Six practical tips for taking a touring bike on a TGV train in France

Taking a bike on a train in Europe should be easy and a win-win for the train company and the cyclist.  For the train company, it encourages people to take more trips instead of taking a car or plane.  It is quicker and less prone to traffic snarl-ups than bus services.  For the cyclist, it is easier to get the bike to a train station and – theoretically – easier to transport it than by plane or fighting for space in the small luggage compartment of a buses’ undercarriage…  

And in France of all places, where there is a real pro-bike culture, it should be easiest of all.

That can indeed be the case if you are taking regional or local trains, but high-speed or international trains?  Another matter…  High-speed trains in France – Trains à grande vitesse (TGV) – are not – yet – designed for bike travellers in mind nor make any real accommodation towards them.  

Oddly enough, it is easier to take your bike from Brussels to London on Eurostar than it is from Brussels to Paris…

Over the past ten years, I have taken around 20 TGVs to and from France, including a memorable trip during the brief lull in the lockdown in 2020, when I had to spend the entire trip to Brittany and back wearing a face mask…  

A few weeks ago, I took the TGV from Brussels to Avignon and back, so I thought that I would write about my experience and give my tips on how to go about it.

I have broken this down into:

• What the SNCF – French rail company – websites currently say about taking a bike on TGVs
• My experience with taking my bike on TGVs over the last ten years
• How things worked on my recent trip
• My six tips for an OK journey on a TGV
• The practicalities of dismantling and reassembling a bike at the station

Feel free to click on any of the above to scroll down.

What the SNCF websites say

When I was booking my trip, I Googled ‘taking bikes on trains in France’ and it took me here.

So according to this, you have three options:

• Reserving a place for your bike for 10 Euros;
• Taking a folded bike for free – for those of you who want to ride a Brompton city bike up Mont Ventoux just to add a bit of challenge…
• Travelling with your bike in a cover with max dimensions 120x90cm

For the third option, the website specifies that: 

SNCF still allows you to travel with your bike under a 120X90 cm cover and without space limit. In this case, you must modify your search criteria by adding “+ a bike” and choosing the “dismantled bike under cover” solution. To ensure the smooth running of your trip, plan to come to the station in advance to dismantle and put your bike in a cover.

But elsewhere in the SNCF Connect site, the advice is slightly different:

Considered as hand luggage, this service is free on TGV INOUI, TER, INTERCITÉS trains. You do not have to make a reservation for your bike. On OUIGO, it is compulsory to book an “Additional baggage” option at the price of 5 €. The cover must measure a maximum of 120x90cm and its total weight must be less than or equal to 30kg. Find out more. Several specialized sites sell covers that meet this standard.

And the ‘find out more’ has no hyperlink…

And just to confuse things, another part of the same site shows different rules:

Bike spaces can be booked on board certain TGV INOUI and INTERCITÉS trains.

When you purchase a ticket with a bike space, your seat is assigned as close as possible to the area dedicated to your bike.

Bookings for your bike must be made when you buy your train ticket.

If your search does not return any results, this means that the TGV INOUI stock does not have a dedicated place or no more spaces are available.

The option of travelling with your bike disassembled and packed in a labelled carrying bag is still available, free of charge and without any reservation. The disassembled bike must be stored in the luggage areas.

Your folding bike, if folded, may travel with you as luggage provided it measures no more than 90 × 130 × 50 cm when folded.

But then if you look below this at the rules on Eurostar trains for journeys to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany:

Your bike must be disassembled and stored in a cover measuring no more than 135 x 85 x 30 cm. Folding bikes are considered to be conventional luggage if they do not exceed the maximum dimensions of 75 x 53 x 30 cm.

And then you might also read the SNCF Voyageurs site.

For TGV INOUI trains, it specifies:

Travelling with an unfolded, unassembled bicycle

• You must reserve a space for your bike when you buy your train ticket. The cost is €10 per bike and per journey.
• Your bike must then be stored in a dedicated space, and you will be allocated a seat close to your bike.
• Reservations for your bike must be made when you buy your train ticket. For this reason, cyclists cannot travel with non-cyclists. To travel with non-cyclists, separate reservations are required.
• If your search returns no results, it’s because the TGV INOUI equipment has no dedicated space or no more space available. You can always take your bike apart and store it in a bag, free of charge and without having to make a reservation.

Travelling with a folded or dismantled bike

• Your folded bike can travel with you as luggage, provided it measures no more than 90 x 130 x 50 cm when folded.
• Your disassembled bike in a labeled bag with maximum dimensions of 90 x 130 x 50 cm can also travel with you as luggage. Your bike must be dismantled before accessing the platform, stored completely in its transport bag and placed in the baggage area on board INOUI TGVs.

Not all bicycles are accepted on board: recumbents, tricycles, cargo bikes, longtails, trailers and bicycles in cardboard boxes are not allowed.

And just to complicate matters further, for Intercités trains:

If you are traveling with a folded or disassembled bicycle in a bag, you can take up to 1 folded or disassembled bicycle per person, in a labeled bag with maximum dimensions of 90 x 130 cm, 1 labeled double bicycle bag and 1 labeled piece of hand luggage with maximum dimensions of 40 x 30 x 15 cm (backpack, shopping bag, computer bag).

Confused? 

At one point in my research, I found a web page on SNCF Connect that advised me that even for TGV INOUI trains, my luggage would be limited to the double bicycle bag and one piece of hand luggage.

Making sense of the rules: my experiences

So you say to yourself that none of this matters because you are perfectly happy to reserve a space for your bike, no need to disassemble…  On my 20 journeys, I have never found this option available on any TGV that I have taken…  

So in reality, this means dismantling the bike at the train station and load it on board with the other luggage.  

I still do not enjoy it. A particularly bad moment came in July 2020 in Paris Gare du Nord, when having dismantled the bike and installed it on the train, the train broke down and we were instructed to go with our luggage to a substitute train on another platform.  So I had to lug bike, bags and all a decent 100m, all while wearing a face mask on a baking hot summer afternoon…  Luckily some guardian angels who had seen my predicament, helped me carry my bags.

But I can also reassure you that in those 20 trips, I have not had the bike damaged and nor have I had the bike rejected or been thrown off.  Nor have I ever missed a train.  On most journeys, conductors and station staff have been incredibly nice and helpful.

On one of those trips though, I did have a a conductor coming up to me and barking out in front of everyone else in the carriage: “You! You’re the one with the bike? You are in real trouble…” and then threatening to fine me and throw me off the train because she felt that my bike did not fit the required size, which she said was 90×90.  I argued the point with her, walked with her to the bike, and offered that if there really was a problem, I could remove the rear wheel (though this would only have shortened the bike by about 5 cm).  She mumbled about this and then said “Well I’m getting off at the next stop. You’d better discuss it with the next conductor.”  The next conductor got on.  I pointed out the bike to him and he shrugged his shoulders.  “Why would I have a problem with that?  It looks fine to me…”  

So take heart: it can be done even if it is not a great experience.

My recent trip to France

On my recent trip to Avignon, I got to Brussels Midi station nice and early, not taking any chance. No one stopped me taking my bike up in the lift to the platform.  I had to wait a few minutes for the train to pull in so I could locate my carriage.

I then dismantled the bike. This was reasonably stress-free. I indicated it to the conductor.  Not only was she OK with the bike bag: she very kindly helped me fit it in the luggage area on top of some suitcases. On the one hand, this was out of the way.  On the other, I had to be attentive at each station that no one loaded a heavy suitcase right on top of it.  In fairness, the only thing that was loaded on top was a baby buggy and the owner reassured me that he had done his best to protect the bike (and duly moved it as soon as he could.) 

At Avignon, I waited for the platform to clear before putting everything together again. 

Still, it was a nervous journey to Avignon and I was concerned about a bent derailleur.

On the way back from Avignon, again I arrived at the station early.  This time there were gates to go through and I was told that they were under instruction that bikes had to be dismantled before going onto the platform.  This time round, having removed the rear wheel, I then flicked the derailleur onto the lowest gear so that the derailleur was as far ‘inward’ as is possible and was not sticking out.  Confession: I’m not a bike mechanic…

When the gates were opened, the station staff helped me get my bike and bags through the gate and I was able to take them up in the lift.  I then had to lug bike and bags alternately along the length of the platform to the area where my carriage was supposed to arrive.  

When the TGV came in, there was plenty of time to load the bike and bags and I made eye contact with the three conductors who agreed that I should put my bike on the outside of the luggage rack.  I had brought a bungee cord which came in handy here.

The downside was that I had to jump up at every single station to protect the bike from the alpha males and stressed old women pushing their way past and trampling on it…

So it kind of worked.  And at Lille, one of the conductors got out, wheeling his own road bike out from the guard room and gave me a cheery wink…

My six tips for travelling with a touring bike on a TGV

So here’s what I have learnt from all this:

• Buy a decent bike bag and also bring a bungee cord, and some disposable kitchen/medical gloves as well as a rag;
• Check and know the rules and be ready to prove that you are compliant with the rules;
• Consider buying a first class ticket;
• Get to the station early and dismantle the bike as close to the carriage as possible;
• Talk to the conductors as nicely as possible.
• Don’t stress too much.

Buy a decent bike bag. 

If you do not already have one, buy a bicycle cover.  It is a good investment if you think that you might take high-speed trains more than once, not just in France, but all over the place.

Bike bags vary from a simple cover to an all singing, all dancing bike bag with reinforced sides, small trolley wheels underneath, and dedicated compartments for your wheels and other parts of the bike.

This approach works if you want to load the bike into a taxi or bus to get to/from the station.  It will give you more security and be easier to move around.   If you are doing a round trip, you could take the approach that I use when taking a bike box on a plane, and leave it in the luggage room of your hotel while you are away.  On my recent trip, I saw a father and son load their bikes on the train using just this approach.

But I have never found it practical.  I need a bike bag that is lightweight and folds up so that I can stash it at the bottom of a bike bag until I need it for the return. 

When I first started taking bikes on trains ten years ago, I bought a bike bag which turned out to be rather large and was probably more suited for covering a motorbike.  It was fine but meant tying everything up with a bungee cord like a badly wrapped Christmas present. (See the picture at the top of this post.)

Last year, I did a bit of research and replaced it with a much smaller bag made by La Virgule, made in France and specially designed for taking on French trains.  Not only is it more lightweight and compact, I was also attracted by the use of straps to enable you to carry it.  When I am not using it, it fits very comfortably at the bottom of a bike bag.

It was not super cheap, coming in at just under 100 Euros.  But it is good value if you think that you will use it a lot over the years, as I hope that I will.

(For the avoidance of any perception of conflict of interest, I’d like to make clear that I am not endorsing this product over any other and that I do not make any money or get any advantages if you decide to buy one or even go to their site.)

Check and know the rules and be ready to prove them.   

Check what kind of train you are on when you are planning your booking. When I travelled to Avignon from Brussels, the train classed itself as an “INOUI”. 

Google the rules as I did or use the websites listed above and print out the website whose rules suit you best.  Take a copy in French, ideally checking that it says roughly the same thing.  Have it ready with you at the station/ on the train.  Take a small tape measure if you need.  For that one conductor who wants to be a pain, this will be enough to convince them that you are not worth spending the entire journey arguing with.

Consider buying a first-class ticket. 

Sometimes, where the differential between the prices of first and second half has been relatively low, say 20 Euros, as it often is, I have paid a bit extra for a first class ticket, on the basis that there is sometimes a bit more space – as fewer people – and even sometimes space in the passenger compartment itself.  I also find that conductors are a bit less sniffy with you if you are paying extra. And of course, there is the extra leg space…

Get to the station early.  

Before you take the train, I strongly advise you to practice at home dismantling the bike and putting on the cover (and then putting it back together again).  Dismantling it in a train station in front of loads of people is stressful enough without the additional stress of having to do it for the first time… This will also give you a taste of how long it will take.

When you get to the station, try to get the bike as close to the train and carriage as possible, but if that is not possible, find a quiet corner and talk nicely to the people around you.  There are a lot of good citizens out there who when they see what you are doing, will keep an eye on your bags. 

If you are allowed onto the platform and the train is already there, ideally locate the conductor.  

Talk to the conductors as nicely as possible.  

Either on the platform or if you don’t have much time, on the train, make contact with the conductor as soon as you can.

Most will see that you are making an effort and will try to help or at the least tolerate small inconveniences. 95% of the time, they have had no problems at all and indeed have tried to work with me to find the best spot for the bike or to help me lift into position.  

When moving the bike onto the train, try to find a spot where the bike will be as out of the way as possible.  Sometimes you get lucky.  Sometimes not.  

Don’t stress too much.  

I’m sorry: it is stressful.  It isn’t pleasant.  I don’t enjoy it. In practice unless the bike is completely out of the way, I find that I have to get up at every stop to protect the bike from the impatience and thoughtlessness of other passengers.  I physically protect the bike with my body and am ready to move it out of the way if anyone wants to access their luggage.

But don’t overdo the stress. Your bike is not a precious vase: it will be OK. On every single of those 20 journeys, I have been able to calmly put the bike back together on the station platform and pedal away, often starting my touring right there and then. If you are really worried, make sure that you have access to a bike shop at your destination to give it a quick check. But don’t let this put you off.  It can be done.  

Dismantling the bike and putting it back together again

This will slightly depend on the bike bag that you have but my basic advice is:

• Remove the bags and turn or remove any fittings such as bike bells that will stick out so that they are out of the way;
• Move the gearing to the smallest front chainring and the smallest rear gear – the highest – so that the chain is as loose as possible, making it easier to remove the rear wheel;
• Turn the bike upside down;
• Remove the front wheel;
• Remove the rear wheel;
• ‘Hang’ the wheels on the pedals;
• Put the bike bag over the bike and pull out the strap;
• Tie the ends at the bottom of the bag.

What should you do if you are already on a bike trip and do not have a bike bag?  Josh Reid has an inventive solution… I reckon that you have to be super charming with the conductor though…

At the other end, take your time…  Wait for the platform to clear, and slowly put everything back together, giving the pedals and wheels a quick spin before you turn the bike the right side up and get pedalling.

I hope that this was helpful. Let me know one way or another in the comments form below.