Anyone Have Any Experience with Bikes on East Coast Mainline Trains?

So I might be coming down to London for the weekend of the 29th and 30th and I'm tempted to bring the bike down. I'll be spending time with my mate most of saturday but on Sunday I was thinking I'd head along to Polo and meet the faces behind the posts. Does anyone have any experience with bikes on the trains taht they could share with me.

I look forward to meeting some of you on the 39th if this happens.

What time? If it's peak hour, ring 'em and see if you can book a spot. You could chance it being a weekend.
I trained to/from Manningtree, on the way out the bike was with me in the carriage (early morning Sunday) and on the way back it was in the guard's carriage.
I didn't book a bike spot and there were no other bikes but you never know.

I've taken bikes on the ECML before, you just need to book it with them. Your bike gets a ticket (costs nothing) and then when your train is ready to go ish the guard will put your bike in the end carriage where there are spaces for bikes to be locked to. It's easy and painless just as long as you get the space booked up. I would recommend locking it up as people with really bulky items or bikes are in and out of there during the course of the journey and could easily walk off with your bike unless you look out everytime the train stops.

I look forward to meeting some of you on the 39th if this happens.

which calendar are you on? ;)

Where you coming from? I've been travelling from Colchester to London for many years with a bike and that line has always been bike friendly.

That's just rocking up with the bike, no forewarning.

fatboyralph [quote]I look forward to meeting some of you on the 39th if this happens.

which calendar are you on? ;)[/quote]

Well done. You picked up on my deliberate mistake... erm... I meant 30th

Yeah, same as above, i take my MTB up to Yorkshire when i visit the parents, just book a place in the guards carriage.

Will do. Should be booking the train tonight. Looking forward to my first taste of cycling in London. Hopefully there will still be a good amount of people at Polo even though the Southend-on-sea ride is the day before.

First time in London.. take it easy.. eyes peeled.. we don't want your teeth lying on the ground for the weekend (puncture hazard ;))

Train booked with bike tickets reserved. I'll have to get my mate suitably mashed on the saturday night so that I can ditch him easily on the sunday for polo.

on a similar note, does anyone have any experience with taking bikes on french trains? Is there a charge??

why is booking train tickets online so fucking shit, cunting rubbish compared to what buying train tickets used to be.dont answer

the only online ticket booker that does bike reservations is southeastern, reagrdless of where youre tickets are in uk.
the present journey is now coming up
no bike spaces on this train (new feature)
I know these two trains have bike spaces on them
cunts

Red Spotted Hanky does bike reservations, but little else you ask of it. In fact it may even give you a bus ticket and/or nervous breakdown. Good times.

thought you had dreamt that name up.....
its almost as gut churning as megabus.

the only online ticket booker that does bike reservations is southeastern, reagrdless of where youre tickets are in uk.
the present journey is now coming up
no bike spaces on this train (new feature)
I know these two trains have bike spaces on them
cunts

East Coast does bike reservations and has been pretty easy to use IMHO; I book all of my bike reservations through them online.

eastcoast.co.uk

If it's not coming up with spaces then the train's full I'd think.

could be that if i did the east coast deal it might accept,
those dvt units have shitloads of space in the front portion,
fuck em Ill take a folder and get it on even without reservation

thought you had dreamt that name up.....
its almost as gut churning as megabus.

comedian up here a couple of years ago did a whole thing about writing to megabus and challenging them on why they called it megabus, because ostensibly, it's just a fucking bus

was quite funny. not mega funny, just a bit funny

as you were.......

totally agree with you jason, booking bikes on trains is as enjoyable as root canal treatment. only site that works for me is southerntrains. most trains allow you on, however if you are getting one of those 125 trains (much bigger and faster) then u'll usually require it to be put in the guards van. if on the other hand you can't book a ticket for the bike just rock up anyway and hide behind a pillar or something and if you time it just right you can jump on with your bike before the jobsworth guard has time to stop you.
works for me anyway.