mercalia wrote:zenitb wrote:One thing to watch out for is impact/twisting from other bikes. Here is my Cannondale en route to Plymouth in a new "Azuma" train..there is supposed to be space for another bike!! I was really relieved no one showed up with one though..it was hard enough wrestling my bike into place..there would surely be the potential of damage squeezing another bike in...
Its possible putting the second bike in "rear wheel up" might have been easier though ...
does the other bike go by the side? if so what happens if you want to get out before the other one? That would anger the train guard as it would slow the departure?
I had the misfortune to use one of those a few days ago. Just finding a space for my booked bike was hard enough since there are no markings on the outside of the train. It took the guard several minutes to find a suitable place for me and she made it clear how much she hated the train design. Once on, we had to get people to remove a load of luggage out of the space and I had to try to wiggle my large bike in without scratching the one already there - not an easy task as the hooks are only about 20cm apart.
Getting the bike out on a moving train before I reached my station was not easy. There is not enough space in the corridor to maneuver a bike, let alone also redistribute people's luggage. The poor person with a bike on the inside got out without me realising and had had to move mine out, then theirs, then put mine back in.
The whole thing is a farce. The guard was encouraging me to send a written complaint to GWR as every time a cyclist comes along the train has to be delayed.