I want to take my Brompton on Eurostar. I gather I need it in a bag to avoid the charge. Is the cover sufficient (£25) or do I need the full bag (£120!):
http://www.brompton.co.uk/explorer/acce ... .asp?bp=14
Also how about a child's 24" mountain bike (actually an Islabikes Beinn 24)?
Plan to take wheels off this and put in smallest full size bike bag I can find.
Will that pass for normal luggage?
Duncan
Brompton and childs bike on Eurostar - which bag?
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duncanharris
- Posts: 14
- Joined: 1 Aug 2007, 12:23pm
Re: Brompton and childs bike on Eurostar - which bag?
When I've taken my Brommie on Eurostar, I've just used the drop-over cover, no dramas. Taking a full-size bike bag onto Eurostar, make sure you are one of the first into your carriage. The luggage space often fills quite quickly.
Re: Brompton and childs bike on Eurostar - which bag?
My son and his friend recently went by Eurostar and TGV to S of France with normal touring/trekking bikes as normal luggage. They had only one "proper" bike bag and simply packaged the other in heavy-duty polythene to similar dimensions, using lots of parcel tape, plus rope and old carpet for shoulder straps! This home-made packaged bike was accepted onto the trains, including the RER under Paris, with no more quibble than the "proper" bike bag. And they reported it was no more difficult to handle, even though the "proper" bag had a stiffened base and castors under one corner (but was heavier, bigger and floppier).
It took them all morning to dismantle the bikes enough to go in a bag no more than 120cm long (though the "proper" bag actually measured 135cm, nobody seems to bother if it's "proper") and 90cm tall. Both wheels had to come out, plus mudgaurds and rear carriers, which were taped to the wheels for tidyness and protection. On my advice they also undid the bolt that holds the rear mech to the frame hanger, to avoid accidentally bending either of them.
It may be possible to leave the rear wheel in a child's bike. And if you don't have a bike-bag already, there doesn't seem to be any absolute need to buy one if you have enough polythene and tape. The bike will be in your care the whole journey, so the dubious benefit of padding is probably not required. The polythene bag my son used was the packaging from one half of a new double-bed, not the CTC poly bag, since they didn't need anything quite that big. But if you have no such recyclable packaging to hand: the CTC bag (for about a tenner) is a cost-effective solution and can easily be folded and taped down to conform with the smaller dimensions required on trains.
It took them all morning to dismantle the bikes enough to go in a bag no more than 120cm long (though the "proper" bag actually measured 135cm, nobody seems to bother if it's "proper") and 90cm tall. Both wheels had to come out, plus mudgaurds and rear carriers, which were taped to the wheels for tidyness and protection. On my advice they also undid the bolt that holds the rear mech to the frame hanger, to avoid accidentally bending either of them.
It may be possible to leave the rear wheel in a child's bike. And if you don't have a bike-bag already, there doesn't seem to be any absolute need to buy one if you have enough polythene and tape. The bike will be in your care the whole journey, so the dubious benefit of padding is probably not required. The polythene bag my son used was the packaging from one half of a new double-bed, not the CTC poly bag, since they didn't need anything quite that big. But if you have no such recyclable packaging to hand: the CTC bag (for about a tenner) is a cost-effective solution and can easily be folded and taped down to conform with the smaller dimensions required on trains.
Chris Juden
One lady owner, never raced or jumped.
One lady owner, never raced or jumped.