Travelling on Eurostar avec Bike

[Manotea]

I recently travelled St Pan - Lillle and return with my Airnimal Chameleon as carry-on luggage (free).

Official carry on dimensions is largest length < 85cm (basically, to fit into luggage rack).

I did a first fold (Wheels off, Seat pin out, bars turned and frame folded) on the chameleon which went into a cut down CTC transparent heavy duty plastic 'Bike Bag' which spent the rest of the tour rolled up on top of my saddlebag.  Nobody checked dimensions.

Arrived at St Pan 90 minutes before. Massive queue of 000s boarding but queue moved quickly enough once gates opened.

Only issue was reaching security being redirected to a channel with a larger scanner which would take my bike.  Seemed to me some had bigger baby buggies with them.

Amazed given the amount of luggage being toted by passengers seemed plenty of luggage rack space on board.

Arrived at Lille 90 minutes before and told to come back in 45 minutes. Only about 50 people boarding. I was through ticketing/passport and security in < 5 minutes, including a shakedown for pump gas cannisters which I suspect would have been confiscated if I'd had any. Toolkit (no blades) didn't get a mention.

[Little Jim]

We went to the south of France on Eurostar/TGV earlier this year without bikes but with cycling kit, including CO2 canisters.  These were not pick-up at security and I can't see them listed as prohibited or restricted items either.  You are also allowed to take tools, and blades under 3 inches long are OK (although DIY tools such as screwdrivers are listed as "restricted").  The security is a lot less stringent than at the airport - their is no restriction on liquids for example.  All in all a much better experience than flying.

[Plug1n]

I took my Ritchey Breakaway in its case about a year ago.

It went through the normal scanner at St Pancras, although the case didn't quite fit in the trays they use on the scanner conveyor belt, it got stuck and had to be liberated.  Not a big problem, certainly no damage.

When you pack the Breakaway case with lots of clothes, etc, it really gets to be quite heavy.

[Dave_C]

Thanks for posting Manotea and others.

With PBP coming up next summer it would be great is others who travel across the water by Eurostar, could keep us updated with how the experience goes.

My experience of Eurostar from 2015 was positive but I recall the campaign to prevent the operators from restricting baggage/cycles from a couple of years ago.

Cheers, Dave C

[Oxford_Guy]

I regularly go to France with my bike (my wife is French and her family lives there), I only once ever took the Eurostar from Lille for exactly this reason - I had to put my full-size touring bike through the scanner there! It's never been a problem when taking it through Gare Du Nord (BTW I always pay the £30 fee each way for them to take the whole bike without any dismantling).

[yoav]

Done it twice, once London to Lille, the second Brussels to London. Both times booked to take bike whole. Never had it scanned, though if they did, it was done after I handed it over. Easy peasy.

[Collonach]

We use the guaranteed overnight service. Just leave bike with eurodespatch in pm, after traveling down from bonnie ecosse. Travel on to Paris with panniers. Stay overnight in Ibis. Pick up bike next morning and travel on. No booking nor dismantling required.
The real innovation this year was at gare dear Lyon for next journey by the with bikes now in home made ultralight bags. Susie struggles to carry panniers and bike on shoulder. Tgv platform is only revealed 10 mins before departure. Trolleys now extinct due technological revolution in suitcase design. But young girls in yellow jackets have trolleys....where from I ask? We are here to help customers she says. So two girls with trollies plus supervisor wheel all bikes and bags to door of tgv. Brill.

[frankly frankie]

Since the thread title failed to mention that the bike in question was a folder, I will go equally off-topic just to say that my own experiences of travelling around France with a (real  ) bike on TGV have been 100% positive, it really couldn't be much easier**.  However several of the major but provincial interchange stations (Rennes springs to mind) are extremely bike-unfriendly - you may need to allow an hour just to change platforms.  Best to avoid changes, or make your change at a small station where there is only the one platform.

** strikes permitting.