London to Brighton - bike bags?

[John Hearns]

Let the flames rise. Mwahhhhh...

Just throwing this open to the crowds. I'm doing the London to Brighton
for the first time, we have a company team entry. I could get a bike bag
delivered to Brighton in the works van.
Anyone know what the attitude to someone getting on board a Thameslink
train carrying a bike bag over the shoulder would be?
I'd hazard a guess at a big no.

(Failing that the bike could be brought back to the office for me to pick
up at a later date).

 

[David E. Belcher]

John Hearns wrote:

> Let the flames rise. Mwahhhhh...
>
> Just throwing this open to the crowds. I'm doing the London to Brighton
> for the first time, we have a company team entry. I could get a bike bag
> delivered to Brighton in the works van.
> Anyone know what the attitude to someone getting on board a Thameslink
> train carrying a bike bag over the shoulder would be?
> I'd hazard a guess at a big no.

Depends. Is First Captial Connect (as Thameslink is now called, having
been absorbed into a much bigger rail franchise) as restrictive on
London-Brighton bike traffic as Southern is? The best way round such
rules - though I don't know if it would run at an appropriate time -
would be to book well in advance between Brighton & Olympia on Virgin
CrossCountry (only 1 or 2 trains a day, though). Also consider finding
some way of getting over to Hastings from Brighton and picking up a
Southeastern service to London Bridge/Waterloo E/Charing X from there.

David Belcher

 

[John Hearns]

On Tue, 16 May 2006 03:08:08 -0700, David E. Belcher wrote:

>
> (only 1 or 2 trains a day, though). Also consider finding some way of
> getting over to Hastings from Brighton and picking up a Southeastern
> service to London Bridge/Waterloo E/Charing X from there.
If I'm not wrong, there are bans on all Southeastern services that day.

 

[davek]

John Hearns wrote:
> If I'm not wrong, there are bans on all Southeastern services that day.#

ITYM Southern, for it is they who operate that line.

Even Southeastern wouldn't be such nazis as to ban everyone in Kent
from taking their bike on the train that day!

As an aside, does the ban extend even to folding bikes? I could happily
contemplate riding L2B on m'Brompton - you'd probably have to get off
and walk up Ditchling Beacon anyway, due to the crowds.

d.

 

[MartinM]

John Hearns wrote:
> Let the flames rise. Mwahhhhh...
>
> Just throwing this open to the crowds. I'm doing the London to Brighton
> for the first time, we have a company team entry. I could get a bike bag
> delivered to Brighton in the works van.
> Anyone know what the attitude to someone getting on board a Thameslink
> train carrying a bike bag over the shoulder would be?
> I'd hazard a guess at a big no.

My brother boarded a Thameslink many years ago and was nearly shot; he
only got away with it by lying about where he was going; and this was
in the days when good old Notwork Southeast were taking all the other
bikes.

Forget the train; Southern and firstcapitalconnect have killed the
spirit of the ride IMO