Bike Parking / Cycle Carriers on Trains
Designed by train designers for train companies such as Northern Rail and First Transpennine.
I have chosen this design as I like taking my bike to different places via train but it can sometimes be a pain when you are actually traveling on the train. The bike parking facilities are unsatisfactory. I have used two different types of parking, and while using both of these, mine or my friends bike has fallen over during the train ride and it has always been awkward to secure the bikes.
#1: Securing the bikes using a thick wire / cord which clips around the frame onto a luggage rack above it.
I like how they have tried to use the space more by having a luggage rack above it but the parking bay is way too wide with no wheel support meaning the bike(s) move side to side as the train stops and starts and if the front wheel turns slightly, the bike could then fall over. This parking is also very slim meaning you should only fit 2 bikes but 4 bikes can be crammed in. To lock the bikes in, there is a thick wire that wraps around the frame and clips onto the luggage rack. This is awkward however as the wire is very stiff, unnecessarily chunky and the clip is really stiff which makes it hard to clip it to the luggage rack.
#2: Securing the bike with a car seat belt.
There is a separate space of the carriage to allow 2 bikes to fit on either side. There is a metal space for each front wheel to rest in to stop if from turning which doesn't work very well as the bike can easily roll backwards out of its metal slot. The seat belt (which I actually found hilarious the first time I saw this) wraps around the frame to secure the bike. Noticed how I didn't put bike(s) as the belt isn't long enough to secure both of the bikes if you put them in the metal slots on the floor.
I thought of a better way to accomplish train parking which is like the bike parking at work. Hanging the bikes vertically by the front wheel so you can fit a number of bikes on the train safe and secure. However this has already been done in France:
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