Our Bike/Bus page lists UK bike restrictions on UK bus, coach & tram services. Folding bikes travel free and without restriction on all coach and tram services unless stated.
If you have any official or unofficial information on cycle carriage, please
share it with us by e-mail.
We are grateful to local authorities, individual cycle users and the Cyclists Touring Club for information on cycle carriage.
Please note
For cycling routes near stations, visit Sustrans. Enter the station POST CODE in the blue box then click FIND. The resulting MAP shows routes close to the station.
Barry Doe‘s excellent rail map gives a clear picture of all UK operators and routes.
Routes: Carlisle – Borders – Berwick Folding bikes: At driver’s discretion Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles are not permitted. Covered folding bikes and other luggage are carried at the driver’s discretion.
Routes: National coach operator Folding bikes: No restrictions, but we would always recommend keeping the bike well covered and treating as normal luggage Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles must be packed flat and wrapped up.
Routes: London-Oxford Folding bikes: No restrictions but we would always recommend keeping the bike well covered and treating as normal luggage Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Most buses carry up to three bikes in the luggage hold.
Routes:Reading and Woking – Heathrow Airport,Luton Airport Station – Luton Airport Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Bicycles and tricycles are not permitted.
Covered folding bikes and other luggage are carried at the driver’s discretion. Luton Airport is only a short ride from the new dedicated railway station. For Heathrow, we suggest taking a local Great Western train to Hayes & Harlington (from Reading), or a South West Trains service to Feltham (from Woking or Reading) – see individual entries above for restrictions. Feltham is a short distance from Terminal 4. Hayes & Harlington is convenient for Terminals 1, 2 & 3 via the cycle tunnel.
Routes: Croydon – Elmers End, Beckenham Junction, New Addington Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
A vital interchange with other public transport operators in south London. Bicycles are not carried, but folding bikes are unrestricted.
Routes: Manchester – Altrincham,Bury, Eccles, Manchester Airport & Rochdale Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: No
Bicycles are not permitted, but compact folding bikes may be carried without restriction if ‘fully-folded’ and ‘fully encased’. A victory for common sense.
Routes: Birmingham Snow Hill – Wednesbury- Wolverhampton Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: No
Bicycles are not permitted. Following a number of test-cases, Centro has confirmed that ‘fully-folded’ folding bikes will be accepted without restriction.
Routes: Nottingham cross-city tram services Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Not permitted
Although NET’s publicity leaflets and website make no mention of bikes, there are areas to lock bikes at most tram-stops (lockers at Hucknall Railway Station, nearby at Trinity Square, nearby at Fletcher Gate and at Nottingham Railway Station), but bikes are not allowed on the trams themselves. Folding bikes are welcomed though, and there is plenty of space to store the bikes, even in rush hour.
Routes: Local services around Sheffield Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles are not permitted. Folding bikes and other luggage are carried at the driver’s discretion. Technically folders should be covered, but you can expect to get on with an uncovered Brompton or similar micro-folder.
Routes: Nationwide coach operator Folding bikes: No restrictions and some interurban services have interior luggage space for two folded Bromptons, but we would always recommend keeping the bike well covered and treating as normal luggage Tandems and tricycles: No, but bicycles are carried in the boot if there is room, so a tandem could be carried in theory.
Routes: Local services around Newcastle Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles are not permitted. Approved folding bikes travel without restriction on all services.
This page lists restrictions on bike carriage aboard UK ferry services. There are many regulations, but folding bikes travel free and without restriction on all ferry services, although you may have to cover the bike and carry it on, which could mean carrying the bike for some distance.
See Bike/Rail Travel Guide. If you have any official or unofficial information on cycle carriage, please share it with us by e-mail.
We are grateful to local authorities, individual cycle users and the Cyclists Touring Club for information on cycle carriage.
Please note
For cycling routes near stations, visit Sustrans. Enter the station POST CODE in the blue box then click FIND. The resulting MAP shows routes close to the station.
Routes: Plymouth – Roscoff, Poole/Portsmouth – Cherbourg, Portsmouth – Le Havre, St Malo/Caen Plymouth/Portsmouth – Santander, Portsmouth – Bilbao Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Brittany Ferries introduced peak-time cycle fares on all routes several years ago, but these were later applied all year round. Like DFDS, the company has now changed a flexible system, so there is no set fee for a bicycle, the actual fare being determined on the basis of demand at the time of booking. The supplement seems to vary from £5 to £10. Reservations: 0871 244 0744
Routes: Numerous routes between the Scottish mainland and islands Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: No restrictions
Refreshingly, bicycles still travel free on all routes, but there are no facilities for pre-booking, so there is always a slight chance that your chosen ferry may not have space. Very unlikely outside of the peak holiday season. Reservations: 0800 066 5000
Routes:Poole – Channel Islands & St Malo Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles now travel free, but they should be pre-booked when you buy your tickets, and space is not guaranteed. There is a click box on the booking form labelled ‘Bicycle, wheeled on’. Folding bicycles travel free, but are subject to a 15kg personal luggage allowance. Reservations: 0845 609 1026
Routes: Newcastle – Ijmuiden (Amsterdam), Newhaven – Dieppe, Dover – Dunkirk or Calais Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
This is not as easy as it used to be! The old idea of charging a set supplement for bicycles has gone out of the window, because in most cases there is no ‘walk-on’ fare, indeed, no fixed fare at all, although there are minimums (bike and rider) of £20 single from Dover, £28 single from Newhaven, and £5 (plus cabin) from Newcastle to Ijmuiden.
Rather bizarrely, the DFDS booking engine can only see a ‘vehicle’, so it treats a group as though they were passengers in the same machine! If you want to book a group of cyclists, you will need to book each one individually, in order to obtain tickets covering the same number of bicycles. Surely, then, it’s possible to book – for example – one touring bike at £29, plus four ‘passengers’, each carrying their own folding bikes. If you do this, the first will pay nothing, and the others just £5 each? If you’ve tested this theory, do let us know. Reservations: 0871 574 7223
Routes:Portsmouth – Ryde, Isle of Wight Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: No
Bicycles used to be banned outright, but they are now carried free of charge in the hovercraft’s ‘pannier’, whatever that might be, subject to space being available, and as there is normally only space for two bicycles, cyclists are advised to book in advance. Report to a member of staff on arrival for assistance with loading. Covered folding bikes travel as hand luggage without restriction, up to a total luggage weight limit of 30kg.
Routes: Holyhead – Dublin & Pembroke – Rosslare Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Irish Ferries says bicycles are welcome on all its services, but subject to a fare of £9 per single journey. Pre-booking is not obligatory, but might be advisable in the peak season. Reservations: 0818 300 400
Routes: Heysham/Liverpool – Douglas, Isle of Man Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles are carried free when accompanied by a fare-paying passenger. Tel: 01624 661661
Routes: Penzance – Isles of Scilly Folding bikes: Treated as conventional bikes Tandems and tricycles: No
Bicycles, including folders, are carried, but must be pre-booked, with a fee of £13 each way. As far as we know, this makes this makes the Isles of Scilly the only route (and we’re including some very tiny ferries) where you have to pay for and pre-book a folding bike. The good news is that the company is thinking of liberalising the regime from 2017. Tel: 01736 334220 Email:sales@islesofscilly-travel.co.uk
Routes: Portsmouth-Le Havre, Saint-Nazaire – Gijon Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
The bicycles supplement varies according to the route. Saint-Nazaire to Gijon the bicycle effectively travels free (foot passengers are not carried), and Portsmouth to Le Havre, the supplement is £3. In all cases, bicycles must be booked in advance when you buy your tickets. Tel: 0844 576 8836
Routes:Aberdeen- Kirkwall (Orkney), Aberdeen-Lerwick (Shetland) & Scrabster (Thurso) – Stromness (Orkney) Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Not permitted
A small, friendly company, very keen to find ways to help cyclists move around the Highlands and Islands. Bicycles are welcome and carried free on all services, the Aberdeen ferry being a useful way of avoiding bicycle restrictions on the Highland rail network when returning from the Orkney Islands. Note though, that the online booking system can only deal with one bicycle per booking, so groups should make their bookings by phone to the contact centre. Reservations: 0845 6000 449 Email:customer.services@poferries.com
Routes: Southampton – Cowes & Lymington – Yarmouth, Isle of Wight Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Bicycles are carried free on the vehicle ferry services to and from Yarmouth and East Cowes, but the high speed Red Jet Catamaran from Southampton to West Cowes carries only covered folding bikes as hand luggage. The new Red Jet 6, entering service in 2016 will carry bicycles on this route. Tel: 0844 844 9988
Route:Harwich – Esbjerg Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
The advance information may yet prove optimistic, but Danish company Regina claims it will start operations in March 2016, and that it will carry bicycles free on its three weekly sailings, with no need to book. Definitely the ferry for Denmark and northwest Europe.
Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Routes: Fishguard – Rosslare, Holyhead – Dublin, Liverpool or Cairnryan – Belfast
Stena now welcomes bicycles on all these UK (and France)-Ireland ferry routes, subject to a fee of £10 per single journey, bookable via the website where you’ll find a tick-box for ‘bicycle’, but you can also pay before you board. Harwich – Hoek van Holland
Stena now welcomes bicycles on all ferries on the Harwich-Hoek van Holland route, subject to a fee of £4 per single journey, bookable via the website where you’ll find a tick-box for ‘bicycle’. Other Routes:
Unless you can tell us otherwise, we know of no charge for bicycles and no booking requirements. Tel: 01233 647047 Reservations: 0990 455455
All other operators
Routes: UK – Republic of Ireland Folding bikes: No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Unless you can tell us otherwise, we know of no charge for bicycles and no booking requirements on ferries to the Republic of Ireland.
Professor Pivot answers your electric bike technical questions…
What is VOLTAGE and which Voltage is best?
Voltage can be thought of as the pressure or strength of electric power. All things being equal (see AMPS below), the higher the voltage the better, because high voltages pass more efficiently through wires and motors. Very high voltages (100+ volts) can give you a nasty shock because they also travel through people rather well, but the sort of voltages found on electric bikes (12 – 36 volts) are quite safe. In the early days,12-volt systems were used for low-powered machines, but today the industry norm is 36 volts, with a trend towards 48 volts, especially for more powerful machines. Electric mopeds and motorcycles tend to use 48 or 60 volts.
What are AMPS?
Amps can be thought of as the volume or quantity of electric power. To aid this analogy, the flow of amps is called the current, as in the flow of a river. Unlike a river, though, the speed of the current is fixed – only the volume varies.
The maximum flow of amps in a bike drive system can vary from 10 to 60 or more. A current of 60 amps requires thick wiring and quite substantial switchgear.
What are WATTS?
Once we know the voltage (or pressure) and current (or volume), we can calculate the power, or wattage by multiplying the two figures together. The number of watts in a system is the most important figure of all, because it defines the power output. A few examples of electric bikes:
The Zap motor draws 20 Amps x 12 Volts = 240 Watts
The Giant Twist Lite draws 15 Amps x 24 Volts = 360 Watts
The Powabyke draws 20 Amps x 36 Volts = 720 Watts
The Curry Drive draws 40 Amps x 24 Volts = 960 Watts
Despite having a fairly low voltage, the Curry is the most powerful motor, followed by the Powabyke and the Twist, with the Zap coming in last. It’s impossible to calculate the power without knowing both the number of amps and volts. Large machines, like cars, trains and trucks have their power measured in the same way – usually as kilowatts, or units of 1,000 watts. The old-fashioned ‘horsepower’ unit is the equivalent of about 750 watts.
I thought the legal limit for electric bikes was 250 Watts in the UK?
Well, yes and no. The legal limit refers to the continuous power output, whereas the figures above are for absolute maximum power. Most motors can give maximum output for a minute or two, but they’d melt if asked to do it all day – just like a cyclist. Obviously, maximum power is more useful than continuous power as a guide to the way a bike will climb a hill. Look at the spec of bikes on sale and you may see 200 watts, 250 watts or (illegally) 400 watts. These figures are only a rough guide to the true maximum power output.
How many watts do I need?
As a general rule, a cyclist can produce several hundred watts briefly, and one hundred watts for a reasonable length of time. To be really useful, a motor needs to produce another 100 Watts on a continuous basis, with peak power of at least 400 watts. Just to confuse things, our measurements are of power consumption – losses in the motor and drive system mean that the power output to the wheel can be much lower.
If you expect the motor to do most of the work, especially in a hilly area, you’ll want a peak consumption of 600 watts or more. On the other hand, if you prefer gentle assistance, a peak of 200 watts may be enough. For a moped, power will be measured in thousands of watts (kilowatts or kW) rather than watts. A continuous rating of one kilowatt will just about keep up with city traffic, but two or three are more useful, and motorcycles will obviously need a lot more to keep up with traffic out of town.
How big a battery do I need?
The capacity of the battery is usually measured as the amount of current it can supply over time (defined as amp/hours). However, this is useless on its own, because you’ll need to know the voltage too. By multiplying the two figures together, we get watt/hours – a measure of the energy content of the battery. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple… but you didn’t think it would be, did you? In practice, you’re unlikely to get results that match the stated capacity of a battery, because battery capacity varies according to the temperature, battery condition, and the rate that current is taken from it.
Lead/acid batteries are tested at the ’20-Hour’ rate. This is the number of amps that can be continuously drawn from the battery over a period of 20 hours. However, an electric bike will usually exhaust its battery in an hour or two, and at this higher load, the battery will be much less efficient. So the figures for lead/acid batteries tend to look optimistic.
On the other hand, Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries are rated at a 1-Hour discharge rate, so although the stated capacity of a NiCd battery might only be half that of a lead/acid battery, performance on an electric bike will be much the same. Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries (NiMH) are measured at the 5-Hour rate, so their performance tends to be somewhere between the two.
The default capcity for an electric bike battery in 2015 is 360Wh (36 volts x 10 amp/hours), but capacities are gradually increasing. In the past they have varied widely, from Powabyke’s 504 watt/hour giant (36 volts x 14 amp/hours) to the tiny 84 watt/hour pack on the early SRAM Sparc kit.
It’s best to choose a package that will provide twice your normal daily mileage. It’s difficult to guess the mileage from the watt/hour capacity, because actual performance depends on the bike and motor efficiency, battery type, road conditions, and your weight and level of fitness.
How can I measure the efficiency of an electric bike?
We measure overall efficiency by dividing the watt/hours used by the battery charger by the mileage achieved, giving a figure of watt/hours per mile. This varies according to the terrain, the weight and riding style of the rider and the type of battery and charger, but our figures are measured in exactly the same way for each test, so they should be comparable, bike against bike. The best we’ve seen is 8 watt/hours per mile, and the worst is 32… Typically, an electric bike will consume 10 – 20 watt/hours per mile. So a big battery like the Powabyke’s will give a range of between 15 miles (doing all the work in quite hilly terrain) and 50 miles (a joint effort in flat terrain). This is fine for most uses, although it’s a big, heavy battery. A typical 360Wh Li-ion battery should give a range of about 25 miles.
Do electric bikes recharge when you coast downhill?
With the exception of the Canadian BionX, the answer is generally NO. Taking into account wind-resistance, road friction and so on, there’s surprisingly little energy left over for recharging the battery, even before generator and battery losses are taken into account. In most systems the motor coasts when you ride downhill, but those that don’t (mainly electric scooters) are capable of putting back only 15% of the power absorbed climbing the hill. Regenerative systems do have their advantages though – mainly in reducing brake wear and over-heating.
Which battery type is best?
Lead-acid batteries are cheap and easily recycled, but they are sensitive to maltreatment and have a limited life. They are rare on modern bikes.
Weight for weight, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) gives more capacity, but it’s expensive and the cadmium is a nasty pollutant and difficult to recycle when the battery fails. The life is greater, which tends to compensate, but disposal problems mean that nickel-cadmium has been phased out. Nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) is theoretically more efficient still, but these batteries are more expensive, and because the capacity is measured at the more generous 5-Hour rate, the advantage is not what it appears to be. Our experience is that NiMH offers little, if any, improvement in range over NiCd. They are, however, easier and safer to dispose of when they eventually fail, and the good ones will last for a considerable time.
But NiMH is now rare, because 95% of modern electric bikes come with Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. These are more weight-efficient than the other types, and are very sensitive to abuse, and have a much shorter life even if looked after with great care. Charging and discharging must be carefully controlled to prevent the cells going into terminal meltdown, so either the charger, the battery or both will be packed with electronics. Fires are now rare(!), but initial hopes that costs would tumble proved unfounded, and these batteries are still expensive. Cheaper brands abound, but their life can be very limited. Despite these problems, the Li-ion has become the default battery. Lithium-ion Polymer (usually called Li-pol) doesn’t really offer any performance advantage in terms of weight or range of Li-ion, but it’s safer and can be moulded into interesting shapes. The life of Li-ion batteries is gradually improving, but you’re still doing well to see four years.
Which charger is best?
Swings and roundabouts here. Batteries do not take kindly to fast charging, although NiCd and NiMH are more tolerant than lead-acid, which can start very fast, but prefers a long tapering charge thereafter. A fast (sub four hour) charger makes a great difference to the flexibility of an electric machine. You can, for instance, travel for the full range in the morning, recharge while visiting a friend, and run home in the afternoon. No lead-acid charger can do this, although the best NiCd or NiMH chargers will. Newer Li-ion batteries with the control circuitry on board usually have a very simple charger, but the charge rate with this type will be relatively slow for safety reasons. An advantage is that most 36-volt designs now come with a standard 3-pin battery plug, so the chargers are often interchangeable. For basic commuting, an overnight charger is safest and kindest to the battery, but if you expect to push a high daily mileage, you’ll need something faster.
Should I choose a brushless motor?
Broadly speaking, there are three types of electric motor –
Direct Current motors – simple but comparatively heavy and slightly less efficient, and Brushless DC (BLDC) motors – smaller, lighter and more efficient over a broader speed range, but with complicated wiring Sensorless, brushless DC (Sensorless BLDC) motors – even smaller, lighter and more efficient, with simpler wiring, but slightly tricky to start
Direct Current motors have brushes to transfer power into the rotating bit. They are simple and reasonably reliable, but now very rare, fitted to abut 5% of bikes. The vast majority (around 80%) of electric bikes now use brushless DC motors. These are a bit more efficient, because they use electronics and sensors in the motor to do the bit the mechanical brushes do, but the sensors are linked to the control box by tiny wires, so they’re vulnerable to mechanical damage. A more recent development is the brushless, sensorless DC motor, fitted to about 15% of bikes, but the number is gradually increasing. This uses clever electronics to eliminate both the brushes and the sensors, so everything is simpler except the electronics, which are fiendish. Sensorless BLDC will probably take over from BLDC, but don’t rule out Direct Curent brushed motors! They may have mechanical brushes, but they’re mercifully short of complex electronics.
What should I look for in an electric bike?
We’ve put together an electric bike specification wish-list below. At the present time, there are no machines that win in every category, but the closer yours gets the better. If the salesman is unable to provide all the answers, or starts blustering or attempting to blind you with science, we’d recommend looking elsewhere. A good shop should be able to provide most of the figures in a straightforward and honest manner, but some are quite incompetent:
Weight: Less than 30kg (66lb)
Price: Obviously as little as possible, but realistically, expect to pay £1,000+
Maximum assisted speed: Not less than 15mph (legal maximum), and preferably 18mph
Peak power: More than 300 watts
Power consumption: Less than 10 watt/hours per mile
Range**: More than 25-30 miles
Battery type: NiMH or Li-ion (nickel-metal hydride or lithium-ion)
Replacement battery price: As little as possible, but realistically, you’ll have to pay £300-£400 for a decent one. Whatever the price, INSIST on a two year guarantee
** You’ll need to verify this for yourself – manufacturers figures are universally dubious
A few other pointers: If you are expecting to tackle very steep hills (in excess of 17%, or 1 in 6), we’d recommend a Crank Drive motor. This type puts power through the rear gear system and can be fine-tuned to suit almost any environment. It’s the best system if you can afford it. The more common Hub Motor effectively has only one gear, and although some are very powerful, it will prove less efficient in a really hilly area. For most other purposes a hub motor is fine, but avoid Friction Drive unless you intend to make light use of the bike. The roller and/or the tyre tend to wear out in a few hundred miles.
FIRST PUBLISHED February 2012 Gocycle, Ultramotor, Brompton
This humble organ would never stoop so low as to spread gossip and innuendo about respectable manufacturers. That said, strange things are happening to Gocycle and others, and one feels duty bound to report them, under the much abused journalistic principle that exposure might be in the public interest. Or put another way, if the public are interested, they will continue to purchase this scurrilous rag.
Gocycle issues
First for dissection is GoCycle, an interesting British demountable electric bike introduced by Richard Thorpe’s Karbon Kinetics (KKL) in early 2009. Despite a zillion hours of bench-top fatigue testing and the attention of multi-gender, multi-ethnic focus groups, the GoCycle seems to have suffered from a few issues whilst in production, but nothing terminal, and the Mole for one rather enjoyed its jaunty ride and useful take-apart foldability.
In early 2011, stocks of the optimistically named G1 had been depleted, and the expectation was that an altogether whizzier G2 version, complete with Li-ion battery and other novelties, would follow after a decent interval.
After rather a long gestation, the G2 was finally launched in September 2011, but no bikes followed, and the company went quiet, before announcing in November that Singaporean company Flextronics would be its manufacturing partner.
Judging by the press release, there is clear synergy between KKL and Flextronics. If nothing else, they both speak the same impenetrable gobbledygook: KKL announced that the deal would enable it, ‘…to capitalize on growing international demand for the Gocycle product portfolio by leveraging Flextronics’ advanced manufacturing solutions and global supply chain logistics capabilities’. Nice and clear. Flextronics responded that Gocycle would be, ‘an exciting addition to our diverse Clean Tech solutions portfolio.’ We hope they’ll be very happy together.
Flextronics is one of these companies you can’t easily get a handle on, if only because it’s hard to understand what they’re on about. In the old days, a manufacturing company manufactured things with spanners and wrenches, but Flextronics’ literature speaks disappointingly about ‘solutions’ rather than products: High Reliability Solutions, High Velocity Solutions, Integrated Network Solutions, and those all important Clean Tech Solutions.
Judging by similar tie-ups (Flextronics seems to manufacture electric motorcycles for US company Brammo), Flextronics takes care of all the manufacturing hassles, leaving the innovators to innovate.
This brings us no nearer to actually getting to grips with where GoCycle stands, and where it might be going. KKL has been strangely quiet since the merger/take-over/partnering solution. A few 3,000 Euro ‘limited edition’ G2R models were apparently let loose in Europe back in November 2011, but those pre-production bikes seem to have disappeared without trace. Meanwhile, the word is that the G2 will appear in March 2012, a full 13 months after the last G1 was sold. At this rate it will be selling to a completely new generation of cyclists.
Talking of solutions, a common solution to manufacturing woes these days is to be taken over by an Indian company, the subcontinent apparently being flush with takeover cash, despite receiving a reported £1.4 billion in UK aid each year, much to the fury of the Daily Mail.
Ultramotor joins Hero
This was the jolly fate of Ultra Motor, the electric bike manufacturer which shed its much bigger Taiwanese subsidiary, before going wheels up in November last year. Within a few weeks, the parent company had been bought for an undisclosed sum by Hero Eco, a newly formed division of an Indian company that started making bicycles in the 1950s and now has an annual turnover of more than a billion pounds.
To Hero, Ultra Motor cost peanuts, and will be used to fuel its relentless global expansion. The intention is to sever links with China and Taiwan, once existing contracts have been worked out, and transfer production to India. Hero Eco is expected to achieve turnover of £200 million within five years, and somehow you just know it’ll hit the target.
Brompton – where’s the Beef?
Back in dear old blighted Blighty, Brompton continues to do well, with buoyant sales and healthy finances, despite or perhaps because of – swingeing price increases of nearly 8% on some models.
All jolly good, but what seems to be missing from Brompton these days is the engineering innovation.You know the sort of thing: gears, tyres, wheels – the spinning bits that turn a bicycle from a static display piece into something useful.
Between 2005 and 2009, Brompton introduced three new variants, a singlespeed hub, lightweight titanium options, a wide-ratio geared hub and new tyres. In the following three years, the company introduced, er, a cosmetic pedal, an alloy seat pillar (later quietly withdrawn), a jacket, a ‘unique’ T-shirt, some limited edition graphics and one solitary engineering advance, the taller ‘H’ type handlebars.
The power-assisted Brompton variant was expected to put the stamp of authority on the abilities of the new management team, but the project seems to have gone on the backburner. According to Brompton’s own website, ‘The pursuit of improvements is the lifeblood of any innovative and ground-breaking manufacturer’. As our colourful U.S. cousins might respond, ‘Where’s the beef?’
Whether you believe the catastrophic predictions being made by some scientists, or prefer the lower key approach of others, there’s no doubt the world is heading for uncertain times, thanks to our misuse of resources, primarily over-consumption of ‘fossil’ fuels. But we can ALL do something about it.
Reducing or eliminating car use
Motor vehicles are a very real problem. More than a quarter of all CO2 put into the atmosphere in the UK comes from transport, and nearly all of that from the road transport sector. A typical two-car household will consume 77 kW of energy per DAY just running the cars. That’s more than the energy consumption of a typical home. Just think about that for a minute – we are using more energy travelling around than we are cooking, bathing, keeping our houses light and warm, watching TV and every other power-consuming activity. There are many ways to reduce your reliance on the car. We use bicycles for short journeys, and the train for long journeys. In between, we use electric bicycles and folding bikes that can be carried by train or bus. By these means, we have more or less eliminated our transport energy consumption.
A folding bicycle enables you to integrate your life with often irregular and poorly integrated public transport. For more information, we suggest starting with the page Why Choose a Folding Bike? More recently, electric-assist bicycles have begun to make a real impact. Many people have now swapped a second car for an electric-assist cycle. For more information, we suggest starting with the page Why Choose an Electric Bike?
Reducing energy use in the home
By a number of measures we reduced the energy consumption of our home (plus the A to B office and all electric bicycle charging) from the national average of about 70 kW to 22.5 kW per day. More information can be found in A to B 53 – see Back Numbers for more information.
Generate your own power
Not as easy as it sounds, but in July 2006 we moved house and our new home had an unshaded south-facing roof, making it ideal for Solar Photovoltaic panels that generate electric power from the sun. Once again, full details in A to B 56, see Back Numbers for more information.
Obviously moving house caused a great deal of disruption (and extra CO2!), but things soon settled down. We fitted cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and double glazing, and in mid-October 2006 our Solar PV roof came on stream with the roofersdublin.net dublin services. There were still many problems – our wood-burner was not yet fitted and we were cooking electric while the gas supply was sorted out (this would run on for months), but the table below indicates our daily energy usage when the PV was first fitted. Total electricity consumption is something of an estimate, because our digital house to grid meter is unable to run backwards, so we have to estimate how much power is being exporting to other nearby houses. We’ve assumed that about 3kWh of our daytime power generation is actually being used in the house, with the remainder being exported. On this basis (reasonably accurate) we have done quite well, actually crossing the barrier into carbon neutrality in the first week of April 2007. Since then, we have regularly crossed that magic barrier in June, July and August.
Our Average Daily Power Consumption
Average Daily Power Consumption
Month / Year
Notes
Gas(kWh)
Grid Electricity(kWh)
Solar Electricity(kWh)
Solar Hot Water(kWh)
Total Per Day(kWh)
% from Renewables
Running Annual Average
October 2006
We had inherited an inefficient gas central heating system, which accounts for almost all of that 29 kW a day, despite sparing use. The good news is that our wood burner was finally installed on 4th November, and the central heating was finally turned off. October is a bad time for Solar PV, but the last week was very good, and for the three weeks the solar PV was in operation, we generated 30% of our electric power this way. How will the woodburner get on? How much sunshine will we see? Find out next month!
29.0
7.6
3.0
–
39.6
8%
–
November 2006
Wow! What a difference a month makes! The woodburner has proved up to the task of heating the whole house, and runs well on recycled timber of various kinds. This has more or less eliminated our gas useage (we only turn the boiler on for baths). It’s also been a good month for PV. The result is 16% (plus the wood, of course) from renewable sources.
8
10.1
3.7
–
21.8
17%
–
December 2006
A miserable month. Very little sun and increasing electricity consumption. The only good news is that the gas boiler has barely been used at all.
1.5
10.9
1.6
–
14
11%
–
January 2007
Continuing nasty weather, but it’s a amazing how a few bright mornings can generate a lot of PV power, keeping the percentage up despite growing demand. Over one weekend, we produce more than 10 kW. Our overall electricity consumption is up however – partly space-heating in a child’s bedroom, but also our new dishwasher! Can we bring consumption back down?
2.3
14.1
2.3
–
18.7
12%
–
February 2007
Some scientists think the recent pattern of hot summers and cold, wet, stormy winters will become the norm. If so, our power generation will be very seasonal! Despite some terrible weather, there were a handful of clear, bright days in February, some producing in excess of 10 kW. The mean of 4.3 is a big advance, and with slightly lower demand, helped to push the solar contribution up to 25%.
2.5
9.3
4.3
–
16.1
27%
–
March 2007
Interesting to see solar energy double in February and double again in March. Despite rather high consumption, that’s enough to get us very close to 50% from solar. Incidentally, if the energy useage seems high, it covers our business, home and all electric bike transport, so pretty low considering. We’re working hard to cut household and office consumption.
1.8
2.3
8.6
–
12.7
68%
–
April 2007
Super-fine weather in early April resulted in a week or so when we were net exporters of energy, but across the month as a whole, we narrowly failed to beat that 100% target. All the same, 98% from renewable sources overall is quite good going for the time of year.
1.24
-1
10.6
–
10.8
98%
–
May 2007
A mixed bag of weather in May drops our home generation total. But towards the end of the month we install three Schott solar water panels to back up the PV and replace our aging gas boiler with a new condensing boiler designed to accept solar pre-heated water . This should reduce our energy consumption further, but will we simply use more of this wonderful new source of hot water?
1.7
-0.5
9.6
–
10.8
89%
–
June 2007
New boiler and new pre-heating panels have meant a bit more luxury, and a near halving of our gas consumption. Disappointingly, two weeks of terrible weather knocked back our solar power from what should have been the best month of the year.
0.99
-0.7
8.7
–
9
97%
–
July 2007
These figures are a little difficult to interpret: SOLAR ELECTRICITY: It was one of the wettest (and darkest) Julys on record – solar electricity generation was lower than it might have been! GRID ELECTRICITY: With builders working in the house almost every day, baking for a family party and other odds and ends, we used more grid electricity than we might have expected, but overall consumption is down because part of the load for the dishwasher, washing machine and shower is now provided by gas GAS: The new pre-heating boiler works well, and has reduced electricity demand, but we’re using more gas! Some fine-tuning might be useful : On hot days, hot water is supposed to flow from the solar tank direct to the taps, leaving the boiler off. It does, but the boiler often cuts in unnecessarily. Something to look into when the last bits of plumbing arrive SOLAR HOT WATER: Overall energy consumption appears to be up, because we’ve recorded the amount of solar hot water produced, which has little to with the amount used. The process of getting energy from the roof to the bath is rather inefficient, but it’s free energy, and even if we only manage to use a quarter of it, we’re still cutting our fossil fuel consumption. By managing the solar supply better, we should be able to improve on these figures!
1.4
-1.6
9.3
4 est
13.1
102%
–
August 2007
Our best ever result, thanks to two weeks of more or less unbroken sun. All the same, the days are getting shorter, so we have to expect lower power figures from now on.
0.8
-1.9
9
3.9
11.8
109%
–
September 2007
Oh dear! Not a good month for various reasons. Builders still using a lot of power, which explains our relatively high electricity consumption, but the gas is a bit of a mystery. One possibility is that we’re simply using the solar system to have more hot baths!
2.9
1.8
7.9
3.4 est
16
71%
–
October 2007
This is more the sort of thing we were hoping to achieve. Producing 50% of your energy from renewable sources in October really is not bad in the UK. Gas consumption is still higher than we hoped, but it’s good to see the solar water still coming on stream almost every day, pre-heating the cold feed water.
3.4
3.5
4.8
2.1
13.8
50%
62.6%
November 2007
The lack of pre-heat to the water tank (zero on many damp, dark days) shows in the higher gas consumption. And it’s been a bad month for solar electricity too. All things considered, we’re lucky to have produced 25% of our energy.
5.1
7.4
2.9
1.3
16.7
25%
63.3%
December 2007
Several changes – a new more efficient washing machine, and a new gas/electric cooker, instead of the electric only model. And a pretty miserable month.
6.3
8.2
1.6
0.7
16.7
14%
63.5%
January 2008
A new baby has added a lot of extra energy consumption in the short-term. For two or three nights, we kept the central heating on, and of course, there’s a lot more washing! The other change, just noticeable in the figures, is a new gas/electric hybrid cooking stove. As we were previously all-electric, this has increased gas consumption a little and reduced electricity use by about the same amount.
7
7.8
2.8
1.2
18.8
21%
64.3%
February 2008
Not a warm and pleasant month, but plenty of sharp, cold frosty mornings. These are good for us, because the solar water and PV panels work extremely well, even with temperatures near or below freezing.
4.8
5.0
5.2
2.2
17.2
43%
65.6%
March 2008
Disappointingly high gas and electricity consumption this month. Hard to explain, but a baby means a lot of washing, and we used the central heating on two days – it’s a bit scary how fast the gas consumption can rise with just a few hours of central heating
6.2
4.4
6.8
2.9
20.3
63%
65.2%
April 2008
That’s a bit more like it, but we will have to get used to the idea of our consumption being higher now there are four of us.
3.5
-1.1
9.4
4.0 est
15.8
85%
64%
May 2008
Slightly down due to grotty weather.
3.4
-0.9
9.0
3.8
15.3
84%
63.7%
June 2008
Excellent weather and our best solar month yet.
2.4
-4.3
11.8
5.0
14.9
113%
65%
July 2008
Weather going downhill again. Gas consumption is stubbornly high – bit of a mystery, because the new cooker uses gas only for the rings, and the boiler should be pretty efficient. Electricity use is low, despite all the washing and cooking.
2.5
-1.0
9.4
4.0 est
14.9
90%
65%
August 2008
An appalling month – cloudiest August for 40 years, hence the very poor results. Add on considerable extra energy consumption for various reasons and it’s by far the worst result we’ve ever seen in August, and broadly similar to March.
4.5
3.1
7.4
3.2
18.2
58%
64%
September 2008
Better weather, but too late in the summer to make much of it. Our consumption remains stubbornly high, but that’s the impact of having a baby in the house, and a bigger busier office.
3.0
2.4
7.0
3.0 est
15.4
65%
65%
October 2008
Better weather, but too late in the summer to make much of it. Our consumption remains stubbornly high, but that’s the impact of having a baby in the house, and a bigger busier office.
4.6
4.7
4.6
2.0
15.9
42%
59%
2008 Nov
A miserable month.
5.9
8.9
2.3
1.0
18.1
18%
59%
December 2008
A relatively good month for solar power production, especially the PV panels which like the very cold weather we’ve been having, but the cold weather has meant several boosts from the gas-powered central heating, and entertaining at Christmas has added extra dishwasher use, and extra electricity consumption from other sources too. All things considered, we’ve done well to produce 14% of our power.
7.3
9.9
2.0
0.9
20.1
14%
58%
Jan, Feb, Mar 2009
Everything thrown at us, from snow to a big freeze, but some lovely sunny days too, so quite a good result.
Once upon a time, any 17-year-old could ride any powered two-wheeler of unlimited size and performance – now it’s a little more complicated. The law applying to your electric motorbike depends on the maximum speed of the machine, see below for details.
If an electric motorbike is restricted to 15mph, has a motor of 250 watts output or less, and has pedals, it is legally an electric bicycle and can be ridden by anyone aged 14 or over. They require no registration documents, number plates, tax disc or MOT. The rider does not need to be in possession of a licence. These bikes are not listed on this page.
And the excellent news in 2015 is that the UK government has finally agreed to bring electric motorcycles and scooters in line with electric cars, by offering grants. A total of ‘up to’ £7.5 million will be available to give 20% off the purchase price of electric bikes, capped at £1,500 per machine.
30mph Electric Motorbikes
If an electric motorbike is restricted to 30mph, the law treats it as a 30mph 50cc petrol scooter. They cannot be ridden on motorways. Riders must wear a helmet and the motorbike needs a registration document, number plate and (once it’s three years old) an MOT. Electric motorbikes must carry a tax disc, but as with all electric vehicles, road tax is free.
If you don’t have a car licence:
Can be ridden by anyone aged at least 16 with a Provisional moped licence and a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) certificate. These riders have to wear L-plates and cannot carry a pillion. To ride without L-plates, they must take a further practical and theory test. CBT costs £70-£100, and includes both off-road and on-road riding and training. The pass certificate is valid for two years, or if you pass the car test in the meantime, lasts forever.
If you do have a car licence:
If your Full car licence was obtained before 1st Dec 2001, you can ride a 30mph electric motorbike without L-plates or a CBT certificate. If it was obtained after 1st Dec 2001, you must have a CBT certificate first.
30mph+ Electric Motorbikes
These are treated as small motorcycles. Full car licence holders can no longer ride any of them without a valid CBT certificate. But with CBT, they can ride for the life of the CBT (two years), with L-plates – no passengers or motorway riding allowed. There is also a power limit of 11Kw/14.6bhp.
All the 30mph+ motorbikes and motorbikes listed on our Electric Motorbike Price Guide come into this category, apart from the Vectrix VX-1 and Zero ranges, plus the Quantya Track (which is off-road only), which exceed the power limit. To ride a Vectrix or Zero, car licence holders (and anyone else) will have to take the motorcycle theory and practical tests.
From our magazine reviews we’ve seen folding bikes come a long way since the early days and you can now expect a bike that has virtually the same performance characteristics as a full-sized bike. From folding mountain bikes to super-compact bikes, there’s practically a folding bike to fit every need.
Advantages of Owning a Folding Bike
Folding bikes used to be heavy, crude, hard to ride, slow to fold, and once in a while they collapsed in a heap. But in the early ’90s that all changed as rail operators and airlines began to tighten restrictions on conventional bike carriage. Fortunately, bikes that could be treated as hand luggage continued to travel free, and so the concept of a super-compact foldable bike caught on.
Today there are more than 150 folding bikes, and thanks to developments in small tyre technology and frame materials, the weight, ride quality and performance of the best is similar to that of their rigid cousins. Foldable bikes offer five primary advantages over conventional machines:
Free and unrestricted carriage on public transport
Relatively thief proof
Space-saving at home and elsewhere
urban multi-modal travel (such as rail/folding bike) is usually cheaper than using a car
High resale value
Not all foldable bikes fit in a suitcase, or fold in seconds, but they can be made significantly smaller when you’re not in the saddle. And they generally travel free and without booking restrictions on rail, bus, underground, ferry or air services. It’s that freedom to travel anywhere with your bike that gives folding bikes a magic quality. A folding bike can open up entirely new ways of travelling.
Choosing a Folding Bike
The more you pay, the lighter the machine. Expect to pay £500 or less for a 14kg clunker, £450 for a mid-range 12kg machine, or £1,000+ for something close to the exotic 10kg mark. That might sound expensive, but folding bikes keep their value. A second-hand Brompton, Birdy or Bike Friday will cost almost as much as a new machine, so it’s generally better to buy new if you can afford it.
Folded size is important too. If you are just carrying a couple of bikes into the country at the weekend by car or train, almost anything will fit the bill. But if you expect to commute by air, rail, bus, or metro, you’ll need a really compact machine that folds quickly. And to keep ahead of bike thieves it needs to be light, compact and quick to fold, or you’ll soon give up and put it back in the garage.
Small wheels usually give lighter steering and a harder ride, but forget all the stories about wobbly handling, hard work and unusably low gears. Folding bikes tend to be more manoeuverable than traditional bikes; they’re lighter; and most offer a low step-thru frame. They also tend to come in one size suitable for all the family, with a few quick adjustments.
Folding Bikes with Full-sized Wheels
If you really can’t live with small wheels, there are now a few folding bikes with conventional wheels, mainly from Dahon and Montague. These ‘full size’ folding bikes start at about £200. Other good full-size bikes include the Montague, and the Redlof range. Not currently available in the UK, the Redlof is widely distributed in the USA as the CariBike.
If you insist on a ‘conventional’ machine, why not make your own bike separable? It’s not as difficult (or as dangerous) as it sounds. US engineering company S&S Machine produces a range of frame couplings that are claimed to be stronger than the original tubes.
Grand Tourer Folding Bikes: 20-inch wheels and above
The real ‘compact’ folding bikes have wheels measuring 20-inches or less in diameter. As a general rule, bikes with 20-inch wheels perform well, but fold slowly, and produce a large (if lightweight) package. The best-known 20-inch bike is the Bike Friday, made by Green Gear in Oregon, USA. The company build custom-made MTBs, tourers, racers, triathlon machines and a new recumbent, with prices starting in the region of £1,000 or US$1,000..
There are much cheaper 20-inch machines, such as the Raleigh Boardwalk. It’s heavier than the Bike Friday and it doesn’t fold or ride with the same finesse, but it costs only £270, which gives some compensation.
It’s also worth mentioning the Moulton APB range. These machines aren’t really foldable bikes (they actually unbolt into two halves), but they will fit into a car boot, and have wonderful suspension, suitable for use off-road. Don’t buy one if you intend to commute regularly on the train, though. Most experienced APB owners split their bikes only in an emergency – it takes several minutes.
Super-compact Folding Bikes: 16 or 18-inch wheels
Bikes with 16 or 18-inch wheels have a more limited range, but with the right tyres and components, the best are capable of 50-100 mile rides. Generally, these are amongst the most compact and fast-folding machines, zipping down to suitcase dimensions in 20 seconds or much less.
Small wheels can give a harsh ride, so suspension is a must if you are riding any distance. These bikes are sufficiently compact to be wheeled around the supermarket, carried nonchalantly onto a bus, or even kept under your desk.
The British-made Brompton is king of the 16-inch bikes. It gives an excellent ride (thanks in part to rear suspension), it’s sturdy, and it folds very quickly to a smaller package than any other bike on the market. They cost from £600 and can be fitted with a neat range of quick-release luggage. Any downside? It’s a bit heavy at 11.2kg plus – if you want a lighter bike with a better ride the ‘Superlight’ Bromptons start at £1,125. The 18-inch German/Taiwanese Birdy has a light aluminium frame and full suspension, at the expense of a larger folded package but a price tag of £1,200 to £2,200. You can even specify off-road tyres, turning this road bike into a great little performer on tracks and trails.
Very Small Wheeled Folding Bikes: sub 16-inch
Below the 16-inch bikes are machines with 16×1.75 or 16×1.5 tyres. Confusingly, these measure 305mm across the rim, and little more than 15 inches overall. They are generally less sprightly on the road than the true 16-inch tyres. These bikes rarely offer suspension, and tend to get by with soft squidgy tyres that can make pedalling hard work. Strangely, most of them produce a larger folded package than the Brompton, despite their smaller wheels.
The best known 16×1.75 manufacturer is Dahon, and its 2011 offshoot Tern. Although Dahon bikes start at around £500, the company also ‘badge-engineers’ folding bikes for other manufacturers, and these can be much cheaper. We should also mentuion the unique Strida – a revamped version of the ‘stick’ folder from the 1980s. It has only one gear, but it’s light and relatively cheap.
At the bottom of the heap are a whole range of good, bad or indifferent, mostly Far-Eastern folding bikes. These tend to be heavy, with dodgy folding mechanisms, but they can be very cheap – from £100.
Choose the right folding bike and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one!
Judith and Neil Forsyth are pensioners living in a small town in Southern Germany. They have written a number of cycle touring guide books in English, set mainly in SW Germany. They took up writing guide books both as an attempt to ward off Alzheimer’s Disease and because they realised that at that time there were only guides in German about cycling in Germany. The publishing industry showed no interest in the books and so the Forsyths published a few books themselves. Later they adapted these books as e-books which can be ordered from Amazon and Smashwords. Cicerone has published one of their books: “Cycle Touring in Switzerland”. They are occasional contributors to “A to B” and similar arcane publications.
They have a website bicycletouringeurope.eu and write two blogs: http://europeancycling.blogspot.de/ – about life and cycling in Germany, and http://hiking-rambling-walking.blogspot.de/ – reports on their rambles.
Travelling Europe
Although many of us have a dream of cycle touring where we set off from home for six months to reach Gibraltar via Tromso, Helsinki and Athens or to visit the Black Sea coast via Hook of Holland, Heidelberg and Vienna, most of us have limited time to go on holiday. Even we pensioners cannot leave our modest little home for too long, because the lawn needs mowing or the flower beds need weeding. The first question when planning a spot of bicycle touring is, how do we get there? When travelling to Western Europe the answer to this question is often the plane, with the train being used for the last few miles. Railways in continental Europe are fortunately more cyclist-friendly than those in Britain. However railway operators sometimes make travel difficult for folks with bicycles, not to mention tricycles! The poor cyclist has to deal with a number of national organisations with different regulations in each country. We hope to find a way through the forest of tickets, websites and regulations to help the cyclist travel economically and trouble free through Europe.
A very useful starting guide to railways, both European and worldwide is the www.seat61.com website. We also enjoy the eclectic and interesting “Hidden Europe” magazine and its associated website and newsletter which offer very useful hints from time to time.
RailEurope Booking Form
How do I book a bicycle space? – Bicycle spaces need to be booked at the same time as you book your seat. To make your booking, phone the Rail Europe call centre or visit their London Travel Centre as bike spaces can’t be booked online.
You have three options if you and your bike are travelling to the Continent via the tunnel:
Fold it – Fold or dismantle your bike. Place it in a bike bag (90 x 120cm) with the saddle, handlebars and wheels removed, or in the case of a genuine folding bike, just neatly folded up. Carry it on board yourself as part of your luggage allowance.
Reserve a place for your bike on your train – On the London to Paris and Brussels routes, you can reserve a place for a bicycle on your train. To make a reservation or find out more call Eurostar on 0844 822 5822 or visit the EuroDespatch Centre in person at St Pancras International. Charges are £30 one way and you’ll need to quote your Eurostar reference or show your ticket.
Use the registered baggage service – A registered baggage service operates between London and Paris, Brussels and Lille. It does not guarantee that your bike will travel on the same train as you. However, delivery to your Eurostar destination station within 24 hours after registration. is guaranteed. You can book this service on the day of travel or send your bike before your journey, so it will be ready to collect when you arrive. Charges are £22 and you’ll need to show your Eurostar ticket or booking reference when you register. The charge is non-refundable but it may be exchangeable if space allows before your departure date. Unfortunately, tandems are verboten due to their length, unless you can dismantle them so that they are the same length as an average bike. More information about the registered baggage service can be obtained by calling 0844 822 5822.
Eurostar rail services and the Channel Tunnel Shuttle are very different things. The first takes you to destinations in France and Belgium (plus The Netherland and Germany soon), while the latter takes you from Folkestone to Calais. Unlike motorists, you are not allowed to ride your bike onto the Shuttle trains (yes, a big disappointment), but instead you get picked up at your local hotel, with the bike travelling in a trailer, while you and your luggage ride in a minibus. At the other end, you will be taken to a convenient local hotel, or presumably dropped wherever you like. Up to six bikes can be carried this way, and you have to give 48 hours notice. Reviews seem quite positive: www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller-info/vehicles/bicycles/
Over – Ferries
For many Britons, the trip across the Channel by ship is a major part of the holiday. It may be easier to reach a Channel or East Coast North Sea port than to go to London or Kent to catch Eurostar trains. Crossings may well be cheaper. The prices shown in the Cost column are the cheapest single fare for a cyclist with a bicycle about 1 June 2016. Some of the overnight ferries demand that passengers book a Pullman (reclining) seat or a cabin. This is reflected in the price. We would always recommend a cabin, unless you are one of those lucky souls who can sleep anywhere. Overnight trips offer dinner and breakfast. These are not included in the fares shown, but booking these in advance reduces the price. In our experience using the shipping line’s website often yields the cheapest fares. Generally the earlier you book the cheaper the ticket.
Ca £100 for a passenger and bicycle, Pullman seat £10, 2-berth cabin £85
Check out Stena Line’s Dutchflyer rail & sail tickets to travel by train from any Greater Anglia station to any Dutch station for between £42 and £79, but beware rush hour restrictions in GB and NL for non-folding bicycles. Dutch Railways bike day ticket costs €6.10.
In theory a car can average a high speed, but in practise speed often falls below 10mph in cities. The problem is congestion – motorcycles get around this to some extent, but they’re still confined to the road network. An electric bike can maintain a higher average speed than a bicycle, yet take advantage of the full network of cycle facilities, giving access to routes that cars and motorcycles cannot reach. The result is often a faster door-to-door journey time than any other mode. And by nipping along the relatively uncongested cycle network, but eliminating hills and headwinds, electric bikes tend to be the most consistent mode of travel.
No Sweat!
Sweat may not be a serious issue when you’re out for a leisure ride, but it’s more important if you’re cycling to work, and arriving at work sticky puts a lot of people off cycling. Although some employers are rather grudgingly providing showers and other facilities for cyclists, the vast majority have no intention of doing so. An electric bike eliminates the problem at source. Oddly enough, you won’t sweat on an electric bike, even if you put in the same amount of effort as you do on an ordinary bike. This is a matter of physics as well as exertion – higher road speed and greater air flow mean instant sweat evaporation. In hot weather, it’s possible to maintain a normal schedule by transferring a bit more load to the electric motor. In colder weather – or if you feel in need of exercise – just throttle back, or turn the motor off.
Safety
It sounds unlikely, doesn’t it? But the mathematics is compelling. Think of a steep and busy road, with cars climbing at 30mph. If you previously slogged up the hill at 6mph, but can tackle the same gradient at 12mph with an electric bike, you will see 33% fewer cars, and they will pass you at 18mph rather than 24mph. Or at least, we think that’s correct. Whatever the figures, there’s no doubt that an electric bike helps to keep you out of danger. The same general principle applies to road junctions and roundabouts – the faster your acceleration, the sooner you can get out of trouble. And with no need to rush the hills, you won’t be tempted to ride downhill at breakneck speed… another useful safety feature..
Hill Climbing
That may sound obvious, but it’s the primary advantage. A good electric bike effectively flattens hills, increasing your average speed and eliminating the ‘groan’ factor when a gradient comes into view. Provided you supply a reasonable amount of effort, you can expect to climb hills of 1:10 (10%) on an electric bike with ease, and clear a maximum gradient of 1:7 (14%), or even 1:4 (25%) with the right bike. In hilly country, the effect is nothing short of miraculous.
Electric Bike Running Costs
Purchase cost is a little more than a conventional bike, mechanical wear and tear is about the same, and electricity is so cheap as to be largely irrelevant, but there is an extra expense in terms of battery depreciation. Consequently, an electric bike costs more to run – typically 8 – 12 pence per mile against 3 – 7 pence per mile for a non-assisted bike. [1]. However, electric bike running costs should really be compared with those of a moped, car, or public transport, typically 20-40p per mile by bus, 20-60p by train and 30-150p for a small car.
Motorised, but no Red Tape!
Electric bikes are bicycles in the eyes of the law, so they require no tax, insurance, MoT or licence. You can ride one while disqualified, or after a couple of pints… at your own risk, of course. You CAN get into trouble, but nothing you do will affect your driving licence providing the bike is within the law. You are of course free to insure the machine if you wish, but there’s no compulsion to do anything but enjoy yourself!
Personal Fitness
Surely a conventional bike will keep you fitter? That, of course, depends how much – if at all – you use it. Research [2] has found that 46% of conventional bikes are used only once or twice a week, with a further 30% being used once a fortnight or even less. By contrast, a 2001 survey of electric bike owners reveals that a third ride their bike at least once a day and 81% use the bike at least once a week [3]. The figures confirm our experience that an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional machine. Because riding an electric bike is a great deal more enjoyable in hilly country, into strong winds, or when carrying heavy loads, users tend to make better use of them. The motor provides up to half the effort, but more regular use means more exercise for the rider.
Electric Bike Fuel Consumption
Electric bikes are the most fuel efficient mode of transport in everyday use. Typical fuel consumption is 8-16 watt-hours per mile, or something like a tenth as much as a small motorcycle. In old money, that’s the equivalent of 800-2,000mpg.
Sustainable
This is a bit weird, but the evidence is very compelling. Ride a normal bicycle and you will have to top up with extra calories at Tescos. Producing and transporting that food takes a lot of energy, and it’s typically more than the electric bike battery needs to do the same amount of work. Depending on the source of the electricity and the air-miles of the food, an electric bike is responsible for 5.8-13.7g/CO2 per mile, and a normal bike 10.5-18.5/CO2 per mile [4]. Incredible!
High Resale Value
At £400-£2,000, an electric bike costs more to buy than a conventional machine, but they tend to hold their value, so you get more of your money back when you move on.
References
[1] A to B test data. Both figures assume depreciation over ten years, and annual mileage of 2,500 (electric) and 2,000 (conventional).
[2] Transport Research Laboratory report: ‘New Cycle Owners: expectations and experiences’ (Davies and Hartley 1998)
[3] Leeds University report: ‘The New Generation of Private Vehicles in the UK. Should their use be encouraged and can they attract drivers of conventional cars?’ (Neil Guthrie 2001)
[4] ‘Electric Bicycles’ 2010, Richard Peace and David Henshaw
Spain has an excellent high speed train network though these trains do not officially take bicycles.
Euromed Vilanova
Bicycles may be transported on local and regional trains and long distance buses. The general opinion on English language cyclists’ forums is that accompanied bike transport on Spanish trains is very difficult, if not impossible. This is an opinion which seems to be shared by the Spanish themselves. A Spanish cyclist wrote recently in “Crazy Guy on a Bike”: “Train would be more logical but we are quite scared of problems with the Spanish train operator Renfe, it’s nearly impossible to take your bicycle on a train that is crossing the border. Besides, standard train prices for this distance are about 200€/px.”
We ourselves have crossed Spain a number of times by train, but have only taken a folding bicycle there so we’ve put together official information, spent some time reading reports by travelling cyclists and have tapped the fund of experience available to CTC members.
Getting to Spain from the UK
Take the Brittany Line ferry to Bilbao or Santander.
Take a ferry and train or Eurostar to Paris and then take:
An overnight SNCF sleeper trains to Hendaye (France) /Irun (Spain) or Latour farther east on the French-Spanish border, then a long distance bus or a local train to your final destination.
European Bike Express runs a weekly coach in summer with a bike trailer into continental Europe from eastern England and offers four routes: The Atlantic route serves Western France while the Mediterranean routes Med A, Med B and Med C serve Central, Eastern and Southern France and Northern Spain (Rosas, north of Barcelona). The Atlantic route can drop you in Bayonne where you can take a local train to Hendaye / Irun (35-40 min) and follow the advice given above.
Trains
To quote the Man at Seat 61 website on travelling with a bicycle on Spanish Railways: “Once in Spain, the
problem begins.”
The problems are actually with one Spanish railway company: RENFE which unfortunately is the biggest operator, running practically all long distance trains. The structure of railway operation in Spain is not quite as complicated as in Britain, but there do seem to be many operators. The map just shows the main lines. There is a nationally owned company and five regionally owned companies operating four different gauge systems plus a number of light rail and metro systems in major cities. Officially bicycles may not be taken on almost all long distance trains, but they may be taken on some regional and local trains, but at the discretion of the conductors and also the gate staff. This can make life difficult, especially if one does not speak Spanish.
Looking at the services offered by the various companies:
RENFE (Much of the country) Renfe Operadora is a nationally owned company that operates goods and passenger trains on Iberian (1668 mm), standard gauge (1435 mm) and metre gauge tracks. It has various classes of trains, only some of which take bicycles at all and for the others one appears to be dependent of the good will of station staff and train crews:
Long distance international express/High speed trains/Inter City (Larga-Distancia) trains There are any number of very comfortable, very swish, modern high speed trains linking major centres in Spain: AVE, Altaria, Alvia, Alaris, EuroMed, Arco, or Talgo. However bikes are not officially carried on any long distance daytime trains (‘AVE & Larga-Distancia’ ), even in bike bags. All bags have to go through a scanner, making it difficult to get a bike on board. However one correspondent put his bike in a bag and travelled several times on long distance high speed trains. Whether one can emulate this feat depends, we suspect, on one’s knowledge of Spanish and self confidence.
You can use the domestic internal sleeper routes from Madrid – A Coruña – Pontevedra – Ferrol, or Barcelona – Granada, Barcelona – Gijón, Barcelona – A Coruña – Vigo remembering to pack your bike in a bag and book a whole compartment.
In the foreground is a 440-A suburban decor and the other a UT-470 with the paint scheme Renfe-medium distance.
Regional trains (Media-Distancia)
These offer slower connections up to about 200km across the country. The RENFE website states that most medium distance trains can be used to transport bicycles. Only one bike per passenger is allowed for passengers with a valid ticket for themselves and the bicycle. Groups travelling with more than three bicycles must get authorisation from RENFE in advance. Loading and unloading is the passenger’s responsibility. Bicycle tickets are necessary on many of the RENFE Media-Distancia trains and the number of spaces for bikes is limited. The tickets are free but you need one for each leg of your journey if you have to change trains. The Seat61 website quotes a cyclist whose successful attempt to obtain a bicycle ticket for a Media-Distancia train in Madrid took 45 minutes involving five discussions with officials.
A local train near Cadiz
Local Trains (Cercanias)
These are local commuter trains and the like, covering 60 km or so. Bicycles are allowed on most of them outside peak times. The exceptions include the one between Torremolinos, Malaga Airport and Malaga main station. Conductor-Guards can refuse bicycle access if the trains are full, and they are carried at the owner’s responsibility. It has been suggested that an elastic bungee or two is useful to secure the bikes. Bikes need not be bagged.
Most of the information we can find in addition to the Crazy Guy quote at the start of this chapter suggests, with Seat61 website reinforcing the impression that bike transport by RENFE Media-Distancia and Caracanias trains remains somewhat of a challenge. The CTC Forum has a thread on putting bicycles on trains and buses in Spain. The feeling we get from most participants is that travelling within a region on a regional train in Spain ranges is difficult. The CTC members–only travel advice databank offers information from 2006 suggesting that various lines do not take bicycles or only at very inconvenient times. (BTW If you are a cyclist in Britain and not a CTC member it is worth considering joining the organisation, because the touring information you can download from the touring web site is well worth the subscription.)
Another correspondent wrote: “Basically Spain is as bad as it gets for bikes on trains, and still getting worse!” We suspect if you speak Spanish things will be easier. Having said all this, the narrow gauge railways
in Spain are normally much more cyclist friendly:
FEVE – Metre gauge network in northern Spain Since December 2012 RENFE has operated much of the narrow railway system in the north of Spain formerly run by FEVE as an independent organisation. You are permitted to roll your bike onto these trains free of charge. The trains are extremely slow, but the routes are very picturesque. The line from Oviedo to Ferrol is a serious, though little known contender for the title of the most spectacular railway in the world. Bilbao metro system, which covers a considerable area, takes bicycles free of charge. FEVE train at Ferrol station Photo: Judith & Neil Forsyth
Regionally-owned railways
Toña Beach in Sukarrieta – Pedernales
EuskoTren EuskoTren – (in Spanish or Basque) operates a
network of narrow gauge trains in the Basque provinces of Biscay and Gipuzko that connect with the metre gauge RENFE trains. From what we have read Euskotren are extremely accommodating with bicycles and do not charge.
Ferrocarril de Sóller
Ferrocarril de Sóller (FS) runs a narrow gauge line (914 mm – 36”) between Palma and Sóller on Majorca. It is a museum railway, and privately run. The line does not carry accompanied bicycles according to a report in “Die Welt” in August 2010, but the buses in the area will take bicycles and they are cheaper. We did check with the railway company and they confirmed that the trains do not take bicycles.
The line to Sineu in Mallorca reopened in 2004
Sinue Station
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM) operates a metre gauge network on Majorca (diagram). According to an English language website on the Balearics “Bicycles may be taken on the two SFM train routes. However, there are restrictions about when they may be carried, and a maximum of four bicycles in any one carriage.”
Bicycles are not carried in the early afternoon between 12:30 and 15:30 and evenings between 19:30 and 21:00.
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) operates several metre gauge lines, in and around Valencia, including a line, between Alicante, Benidorm and Denia as well the trams and metro in Valencia and Alicante. Bicycle transport is free as long as there is room.
Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) (Catalonia’s public rail network).
The company operates trains in Catalonia and permits bicycle carriage at any time. The other operators in and around Barcelona have restrictions on bicycle transport in the rush hour. Click here for more details.
Buying passenger and bicycle tickets for trains in Spain
To be realistic, only the night trains mentioned above need to be booked in advance and this can be done on www.renfe.es. The Seat61 website has an excellent explanation of the best way to book railway tickets in Spain in advance. Tickets for the regional and local trains can be bought as needed from stations.
Passes and railcards for holidaymakers
Rail Europe offers a number of InterRail passes for Spain
By coach (Long-distance bus)
There are several bus companies that allow accompanied bicycle transport on payment of a small charge for the bicycle (between 5 and 10 Euros): ALSA the major Spanish bus company, Avanza Bus which offers services more to the south (map of system ) and Portillo (Malaga Costa del Sol). The days are past when accompanied bicycle transport by bus in Spain depended on the goodwill of the driver. Nowadays transporting bicycles on buses in Spain is regulated. You book your bike at the same time as you book your own ticket. The transport of bicycles, surfboards or skis has an added supplement of 5 Euros on short-haul services and 10 Euros on long-haul services. You are allowed to take 30 kg of luggage and small bags with you on to the bus. The easiest way to book a ticket for passenger and bicycle for non Spanish speakers is online at www.alsa.es (available in English) or Movelia which is an industry-wide agency offering bus tickets from various companies www.movelia.es (available in English). On the ALSA website passenger and bicycle tickets can be bought by checking the box for this purpose in step 3 of the buying process. On the Movelia website you need to select a supplement on the first page of the purchase routine. On both websites the bicycle transport tickets must be bought one at a time, i.e. it is impossible to mark this box when two or more seats have been selected. Because of the limited space available, a maximum of four bicycles or surfboards are allowed, (one per ticket). If there is no room for bikes on the schedule chosen, the selection box for bicycles will not be available. Bicycles should be placed in such a way that no damage is caused to other luggage or packages and it is mandatory that they are packaged in some kind of box or bag ready for transport. (We often wonder about any possible damage to our expensive bikes as well. I suppose we should be grateful to any company prepared to take our bikes, but…) The best thing to use is a bicycle cover. Otherwise use several big plastic bags or bubble wrap, but cover the bicycle properly so the driver is not concerned with his immaculate bus getting dirty. The CTC offers a clear heavy-duty polythene bag for about £10 that should do for a number of
trips or you can spend up to several hundred pounds for bags designed to protect your bike in case of a earthquake. How you carry the latter however when they are not protecting your bike is a problem.
The passenger should be at the boarding point with the bicycle, at least 15 minutes before departure.
Ships
The www.seemallorca.com/travel/ferries website has an excellent description with web links of the ferries
running between the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands, and within the island group.
Diversions
We were very impressed with the scenery on the line between Malaga and Madrid, both the olive tree plantations as far as the eye could see and with the very wild mountain country nearer the coast. The scenery on the metre gauge line between Oviedo and Ferrol is breathtaking and you have time to take it all in during
your seven-hour journey. On another occasion we were also quite impressed by “free” tapas and sherry in the early evening and an airline-style evening meal later when travelling first class on a high speed train. We were also amused on the Malaga – Malaga Airport line to be serenaded by a group of buskers.
Gracias and thanks
Thanks are due to Simon Proffitt of Iberocycle bicycle tours, and Chris Juden and Mark Waters of the CTC in Guildford and the contributors to various threads on forums for their comments, help and advice. Any misspellings, misinterpretation or the like however are our fault.
The railways in Portugal offer frequent regular links between the major cities. Portuguese Railways (CP) operates 2,603 km of broad gauge services and appears to be more cyclist-friendly than Spanish Railways. This is not difficult. Most trains take bicycles, including the high speed trains, although in the latter case the bikes need to be bagged. There is an excellent map of the system available at http://bit.ly/1Kd8RZD. The website is www.cp.pt.
Getting to Portugal from the UK using surface transport
In a word, difficult.
Take the Brittany Line ferry to Bilbao or Santander.
Take a coach (long-distance bus) to Vigo (10 hours).
Take a train to Oporto. There is no guarantee of good connections.
Take a ferry and train or Eurostar to Paris and then take a daytime TGV to Irun on the Spanish border.
Option 1: Take the Sud Expresso to Lisbon (about 12 hours). Like their Iberian counterparts in Spain, CP allows you to transport two bicycles packed in bike bags as long as you book the whole compartment. To quote the CP regulations: ‘Two bikes may be carried in each compartment (sleeping compartments only) so long as the compartment is taken by the one family and the bikes are properly packed and stored. Bikes are not charged for if you have an international ticket.’
Option 2: Cross the border by bicycle and take an overnight coach (long-distance bus) late in the evening to Vigo (15 hours). Take a train to Oporto. There is no guarantee of good connections.
European Bike Express
Bus operator Bike Express’s Atlantic route serves Western France and can drop you in Bayonne where you can take a local train to Hendaye and Irun (35-40 min) and follow the advice given in Option 2 above.
Domestic trains
High speed trains: Alfa Pendular
This is a high speed link from Braga in the north of Portugal to Faro in the south via Lisbon. To quote the regulations put out by the company: ‘Bikes can be taken on the Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains so long as they have the wheels removed and are packed as luggage that is no larger than the individual luggage space per passenger in the luggage racks or under the seats.’
Intercidades (Inter City trains)
These trains connect the regional centres. The regulations concerning accompanied bicycles are the same as for the Alfa Pendular services quoted above.
Local, regional and urban trains
There are a number of branch lines. Any passenger can take a maximum of one bicycle on urban and regional trains at any time of day. However CP (the railway company) does not hold itself responsible for any damage caused by or to the bicycles. You must load and unload the bikes. Your bicycles should not block exits or disturb other passengers. As usual, bike riding is forbidden in stations, concourses, underpasses or bridges in stations. There is a snag, however: If the train is full you may not be able to take your bicycle. In theory, you should ask the conductor, but you probably know our feelings about this: It is easier to get forgiveness than permission. Put your bikes in the specially marked areas in the carriages on urban trains.
Tickets
Buying a ticket for trains in Portugal
CP also let you book tickets within Portugal for Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains from Multibanco ATMs as well as railway station booking offices, travel agents (a list is available on the website) and ticket machines on stations. Bookings for domestic trains can be made online at www.cp.pt, after registration. The website is clear and easy to use in Portuguese and English. (Click on the partial Union Flag top right.)
Ships
It is possible to cross over to Spain in the southeastern corner of Portugal at Vila Real de Santo Antonio using the frequent ferry service to Ayamonte, but the Spanish rail system terminates in Huelva, 30 or 40 km away.
There is a good spread of railways in the Netherlands with frequent regular links between the major cities. Outside of the rush hours all domestic trains take bicycles.
The structure of railway operation in the Netherlands is very similar to that in Germany. There is a major train operator: Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) with a number of smaller operators, e.g.: Arriva, Veolia, and Dutch bus operators Syntus and Connexxion. The routes are shown on a map in Dutch: www.ns.nl/cgi-bin/spoorkaart/spoorkaart on the NS website. Unfortunately the English language version does not show the map. The country is quite small and so the longest journey one can make is about four and a half hours: from Groningen in the north to Maastricht in the south. Within the Netherlands the railways are very cyclist friendly, with large amounts of space on trains for fiets (Dutch for bicycle) and bike hire, secure bike parking and bike repair on many railway stations.
Bicycle parking facilities at Dordrecht station Photo: Judith & Neil Forsyth
Trains
There are three groups of trains that are run by different organisations, but these cooperate so that booking and changing trains is simple.
Long distance international express/High speed trains There are a number of long distance trains running from Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport or Rotterdam. Most of them only take bagged partly dismantled bikes or folders, folded and bagged and do not take tandems: Eurostar, ICE and Thalys. Information on these trains can be found on the NSHispeed website. A number of international IC trains to Germany do take unwrapped bicycles and tandems but reservation is necessary.
Domestic Intercity trains The country is densely populated and urbanised, and train services are frequent. Both Intercity trains and the stopping trains cost the same. Dutch Intercity trains stop more often than intercity trains in other countries. Seat reservation on domestic trains is not possible. Beware, many trains consist of two parts with different destinations. Somewhere on the way to the destination, the train will be split and the two parts will continue to their respective destinations. In this case, the screens over the platform will show two destinations. On the platform Achterste deel/achter means back part of the train and voorste deel/voor means the front. Check if you are not certain. Most people in the Netherlands can speak English.
Stopping trains (Stoptrein) As their name suggests these trundle across country and stop at every station.
Tickets
Buying a ticket for trains in the Netherlands
From a station From a ticket machine (cheaper) or from a ticket office (more expensive). According to Mark Smith of Seat61 Dutch ticket machines are the worst in the world taking only coins and Dutch bank cards.
Online Not possible from www.ns.nl unless you have a Dutch bank account. German Railways will sell you a ticket, but not online. Rail Europe will sell you a ticket online.
Bicycle Tickets You can travel with your bike on the railways internally in the Netherlands (NS) on most trains during non-peak hours, i.e. you cannot travel on inland trains with your bike during the weekday morning and evening rush hours: (06:30 to 09:00 and 16:30 to 18:00), except during July and August when many Dutch seem to holiday in other countries. This bike ban does not apply to international trains, where you reserve a place. You have to buy a ticket and your bike needs one as well (6 Euro a day). Tickets can be bought from the ticket machines on stations. Putting your bike on an international train will cost you 12 Euro for a single ticket and 24 Euro for a return ticket at the time of writing and you will need to reserve a place for your bicycle, if not for yourself. It is not possible to buy these international bike tickets and make reservations online.
Passes and Rail Cards for holidaymakers According to the Rail Europe site you can book a three days in one month Eurorail ticket for £100, but considering that the overnight Dutchflyer will bring you to any station in the Netherlands for about £75 from London, is it worth buying one? You want to cycle in the Netherlands as well, don’t you?
Website
Holland by Train – The web site seems clear and easy to use in English although the English version is only a skeleton version of the Dutch site. There is no map, for example and ticket buying is impossible online unless you have a Dutch bank account. No problem, use the website to find train times and then buy your tickets at a station or at one of the British ticket sales offices. However, if one is travelling on farther to Germany, for example the web site is less helpful for the cycling community. The web site does not recognise all the English names for German cities, e.g. “Cologne”. It only suggests ICEs which do not take bicycles. If you try cheating and look up train times from Amsterdam to Venlo on the Dutch German border it will give you a sensible train. If you then use the NS website for the second part of the journey from Venlo to Cologne, the site suggests a trip to Düsseldorf and an ICE after that! The answer is to check the DB site for the journey from Venlo to Cologne, but… Sometimes my wife Judith wonders whether I should not get a life.
Putting bikes on trains
A typical Dutch railway footbridge at Geldermalsen station.
Dutch rolling stock showing excellent access to bicycle compartments
In our limited experience Dutch rolling stock has easy access for bicycles and adequate storage space. The newer carriages allow entry on the same level and the older carriages have wide doors to the bike areas and plenty of room for bicycle storage.
Bicycle space on a Dutch Intercity train Judith & Neil Forsyth
Ships
Waiting for a ferry near Dordrecht Photograph by Judith & Neil Forsyth
Many of the towns and cities and the intervening farmland in the southern Netherlands are former islands and sandbanks in the Rhine delta. Much of it is drained, but there are still stretches of water to cross. Obviously in a land full of excellent civil engineers there are bridges and tunnels galore, but sometimes there are ferries as well, all of which take bikes and pedestrians, but not always cars or lorries. Bicycle and pedestrian ferry near Dordrecht
Photograph by Judith & Neil Forsyth
Diversions
The country is mostly flat and much of it man-made, however the views of the sky on any line running across countryside with the pale, clear, Dutch light, as seen in landscape paintings by the Dutch masters are often magnificent.
Norway is a sparsely populated, long, thin country. There are excellent rail connections between the capital Oslo and the major cities in the country and in the neighbouring country (Sweden): Kristiansands, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Bodö, Stockholm (S) and Göteborg (S). Narvik in the north is on a railway line, but the only way to travel there by train from Oslo is via Sweden. The major operator in Norway is the NSB which is a state owned company. The railway services in Norway are cyclist-friendly. Map (pdf)
Getting there
Unfortunately the days when the Fred Olsen Line sailed regularly from Britain to Norway are over. Getting to Norway on the surface these days means changing several times.
Trains
Oslo
Mark Smith of Seat61.com suggests:
Eurostar to Brüssels, train to Cologne, CityNightLine to Copenhagen and then either overnight ship to Oslo from Copenhagen or train to Göteborg and then Oslo. (Leaving London in the late morning and arriving in Oslo at 20:45 the following day.)
or
Harwich-Esbjerg by DFDS ship and then train to Copenhagen. Spend a night in Copenhagen and then ship or train to Oslo (Leave London in the afternoon and spend two or three nights underway.)
There is another option which might be better for cyclists: Harwich-Esbjerg by DFDS ship and then train to Hirtshals. Spend a night there and take the ship to Larvik and then a train to Oslo.
Bergen, Stavanger
In addition Hirtshals offers links to Bergen and Stavanger with Fjord Line.
Intercity trains / long distance trains
Daytime train from Bodø to Trondheim (Nordlandsbanen), passing the Saltfjellet between Lønsdal and Bolna.
Services offered: Oslo-Bergen, Oslo-Kristiansand, Oslo-Trondheim. There are both daytime and sleeper trains.
There are times when reading the NSB website that the values of Scandinavian society are just mind-boggling in their compassion and common sense: On the overnight trains you can either travel in a sleeping compartment for 850 NOK per compartment or just have a seat. These seats come with a special “comfort” pack with a pillow, travel blanket, eye mask and ear plugs. You can take the pack home with you after your journey, but if not, the blankets are donated to worthy causes.
Regional trains (Intercity Trains)
Quite what the difference is between the the long distance and regional trains is not clear. it could well be a question of financing. These trains, for example, run during the day from Oslo to Göteborg and carry bikes in Sweden.
NSB Lokaltog (Commuter trains)
NSB operates commuter services in Arendal, Bergen, Oslo, Skien, Stavanger and Trondheim. Accompanied bicycles are carried without reservation.
Tickets
In addition to normally priced tickets available from ticket offices, automatic ticket dispensers and online, NSB offers minimum price “Minipris” tickets (199 NOK, 299 NOK, 399 NOK, 499 NOK) sold at least one day before travel, but in limited quantities. The exchange rate for the Norwegian Krone to the pound at the time of writing is ?1=8.75 NOK. Normal tickets can be cancelled before the train departs, but “Minipris” tickets are for a specific train and cannot be returned or refunded. Tickets can be bought on trains but with a surcharge except for the blind which again is typical of the Scandinavian respect for disabled people.
The savings with a “minipris” are considerable: The normal fare for the four and a half journey from Oslo to Kristiansand is 636 NOK whereas it is possible to buy a ticket for 199 NOK which yields a ?50 saving. Tickets can be bought online. There is the ominous line that if you have difficulties buying tickets with your credit or debit card you should ring Norway with English speaking operators: +47 815 00 888 or +47 23 15 15 15 if there are difficulties getting though using the first number. Press 9 for information in English.Considering the savings possible, it is worth ringing Norway.
Website
The website www.nsb.no is excellent. Click on “In English” at the top of the page to have the whole site in English. It is clear and simple to use. You can check timetables and buy tickets especially the Minipris tickets.
Putting bikes on trains
Your bicycle can accompany you on most trains in Norway. However there are some trains where your bicycle needs a reservation. These trains are marked with a bicycle symbol in the timetable. You should always try to make a reservation for your bicycle well in advance of your journey and in any event before boarding. Do this when you buy your ticket. Reservations for bicycles can only be made in Norway. Phone the NSB Call Centre on the numbers given above: +47 815 00 888 or +47 23 15 15 15 and press 9 for information in English or to a manned station in Norway.
The fare for cycles is half the standard ticket price, up to a maximum of NOK 175, except on the Bergen Line in summer, from 18 May to 27 September, when there is a fixed fare per bicycle of NOK 175. You will need to load your bike onto the train yourself and put it in the area allocated to bicycles. The train personnel will help you to embark and disembark, if needed.
Airport Express trains from and to Oslo Airport
Bicycles can be taken on the train, and placed in the baggage space, at the rear of the train from Oslo S to Gardermoen, and at the front for Gardermoen to Oslo S.
Ships & Ferries
There are ferries along the whole of the coast including the Hurtigruten Post ships which run daily from Bergen to Kirkenes, all of which take bicycles.
Diversions
Try the Bergen or Dovre Railways from Oslo or the Rauma Railway between Ändalsnes and Dombäs.
The Luxembourg rail system (Chemin de Fer Luxembourgeois – CFL) has 275 kilometres of track, of which 140 km is double track and 135 km single track. The railway network links into Belgium, France and Germany. Some of the cross-border services are run by CFL, others by SNCF, NMBS/SNCB and DB.
We both enjoy visiting Luxembourg not only because it has the best guarded bike rack in world – attached to the front wall of the arch-ducal mansion in Luxembourg City with an armed member of the army marching backwards and forwards at least during the day, but there also are good cycling routes, tasty food and excellent scenery.
Map of cycle routes: www.pistescyclables.lu. The railway network in the rural north of the country is sparse, but the urban, formerly heavily industrial south, has a dense network. There are good connections to neighbouring countries including a high speed TGV link to Paris and fast connections to Brussels.
Trains
The rural north
High Speed Trains
TGV
Bicycle carrying SNCF TGVs link Paris and Luxembourg via Metz. Reservations are strongly recommended. Book your bike places early.
EC
At least one Eurocity train with bicycle transport circulates daily between Brussels and Switzerland via Luxembourg: Vauban (EC 91/90)
Regional trains
These trains run on a cadence system, i.e. hourly at the same interval after the hour throughout the day and early evening. Bicycles are carried free. Timetables can be found on www.cfl.lu.
Getting there
The easiest way from the south of England is via London and Paris, then take the TGV via Metz. The easiest way from the north of England is the overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge and then to Luxembourg via Brussels.
Tickets
The “Billet réseau” network ticket can be purchased at railway stations throughout the country. It offers unlimited travel on all forms of public transport (city buses, trains and country coaches for one day throughout the country. Bikes are not accepted on buses. A single ticket costs 4€, or a block of 5 such tickets for the cost of 4 single issue tickets: 16€. A “Weekend ticket” costing 6 Euro is more economical for small groups. This ticket allows up to 5 people (who do not need to be members of the same family) unlimited travel on Luxembourg’s public transport network for 1 day (either Saturday or Sunday) until 03:00. next morning.
The website
The website is in French only, but is easy to use. If in doubt use Google translator or cheat by using Bahn.co.uk.
Getting you, your bike, and your gear on the train
Bike transport on a Luxembourg train
The train we used was a low level entrance double decker. We had no problems and there was adequate room for our ten man group and a few others on the train.
Ferries and river steamers in Luxembourg
There is a small international car and lorry ferry across the Moselle from Wasserbillig to Oberbillig, Germany, which also takes foot passengers and bicycles. The excursion ship MS “Princesse Marie-Astrid” runs trips along the Moselle as far as Trier most days of the week during the summer. The Schengen Agreement was signed on this ship.
Diversions
Railway viaducts in Luxembourg City.
Crossing the viaducts into Luxembourg City must give spectacular views. We encountered the massive stone structures from below.
Italy has 24,179 kilometres (15,024 miles) of track. Services are operated by Trenitalia, a state owned company. There are few private railways. The country has good high speed train services, but only for those unencumbered by naked bicycles: cyclists can only use local, regional and a few international services. Bikes are only allowed on some high speed trains if they are partially dismantled and wrapped. Map
Trains
Franzensfeste Station. The bar is in this building.
Long distance express trains (Pleasant but mainly bikeless):
Eurostar (ES or Treni Eurostar Italia)
Italy’s premier trains, not to be confused with the Eurostar from London to Paris and Brussels. (BTW the Italians used the name first.) Seat reservations on Eurostar Italia are mandatory. Eurostar zips about between the major Italian cities.
Intercity and the newer Intercity Plus trains
Relatively fast trains that run the length of Italy, stopping in large cities. According to the Trenitalia Internet site: “On some Intercity trains – these too marked in the Timetable by an appropriate pictogram, you can take your bicycle with you by paying a 5.00 Euro supplement.”
Cisalpino
If you check the Internet you may well find older links to the Cisalpino service between Switzerland and Italy. This was a joint holding between SBB/CFF/FSS (Swiss Railways) and Trenitalia (Italian Railways), that ran Pendelino (high speed tilting) trains between Stuttgart, major Swiss and Italian cities and later, in addition, conventional EC trains. There were a number of operating problems with the Pendelinos and the Cisalpino services were discontinued in the autumn of 2009. These services are now run by SBB and Trenitalia using in part the same rolling stock that caused all the problems, but probably or hopefully with better maintenance. The first generation Pendelinos had a very restrictive luggage policy – folding bikes were forbidden, check here paydayloandiva.com for more details.. We once smuggled a pair of Bromptons on board a Pendelino from Stuttgart to Bellinzona and hid them under the seats. It was a bit awkward persuading our fellow travellers to stand up in a mixture of English, poor French and German when we came to get off. These trains are still in service!
Regional and Local Trains (taking bicycles)
Regionale
Regional trains covering quite long distances. They are cheap and usually reliable.
Suburbano
Local suburban trains. These too are cheap and usually reliable. However both these services are slow in comparison to the more expensive Eurostar and Intercity.
Getting there and more importantly getting back!
There are international trains connecting Italy with Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Serbia and Switzerland. Some of these even take unwrapped bicycles, e.g. the City Night Line trains from Munich to Venice or Rome. However you need to buy your international bike ticket in Italy. It is slightly more expensive at €12.50. One of the major problems about returning on daytimeinternational trains is that Trenitalia refuses or is unable to reserve bicycle places on these trains. You need to reserve your return bike spaces either before you go to Italy or contact Deutsche Bahn in Italy: Since 2008 it has been possible to reserve bicycle spaces at the DB offices in Milan and Rome for German, Swiss, and Austrian trains. DB Office in Rome, P.zza dell’Esquilino 28/29 (MM Termini) Roma Tel. 6/4827532 Mo-Fr 9-13 u. 14-17:30, Sa 8:30-12 eMail: agenzia@derviaggi.it. DB office in Milan, Via Napo Torriani, 29 (MM Centrale), Milano, Tel. 02/67479578 Mo-Fr 9-13 u. 14-17
Getting to Italy with a bike from Britain
London For insomniacs relatively easy. The costs are for people. With a bikes the cost will be about ?40 more. Bicycle reservations are needed on all these trains.
From
To
Train
Cheapest (Euros)
London 06:53 07:22
Paris Nord 10:17 10:47
Eurostar
76-95
Paris Est 11:24
Stuttgart/Munich 18:14
TGV/EC
49
Munich 21:02
Florence 06:18 09:15 or Venice 06:58
CNL
59
Return
From
To
Train
Cheapest (Euros)
Rome 19:05 Venice 22:51
Munich 06:30
CNL
76
Munich 08:03
Stuttgart/Paris Est 16:34
IC/TGV
39
Paris Nord 17:13
London 18:29
Eurostar
76
The rest of Britain
The connections to Rome via Amsterdam and Rotterdam involve multiple changes of train and unless de Jong coaches take bicycles on their service from Europoort to Rotterdam, you need to spend a day in Rotterdam. It does not look too bright. The de Jong company has not bothered to reply to our request for information on this question.
Tickets
Vatican City Railway Station (or train station if you must)
There are the usual number of special offer tickets, but these are only applicable to those trains that take partially dismantled and wrapped bikes. For more details check www.trenitalia.com and click on the Union Jack icon to get reasonable English. However one special offer ticket that caught our eye is for the South Tyrol semi-autonomous region, tucked up under the Austrian border in the north of Italy: The bikemobil card gives full use of the South Tyrol Public Transport network on one, three or seven consecutive days, i.e.:
Regional train services
Local bus services (urban, overland and city services)
Various cable cars
Ritten/Renon tram and Mendola funicular
A return trip from Mals/Malles to Zernez on the PostAuto Schweiz bus service.
In addition, on one day during the validity period of the card you can rent a bike in one of the railway or bus stations or in various other bike rental points throughout the territory carrying the “Bici AltoAdige/Südtirol Rad” logo. However you cannot put a hire bike on a train.
Prices:
bikemobilcard 1 day: 24 Euros
bikemobilcard 3 days: 30 Euros
bikemobilcard 7 days: 34 Euros
E-Bikes are available for 6 Euros extra.
Children under 14 half-price. Children under 6 do not pay for using public transport in the South Tyrol.
Buying a ticket
In Italy itself you can buy tickets from station ticket offices, travel agents or from ticket machines or online from www.trenitalia.com, but the latter site is not easy to use and it probably better to use the RailEurope link on this page.
However in any case if you have a ticket, rather than an authorisation you have printed out at home you will need to validate or invalidate the ticket by pushing in the slit of the “composteur” machines at the entrance to the platforms.
It is written in understandable English, but we found it difficult to use. Click on the Union Flag at the top of the page. To find the information about transport of bicycles you need to click on Customers Area/Travel Conditions/Traveller’s Guide/Bicycle on board. You use the website to find trains that carry bicycles, but it is difficult. You specify where you are going and when. You are then presented with a list of possible trains or sequences of trains. You can then analyse each sequence to find if the individual trains take bicycles. It takes time. It is easier to check out the Über-website and specify that you require bicycle transport. You can see how you can travel much more quickly.
Putting bikes on trains, buses and ships in Italy
New rolling stock in the Puster Valley
Trains
Buying a bike ticket.
On regional trains you need to buy another second class ticket for the journey you are making or a day bicycle ticket for 3.50 Euros. The bike cannot be longer than 2m. If you partially dismantle and pop your bike in a bag you don’t have to pay at all for the bicycle.
On those national trains marked in the timetable with a bike logo you can take your bicycle with you after buying a 5 Euros ticket. In addition you can take your bicycle for free if it is partially dismantled and packed on any train except Pendelinos and Eurostar-Italia trains, where to quote the Trenitalia regulations from the English version of their website:
“they can only be carried if left in the spaces in the carriage vestibules. If there are no places available, the bicycles can be placed elsewhere provided they do not block the way or cause problems to other travellers or to the on board train crew. “
Putting the bike on the train
It’s your job to put the bike on the train in the carriage marked with a bike logo. According to the ADFC there are some trains that have lockable compartments for bicycles. In this case you need to find the train conductor and get him to open the compartment.
Buses
Again according to the ADFC: “Depending on the agreement of the driver it is easy to place a bicycle on regional buses.” (Our translation of the ADFC’s German.) This is not our experience on buses operated in the Swiss-Italian border region. The bus drivers appear to have an almost pathological hatred of bicycles, even lovable, little, bagged, folded Bromptons.
Ship
The ships on Lago Maggiore including those in Switzerland are run by an Italian organisation and they do take bikes, but the ticket office staff need to radio the ship to ask the captain whether they have room. They invariably do, but as one of the ticket office ladies said to us with a wink, “They (the captains) like to feel important, the poor dears.”.
There are a number of shipping lines running along the coast, across the Adriatic, to North Africa, to Sardinia and Sicily:
Ferry Companies on the Web
www.tirrenia.it
(for Tirrenia, Toremar, Caremar, Adriatica, Siremar and Saremar)
We would suggest the high speed run down the Brenner Pass from the summit – the highest station in Italy, where the engines are swopped over, down to Franzensfeste/Fortezza and then to take a local train up the Puster Valley to Toblach/Dobaccio or Innichen/San Candido. You normally have time to nip into the refreshment bar on Franzensfeste station which looks at first glance like the roughest joint west of Pecos, but actually serves a decent cup of coffee and the excellent Forst Pils from Meran.
The basic message is that long distance travel with a bicycle by train in Germany is possible, but choice is limited and you need to book early to travel in summer. On the other hand, regional services up to about 125 miles with accompanied bicycles are superb. The German Railways website is www.bahn.co.uk.
Currently the state-owned Deutsche Bahn A.G. (DB, or German Railways) owns, maintains and operates passenger trains on most domestic lines and is responsible for the network, track, signalling and stations. One operating division of DB runs long distance trains (ICE, IC/EC and the sleeper trains) without any subsidies. There is little competition to DB on long distance routes, although there is a daily service between Köln (Cologne) and Hamburg (more on some days of the week), operated by a private company which does take bicycles.
Another DB operating division runs regional trains (IRE, RE, RB and the S-Bahn (suburban trains)) with financial assistance from the provincial authorities. Other organisations, consortia of public authorities working with DB, and private foreign companies like Veolia or SBB Swiss Rail run some subsidised regional services. Long distance express trains have a fixed frequency and mostly depart at the same time after the hour every one or two hours from early morning to the evening, at least for the core of the journey.
Long distance express trains
Intercity Express (ICE)
ICE in St. Pancras Station 19 October 2010 Copyright Deutsche Bahn AG
These are the flagships of the DB network and are high speed train units travelling at speeds up to 300kph (188mph) between major cities. They do not take any bicycles except folding bicycles in a cover. However some of the services to and from France operate as Trains Grand Vitesse (TGV) and Thalys (THA). The TGVs take up to eight bicycles and can be booked within Germany on the excellent www.bahn.de website. THA high speed trains link Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne and Paris, and are operated by Thalys, an independent company owned by French Rail (SNCF), Belgian Rail (SNCB), Netherlands Rail (NS) and DB. This too does not accept bicycles except bagged folding bikes.
InterCity/Eurocity (IC/EC)
InterCity Train Copyright Deutsche Bahn AG
These are conventional trains hauled by a locomotive and can take up to 16 bicycles. The bicycle compartment is in the carriage furthest from the locomotive, behind the rear driver’s cab (if the train is running backwards, you get a superb view over the driver’s shoulder.) ICs run not only between major centres, but also important regional settlements in Germany. Whereas ICEs do not make local stops – between Stuttgart and Ulm for example – an IC/EC travelling between these cities will make additional stops at three smaller towns. ECs are international trains offering the same services in Germany and abroad. IC/EC are slower than the ICEs, but fares are cheaper.
Where do the IC/EC go, when and how often?
IC/EC are the best way for cyclists to travel with their bicycles. Unfortunately the DB appears to be phasing many of these out and replacing them with faster, more expensive ICEs, which generally only carry folding bikes. The ADFC, the German Cycling Club, has produced a downloadable map showing the long distance services still on offer. The map is in German but with the help of the DB website the reader can work out where and when the trains run.
Night Trains (City Night Line (CNL), D-Nacht, Euronight)
Night trains offer long distance travel with one’s bicycle without having to change frequently. Services are being cut back, so use them while you can. The connections to Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris will stop in December 2014.
Regional trains
All regional trains take bicycles, but there may be restrictions in the rush hour. These subsidised trains tie in with the ICE and IC/EC trains to serve smaller towns and cities. Although one can use DB tickets, regional transport authority tickets can also be used. It is possible to travel long distances across Germany on these trains, but sometimes many changes are needed. The trains will take between 8 and 16 bicycles, in a number of compartments. Just propping your bike in a corridor is frowned upon.
Interregio Express (IRE) and Regional Express (RE)
These trains do not stop at the smaller stations but offer a reasonably fast service between regional centres.
Suburban and underground trains stopping at every station in or near the larger cities. Access to these with bicycles is often restricted during rush hour.
Tickets
The range of tickets available is, to use an Americanism, awesome. The Germans seem to tend towards complicated solutions, but it is worthwhile wading through the possibilities. There are three types of train that can be used over long distances and at least one saver ticket, meaning that there are at least six possible prices for any one journey. The special offer saver tickets can provide half-price fares if you book more than three days in advance and travel by a specified train, outside the high density travel periods of Friday and Sunday afternoon/ev
As an example the 224 km trip from the German station in Basel to Mannheim costs in Euros:
Train
Normal Ticket(€)
Saver Ticket(€)
Changing
Time
ICE
55
29
No
2h
IC/EC
49
29
No
2h 10m
Regional
39
21 and cheaper
Twice
4h – 4h 30m
The trump card with the regional services are the go anywhere tickets: Länder-, Schönes Wochenende and Quer durchs Land. The
Länder-Tickets are valid for each province and its fringes. They cost per person between €8 and €23, more from a ticket office or a less from a ticket machine. You might need to buy bike tickets (€4.50) as well. They are valid all day at weekends and from Monday to Friday after 09:00 up to 03:00 the next day.
At weekends, the Schönes Wochenende tickets for up five people allow you to travel anywhere in Germany and in some cases across the border into neighbouring countries. They are slightly more expensive (€44) and have the same conditions as the Länder tickets. These tickets are popular and the regional trains at the weekends can be very full.
During the week the Quer durchs Land ticket offers similar possibilities as the Schönes Wochenende but is a little more expensive. The first ticket costs 44 Euros, and every additional passenger (up to four) costs a further eight Euros. The trains are not as full as at weekends.
Log on to the Deutsche Bahn web site: www.bahn.co.uk. Tickets can be printed out at home, sent to a smart phone or sent by post. In the first two cases, passengers need to have the credit/debit card with them on the train that they used to buy the ticket. In the last case delivery time is up to eight days and costs 3.50 Euros.
Ring Deutsche Bahn on +44 (0)8718 80 80 66 between 09:00 and 20:00 weekdays and between 09:00 and 13:00 at weekends.
Rail Cards offering a rebate
German Railways offer three annual rail cards: BahnCard 100, BahnCard 50 and BahnCard 25 in two flavours, First and Second Class. These only really pay if you live in Germany or are intending to travel extensively, and there is a major snag: You need to cancel your subscription three months or so before the end of the period of validity. If not you will have to pay for another year.
BahnCard 100 is a go anywhere travel pass for the whole of Germany and costs 6,890 Euros (First Class) or 4,090 Euros (Second Class).
BahnCard 50 holders can buy tickets for half the normal price on any train. It costs between 127.50 and 255 Euros Second Class and between 257.50 and 515 Euros in First Class.
BahnCard 25 gives a 25% reduction on tickets including reduced price tickets, so it is possible to travel with a 62.5% reduction on the normal fare if you book early enough. These cards cost 125 Euros in First Class and 62 Euros in Second Class.
You can book tickets online at the reduced rate before you even purchase your BahnCard 25 or 50, so theoretically you could book your tickets online and print them out at home. When you arrive in Aachen or Saarbrücken leave the train, join the queue in the Reisecenter (Travel Centre) or at the Fahrkartenschalter (Ticket Office), and ask for a BahnCard. You will have to fill in a form, but the Bahn employee will help you, and there is no need for a photograph nowadays. When you pay, you will be given a temporary BahnCard. About a month later you will receive the ‘proper’ Card.
Bicycle Tickets
Bicycle reservations for trips within Germany can be made online with your tickets using www.bahn.co.uk. Just check the box ‘carriage of bicycle required’ and the bicycle ticket is booked automatically. You are supplied with two tickets: one you pop on the bike and one you carry with you. The former has an adhesive patch to stick it to the bicycle. Your bicycle will cost 9 Euros on the long distance trains within Germany, and a trailer costs the same amount. A recumbent or a tandem costs 18 Euros. On the regional trains, a bicycle costs 4.50 Euros in some regions, while in others it is free. The DB puts out a German language brochure called ‘Bahn und Bike’ with full details.
If travelling on a long-distance train you need to reserve a place for the bicycle, and if you’re travelling in summer with a non-folding bike, you should sort this out well in advance. If travelling on a summer Saturday try to make a reservation 92 days in advance and set your alarm clock early to do it. International bicycle tickets cost 10 to 15 Euros and include a bicycle reservation. These are valid from your starting station to your destination. Again recumbents and tandems cost double.
Excellent and easy to use. It provides an option – in the German language version at least – to scan train times over a period to find the cheapest fares each day. This is missing on the English version, probably in revenge for World Cup defeat at Wembley in 1966. (You can cheat. Use the German version and let Google Translator change the language to something you can understand.) You can specify that you are only interested in trains that take accompanied bicycles. This includes some TGV routes, from Karlsruhe to Munich, for example. The timetable section will tell you at which platform you arrive and where you leave from. You can buy bike tickets and reserve bike spaces online in Germany. From what we can see, the website shows the cheapest fares available. For passengers unencumbered by non-folding bicycles it is a good source of information for foreign railways as well. However there are one or two flies in the ointment:
You cannot reserve bike places online on international trains, so you will need to talk to a human being, either by phone or at a station.
Unfortunately information on the website about transporting accompanied bikes abroad, i.e. outside Germany, is not always accurate. You can, for example, put your bicycle on most trains and use most stations in Belgium, but if you enquire in Germany about travelling from Aachen to Brussels with a velocipede, www.bahn.de suggests you ring the DB cyclists hotline in Germany on 01805 151 415 at the equivalent of about 12p/minute, although you can book the bike tickets in Belgium online. Belgian trains from Liege run to Aachen. Similarly, if you tick the ‘accompanied bicycle’ box when planning a trip from Mannheim to Toulouse the website suggests travelling for just over 25 hours via Basel or Paris and changing five or six times. However there is a perfectly good night train from Paris to Toulouse that takes bicycles.There are local trains from Mannheim to Strasbourg and a late afternoon TGV from Strasbourg will get you into Paris Est with plenty of time to cross to Gare Austerlitz, enjoy a sandwich jambon and a petit rouge before tucking up into your couchette to slumber down to Toulouse. The moral of this: If you want to travel by train with a bicycle between two countries it is advisable to check the websites of both railway systems (French Railways).
A woman writes
Women tend to be shorter and less strong than their menfolk and can have problems with getting bikes on trains in Germany. Platforms, especially on rural stations (i.e. the kind of stations cyclists are likely to visit), are low and the steps up into the earlier diesel railcars can resemble the north face of the Eiger at first sighting. The designers probably assumed that all cyclists are the thin, fit types one sees in the Tour de France with similarly svelte bicycles, but a loaded touring bike is a different kettle of fish entirely.
The narrow train doors hinder the ‘storming of the Bastille’ approach that I’ve used sometimes to reach the top of station steps. The DB suggests removing panniers, but with only two minutes to get on the train there’s a real possibility of leaving them on the platform as you depart. If you are lucky, DB conductor-guards or other cyclists on the train or platform will help you. I tend to play the helpless female at this point, whilst seething within. More modern rolling stock, like the double-decker trains, provide very easy access. Once you’re on board, ladies, a bungee or a strap can be helpful to stop the bike falling over, thus keeping your travelling household neat and tidy.
Changing trains can also be a sporting event, especially at larger stations, and it may be worth specifying a longer interval than the default five minutes when changing trains. This interval can be set on www.bahn.de. This means a slower journey overall, but you are not forced to get off one train with up to 20 other cyclists; jog down a flight or two of stairs; run through the tunnel under the station, clamber up another flight of steps; find the cycle compartment marked by a cycle logo and get your bike on the next train within five minutes. Larger stations often have lifts, even though they may be so narrow that only one person with a loaded bicycle can use them. If they are slightly wider it is worthwhile putting two bikes in head to toe.
Other than when they’re in bakers’ or butchers’ shops, Germans do not understand the concept of queueing, so don’t hang back being polite. You will miss your train.
Ferries and River Steamers
Kiel Canal Ferry
Stream Ferry
There are times when crossing a canal, river or lake means taking a ferry. These can vary from rowing boats across streams to large vessels crossing national boundaries – on Lake Constance, for example, between Friedrichshafen in Germany and Romanshorn in Switzerland. Steamers on the lakes and rivers will also take bicycles and their riders. One of the best ways to see the Rhine Gorge is from the deck of a steamer with a plate of apple strudel and a cup of coffee in front of you.
Buses
Germany now has long distance buses crisscrossing the country. Until recently long distance bus services were forbidden and had been forbidden since the 1930s when the Nazi government wanted to protect the railway monopoly. The present government has reversed this decision and long distance bus services have sprung up all over Germany.
There are many bus companies, too many to name and since there is extreme competition between the companies some of them will not last long. In fact, two companies have folded in the autumn of 2014 and ADAC, the German motor club has ended its joint venture with Deutsche Post.
The MeinFernBus company offers accompanied bicycle transfer for up to five bikes a trip. The company offers trips all over Germany. See the website. Prices are much cheaper than trains, but the journey times are longer. You can book your bike online. Bike transport costs nine Euros a trip. We realise that you are coming to Germany to cycle not to sit on bus, but Cologne for example is a major hub for low price airlines and if you want cycle in the Black Forest or around Lake Constance then the Cologne/Düsseldorf to Freiburg services could be very interesting. The website is at www.meinfernbus.de in English and German. ADFC members do not need to pay for their bicycle transport. Is this an idea for the CTC?
There are at least two areas offering bicycle transport by bus and rail to encourage cycle tourism:
Volgelsberg NE of Frankfurt am Main: Free transport of bicycles on any of the six Vulkan-Express routes at weekends and public holidays from 1st May until the end of October with an hourly or two hourly cadence designed to mesh with regional train services. More information from www.vgo.de. Reservation is recommended.
Northern Rheinland-Pfalz NW of Frankfurt am Main: The Regioradler service offers nine routes from the Moselle and Rhine Valleys up into the hills of the Hunsrück (for Hahn Airport amongst other places) and the Eiffel. In addition there is a service along the Moselle Valley. Services run from May until October. Not all buses run everyday. Some run daily, some Mondays to Friday and some weekends and public holidays. More information from www.regioradler.de. Reservation is not only recommended, it is essential at weekends and on public holidays. These services do transport e-bikes, but not tandems or recumbents. Trailers can be transported if there is room.
Our favourite trip in Germany is the long climb through the Black Forest from Offenburg to Villingen. Passing through spectacular scenery, the route is 94 miles long, and ascends 650 metres through 39 tunnels and over two viaducts.
Something that we regret not doing is the special offer some years ago of a week-long trip around some of the termini of the CityNightLine system, sleeping on the train every night and spending a day in cities such as Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. With a Brompton as hand luggage it could be good fun, even though you might need a shower by the end of the week. There are no plans to repeat this service. Sadly, the Amsterdam and Copenhagen CNL services will cease in December 2014.
For online ticket purchases, we recommend Virgin Trains East Coast. Until recently this was publicly-owned East Coast, but under Virgin control it’s still one of the better online ticket sales points, with clear information, the option to book a bicycle space, and no booking fees. See www.virgintrainseastcoast.com
If you find the whole thing unbearably complex, there are some very knowledgeable ticket agents around, where you can speak to a real human being with a detailed knowledge of the UK rail network. Probably the best is the privately-run Chester-le-Street station, Chester-le-Track. Another very knowledgeable agent is Ffestiniog Travel, the ticket arm of the Ffestiniog narrow gauge railway in North Wales. They are specialists in worldwide tickets and rail-tours, but can help with UK tickets too. Purchasing through an agent doesn’t cost any extra, because these companies earn a commission on the fare, just as your local franchised railway station does when it sells you a long-distance fare.
Rail Travel Hints & Tips
Buying railway tickets in the UK has become immensely complicated and confusing. There are many reasons for this, some historical and others bound up with the potty railway ‘privatisation’ of the 1990s. We won’t bother going into the details, which would take many web pages to explain, but here are a few useful tips for buying tickets:
RAILCARDS
Pretty well everyone can use a railcard of one kind or another. If you are young, old, a student, disabled, travelling with at least one child, a member of the armed forces (or spouse), or making all (or most) of your journey in the southeast of England, or many other mostly rural areas, you will find a long-established railcard for you. And the latest card – Two Together – covers the Dinkie couples (Double Income, No Kids) missed out by all the others.
The price of the cards has risen dramatically in recent years (it’s that ‘privatisation’ again) but in most cases you’ll get a 33% discount on the regular fare, so a card will pay for itself in a few journeys, and ultimately repay the purchase price many times over. It’s bad luck for everyone else, but in practise there aren’t many people who don’t squeeze into one category or another.
For all national cards & London & SouthEast railcards, see www.railcard.co.uk
There are numerous local cards and special offers too. You can find the full list at National Rail.
RETURNS & SINGLES
Tickets in the UK are in a terrible mess. Some long-distance returns are more expensive than a series of short trips on the same route, and there are some extraordinary anomalies in prices and conditions for stations that are often just a few miles apart. The price and availability of most ‘walk-on’ return fares is regulated by law, and generally speaking, these tickets cost just a few pence more than a normal single ticket. So our standard advice is to buy a ‘walk-on’ day or period return, even if you are unlikely to be coming back (you never know). However, there are now some exceptions, because the private rail franchisees are allowed to sell their own cheaper advance single fares, usually (but not always) for use exclusively on their own trains. These tickets can be very cheap, so two of them may well work out better value than a normal regulated return fare, but not necessarily, so always double check against the walk-on fare.
Some of these advance single tickets are poorly advertised locally, while others are available only on the company’s website. All require some sort of advance purchase, and you’ll generally have to book on a specific train. In many cases the really cheap fares are for odd trains in the graveyard slots, with more practical services as expensive, or more expensive, than a normal return. The only way to find out is to conduct a bit of research using the various online ticket outlets. There are actually far fewer ticket agents than you might think, because many of these apparently independent outlets are actually part of Raileasy, thetrainline.com or another well known agent. Our advice is to buy tickets through one of the railway companies, preferably one local to the route you intend to travel. They are more knowledgeable and will often be able to display cheaper deals. Before buying anything, check out an alternative agent for better deals, and consider the options below, which can save a fortune.
SPLIT TICKETS
As if the whole thing wasn’t complex enough already, the prices shown by rail companies and ticket agents are by no means the end of the story. You might expect a journey of 50 miles to cost, say, £25, and a journey of 100 miles to cost £50? That was true once, but in the Alice in Wonderland world of railway privatisation, different routes can mean very different prices, and two short journeys can be much, much cheaper than one longer one. In other words, if you are travelling from A to C, the through fare might be £200, but the fare from A to B might be £50, and the fare from B to C might be £75, a total of £125, saving you £75. These ticketing anomalies can be weird and wonderful, and there are far too many of them to list, but as a general rule, if you are travelling towards (not necessarily into) a big urban area during the morning peak period, you will almost certainly be able to travel more cheaply with two, or even three ‘split’ tickets. This is all perfectly legal, but only if your train stops at the ticket boundaries, so check the stopping patterns and conditions carefully before buying.
Double check routes too. Sometimes a more rural route is cheaper for long forgotten historical reasons from pre-British Rail days, and the strange modern ticketing system has made these historic anomalies even more marked. There’s no harm in looking, and most web pages allow you to enter ‘via’ or ‘not via’ to your ticket choice. Even then, some oddities will not show up, so keep your ear to the ground locally.
Finally, try to avoid buying a complex cocktail of tickets at your local station. Staff are obliged to sell you any tickets you want, but if you hog the ticket window for twenty minutes, you will be unpopular with staff and other passengers. Do the research on the web, and either buy on the web or have the tickets delivered to the station ticket machine of your choice. It’s a good idea to pick them up at least a day before travelling, because you’re relying on a lot of clever technology to do this, but in our experience it’s never gone wrong.
GROUPSAVE
This is a very simple idea, but little known, and not always fully understood by station and on-train staff. In certain areas (principally the southeast of England and between Glasgow and Edinburgh) a group of three or four adults can travel off-peak for the price of two, with accompanied children travelling for £1 each. For a larger group, this can work out cheaper than using a railcard, but you do need to check availability in advance, and make sure you really will be saving money, because with some routes and groups, this may not be the case.
RAIL + PLUSBUS
Plusbus began quietly a few years ago, but has developed into a major network, covering all cities and most larger towns throughout the UK. When you buy your ticket you pay a small supplement (typically £2.50 to £3) allowing unlimited bus travel at the start or end of your train journey. The rail-link Plusbus ticket is always cheaper than the normal bus company runaround ticket (if there is one) and as some cover a considerable area, they can represent excellent value for money. Better still, your discount railcard will reduce the cost even further. Plusbus tickets are usually valid for a single day (if you’re staying somewhere for longer you may want one for the outward journey and another for the return). Some areas offer season ticket versions sold as add-ons to railway season tickets.
Tickets can be bought like any other rail ticket at the ticket office, but if you want to do something complex, try calling independent ticket retailer Chester-le-Track on 0191 387 1387, and you will find some at online ticket outlets (full details at www.plusbus.info)
The Elecscoot is unusual. Most electric scooters, as you can tell from A to B’s listing, are restricted to 30mph. In a way, that makes sense. Most of them are bought for the same sort of trips as a 50cc moped – a few miles into town and back, all within 30mph speed limits.
But some electric scooters do offer higher speeds – 40, 50, even 60+mph – thanks to beefier motors and a bigger bank of batteries. The idea is to offer the same sort of performance as a 125cc petrol scooter so that you won’t feel embarrassed, vulnerable or unsafe on faster roads.
Finished in UK
The Elecscoot 4 is one of these, with a 4Kw motor and claimed top speed of 60mph. Basically Chinese, it’s part-assembled in Co Durham, with the controller and motor designed in Europe – the wiring loom (and I hope you’re sitting down) is actually Made in England! All this UK labour bumps up the price to £4395 (the all-Chinese Emotive 3, which claims similar performance, costs over £1200 less) but Elecscoot says the result is a more reliable, better quality scooter. And it is backed up with a two-year battery warranty.
On the road
It certainly delivers on performance. Once past 15mph, the speedo needle fairly scampers round the dial, up to an indicated 55mph and close to sixty downhill. So it’ll happily keep up with main road (though not motorway) traffic and will filter to the front of a traffic light queue before zipping safely away.
All this performance uses a lot of energy – what about the all-important range? Elecscoot claims just under 60 miles of mixed riding. That should have been enough for 50-odd miles of rural roads and urban photography, and it was. I did switch onto 30mph eco-mode for a while on the way home, when the amps read out erroneously told me the battery was nearly flat. Back in the garage, the scooter took 9 hours to recharge (they claim 4-5 hours) so by then it certainly was.
Verdict
So yes, you can ride an electric scooter at higher speeds and still get home on a single charge. Whether you think that’s worth the purchase price is something else.
Most people would agree that if a significant proportion of car commuters were to stay at home, or commute by some other means, our transport problems would be largely solved. More easily said than done, of course.
Our own delightful and multi-talented Teresa was headhunted by Bournemouth Borough Council a year or so ago, and made an offer she couldn’t refuse. Since then, she’s been working away two days a week (Incidentally, Thursdays and Fridays are the days to avoid if you want your A to B renewal dealt with quickly). Teresa agreed to experimentally replace the car commute with a folding bike and rail combination.
This is very typical of longer commuter journeys. Teresa currently travels by minimalist car (a ‘real’ Mini called Max), and the 30-mile journey from Dorchester to Bournemouth Town Hall typically takes 45 minutes, although traffic being what it is, the door-to-door time can vary from 40 to 75 minutes.
Max is an inexpensive car to run, so cost is not a big issue, but interestingly the pressure is more about demand management of parking spaces at both ends of the journey. Like many local authority jobs, Teresa’s comes with a parking permit, giving free all-day parking, but without actually guaranteeing a space. Until recently she was able to use the car park adjoining the Town Hall, but rationalisation of the spaces has meant a five-minute walk from further afield.
At the other end of the journey, there is very little on-street parking in central Dorchester, and the few streets that allow parking have recently been turned into pay-and-display zones, putting pressure on parking spaces in residential areas further out from the centre. Anyone returning home from work mid-evening was liable to find the spaces full before these changes, but the situation is now even worse. Residents permits are a possibility of course, but again, there are no guarantees for late arrivers. So although traffic congestion and car running costs are relatively insignificant elements here, parking issues are. Even in a rural county like Dorset, road space is limited, and political pressure is continuing to squeeze car parking spaces.
Public Transport
There is an alternative. The Weymouth to London railway line runs through Dorchester and Branksome (closer, and more convenient for the Town Hall than Bournemouth station), and since 2008, the electric trains have run to a half-hourly schedule, although not all stop at Branksome. The line speed limit is 85mph, but there are several 60mph restrictions, and in the morning peak, trains generally stop at all seven intermediate stations, so journey times are not particularly good – typically 42 minutes in the morning, and 35 minutes in the evening.
With rail, of course, door-to-door journeys are longer, because there’s usually a foot, taxi or bus element involved. According to Transport Direct, the Department for Transport’s online journey planner, Teresa’s journey by public transport can be expected to take around 84 minutes: a 15-minute walk to the station on top of the basic train schedule, plus a (rather optimistic) ten-minute bus journey from Branksome station to central Bournemouth, and a further ten-minute walk to the Town Hall. Hardly competitive with the car, and including a change onto – and in the evening from – a bus, something that we would never normally recommend unless a connection is guaranteed. What the government journey planner still doesn’t mention (despite numerous promises, but you know our opinion of the DfT) is that wonderful invention, the bicycle.
By 7.30am Poole Road in Westbourne is solid with traffic...
The trains here do carry bicycles, but like most British rail services, the number of bike spaces is strictly limited. In theory, there are six spaces on the Class 444 Desiro, but if the trains are not full, guards may allow more on board at this rural end of the London run. But, as with the parking spaces, nothing is guaranteed. Currently, there is not too much bike-space pressure in Dorset, but trains generally have a full load of five or six bikes, so turning up and hoping for the best can be something of a lottery. And even when you’re on board, it may be necessary to enter into complex negotiations with other cyclists to decide whose machine goes inside the three-tier racks, and whose goes outside. All-in-all, the process can be fraught with hassle and worry – not something likely to tempt anyone out of a comfy car unless they’re a hardened cycle enthusiast.
For everyone else, something more flexible is needed, and as expounded so often in these pages, the answer is often a compact folding bike. King of the compacts for the last twenty years has been the Brompton.
The Brompton S2L
... a half mile away the cycle route through the park is quiet.
There have been a number of changes to the Brompton range in the last year or so, principally to a matt – or more accurately satin – paint finish: in our case Cornflower Blue with white extremities, the sort of combination you either love or loathe. Brompton had selected an S2L, which is basically a cheaper version of the light and sporty S2L-X, but without the titanium bits, so almost half the price, at £617. This machine has only two gears (50 and 74-inch), but by swapping sprockets, it’s fairly easy to reduce bottom gear to 50-inch.
Two gears are quite a compromise, but it’s surprising what you can do with two ratios. The S2L comes with battery lights, which are fine for urban commuting, although we’d want something more powerful at the front in open country. The S2L weighs a reasonable if unspectacular 11.2kg, which – intriguingly – is exactly the same as our 1991-vintage 3-speed. Admittedly, this particular S2L has a slightly heavier telescopic seat pillar, and our elderly bike has lighter Kojak tyres and a few other lightweight bits, but it’s disappointing all the same. Of course, Brompton does offer much lighter bikes than this, but they’re also much more expensive, so only an option if you have deep pockets, or your bike/rail commute is saving a lot of money elsewhere.
Gauging the bike against our own fleet of older ‘M’ type Bromptons, we felt the rolling resistance of the new ‘stickier’ tyres was a bit high, but a roll-down test revealed little or no difference. Either way, for an inexperienced cycle commuter, the extra grip is probably useful insurance. We also felt the ‘S’ type bars were a bit low too, and this comment came up again and again with those who rode the bike. Cycle shops appear to be steering customers towards the ‘S’ type models these days, but take our word for it – the ‘M’ bars are more comfortable, and the upright position is safer in traffic. Even if you habitually ride an MTB with low, flat handlebars, give the ‘M’ type Brompton a try. So although the S2L is a good choice for short distance commuting, we think an M2L would have been more successful.
The Trial
Cycling from home to Dorchester South station takes about six minutes at 6.30am, although a minute or two extra would be needed later in the peak as traffic starts to build. All our trains were on time during the experiment, and at such an early hour, all had Brompton capacity to spare. The Class 444 trains are seriously lacking in luggage space, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide a folding bike away, especially at commuter times. The Brompton will just fit behind facing seat backs on most trains including these (it’s probably the only folding bike that will), but as the trains have mostly airline-style seats, these useful spaces are limited. We put the Brompton in the disabled area, wheelchairs being rare at peak times, and this two-wheelchair space alone could provide room for up to 20 Brompton, should the need arise. It doesn’t, because in the whole experiment we only saw one folding bike (a Brompton as it happens), even though the conventional bike spaces were generally full and occasionally over-flowing into the vestibule.
At the Branksome end of the journey, the cycle ride takes 12 minutes downhill and about 15 minutes back up, against the (optimistic) DfT estimate of 20 minutes by bus and foot. Overall journey time door-to-door is about 64 minutes, each way, the morning run being slower on the train, but downhill on the bike, and visa-versa in the evening. This compares to a theoretical 50 minutes by car (45 minutes plus a five-minute walk), or 84 minutes by public transport alone.
Cost
The modern railway franchisees are supposedly quick on their feet, but most have missed a trick with flexible peak-time tickets. Teresa, like many commuters – and, perhaps soon a majority – works part-time with flexible hours, so the traditional weekly, monthly or annual season, offering an unlimited number of return journeys for a set period, is simple not practical. At £1,964 per year, it can halve the cost of travel for those who commute at least once a day, but is unrealistic for part-time workers. The only option is the Anytime Day Return at £9.90 per day. At 17p per mile, that’s a little more than the petrol cost for a small car these days, but around half the true running costs.
Recommendations
Employer: The factor that really skews commuting in favour of the car is the subsidised parking. Parking a car all day in central Bournemouth costs upwards of £8, so the free parking for council employees is effectively a big subsidy. In keeping with the tough economic conditions, the local authority is making noises about withdrawing the subsidy, but a kinder option would be to offer non-car vouchers in lieu. This alone would almost cancel out the train fare from Dorchester, and represent a cash bonus for those who cycled or took a bus over shorter distances. Like many local authorities, health authorities and other big employers, this one doesn’t operate a tax-free bicycle purchase scheme. Why? Apart from the admin issues, the cost is minimal. If big employers are serious about reducing their traffic and parking problems they need to provide a carrot as well as a stick.
Department for Transport: The Transport Direct web portal (www.transportdirect.info) is a useful innovation, but despite being around for a few years, it still fails to address its primary function – incentivising a switch from private car to alternatives. The site only shows private car versus public transport, and – as in this case – the car times usually beat train/bus/foot hands down. But it takes little account of congestion, ignores the time taken to park, and walk from the car park, and for longer trips, fails to include essential ‘comfort’ stops. Most annoyingly, despite promises, bicycle, and bike/rail options are neither displayed nor even discussed. In many cases, the bike/rail option will give the fastest door-to-door time, and it’s usually comparable, something that potential mode switchers would fail to discover if they approach government sources for advice.
The Rail Industry: South West Trains could make life easier for part-time or self-employed workers who travel irregularly, by issuing carnet tickets (this is another grumble that surfaces in A to B once in a while). The company or user purchases a book, typically of ten tickets, and uses them as and when required, saving money and eliminating queueing time. Carnets are rare in the UK, but National Express is experimenting with transferable carnet books for businesses, although these offer a rather disappointing 10% discount over the full fare, so they can actually work out quite expensive at off-peak times.
For National Rail, the infrastructure could be improved in Dorset, as elsewhere. A line speed of 85mph was good twenty years ago, but speed restrictions on the competing roads have since been bypassed, leaving rail under pressure. SWT also has to live with a lengthy section of single track here, making scheduling very awkward.
Brompton: As Teresa discovered when her new mode of transport came up for discussion, several other employees had looked into and dismissed bike/railing to work, but none seem to have discovered the Brompton option. The Brompton has traditionally sold through recommendation by early-adopters, which has worked well in the big cities, but elsewhere the bikes are still rare. How to encourage more people to try this fast, healthy and effective form of commuting is a big question, but one that needs to be addressed.
Teresa’s Commuter Diary
Once again I find myself in the role of A to B guinea pig as David Henshaw sells me an idea. “Surely it would be less stressful to take a Brompton on the train to Bournemouth and cycle from the station?” he said. Prior to my A to B association, I tended to view Brompton riders with a mixture of amusement and admiration. However, let’s face it, anyone who drives a car smaller than a shopping trolley can’t afford to be too high and mighty! “OK.” I replied.
The biggest negative of the experiment was psychological, as en route photography meant getting up half an hour earlier than usual to straightening my hair, apply make-up and choose clothing that was indicative of an office professional and yet allow easy cycling.
I managed to unfold the bike in a respectable time (considering my one lesson), squeeze my normal haversack into a Brompton bag and leave the house without disturbing the sleeping inmates. The morning was dark and autumnal, but the sky was beginning to brighten and soon I found myself taking real delight in blowing away the last vestiges of sleep.
Getting on at such an early point in the journey meant plenty of seats to go round, and I parked the bike easily in the wheelchair space. The train’s population increased with each stop and I noticed a mixture of admiring and curious looks at the bike from other travellers – I began to enjoy my commuter role.
At Branksome station I left the train accompanied by a sizeable number of passengers and a couple of bicycles. I rebuilt my wheels, lugged bag and bike up the stairs and into the car park. This was a mistake. I understand that with practice I’ll develop my own carrying technique.
By now there was a continuous flow of traffic on the roads and everyone wanted to be somewhere quickly. The handlebars on the ‘S’ type Brompton are much lower than I would choose and I felt that all I could d
o was keep my head down and pedal. I’m not sure that I’m cut out for standing my ground on two wheels against blindly determined motorists. I was relieved when I entered the protection and calm of the Bourne Valley cycle path into the Upper Gardens. The quiet tree-lined pathway is bumpy with protruding roots breaking through the tarmac, making me aware that I might be a little saddle-sore later but it is none-the-less a welcome final stretch.
At the Town Hall I collapsed the Brompton with what I felt was professional speed and negotiated the flight of stairs and series of security doors with relative ease. With my ‘steed’ stashed under a table, I tried to calm my frizzy hair, and subdue my high temperature and flushed face. Throughout the morning colleagues greeted me with a variety of comments ranging from; “Is that a bike?” (obvious or what?), to “Did you ride to work” (all the way from Dorchester?), and finally a sensible and heartening comment: “I was thinking about buying a folding bike, how do you get on with it?”
The day soon passed and although I work flexi-hours, I have a heavy workload and was concerned about leaving on time. Would I make the train? I wasted a few moments before I worked out that the saddle has to be raised before the frame can be assembled. There were a few joggers and dog walkers in the gardens, but otherwise this was again a great route. As I joined the traffic the journey became hazardous, but I stood my ground and resisted the temptation to cycle on the pavement. Unfortunately the final bit is uphill and before long I realised that either I’m extremely unfit or I need more than two gears.
The station was quite crowded so there was a surge as the train doors opened. I opted to use the bike carriage and withstood the curious and possibly hostile looks of two cyclists who were standing defensively by their machines. Once again the human traffic dwindled as we travelled west and I found a seat. The obvious thing would have been to store the Brompton behind the seat but I didn’t want to make a fool of myself by squeezing it into a tight space, so I sat on the edge of my seat, guarding at a distance.
That night, as I soaked my sore bits in a Radox bath and counted the bruises on my thighs (evidence of a poor carrying technique) I reflected on the day. My contract includes a parking permit and ‘flexible’ flexi-hours, but not all my colleagues share these perks. Driving for anything up to an hour I can’t imagine spending further time and money trying to park Max for the day. Without parking I might consider a half commute: perhaps driving to a quiet area of Bournemouth and parking up for the day and cycling the final stretch. I want to be greener, but it also has to be a practical solution. The bike commute involves getting up earlier and getting home later, it is dependent on a regular finish time, train fares are more expensive than petrol, and how would I feel on a rainy day? I had missed the mist over the River Frome, John Humphries and even the traffic jams, where I gain childish pleasure in catching up the vehicles that had whipped past me earlier in the journey.
After day one, the positives and negatives of the experiment were evenly balanced. Who knows, as the Council is currently carrying out a review of staff parking, I may find that a Brompton becomes an essential part of my life in the future.
Bike/Rail Hints and Tips
Despite a lack of cycling information, Transport Direct gives a useful guide as to which core rail or bus combination will work best. Extra work will be needed to calculate the bike bits.
Put the National Rail ‘Live Departures’ page in your web browser for instant access. The information can also be displayed on some phones.
Set your watch one minute fast. Useful for those tight connections.
When making the first outward cycle journey, always check the start-to-stop cycling time. Add five minutes for contingencies (more for longer, hillier rides) and you know when to depart on the return.
With the Brompton, practice sitting on the folded bike. This can give you a free seat on a packed station or train. Crossing a bridge with bag in one hand and tea in the other? Balance the nose of the saddle on your shoulder, leaving hands free.
At busy stations fold the bike well clear of the barriers. With buses, always fold and cover the bike in advance. Arguing is pointless!
Our Bike/Bus page lists UK bike restrictions on UK bus, coach & tram services. Folding bikes travel free and without restriction on all coach and tram services unless stated.
At driver’s discretion Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
Reading and 
Plymouth – Roscoff, 
No restrictions Tandems and tricycles: Unknown
This was the jolly fate of Ultra Motor, the electric bike manufacturer which shed its much bigger Taiwanese subsidiary, before going wheels up in November last year. Within a few weeks, the parent company had been bought for an undisclosed sum by Hero Eco, a newly formed division of an Indian company that started making bicycles in the 1950s and now has an annual turnover of more than a billion pounds.
Whether you believe the catastrophic predictions being made by some scientists, or prefer the lower key approach of others, there’s no doubt the world is heading for uncertain times, thanks to our misuse of resources, primarily over-consumption of ‘fossil’ fuels. But we can ALL do something about it.
