Torino - Nice Rally

Just for info to help people, we got the train from London in case anyone is looking for alternative options to flying. It meant that (a) we didn't need to take a plane and (b) we were totally autonomous as we didn't need to get back to anywhere to collect our bike boxes or anything. The journey took about 11hrs on the way out and 9h30 on the way back including changing in Paris.

We interpreted the Eurostar bike dimensions (max 85cm) as an 85cm cube and basically fully-disassembled our bikes, strapped all the bits together, covered them in a Rinko bag (bin liners taped together would also be fine but there is a lot of carrying involved in getting on/off trains plus the Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon transfer in Paris) and carried them on as hand luggage.

It felt like a bit of a risk when we set off and we half expected to be denied boarding at St Pancras but it was ok. There is one bigger scanner which they direct you towards and you have to kind of get the bike to stand up in it. We made it work. In Paris on the way back it's no issue, the scanner was massive. 85cm is also the max the luggage racks can accommodate which I think is what drives the restriction.

This setup was also really handy for the TGV as there is really nowhere to put a bigger bag/suitcase/box, especially on the return to Paris where the train really filled up. We carried the Rinko bags with us all trip to re-use from Nice back to London. They roll up about the size & shape of a new skinny coke can.

I managed to fit a 58cm frame in this way so most people should be fine. Depends on geometry and appetite for reassembly but it didn't take long in the grand scheme of things.

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