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This was the first time for probably 40 years I’d attempted to take my bike on the train. And a lot has changed since the last time!
Join me as I take two separate journeys with two very different train operating companies as I make the journey north from Shrewsbury to Edinburgh via Crewe. We’ll sample Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast along the way and I’ll show you how to go about booking your bike on the train and the practicalities involved on the day.
I made a few mistakes to be honest and there are things that I’d do differently next time. But it’s all part of the learning piece and would I do it again? Of course!
I do hope you enjoy the video. All likes and comments are appreciated and it really helps. If you’d like to subscribe to the channel, that would be wonderful. Thanks again for watching.
Cheers for now.
Mark
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📖Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:53 – Getting to the station
03:35 – Shrewsbury to Crewe
08:10 – Waiting for a train
13:00 – Preston to Edinburgh
19:13 – Arrival at Waverley
21:20 – Summary
48 Comments
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Certainly a bit of a faff having to declare your bike, Mark but most travellers don't bat an eyelid about bikes on board. That boy sitting on the fold down seat should have moved as a matter of courtesy!
on yer bike mark!! great video mate
Interesting ScotRail have a bright blue or green colour around the door with a bike symbol making it very clear which door to use, they also have green or blue with a wheelchair symbol again indicating which door to use. Surprised TFW train didn’t have this to be honest. I’ve wanted to take my bike on the Far North line to Brora for the day and cycle up to Loch Brora..
I had thought about taking a bike on the WCML. To be honest your up journey has put me right off. What a confusing and unhelpful journey! Glad to hear the return was better, but you shouldn’t be having to learn from the experience and making adjustments.
Doubt I will be doing this anytime soon.
Perhaps the chaps on the Green Signals podcast would be interested in covering this?
I'm Irish by birth and Swiss by choice…. So you're learning Irish!!! There was an article somewhere this week where it claimed that Irish was the fastest growing language tuition after Swedish in the UK! Who knew!!!
Nice video. BTW a person I know had his bike stolen of the train a Crew…. so defiantly need to keep an eye on it.
It is a joke getting a bike on a train in the UK. The Swiss and the Austrian railway services are light years in front of the UK.
Buy a car. Cheaper, often faster, definitely more reliable.
I wouldn't think much of it, just getting a bicycle ticket and not travelling during rush hour or…. bring my folder if I have to cycle on the other end. But I am Dutch, what do I know?
Good video again Mark and interesting information for bike users for travelling on intercity trains.
As a vegan I always take some food on trains
as you cannot rely even if the buffet is open
I couldn't rely on there being anything suitable
though it has got much better in recent years.
I'm concerned that you were cycling without a cycle helmet. I know it's not mandatory by law, but it's just common sense for safety. That's my two cents.
I've just got a new bike and looking forward to taking it on the train to cycle to new places 👍
thanks for the video looking fwd to some more adventures on yer bike
Very informative video. I bought a folding bike to cover all the bases so if there is a bus replacement I got a chance.
Great video Mark but I’m surprised you didn’t go to Edinburgh for a couple of day’s as there’s so much to see. I was born in Edinburgh in 1973 & I was brought up in Falkland village since I was a baby. If you saw season 1 Outlander some of it was filmed in Falkland. They call it Inverness Mark but Inverness is around a 130 odd miles North up the A9 from Falkland Buddy. 👍
Bike train is a great way to travel. Good for the environment and burns off some calories.
It only ever becomes an issue when a train is rammed. Even then, not a problem if you stand with your bike. Train conductors don't like "loose" bikes not secured, which is fair enough.
Never had a problem with my bike on a train. In terms of keeping your bike in sight, I take your point, but there is much more chance of having it nicked from the street, trust me. If you're worried, just use your bike lock to (at least) lock the back wheel to the frame. I ride cheap bikes (hello Halfords!) so any potential thief is more likely to leave a sympathy donation than steal it. A foldable bike works as you can store it in the luggage rack. However, they are a bit fiddly. They need quite a lot of fettling as the frame isn't rigid, so you need to carry some Allan keys to keep everything tight.
Bike advice broadcast ended. I thank you all!
Excellent information, thanks.
Great video but couldn’t help noticing you not wearing a cycle helmet which is dangerous for you if you fall off and hit your head. It’s also a bad example to give to cyclists.
Around london there are certain times when you can only bring a Brompton fold up bike onboard. Generally peak time trains.
Nice info video mate 👍 I'm sure your riding was fine, though I'd recommend wearing a helmet (wife works in a hospital..) And given your latest teasers, wouldn't learning Spanish he more useful? 😜
Thanks for this. I travel quite often with my bike and the inconsistencies are really annoying. For example, from my local station Hatfield (Herts) we have three different types of train which all have the bike space in different places. Of the three trains, only one has straps to hold you bike in place. I've had my bike fall over on a previous trip. What happens if it then hits another passenger? What is even more frustating is that older trains never seem to get an upgrade to the best standards for bikes. (The class 720s on GA are in my view the best.) So last week I travelled to Kent on a refurbished 395 Javelin. No cycle space and in the wheelchair area, you can secure a wheel chair but not a bike. So no improvement in the refurbishment. The Class 720 facility should be the norm and should be retro fitted as trains are refubished. We are told the railways need more off peak liesure travellers, but how does that work if the bike facilities are so poor on so many older trains? It's not hard to fix.
The worst facility is on the HItachi IET or Azuma trains where you are expected to hang your bike vertically. My partner is 5ft 1. How on earth is she supposed to do that? Even I at 6ft got into trouble as I hooked the bike up and then couldn't get it unhooked, fortunately at a terminus station.
Finally, so far this has been about a one person bike. My partner is disabled. So we ride a tandem. The only Inter City trains we can use are the Pendolinos with Avanti and the Greater Anglia Norwich trains. We are banned from all the IETs, Azumas, Voyages, 805s and 807s. So we cannot go on a cycling holiday in say Cornwall or Wales or Northumbria. The furthest north we can get is Fort William in Scotland as most of their trains are barred to us too. Ironcially you can take a tandem from Shrewsbury to Swansea on the 153 bike train, but you cannnot get a tandem to either Shrewsbury or Swansea! Crazy.
Been taking bikes on the train from the guardsvan era to the present day , its now a uncertain process , too many different companies , all with different rules ! The train managers vary in their efforts to help , and their presence is not always obvious ! Good luck …..Dave H
I often take my bike on the train out of Haverfordwest on Transport for Wales, and i find the new Class 197s are fine for this. I enjoyed your first train and bike YouTube and would like to see you do more.
Take a lock to secure your bike on the train. 🤪Simple
Carlisle signal box will be an eNtrance eXit (NX) panel. Basically a huge track map with buttons for each signal and set of points. Lack of window = less glare. Fantastic places to visit, I am lucky enough to work on the railway so have. In fact looks like someone has done a video on YouTube if you search.
I take my e-bike and my Brompton on the train fairly frequently. In the south of England you normally just take it on without a reservation. I took a GWR train from Paddington to Dawlish last summer and shackled my bike to the the metal hoops in the train. I removed the quick release saddle which had a Crane Creek Thudbuster (couple of hundred quid) and the Bosch powerpack battery (£575). I think GWR are the only train company that use a bike reservation system. If you find the bike section full then riders tend to just use whatever space they can find to store their bikes. The only time I have had any problem is when I used a disabled area to store my bike and a wheelchair user got on at the next stop, so I simply folded my bike to create enough space for the both of us. That's why I always use folding bikes because you will always be able to get on even the most crowded train.
I just loved the comment. I'm just glad I didn't fall off
13:08 No at seat power or catering available? I'd be sending a complaint. That's unacceptable as I expect most passengers who do the 6 hour journey from London to Edinburgh would be caught out by at least one of the issues you've mentioned
20:00 A potential cycles on rails series? I'd say definitely include Scotrail (it's completely different on a Glasgow commuter service v the West Highland line) and the new TFW Heart of Wales line trains .
Hi Mark. Do you have a link for Rog’s channel? i’m probably blind but i can’t find it here or in a youtube search. Thanks.
Oh look that’s me at the end! This was quite a while ago now – but it was great to meet you Mark. Enjoyed our lunch and walk around Leith! Cheers! 😀
Travel on Elizabeth line regularly with my bike, no problem as there's plenty of space. Long distance trains are generally awful for bikes, very little space for them, normally just space for 2 skinny road bikes. It's the train design that's the problem. You were lucky to get all that space to yourself.
Great Video Mark
My friend had his bike stolen on a train. Security can be an issue. I reckon the trains weren’t designed with bikes in mind so their accommodation is a compromise. Hopefully dedicated and secure accommodation can be sorted in time as for the moment, they can be a nuisance for other passengers.
At least you got a view inside the driver's cab! Can be such a lottery with bikes on trains. GWR booking system got a lot of flack when they updated their trains. I can go London to Cambridge just turning up with my bike, but would need to book if I went towards Suffolk instead. LNER is relatively straightforward to book a bike space, but on the azuma trains you need to be strong enough to lift your bike onto a wheel hook, and there is no room for non-standard or adapted bikes used by people with mobility issues. Guard's vans on the older 225s were better IMO but felt a bit stressful getting your bike sorted then running to get on the train before it left. Same route with Lumo – no space for bikes at all, and they have the cheek on their website to suggest booking an expensive courier to take your bike whilst you are on the train! I do think it's nice that, as long as the train isn't too busy, staff tend to trust you when you say you have a cycle reservation rather than having to show it each time.
The Avanti west coast bike spaces on that train are the most confusing in my experience. I have taken my bike on many trains before and the class 390 is strange. It would be easier if there was a button on the outside of the door instead of telling someone at the station which causes delay.
Yes what a complete faff from the BR days like you said, I took my bike on many a train back then just put it in the baggage van that the guard was using, three on a 12 car EMU and wander off to the buffet car for breakfast or lunch, fastening the bike with the straps used for securing the BRUTES. Worst part was carrying it up and down the stairs. Yes, cycling on a footpath is still illegal if not a child on a child's bike, defined by the wheels being 20" or less. One can't get away with a Moulton, the small wheel, 15", bikes that folded, now if in mint condition worth a small fortune.
Train and bike works wonderfully on local trains here in Devon. I take it on the mainline too and it doesn’t fit in the stupid little spaces (the idea that you can get 4 adult bikes in the bike section is ridiculous) but find cyclists and staff are happy to muck in together to make it work. The worst was when I went to Weymouth on the train via Bristol and the train to Weymouth was packed with commuters but we all made it work with popping off and back on again at stations. I’ve never told any station staff about putting the bike on the train – the boards tell us where to wait for the bike door and people just do it. Maybe it’s just better down this way? I always have a small strap with me to tie up the bike. Taking my bike on the train enhances cycling.
Everything you experienced from Crewe onwards on this journey is typical of Avanti. Substandard, inconsistent and everything that First Group have proven to be in other rail franchises!
From the cycle fiasco at Crewe, there should have been a Train Manager there to help you load it (not a member of platform staff) but their staff are so unreliable that it could genuinely end up being the case that you never get to board before they send the train on its merry way! The shop being shut was just par for the course…
Unfortunately, unless you are travelling without a bike, and only for one stop on a 15 minute journey (lets say), Avanti are absolutely useless and always will be. How they still operate is beyond me, and just sums up leadership in this Country. Bring back Virgin I say!
Taking a bike as a normal thing, it is sensible to have a rack and panniers for your luggage add shopping and refreshments
The guy at Crewe had a day off.
You are NOT permitted to ride bikes on the pavement. From the earliest days, magistrate's courts began to classify bicycles as horses bringing you under the Highways Act of 1835, which declares it to be an offence to "wilfully lead or ride a horse upon a pavement". It is even an offence to wheel your bike along a pavement (wilfully leading your horse). You should be on the pavement wheeling your bike in the gutter ! The idea was that other than when crossing the road, pedestrians should have somewhere to walk without being ankle deep in (you know what). It is why we have raised kerb stones. What your bike may deposit on the pavement, I am not quite sure, and wheeling your bike in the gutter is not so easy now that there are parked cars by the kerbside all over the place. I have not heard of anyone being prosecuted for wheeling a bike on the pavement for decades but, in the 1920s and 1930s there was a rash of riding on the pavement prosecutions for bumping up the kerb to cross the pavement to pedestrian gates, even if only straddling the bicycle (not riding). The problem became significant because so many houses with front gardens were built at that time so the "offence" became more common and the police felt the need to be officious. Regardless, RIDING ALONG the pavement can get you a hefty fine with costs.
As for where you rode down that bit with pavement wall to wall between the buildings, although THEY don't want you to know, I suspect that it is still a public highway so you were alright on that bit (I think).
Anyway. Don't ride on the pavement. See the Highway Code.
In Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenija, you just turn up with your bike. There is a charge in Slovakia of €4.50. There is no help. Load it and unload it yourself. It is not for the faint-hearted. Most platforms are just inches above the ground and you have to negotiate 4 steep steps The doors are at the ends of all trains and you can stand with your bike between the doors outside of the seating area if not going far, or, strap it to the luggage rack in the seating area and watch it all the time if you want.
Električky a trolejbusy (trams and trolley buses) in Brataslava are driven by lunatics who take full advantage of the electric acceleration and deceleration. Bikes, pushchairs, wheelchairs, scooters etc are carried free in the large space through the middle doors. Putting the brakes on, on pushchairs and wheelchairs is fairly effective but keeping control of a bike and overcoming the G-force on corners is something else. As a passenger, with or without luggage, they are journeys to remember and very fast. Hang on tight. If you can get a seat, STILL hang on tight especially if facing foreward when the driver slams on the anchors.
We had a very uncomfortable ride from the railway station to the airport on the 61 trolleybus, Wednesday. Take off time came and went and our RyanAir contraption was still over the Czech Republic. It eventually arrived and within 10 minutes we were all on board, we took off 32 minutes late, listened to Tony, an East London Jack the Lad whose safety announcement was almost unintelligible (Know wot are mean. Awlwight …. geezer) There was an announcement in perfect Slovak but there were Hungarians on board. As usual, safety announcements don't apply to them, they are convinced that they know everything so it didn't matter.
This time, Edinburgh. Next time, Tour de France! 😅🇫🇷 (good info for those travelling with their bike 🚲)
You did well to get a bike onto an Avanti train, booked or not. In my past experiences with them, they seem to treat cyclists with disdain . Scot Rail are just wonderful and do everything to help a cyclist. The difference between the two companies at the same station, astounded me. Another interesting video, thank you.
Awesome video and very handy
It IS illegal to ride a bike on a pavement.
Great video Mark
Good stuff
Great video Mark! Some of the trains in Ireland have space for two bikes at the end of one carriage and others have a similar section by itself to what you had to use here in Crewe.
Also great to see someone learning Irish, especially a non-native speaker! Have you any plans to travel to a Gaeltacht area in Ireland? There are lots of resources for Irish language learning including a tv channel (TG4) which is fully in Irish and plenty of Irish language tv shows on that channel.