How do you travel by train with your bike? All our advice and suitable Bike travel bags .

Whether you're preparing for a cycle trip across France with train stops or you're a daily user of the vélo train to get to work, find out in this guide all our tips for choosing the Bike travel bag for train best suited to your use.

The bicycle train, an increasingly common use

Both part of a responsible mobility approach, cycling and rail offer a great complementarity. In just a few years, taking the train by bike has become extremely commonplace. Regular train users have noticed this. Whether for leisure or business reasons, cycling and travelling by train are complementary, provided, as we shall see, that you comply with certain administrative and material rules.

Instructions to know and follow

In fact, you need to know the instructions, which vary from company to company, to ensure that your bike is accepted on board the train.

We're going to concentrate in this article on the conditions of travel with the SNCF, but be aware that each company posts the conditions of travel with a bicycle on its website. You will find useful links throughout this article.

Bike disassembled or not disassembled

Whichever train you take, SNCF offers you the opportunity to travel with your bike (dismantled or not), for everyday journeys, weekend getaways or holidays:

• By INOUI TGV
• In OUIGO
• In TER, Transilien and Intercités
• In Europe

As travelling with the bike disassembled is by far the most common practice, and since we make and sell Bike travel bags :-), we're going to show you the different solutions that exist for this option.

If you are transporting your bike folded or disassembled in A travel bag, your bike counts as hand luggage and must be placed in the luggage spaces provided. The bag must measure a maximum of 120x90cm.

Bike travel bag special train TRAINBag Original - 120 x 90 cm

TGV INOUI 

All TGV INOUI trains offer the possibility of travelling free of charge and without reservation with your bike folded or dismantled and stored in A travel bag dimensions 120 x 90 cm like the TRAINBag Original.

OUIGO 

If you travel with OUIGO, the SNCF's low-cost TGV offer, your bike will absolutely have to be stored in A travel bag with dimensions 120 x 90 cm, but unlike the INOUI TGVs, you will be charged €5 for transporting the bike.

It is also specified that its weight will have to be less than 30 kg, that gives you some leeway!

When booking your ticket you will need to add an "extra or bulky luggage":

Caution : the SNCF specifies that not all bicycles are accepted on board the INOUI and OUIGO TGVs: recumbent bicycles, tandems, tricycles and all types of trailers are not authorised.

TER, Transilien and Intercités 

TER, Transiliens and Intercités are special cases since it is not necessary for the bike to be dismantled in order to board.
Some carriages have dedicated spaces for bicycles, easily identified by pictograms on the doors and windows.

All types of bicycles are allowed with the exception of tandems, three-wheelers and tricycles. In addition, the bags must be removed and the trailers folded.

Beware: the transport of bicycles is prohibited on certain lines at certain times on TER trains.
Contact the SNCF for more information.

We invite you to consult your regional TER website for full boarding details.

On Transiliens trains you can take your bike on board free of charge from Monday to Friday before 6.30am, between 9.30am and 4.30pm and after 7.30pm. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays too.
However, whatever the day or time, you will not be able to access the train with your bike if it is very busy.

You can find all the practical details on the dedicated website: Travelling with your bike on Transilien

As for Intercités, you should know that some Intercités lines offer spaces for undismounted bikes, always within the limits of available spaces. In this case, you will need to install your beloved biclou in a dedicated area, clearly identified by a pictogram.
The fare varies from €5 to €10 per bike depending on connections.

Here too you will find all the information on the SNCF website: https://www.oui.sncf/train/velo-a-bord

 

In Europe

Our tips for transporting a bike on a train

If there was only one thing to remember it would be this one :-) 120 x 90 cm, it's the key to taking your bike with you on any SNCF train.
And that's just as well, because we've developed the bags range of TRAINBAG for TRAINBAG bikes, specially designed for the SNCF, perfectly suited to Road and mountain bike bikes up to 29 inches! There are 4 TRAINBag and we present them in detail just after.

Anticipate!

As far as possible, make sure you get to the platform early, so you can quietly prepare your bikes, remove the bags if necessary, and finalise any details.

Try out your new Bike travel bag for train at home at least once, to get used to taking the bike apart and possibly see what tools you may need for this.

Not all bicycles are allowed

Unfortunately the SNCF, as we have seen in this article, does not accept all types of bikes on its trains. Recumbent bicycles, tandems, tricycles and scooters are not permitted. The same applies to trailers.

Schedules and practical information

You will find online, at yes.sncf and sncf.com all the information you need to organise your train journey with your bike.

Travel bags TRAINBAG from Buds-Sports

At Buds we like to cycle and we have been confronted, certainly like you since you are reading this article,

TRAINBAG LIGHT

The TRAINBAG LIGHT  is the bag ultralight (810g) and compact (barely bigger than a water bottle), ideal for your bikepacking trips. It will easily fit on your bike or in a rucksack when you're on the move.

TRAINBAG CLASSIC

The classicmodel, with integrated pockets for storing wheels . The TRAINBAG CLASSIC is made from PE600D, an extremely hard-wearing material.

TRAINBAG  ORIGINAL

Like the TRAINBAG CLASSIC, the TRAINBAG ORIGINAL features padded wheels pockets for superior protection. A best seller!

TRAINBAG TRAVEL

The TRAINBAG TRAVEL  is the bag padded of the range. Designed to withstand the worst treatment, you can count on it to keep your bike in perfect condition right to the end of the world. It has two inside pockets, also padded, for slipping wheels .

BICYCLE ACCESSORIESBAGS

All Travel bags in the TRAINBAG  range come with clever, universal accessories for optimum protection of your bike. These include the Fork Bike Protect, the Universal Support, the Rear Bike Protect, the Pedals Protect, the Frame Protect , the Frame Protect Maxi, the Handlebar Protect, du Saddle Protect et des Wheel bags WHEELBAG et WHEELBAG DOUBLE.