How to travel by train with your bike? All our advice and suitable bike covers

Whether you are preparing for a cycling trip through France with stages by train or whether you are a daily user of the cycle-train to get to work, discover in this guide all our advice for choosing the bike cover for the train most suitable for your use.

The bicycle train, an increasingly common use

By both being part of a responsible mobility approach, the bicycle and the train offer a great complementarity. Taking the train with your bike has become extremely common in just a few years. Regular train users were able to realize this. For leisure or for professional reasons, the bicycle and the train are complementary, on condition, as we will see, that certain rules, administrative and material, are respected.

Instructions to know and follow

Indeed, it is necessary to know the instructions, which differ according to the companies, so that your bike is accepted on board the train.

We will focus in this article on the conditions of travel with the SNCF, but be aware that each company displays on its site the conditions of travel with a bicycle. You will find useful links throughout this article.

Bike disassembled or not disassembled

Whatever train you take, the SNCF offers you the possibility of traveling with your bike (disassembled or not), for daily journeys, weekend getaways or holidays:

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

Traveling with the bike disassembled being by far the most common practice, and since we manufacture and sell bike covers :-), we are going to present you the different solutions that exist for this option.

If you transport your bike folded or disassembled in a cover, your bike counts as hand luggage and must be placed in the designated luggage slots. The cover must measure a maximum of 120x90cm .

SNCF

Special train bike cover TRAINBag Original - 120 x 90 cm

TGV INOUI

All TGV INOUI trains offer the possibility of traveling free of charge and without reservation with your bike folded or disassembled and stored in a cover measuring 120 x 90 cm like the Original TRAINBag .

YESGO

If you travel with OUIGO , the SNCF low-cost TGV offer, your bike must be stored in a cover measuring 120 x 90 cm , but unlike the TGV INOUI, you will be charged €5 for transporting the bike .

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

When booking your ticket, you will need to add " additional or bulky baggage ":

TER, Transilien and Intercités

The TER, Transiliens and Intercités are special cases since it is not necessary for the bike to be disassembled to be able to board.
Some carriages have spaces dedicated to bicycles, easily identifiable thanks to pictograms on the doors and windows.

All types of bicycles are allowed with the exception of tandems, delivery scooters and tricycles. In addition, the panniers must be removed and the trailers folded.

Please note : the transport of bicycles is prohibited on certain lines at certain times in the TER.
Check with the SNCF.

We invite you to consult your regional TER website to find out all the boarding procedures.

In the Transiliens you can board your bike for free from Monday to Friday before 6:30 a.m., between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and after 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays as well.
However, whatever the day or time, you will not be able to access the train with your bike in the event of heavy traffic.

You will find all the practical details on the dedicated website: Traveling with your bike in Transilien

As for the Intercités, you should know that some Intercités lines offer spaces for non-dismantled bikes, always within the limits of available places. In this case you will have to install your dear biclou in a dedicated space, clearly identified by a pictogram.
The price varies from 5 to 10€ per bike depending on the connections.

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

In Europe

Eurostar

Bicycles are accepted on board Eurostar trains on condition that they are stored in a cover not exceeding 120 x 90 cm. The service is charged 15€. You will find all the information on the official Eurostar website .

Thalys

On board Thalys, only folded or disassembled bicycles are accepted, always in a cover with maximum dimensions of 135 x 85 x 30 cm. The transport of bicycles is not charged. We invite you to consult the Thalys website to prepare your trip.

TGV Lyria

On board TGV Lyria, you can reserve a space for your bike for €10 when booking your ticket, at any SNCF or CFF point of sale.
More information on the TGV Lyria website .

Our tips for transporting a bike on a train

120 x 90cm

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 good because we have developed the range of TRAINBag bike covers , specially designed for the SNCF, perfectly suited to road bikes and mountain bikes up to 29 inches! There are 4 TRAINBags and we present them in detail just after.

Anticipate!

As far as possible, make sure you are early on the platform, so that you can quietly prepare your bikes, remove the panniers if necessary, and finish the last details.

Try your new bike cover for train at least once at home, in order to get used to dismantling the bike and possibly see what tools you may need for this.

Not all bikes are allowed

Unfortunately the SNCF, as we have seen in this article, does not accept all types of bicycles on its trains. Recumbent bikes, tandems, tricycles, scooters are not allowed. This is also the case for trailers.

Opening hours and practical information

You will find online, on the sites oui.sncf and sncf.com , all the information you need to organize your trip by train with your bike.

Buds-Sports TRAINBag covers

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

TRAINBag Light

The TRAINBag Light is the ultra-light (1 kg) and compact cover (barely larger than a water bottle), ideal for your bikepacking trips. It will easily find its place on your bike or in a backpack when you travel.

TRAIN Bag Original

The classic model , with integrated pockets for wheel storage. The TRAINBag Original is made of PE600D , an extremely resistant material.

TRAINBag Race

The TRAINBag Race is the most versatile cover with its independent wheel covers. It can be used alone for maximum simplicity and lightness or with its accessories for optimal protection. Its PE600D fabric is completed by an interior induction in TPE , resistant to abrasion and easily washable.

TRAINBag Travel

The TRAINBag Travel is the padded cover of the range. Designed to withstand the worst treatment, you can count on it to keep your bike in perfect condition until the end of the world. It has two inside pockets , also padded, to slide the wheels.

Accessories for bike covers

All the covers in the TRAINBag range are offered with clever and universal accessories providing optimal protection for your bike. These are the Fork Bike Protect fork protection, the Universal Support , the PEDALSProtect and the WHEELBag Race wheel covers.

Fork Bike Protect

Universal fork protection, an essential complement to TRAINBags

Universal Bracket

The Universal Mount to protect the transmission by isolating the rear derailleur from the ground and preventing the bike from resting on the large chainring.

PEDALSProtect

Suitable for all types of pedals, flat and automatic, the PEDALSProtect protects your cover from snags caused by the pedals.

WHEELBag Race

The perfect wheel cover for the TRAINBag Race , in PE600D lined with TPE