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@philipmartin1989
I have tried my luck with various systems and they are all subject to the staff involved rather than company policy.
for the paris roubaix this year we decided to load up the pannies and do it in reverse over the weekend of the race. that involved taking the bikes in modified bed sheets.
the st pan to brussels was easy and they even helped us with the bikes. however coming from paris to st pan was just a nightmare of resistance. we ended up paying the carriage fee reluctantly.
luckily the company operates in england and therefore is subject to the fsa regulations. as such we were entitled to a refund due to them breaking their own terms of carriage. it took a fair few emails but in the end they had to admit fault and compensate.
i wouldn't advise home made bags in france unless you speak french because you are a lot less likely to be admitted.
last year me a mate cycled the french riviera and used the eurostar / tgv. makeshift bags got us a long conversation with the french transport police and a 150 euro fine. i must say that in this case it was just the french being difficult.
on a similar trip with the same method we progressed with no resistance at all.
if you want an easy life get a proper bag, if you want to take a risk i found that an afternoon with an old bed sheet and sewing kit makes for an effective bag