Bikes on Trains

[Mudkip Orange]

What's the policy? I figure it's pretty obvious they wouldn't allow bikes on Toyko commuter trains. But what about the rural lines? What if you wanted to take a bike halfway up the Tazawako line then coast down the other side? What about Keihan? Can you take bikes on the Eiden? The Otsu lines? The Sakamoto cable?

 

Can you check a bike as baggage on Twilight Express the same way you do on Amtrak? Do you need to put it in a "bike box"? What happens if your bike is too big for the box?

[scott]

No idea, but I'm all ears--hope to do this someday.

 

I've seen some pictures of bike bags being used by Japanese cyclists for train trips; it's been a long time, but I'll see what I can turn up. There's a Japanese form of cycling called "pass hunting" that involves finding and riding over old, narrow, sometimes unpaved or closed roads in the hills and mountains. It's often done with wider-tired road and touring bikes, although some less-sporting types  will use mountain bikes. I'll try to collect a few of my old links and start a thread on that.

 

There's always the folding-bike option for travelling, but it'd be nice to know what works with full-sized bikes. I'll see what I can turn up, but in the meantime it'd be nice to hear what the experts and residents of Japan know.

[qwertyaardvark]

A quick google search "bikes on japanese trains" rendered me a the following pages and then some:

 

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/info/transport.shtml - How to transport via other methods like airplane or ship

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/info/rinko/rinko.shtml - What and how to use Rinko Bukuro, or just Rinko for short

http://ask.metafilter.com/21908/Problems-taking-my-bicycle-to-Japan

http://forum.gaijinpot.com/showthread.php?t=67505

 

From what I've read, it appears that you need to dismantle and bag your bike to bring it beyond the gates, the method being called "Rinko". By dismantle, it sounds like you have to remove the front wheel, back wheel, and pedals and then put everything into this bag, which is quite thin and crumples into the size of a soda bottle when not in use. From there, you can bring the bag inside the gates of the station and when riding place it in some discreet location in the train.

 

So if you are wanting to the ride the bike shortly after getting off the train, sounds like you'll need to bring some tools along to re assemble your bike.

[bill937ca]

Keep in mind Japanese who commute by bike and train generally have two bikes--one at each station.

 

http://threestepsoverjapan.blogspot.com/2008/08/living-in-japan-bikes.html

 

Bikes at a couple of Tokyo area stations.

 

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/15019921

 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JR_Otuska_sta_001.jpg

[scott]

A quick google search "bikes on japanese trains" rendered me a the following pages and then some:

 

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/info/transport.shtml - How to transport via other methods like airplane or ship

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/info/rinko/rinko.shtml - What and how to use Rinko Bukuro, or just Rinko for short

 

Thanks for posting that--I had forgotten about that site. The bike-bag page looks familiar. (Notice how I didn't say it was rinko-ing a bell.)

 

So if you are wanting to the ride the bike shortly after getting off the train, sounds like you'll need to bring some tools along to re assemble your bike.

 

As long as you don't have to do it day after day, that shouldn't be a big deal--it looks like all you need to do is pull the wheels, which is fairly easy. And if you bring latex gloves, you don't even have to get greasy doing it. The only PITA is if you have fenders on your bike--which you probably should for a touring bike. Fenders would keep the bike from packing down significantly smaller, and dismounting/remounting could be a real drag on some bikes. ISTR that some Japanese (and French?) makers used to make fenders with outer sections that detached, so that the bike will pack smaller.  But somebody must have figured out how to do this with regular fenders.

[qwertyaardvark]

Keep in mind Japanese who commute by bike and train generally have two bikes--one at each station.

 

As long as you don't have to do it day after day, that shouldn't be a big deal--

 

I guess I should have mentioned that this is typically something you only see on weekends, when recreational bikers aren't working. ^_^ A daily commuter does tend to go with the double bike thing, or just one bike if lucky enough to have one end of their train commute near to where they live/work.

 

Notice how I didn't say it was rinko-ing a bell.

 

NICE. :P and another NICE for adding a bike to ur avatar!

[scott]

It could get to be a very crowded avatar if I add all my various obsessions.

 

I wonder how many bike commuters in Japan do the long-distance single-bike commute rather than combining with bus or train. Maybe it depends on where they live--the big-city traffic looks pretty  daunting.

[Guest ___]

Don't get Scot going. He might have to add all sorts of things to the new icon, like *caugh Godzilla, the club's mascot.  :angel11:

[scott]

I would never do something so undignified.

[ToniBabelony]

This thread is moving towards my liking.

 

So, a folding bike is allowed, as long it's not in the way? Sounds interesting for people who like to make lineside photographs, but are not keen on walking long distances.

[qwertyaardvark]

From what it seems, folding bikes also need to be in a bag. And apparently the definition of a "bag" can be stretched a bit, but so long as its in a bag.

 

One random link while google searching: http://forum.gaijinpot.com/showthread.php?t=73872

 

I would never do something so undignified.

 

LIES. :P

[scott]

From what it seems, folding bikes also need to be in a bag. And apparently the definition of a "bag" can be stretched a bit, but so long as its in a bag.

 

Yeah, with a folder you could get away with a really small, lightweight bag.

[ToniBabelony]

So, I've done a bit of research and came up with this A-Bike (Sinclair Ltd.) thing: http://www.gizmag.com/go/5789/ Very cheap and very light weight. Ideal for me, so I'll probably buy one as it can be taken with you as hand luggage in a plane. It even comes with a handy rucksack as an option! Time to save money for this baby! >:D I never could take my utterly heavy Union with me on a plane...

 

Not really comfortable, but a great alternative if you want to get somewhere quickly and have to go by public transport. It's faster then it looks, though on higher speeds the steering might, obviously, get wobbly.

 

I think this is a great alternative to rental bikes or other small folding bikes like the Strada and 17 Bicycle EX Bike.

[Mudkip Orange]

The question is how does it perform downhill on the switchbacks from Fuji-san?

[scott]

Yeah, I dunno about the A-bike--those tiny skateboard wheels are going to be hell on anything other than perfectly smooth, level ground. Even a 16-inch-wheel folder would likely be more comfortable and reliable than that, and allow you to carry more.

[ToniBabelony]

Well, I only intend to use it for really short trips. Not for mountain racing or something. Just some practical runs. Also, I won't tag it along on long journeys where I have to carry a lot of stuff.

 

I grew up with bicylces as an every-day transport and as a meaning of transport on holiday. I've cycled through Denmark and the entire North-Sea coast when I was still in elementary (packed with all personal needs of course), so I know my basics on cycling

[scott]

Probably much better than I do, by the sound of it. But I still have a bad feeling about those wheels....