photo. But in my experience you need to be equipped to be flexible, you never know what type of train carriage you'll get or how busy it'll be.

 

[djhep]

Great advice everyone.
Thanks alot 😀👍