BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

if you can swing it, buy a hardcase (or borrow one if you can) otherwise get a box from your favorite local bike shop and tear your bike down and pack it securely ahead of time. or if you are not mechanically inclined take the bike to the shop and ask them to tear it down for you and show you how to put it back together and make sure you have the proper tools. its generally just a matter of removing the front wheel and the handle bars and maybe the seat/post. but it will save you a lot of headaches and stress.

Thanks for the advice about a case -- I like the idea, but can't afford one now; I'll start shopping around, though, as I'd like to do this more often. I'm ok w/ removing the front wheel, but hadn't thought about handlebars. Do the pedals need to come off for an Amtrak box? I've received mixed recommendations & as I'll have to buy tools, will need to be sure I have what is needed...

yeah pedals too more than likely. again you best bet is to get a box ahead of time and deal with it at home. that way you can make sure your bike is packed securely. you don't want to get to indiana and discover that your bike is broken.

I did this three times this summer. Amtrak bike boxes are fine.

They're $15 but the station often (two out of three times for me) has a used one. Then it's only $5 to check the bike. All you need to do to fit a normal bike in the box is to take off the handlebars & pedals, neither of which is a very hard job so long as your pedals aren't stuck in. Every station I was at will lend me tape and a sharpie for closing the box up.

I didn't put any kind of padding or anything on the bike & it was fine every time. All they need to do is lift the bike up onto the baggage car then take it down at the destination, so they aren't tossing it around like an airline.

The first time, though, they didn't get my bike off with the rest of the luggage so I needed to ask them about my bike with great concern then jog to the baggage car with a conductor to take it down.

You need an allen wrench to fit your stem and a 15mm or adjustable wrench for the pedals. Some pedals use allen wrenches, too.

Without knowing what your mechanical ability is, if you have never removed/installed pedals before, have someone knowledgeable walk you through it once, if you have alloy cranks, the threads are EASY to mess up. Also the pedals need to be plenty tight or they will loosen and rip out the threads as you ride. Just go buy a pedal wrench, you will find it very useful tool.

top because i am thinking about riding to cumberland for a festival and riding amtrak back...

amtrak says that i dont need a reservation for my bike on its train on this route, and that checked service doesn't exist.

i havent called them yet.

does this mean that I just reserve a spot for feein good, and that I can roll the bike on into its special little bike spot without boxing it?

has anyone done it specifically on this route?

thanks!

Do they have roll on service on the dc route already?

I boxed up my bike on the way back from dc last fall and they did not unload the baggage car when I got off at connelsville. Had to come back and get it in pgh. Not sure if they unload at cumberland, but I suspect not.

on the pgh to philly route, I've had success smuggling my bike on in a bag and in a roll of packing tape with some cardboard.

They were hoping to start roll-on roll-off service on this route (Capitol Limited) this summer (maybe).

Until they do, I don't think their rules permit removing or loading a bike in Cumberland (or at any stop between Washington and Pittsburgh). Subterfuge, a folding bike, having a bike store box and UPS your bike back to Pittsburgh, or hiring a shuttle service are some options.

hm. those dont really sound like good options to me, so ill not be riding and returning by train at this time......

but you are saying that i could do this if i started in dc and ended in pgh? they dont unload luggage in any other location? weird.

Yup, a bike in a box is baggage, and there's no baggage service at any intermediate station.