bike on bus eireann?

dave.obrien

looking for advice on this one, i'm heading to kerry for a month and want to bring the rothar with me. now, bus eireann says that bikes can be brought on their buses as long as there's space and this is subject to a possible extra cost, which is not specified, which worries me! have people done this before? what were your experiences? i think a bike bag might be the way to go, but i don't actually own one... so, onto crc, can get:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=41796,
delivered by tomorrow. is this any good? alternatively, does anyone want to lend/loan me one for a month?!

blorg

Get the train if you can, far less potential for damage as the bike sits upright. I've had a bike damaged under a bus before... I've also been OK though. What sort of bike is it? If it is good enough you are considering a bag, I'd get the train. €8 for the bike each way.

Also- unlikely that CRC would have that bag to you by tomorrow (although it is possible)

michaelm

Have done this a few times and survived to tell the tale. The key, in my opinion, is putting the bike in a standing position, I always take off the front wheel and tape it to the frame, I then use a bungee cord, where possible, to secure the bike in an upright position. No way would I ever leave the bike in a flat position as you are then totally at the mercy of every other traveller and how they decide to deposit their suitcases/bags.

dave.obrien

michealm, you're leaving me on tenterhooks!!!

@blorg, i'm getting the train as far as killarney, but have to get to caherciveen from there, and toyed with the idea of cycling that, only problems are that i don't know the roads, or the conditions of them at the moment, plus i'll be carrying a bag with everything i'll need for the month, including laptop, clothes, working materials(i'm going to an artists village), etc, and given i have no panniers, wouldn't be a comfortable 77km solo run! so the plan is to train it to killarney, then bus it to caherciveen, and it's the bus part that's bothering me. CRC say they can have it to me tomorrow, but like you said, just cause they can doesn't mean they will, even as reliable as they are. which brings me back to begging for a loan of one! will furnish donator with numerous pints/espresso+croissant combinations!

penexpers

I have a bag you can borrow if you can pick it up from Newbridge.

blorg

The flip side with a bag is that they are very big and don't really fold down very well. When I say big, you might not realise quite HOW big! Could be very difficult to manage if there is to be any walking at all. You certainly wouldn't cycle with one.

If you have to get the bus just make sure the bike is put in carefully somewhere that nothing can be put on top of it. I have traveled several times with a bike under a bus and been fine, there was just the one time it was damaged (bent chainring and slight buckle IIRC.)

dave.obrien

@penexpers, pm sent, thank you!

buffalo

If you're still thinking about the bus:

Carrying Bicycles on Bus Éireann Services

Bicycles will be carried on Bus Éireann services in Ireland only if sufficient accommodation is available for them in the luggage compartment of the bus/coach. There may be limited capacity available in the luggage compartment, particularly during the summer months; therefore we cannot guarantee that bicycles will be carried.

Cost of carrying a bicycle on a bus/coach is €11.50 per single journey irrespective of distance.

Folding bicycles which are packed and wrapped in a suitable carrier bag/protective covering will be treated as passengers’ accompanied luggage and carried free of charge in the luggage storage area. Folding bicycles which are NOT packed or wrapped as described above will be charged at the full cycle rate.

We regret that bicycles cannot be through-booked for journeys involving change of bus/coach en route, as it is not possible to guarantee accommodation on connecting services.

Bicycles are not carried on Bus Éireann/Eurolines coach and ferry services to/from Britain and Europe.

dave.obrien

thanks for that, this journey's getting expensive...

blorg

That is pricey, the €8 for the train is only for the longest journeys. It certainly used cost less. On the flip side I have heard that some people don't get charged... particularly if you have it in a bag it could just be seen as "luggage."

tomasrojo

blorg wrote: »

That is pricey, the €8 for the train is only for the longest journeys. It certainly used cost less. On the flip side I have heard that some people don't get charged... particularly if you have it in a bag it could just be seen as "luggage."

I have a friend who takes off the front wheel and turns the handlebars before bringing the bike onto the train, and then gets it on free as a large package. I think he might put it in a garbage bag or such like. I get the impression that he often has to call down the station manager to over-rule the employee at the gate, who insists that he has to pay for the bike.

buffalo

blorg wrote: »

That is pricey, the €8 for the train is only for the longest journeys. It certainly used cost less. On the flip side I have heard that some people don't get charged... particularly if you have it in a bag it could just be seen as "luggage."

I took mine from Dublin-Galway on the bus once. At Busáras, a passing BE worker saw the bike in the luggage bay, and he started looking down the queue for the owner. I wasn't too hard to find, considering I still had my helmet on, and I could see him confirm visually that I had a second ticket slip in my hand.

The other thing I remember is that bikes have the lowest priority. Despite having paid extra, your bike will come off if someone else's bag doesn't fit. Or at least, that's the official stance.

dave.obrien

yeah, i heard that, it's ridiculous! all the same, i can't imagine a local bus in the height of winter is going to be full enough to have to pull it off! nonetheless, i'll be keeping eagle eyed...

dave.obrien

i'm still bagless... looks like i'm going to have to take up jogging for a month. ugh...

mmclo

Could you leave bike secured in Killarney and come back for it next day without the bags? (a bit like the fox, hen and something else crossing the river!) or negotiate taxi with bags for €23 (rtn cost of bike on bus!)

blorg

Just take it without the bag, I am skeptical of how much protection soft shell bags give in any case.

penexpers

dave.obrien wrote: »

i'm still bagless... looks like i'm going to have to take up jogging for a month. ugh...

Crap, sorry, didn't see your PM until now.

dave.obrien

thanks anyway, penexpers, appreciate the offer.

ustazjoseph

I travel from Killorglin to Caherciveen twice a week. I could probably move it
for you. Its not an easy cycle with kit in this weather.

danotroy

Why are bikes not permitted on eurolines/bus eireann routes? I want to transport 2 bikes from cork to london and the bus would be the cheapest option for this. Is it purely a space restriction or is it outright forbidden to travel between Ireland and the UK with a bike in the hold?

OldBean

I didn't think it was at all, I'm pretty sure you can do it for a 15 quid surcharge each way, the only thing that's going to be a pain in the ass is when you get to customs and have to take the bike and the rest of your luggage back out and bring it through. At stupid O'Clock in the morning.

danotroy

I though you left all luggage in the hold and they ran a dog over it?

OldBean

Any time I've had to do it, I've had to bring it through myself. They send a dog through the bus and the empty luggage hold to check if there's anything left.

doiredoire

blorg wrote: »

Get the train if you can, far less potential for damage as the bike sits upright. I've had a bike damaged under a bus before... I've also been OK though. What sort of bike is it? If it is good enough you are considering a bag, I'd get the train. €8 for the bike each way.

Also- unlikely that CRC would have that bag to you by tomorrow (although it is possible)

Last summer I ordered a bike from Chainreaction Cycles, arrived in Galway the following day at lunchtime. If it is a large, as in size they deliver by courier if small they post it and it takes a few days