How to carry your bike?
To discover new horizons, more remote routes, new single and new spots, you have to transport your bike. Transporting your favorite bike can be difficult if you don't anticipate your trip. Fortunately, there are several ways to transport your bike nowadays, and many brands offer covers, suitcases, saddlebags, and bike racks for your convenience.
Carrying your bike in a car: opt for a bike carrier
If there is enough space, you can store the bike in the car, possibly by dismantling it and placing it in a bicycle carrying bag provided for this purpose, to protect it from shocks and to preserve your car from the Grease and / or mud. If you do not have this possibility, you will need to use a bike carrier:
- A hatchback bike carrier , economical and easy to set up, but with the constraint of no longer being able to easily access the safe.
- A bike carrier to fix to the roof of the car , inexpensive, easy to install and which protects the bikes well, it allows a good visibility in the back. However it has the disadvantage of the catch to the wind and the risk of hanging the bike to the passage of a bridge, toll barrier, parking. Stay alert and tidy, do not hesitate to put a Post It on your dashboard to remind you that your bike is on the roof! Another disadvantage: you will need roof racks and it is not always easy to install the bikes on the roof.
- A bicycle carrier for transporting several bicycles in general without risk that they are damaged. It is easily removable and easy to access.
Traveling by train with a bike
- In a TER: the bike is transported at no extra cost, suspended or placed in a space provided for this purpose (the offer is limited to the number of available places). It's therefore simple to transport your bike in the TER.
- In a TGV: on high-speed lines, the bike travels dismantled and stored in a carrying bag, the dimensions of which must not exceed 120 cm in height and 90 cm in width. Considered as hand luggage, it's not subjected to extra charges. Bikes are accepted depending on the number of available places available, but be careful: in the TGV, the space dedicated to suitcases is extremely limited! If you don't wxsh to dismantle it, it's necessary to reserve a spot (for an extra charge). Be careful, not all TGV lines are accessible to bikes. We advise you to consult the map of the TGV accepting bikes out of covers on the site of the SNCF.
- In a Transilien: many bikes are transported in the Transilien because cyclists often commute by train and use their bike to go to work. The bike travels free of charge within the limits of available seats, with schedules to respect depending on the lines. We invite you to consult the site of the SNCF and the Transilien network to find out the existing rule on your line.
- In Europe: with the Eurostar or the Lyra TGV, the bike can travel either by placing it in a carrying case, the dimensions of which must not exceed 120 cm in height and 90 cm in width, or through the baggage check-in sercice on the day of departure, or finally by booking a bike spot in advance. With the Thalys, Italo and the France-Italy TGV, the bike must travel in its bicycle carrying case.
Traveling by plane with a bike
For air travel, your bike must be registered and stored in the luggage compartment. It will be exposed to shocks, whether during the journey or during loading and unloading. To compensate for these risks, it is strongly advised to invest in a rigid transport bag for bicycles, such as Sci Con rigid suitcases.
With the vast majority of companies, there will be an additional cost. Some companies set a maximum weight. It is therefore essential to inquire about the chosen company before leaving.
Traveling by bus with a bike
Tour operators often use large trailers coupled to buses to store bikes. Again, it's recomended to use a traveling bag for the trip. If the bus isn't equipped, the drivers will accept to take your bike in most cases in the bus hold if there's available room.
