I'm naturally the sort of person that hates uncertainty, therefore I'm really struggling with the concept of taking my bike on longer train journeys.
I only recently started using local services and love how easy I've found it, especially as I'll generally be travelling on a weekend. However, whenever I start dreaming of going further afield, I stumble against the prospect of mainline train services. Whenever I look online about it I just see stories of cramped bike wardrobes for want of a better phrase, and how can you just leave your beloved machine at the risk of being nicked if you're sitting miles away?
Am I worrying too much about it?

West coast services there are always two seats right at the very front of carriage A which are reserved for cycle passengers. The doors are "locked" put you can just pull it open as it is an emergency exit. These exit doors there are unable to be opened from outside and are alarmed if opened from inside, so if you are really concerned you can open the sliding door at every station and attract strange looks from the rest of the quiet carriage.

I generally help the other passengers removing their bikes from the broom cupboard as a sign of cycle fraternity/sorority.

Travelled many times with a bike on a train.
The experience varies.

Cross county is the most frustrating.
Had to bike book a ticket on the phone, but not a good idea to book seat until bike sorted.
So have to do both together.
Only a few spaces.
Bike has to hang from rear wheel.
Take extra straps to stabilise bike.
Collect tickets from local railway station

GNER was similar
Book bike space on phone.
Bike travelled in guard carriage.
Collect tickets from local railway station

Scotrail was easiest.
Book online

Great western was okay.
Mainline train from London to Penzance.
Again, bike travelled in guard carriage.

Never paid for bike.

running theme is to book as soon as bike spaces become available.
Train from Wick to Inverness filled VERY quickly, within hours of becoming available, and only first two trains would make connections south with sufficient time to travel.

Bike on a cross country train from Penzance to Sheffield
Straps to stabilise.
Ticket hanging from saddle.
Train started in Penzance, so had choice of location.
One space this side, two other.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0aNEHWK ... jA#England

Reg is perhaps your man for this but whenever I've travelled ont' train, I've always gone to the 'local' manned station with a ticket office (Newtown in my case) told them what I'd like to do and they've sorted it out. In fact, you get the impression that they view it as an enjoyable challenge of sorts. I've also done the same thing with them over the phone.

I think that'd give me the most confidence.

I think that'd give me the most confidence.

It's always worked for me and certainly removes the stress of booking a ticket and then trying book a bike spot afterwards.

Transpennine Express are pretty good for bikes. Most of their trains seem to have 4 spots available to book and can all be done online. Was a surprisingly pleasant experience when I went up to Lancaster a few weeks back.

Plenty of people take bikes on trains every day without fault, but only the handful that have issues (or maybe just a mismatch of expectations...) will bother to go online and write about it. Not saying it's a perfect system and it does require a bit of thought beforehand, but it's not usually that bad when you give it a go.

Thank you. That's what I needed to hear.
I'll try a couple of weekend trips to places like Yorkshire to get comfortable with how it all works.

As other people have said, by far the easiest way to do it is go down to the train station and get them to book it all together - I think they normally open up the bike bookings about a month in advance. It's doesn't give you a lot of flexibility but it takes all the stress out of it. I recently did CrossCountry to Bristol, rode to london over 4 days along the GWC and then West coast line back which was far better than driving anywhere.

Prior to visiting your local station to reserve a bike place, it helps to have a quick look on www.nationalrail.co.uk to find trains with the fewest changes for your long-distance journey.
It makes reserving simpler and takes the worry out of making connections .

Once again, thank you to everyone who's contributed. I'll take all of that advice and let you know how it goes.

Asposium wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 11:21 pm GNER was similar
Book bike space on phone.
Bike travelled in guard carriage.
Collect tickets from local railway station

The guard's van is great because there's loads of space, no hanging your bike up in a cupboard, though inevitably your seat reservation will be at the other end of the train - best to walk to the end of the train where your bike is well before your stop so you can get off and be near the guard's van to make sure someone is there to open it up to get your bike out. Be aware that this is only the older trains on the East Coast mainline - newer ones are the more usual spaces at the ends of the carriages, and the very new ones are a terrible version of that system.

Although most of the train operators tell you to buy a ticket and book a seat first where it has to be done separately, I refuse to do that because of the obvious potential to end up with a ticket for a train you can't get your bike on, but I've never been denied a bike reservation.

In my experience (mostly with LNER and CrossCountry) the easiest way to book bike spaces is actually via Facebook messenger, somewhat bizarrely. Find your desired train, message the relevant company with the time/date/route and ask for a bike reservation, and they will usually come straight back to you with a reservation, even outside of normal office hours. Then book your ticket/seat reservation.

Did Cardiff to Gatwick airport once... will never do it again.

Cardiff to Reading was fine. Reading to Gatwick was hell (no space for the bike, continually having to move so people could get on / off).

Reading to Gatwick was hell

I'm guessing you've never visited Hell?

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:35 pm

Reading to Gatwick was hell

I'm guessing you've never visited Hell?

Yes, it's in Norway. This was definitely worse in fairness.

Definitely wasn't helped by having a couple of broken ribs on the way back.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:22 am Reg is perhaps your man for this but whenever I've travelled ont' train, I've always gone to the 'local' manned station with a ticket office (Newtown in my case) told them what I'd like to do and they've sorted it out. In fact, you get the impression that they view it as an enjoyable challenge of sorts.

Sorry am late to the party (because, yes, I've been away on a trip with the bike on trains: Milton Keynes to Leominster via Crewe, and currently on way back from Abergavenny with no probs at all)..... but yes this is the key to it. It also removes the problem of ending up with a seat but no bike reservation or vice versa.

R