Don't box your bike to travel by train

The Amtrack website says it well; “Part of the joy of a journey by train is the ability to explore the stops along the way, and what better way to do that than by bike?”

If you have a “regular bike”, there are plenty of opportunities for adventure, as long as you’re willing to follow the rules about when and where bikes are allowed:

• Carry-on Bicycle Service: You can carry your bike on one of eleven trains, as long as the 3-10 spaces per train are not taken. A nominal feel of $5 to $20 applies.

• Trailside Checked Bicycle Service: At selected stations and seven allowed routes, you can have an Amtrack employee store your bike in the baggage car for $20.

• Boxed Bicycles as Checked Baggage: You can disassemble your bike and pack it in a box for $10. (Amtrack suggests advance planning: “It may be helpful to disassemble and reassemble your bike before your trip to avoid any surprises. Some parts, especially pedals, may be especially difficult to remove.”)

Or, you could have a CHANGE bike, and ignore all these limitations and fees. Just fold up your bike and bring it along as carry-on baggage. (And no, CHANGE bike owners with removable pedals have no issue removing their pedals).

So, of the 36+ Amtrack routes, less than half are accessible with an unboxed regular bike. Said another way, using a folding bike opens up half the country’s routes to you–and having a CHANGE bike as your folding bike makes longer exploration rides possible.

Now add some clock-watching.

Thanks to a couple of conversations with Jens in Ontario, we learned that Metrolinx/GOTransit in Toronto has similar issues. But the complexity there is about the clock. They are serious about rush hour!

  When you CAN take a regular bike:

• • Weekdays anytime—except during rush hour times (refer to CAN’T section below )

 

• Saturday, Sunday, and statutory holidays

   When you CAN'T take a regular bike:

• Rush hour time:

  • • Trains arriving at Union Station between 6:30 – 9:30 a.m.

   

  • Trains leaving Union Station between 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Even the busiest transit hub in Canada–Union Station–shuts down for regular bikes during rush hour.

Don’t want to follow the rules? Here’s how to have special privileges:

“If you have a foldable style bike, you can bring your bike
onboard a GO Train at any time—as long as it’s folded up.”

How do you maximize your ability to explore?

Ultimately, you have two ways to maximize your ability to get a bike on a train. Box it and unbox it at every stop…

…or get a folding bike that rides great on long trips, and takes a lot less time to get on and off the train. Enjoy your freedom!

An update five years later…

Due to tariffs, Flatbike has stopped designing and building bikes around frames designed by Changebike, LTD in Taiwan. We are focused entirely on award-winning, space-saving components for any bike, including destruction-tested Flatbike Pop-Off  MTB pedals for use on trails and BMX.

CHANGE full-size folding bikes in the US are now represented directly by changebike.com.

 

Bob Forgrave is president of Flatbike, an
ecommerce company offering full-size folding bikes
and kits to make any bike take up half the space.

425-985-6219