First of all sorry I broke my phone and my backup phone can’t resize pictures so I can’t directly load them here.

So if some of you follow my mastodon account you know that I got to Brussels, damn 2 months not posting here and where I got.

In France I met El and she showed me a bit around the coast, we were riding together for a week there. Each of us wanted to see something bit different so we split in Nantes and I promised that I will join her in CZ to show her around. So that’s what’s happening now I am in train riding through Germany (not yet) and have spare time pretty much all night (I don’t expect that I will get much sleep). If you have any questions about my journey don’t hesitate to ask.

  • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    How has your experience been with taking the bike on trains? Sufficient capacity? Fare supplements? Helpful staff? Do you lock it, or sit with with it during the journey, or just take your chances? Are their any countries to be avoided?

    • plactagonic@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Right now I have it locked in the case I fall asleep, but mainly because I had to buy U-lock in Paris and found out that it is just quick and convenient. Still there are bags on it, only camping gear so nothing with big resale value. As said earlier in the other trains I had to be with it.

      In the case of helpful staff yesterday I was on Brussels-Midi asking about today ride and got the answer “Today is a strike so I don’t give much F about it” in really nice tone but today it was much better.

    • plactagonic@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Generally the Spain is horrible for that - you can’t take your bike assembled even on the slow long trains. The regional lines are ok but no bike racks so you just somehow put it on the spot for disabled people. Still the regional lines are only few hubs and not an network.

      Portugal is better in this I didn’t personally needed the train but met few people who used it. Still it depends, most trains take the bikes but you can’t find much info about the ones that don’t take them.

      In France it is really ok on shorter routes in regional trains, on the long routes you still have to disassemble the bike.

      I haven’t been that long in Belgium but I think that it is really ok, I am now taking the DB trains through Germany and as I knew no issue there.

      So more north-east you get the better the service.

      • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        3 days ago

        Very helpful, thanks!

        Generally the Spain is horrible for that - you can’t take your bike assembled even on the slow long trains.

        Dammit now I’m worried. It said the intercity service (not AVE) was bike-accessible. I assumed that meant no disassembly. I might have to make enquiries now. Can you remember which legs and service you took?

        In France it is really ok on shorter routes in regional trains,

        Yes much progress there in recent years.

        • plactagonic@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
          2·
          3 days ago

          In the end I didn’t take it but I wanted to ride Santiago de Compostela to Irun, it is possible that on other lines they have cars with racks and stuff but don’t expect it everywhere. And don’t trust that label “bike transport possible” it usually means the disassembled bike.

          In the end I took 2 trains in Spain one on the Madrid network and one on the San Sebastian network, it really doesn’t matter which lines (I don’t remember exact details, would have to look it up) they run pretty much same cars on the network. The Madrid one had bit more space but the train was bit ugly and sterile looking.

          Only thing in France is that you need reservation for some trains. I didn’t wrote it in my posts.

            • plactagonic@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
              2·
              3 days ago

              Yeah that’s the issue right now the pictures are massive for this server and my old phone that could downsize them died…

              Maybe through catbox or something I may post. If you want to see some pictures I post more on mastodon https://f.cz/@plactagonic