Folded Friday on Amtrak
 

I swear I saw this one on a thread somewhere, but darned if the search engine will let me find it.

A Friday Pocket Rocket has a pretty big fold (and is not particularly maneuverable when it is folded either). Does anyone know Amtrak will let us take them on board as hand luggage or do we have to check them? We will have panniers as well, so that's quite a bit of hand luggage.

Ask the ? Travel with Bicycles , home page .

From Amtrak's web site:
[h=5]Folding Bikes Brought Aboard as Carry-On Baggage[/h] Folding bicycles may be brought aboard certain passenger cars as carry-on baggage. Only true folding bicycles (bicycles specifically designed to fold up into a compact assembly) are acceptable. Generally, these bikes have frame latches allowing the frame to be collapsed, and small wheels. Regular bikes of any size, with or without wheels, are not considered folding bikes, and may not be stored as folding bikes aboard trains.
You must fold up your folding bicycle before boarding the train. You may store the bike only in luggage storage areas at the end of the car (or, in Superliners, on the lower level). You may not store bikes in overhead racks.

Bolded the bit that I wonder about:

"Folding bicycles may be brought aboard certain passenger cars as carry-on baggage. Only true folding bicycles (bicycles specifically designed to fold up into a compact assembly) are acceptable. Generally, these bikes have frame latches allowing the frame to be collapsed, and small wheels. Regular bikes of any size, with or without wheels, are not considered folding bikes, and may not be stored as folding bikes aboard trains.

You must fold up your folding bicycle before boarding the train. You may store the bike only in luggage storage areas at the end of the car (or, in Superliners, on the lower level). You may not store bikes in overhead racks."

Strikes me that's going to be very much at the whim of the conductor, so I wondered if anyone had experience.

So will they consider a (non-Tikit) Friday a true folding bicycle?

Just from posts on the YAK, I believe other people have successfully taken their bagged Bike Friday as a carry-on.

The Pocket Rocket has a big fold, but it DOES fold, so I think it counts. But the other part is that it needs to fit in the luggage storage area. I don't know whether the Friday folds small enough to fit. Even if it doesn't, you could probably still bring it as checked baggage.

EZ pack is one style, those come apart, hinged seat and handlebar riser is another,
no loose parts ..

Rear wheel folds along side the frame . many Folders hinge in the middle
of the top tube, and are not much narrower when folded .

I've taken my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket along with panniers with my camping gear on Amtrak as carry-on luggage without any questions. The problem with checked baggage on Amtrak is that they only provide that at certain stations.

Yay! That might work then. You didn't have a bag, right, prathmann? Just a folded bike?

You have the option to either have it checked in as luggage where it will go on in one of the 6 bike hooks or you can have it folded and have it carried in as carry on. Ideally, you should have it in a bag for easy transport. For panniers, get a foldable duffle bag and then stuff in all 4 panniers and what have you into it. Done, now you've got only 2 luggage to worry about!

The definition of the folding bike is that, the length of the bike must be able to reduce to close to half its size. This is important and will be very obvious to you when you get into the train. Which is why full sized bike with wheels off do not qualify as folding or as carry on.

I tow a trailer when I travel and if I feel like I need more compactness, I just simply strap the Dahon onto my Burley Travoy and then just wear the backpack while towing the bike with wheels when changing trains on a different platform!

Could we plse plse see a picture or two of this? I`ve been thinking of getting a Travoy to use with (and pull my B with) but was not sure if it was big enough. If you can strap a Dahon to it you should for sure be able to strap a Brompton to it?

Will these help?

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/9...cn4204t.th.jpg
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/6687/dscn4207g.th.jpg

Top photo is what I do when I travel with a backpack. Backpack fits on the Travoy perfectly when strapped on. Bottom photo is a quick and dirty snap shot of the bike on the Travoy. Typically, I have the Dahon Carry On bag (now Tern Carry On) that covers it making it look even more stealthy. Personally, I don't see why your Brompton would not fit. In fact, I think the Brompton would fit nicely and better than my Dahon Mu SL.

See the thread "Folding bike size on Amtrack East Coast lines" started earlier this month.

See Amtrak Operations Standards Update 07-15 (http://transalt.org/files/resources/..._policy_07.pdf).

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

Hank,

As long as the original poster takes care in taking the Pocket Rocket Pro apart to be small enough and meet Amtrak's requirement then it's fine. Problem is, it does take some effort and it's quite clumsy to carry it on unless you've got some sort of body bag. I have seen people with folders simply reserved a bike spot to save the hassle.

The issue with the Pocket Rocket is that with such a big fold, you will be totally at the whim of the conductors. Some will see your bike and embrace you like a long lost sibling... others will see your bike and will give you the evilest of evil eyes. If you give that second group any excuse, they will not allow you to bring it aboard as carry on baggage.

Things may be better now (haven't been on a train in 3 years since I moved to Utah), but I used to regularly travel Amtrak with a Tikit in the midwest. About one quarter of the time I had to pull out my copy of the policy and explain it to the conductor. While I was always able to prevail... there were a couple of times that I was afraid I wouldn't even be allowed on the train.

My suggestion to you is to try and find a way to make the Pocket Rocket as small as possible... or put some portion of the bike in a duffle bag as has been suggested above.

Thank you! that helped a lot. Have not seen the trailer myself, just on the internet so size is difficult to guess. I think I`ll end up buying one.

I think you will like it. It's one of the most stable trailers I've ever towed as I've owned and towed quite a few in the past especially when it's heavily loaded! :)

I'm thinking about getting one for grocery shopping, so that helps me as well. Thanks!