Touring - the bike the greyhound

i ment this to be a reply to the taking the bike on th e bus post

D*ALEX is right call ahead, I know some people that took bikes on the bus thay had to box them up and bring them in the drivers and bag handlers toss them arround so pad the bike good with bubble wrap and your sleeping bag and what ever else you got. does the greyhound charge extra to haul your bike?

iI took the train 2 x they have boxes for 10 dollars you take off the pedals and turn the handle bars the wheels stay on and the bike rolls intothe box pad it and seal it up is the train an option?

you could also ride the bus home but go to a bikeshop get a box and ship the buike via ups.

Originally posted by catfish
i ment this to be a reply to the taking the bike on th e bus post

iI took the train 2 x they have boxes for 10 dollars you take off the pedals and turn the handle bars the wheels stay on and the bike rolls intothe box pad it and seal it up is the train an option?

Is that train Amtrak? I'm assuming so. Is it pretty easy dealing with their boxes? Do you have to mess with the fork/headset at all? I've been thinking about taking Amtrak to the east coast to start my cross country journey, anyone have any experiences with this?

yes the train is AMTRACK like i said they have the boxes right at the station for 10 dollars (check with your local station to be sure they have some) they are large enough to just roll your bike in to them no need to remove the wheels. the pedals however have to come off and i had to turn the handle bars that all i did.

the boxes are quite easy to deal with i bought a large roll of straping tape to secure the box. I got my box ahead of time boxed the boike the night befor and had got a ride to the station, you can however just ride to the station and box it there.

the train i took went all the way to portland no transfering trains if you have to switch make sure your ride also gets transfered to the next train

I padded the heck out of the bike with my sleeping bag and a lot of bubble wrap i watched the train baggage handlers they treated my box kindly no problems. i was pleased with the way things went its actually the second time i used the train to transport me and thre bike to a start point
contact AMTRACK directly for more information

i'm not up on the latest, but i rode Amtrak from Seattle to Portland about 2 years ago and they had a bike car and charged something like $4 for the bike - no boxing or anything, just roll it in and hang it up and lock it - i had my BOB trailer with me and they charged me for a second bike which i thought was a little much, but it wasn'T so expensive...

for a longer trip (was that Wisconsin to Portland?) a box might be a good idea to keep your bike safer, but i don't think it's always necessary

yes i know of these special cars unfortunatly very few routes have them. Seattle to portland is one of them. i was on the train out of San Louis Obispo california once and they had the same feature just roll it in and hang it up sure is nice when available .

most of AMTRACKS routes dont have this this luxurery of a bike car, too bad because it is a great. the only way your bike will be accepted for transport is to have it boxed. the AMTRACK boxes are great no hassel. Yes, the train i rode was from wisconsin to Portland.
catfish

I use a combination of bike and bus to get around locally and just out of my area, bike/bus/local train (tri-rail). I can get all around southeast Florida that way. It's a very bike-friendly transportation system that accommodates bikes without having to pack, bubble wrap, etc. It would be great to see a nationwide swing in this direction. If Amtrak can accommodate cars, what's the big deal about bikes? And I tend to think Greyhound's ridership would increase with a BOB accommodation.

AMTRAK's new California Surfliner service, from San Diego to Los Angeles, and, for a few runs, farther north, has very nice roll-on bicycle accommodations. Unfortunately, AMTRAK can substitute equipment without notice, and the older coaches lack this feature. This is a case where phoning ahead does not guarantee good service, although some station masters are more bike-friendly than others. Absent a roll-on rack, you are required to use the baggage car, which is a problem if your origin or destination station is not designated for baggage-handling. For those wishing to commute daily or weekly, boxing and $10 fees are really not not acceptable options.

If you want to travel by bike and train between Oceanside and Los Angeles, consider MetroLink instead. Between Oceanside and San Diego, use San Diego County's equivalent, the Coaster (www.sdcommute.com). MetroLink service is restricted to the weekday peak commuting hours, but there are roll-on bike racks on all trains. If there is a regional commuter heavy rail system near you, check it out -- it may accommodate bicycles efficiently.

ummm....
All AMTRAK trains with baggage check will accept bikes. You must remove your pedals, first, and I understand that you must notify them ahead of time, arrive at least 1 hour before departure, and possibly pay $5 for the use of the case.