Thank you for showing the way to do it! I plan to ride the GAP and C & O trail from Pittsburgh to DC in 2025, and this video just made it feasible. Amtrack should make this their how to tutorial on how it's done!
Thanks for showing the process of getting on and off the train. That was really helpful. Almost forgot my helmet at the cafe yesterday. So easy to forget things when you are rushing to prep your bike.
Came to this video after watching your "bought an e-bike" video. Glad to see you tightened up that helmet! Cheers for the trip report. I took a folding bike on the Acela recently and it was as simple as you say. You may have to do a little bit of tetris with other people's luggage, moving a bag or two to the upper racks so that the bike can occupy the lower one. Haven't done a full-size bike yet, but I hope to do it next spring on the Empire Service line. Ride safe!
HAHAHA YES!!! So happy someone noticed my helmet, I got so many friendly reminders on the last video 😅 The folding bikes are sweet and the tetris analogy is spot on 🎯 Thank you and to you as well!
this an awesome idea. you can also bring an e-scooter on board as long it weighs 50 pounds or less. if only i knew about this 16 years ago when the price tag of traveling everywhere was significantly CHEAPER then today. time flies.
I used to take Amtrak from South Carolina to Philly back in 2002-2008. It was $75-$100 for the round trip. Far less than gas and I didn’t have to drive.
@@danddietz that's what's up. I live next to the Auto-Train station in Florida. literally across the street. I can bring my own car or motorcycle on the train with me to Lorton, Virginia roundtrip (around Washinton DC). I avoided 1,000 miles of driving. I wonder If I can bring a heavier e-bike (more than 50 pounds) on the auto-train?🤔
Looks like on the Amtrak Cascades in the PNW (runs between Eugene, OR and Vancouver, BC), bikes are to be brought to the luggage car, which is going to be on the end opposite of the engine. I think you attach a tag on your bike and hold on to a ticket to claim your bike at your destination. You or one of the workers will have to lift the bike up, where another worker would secure your bike while you board the train. You have to present your ticket to pick your bike back up. Our only eBike is a cargo eBike that is at least 81 lbs (the Aventon Abound configured to bring our kid around), so beyond the 50lbs bike limit that Amtrak has. Besides, we never had a good opportunity to bring our other bikes (suitably, Trek Verve 2s from 2016) by train anywhere else, but I've seen a few other riders do it)
That's super cool to know. And yes! The e-bike weight was something I was worried about. If it was a problem, I thought my solution would be to remove the battery and carry it separately (my bike weighs ~60 lbs, so hopefully that would save 10 lbs), but 81 lbs is probably just too heavy.
@@ericebikes There are a few sub 50-lbs eBikes out there (Aventon's Soltera.2 is 46 lbs is one example). If I was getting an eBike for myself, I'll probably pick one up at this class to give me the flexibility to bring it on an Amtrak train. Lots of these lighter eBikes look like standard pedal bikes too. As a comparison, my 2016 Trek Verve 2 (standard bike) is listed at 27lbs base weight.
Hey brother how you doing I appreciate your videos very informational. I have a question I have a fat bike with 26× 4 inch tires. Would I be allowed to get on the Amtrak with tires that big.
Great question: it may vary by line. For the Vermonter, the bike storage hooks accommodate tires up to 2 inches. Other lines may have different storage equipment or options. Worth finding out!
That's a great thought. My bike battery detaches so I could bring it back to the seat and charge it up there (I usually have it at a full charge before I take the train). I wish I checked to see where the closest outlet was to the rack!
charge it on the train. make sure it's a GOOD battery. Do your research (thorough). UL certified, LG or Panasonic. avoid cheap Chinese knockoffs. you don't want to carry dynamite.
greyhound bus used to allow you to embark on a journey with your bike. not anymore after the pandemic. the new ownership group is destroying the company from within in my opinion.
@@ericebikes depends on what metrics you're looking to maximize. If speed, France's TGV, Italy's HSR, Japan's Shinkansen, or China's HSR are some of the world's fastest. Connectivity and multitudes of routes gives China the win, with over 46,000 km and no one being close to matching, though if you consider the intercity and international routes of Europe, they would be comparable. For taking bikes on trains, most systems do require you to disassemble and box the bike beforehand; not many allow direct storage like Amtrak does, though for the most part, bikes are permitted to travel as luggage.
@@jajefan123456789 Yeah, from what I can tell, Amtrak letting passengers bring bicycles with such minimal disassembly is pretty rare on trains worldwide. Sadly, it's about the only advantage it has, though basically right in line with the U.S.'s crappy public transportation support overall, especially outside of major cities.
Doesn't seem so bad to me. Sweden only allows foldable bikes on national trains. If you want to bring a regular bike cross country you need to take local trains. Often cheaper and easier to just buy or rent a bike at the destination.
![Can You E-Bike the Drive-Thru? [COFFEE EDITION]](/img/1.gif)
Thank you for showing the way to do it! I plan to ride the GAP and C & O trail from Pittsburgh to DC in 2025, and this video just made it feasible. Amtrack should make this their how to tutorial on how it's done!
Appreciate the kind words and I'm wishing you the best of luck on your trip!
Wonderful videos !
I appreciate that!
Thanks for showing the process of getting on and off the train. That was really helpful. Almost forgot my helmet at the cafe yesterday. So easy to forget things when you are rushing to prep your bike.
Absolutely! For such important things, helmets are easy to forget
Came to this video after watching your "bought an e-bike" video. Glad to see you tightened up that helmet! Cheers for the trip report. I took a folding bike on the Acela recently and it was as simple as you say. You may have to do a little bit of tetris with other people's luggage, moving a bag or two to the upper racks so that the bike can occupy the lower one. Haven't done a full-size bike yet, but I hope to do it next spring on the Empire Service line. Ride safe!
HAHAHA YES!!! So happy someone noticed my helmet, I got so many friendly reminders on the last video 😅 The folding bikes are sweet and the tetris analogy is spot on 🎯 Thank you and to you as well!
I have a Talon E+ but use my ti minivelo on trains and busses. Slips in a bag as luggage. Take trains to flat roads. ..lol
I gotta check out the ti minivelo...a transit-friendly bike sounds like a sweet set-up
this an awesome idea. you can also bring an e-scooter on board as long it weighs 50 pounds or less. if only i knew about this 16 years ago when the price tag of traveling everywhere was significantly CHEAPER then today. time flies.
The e-scooter is so underrated, especially if you use it in tandem with cars/buses/trains! Thank you!
I used to take Amtrak from South Carolina to Philly back in 2002-2008. It was $75-$100 for the round trip. Far less than gas and I didn’t have to drive.
@@danddietz that's what's up. I live next to the Auto-Train station in Florida. literally across the street. I can bring my own car or motorcycle on the train with me to Lorton, Virginia roundtrip (around Washinton DC). I avoided 1,000 miles of driving. I wonder If I can bring a heavier e-bike (more than 50 pounds) on the auto-train?🤔
Looks like on the Amtrak Cascades in the PNW (runs between Eugene, OR and Vancouver, BC), bikes are to be brought to the luggage car, which is going to be on the end opposite of the engine. I think you attach a tag on your bike and hold on to a ticket to claim your bike at your destination. You or one of the workers will have to lift the bike up, where another worker would secure your bike while you board the train. You have to present your ticket to pick your bike back up.
Our only eBike is a cargo eBike that is at least 81 lbs (the Aventon Abound configured to bring our kid around), so beyond the 50lbs bike limit that Amtrak has. Besides, we never had a good opportunity to bring our other bikes (suitably, Trek Verve 2s from 2016) by train anywhere else, but I've seen a few other riders do it)
That's super cool to know. And yes! The e-bike weight was something I was worried about. If it was a problem, I thought my solution would be to remove the battery and carry it separately (my bike weighs ~60 lbs, so hopefully that would save 10 lbs), but 81 lbs is probably just too heavy.
@@ericebikes There are a few sub 50-lbs eBikes out there (Aventon's Soltera.2 is 46 lbs is one example). If I was getting an eBike for myself, I'll probably pick one up at this class to give me the flexibility to bring it on an Amtrak train. Lots of these lighter eBikes look like standard pedal bikes too.
As a comparison, my 2016 Trek Verve 2 (standard bike) is listed at 27lbs base weight.
Hey brother how you doing I appreciate your videos very informational. I have a question I have a fat bike with 26× 4 inch tires. Would I be allowed to get on the Amtrak with tires that big.
Great question: it may vary by line. For the Vermonter, the bike storage hooks accommodate tires up to 2 inches. Other lines may have different storage equipment or options. Worth finding out!
Very cool, but what’s the plan to charge the bike? You just plan on a hotel or other lodging with charging at your destination?
That's a great thought. My bike battery detaches so I could bring it back to the seat and charge it up there (I usually have it at a full charge before I take the train). I wish I checked to see where the closest outlet was to the rack!
charge it on the train. make sure it's a GOOD battery. Do your research (thorough). UL certified, LG or Panasonic. avoid cheap Chinese knockoffs. you don't want to carry dynamite.
I would love to take bike on Amtrak anywhere but im in a setback currently 😏
When you bounce back, let me know how it goes 💪
@@ericebikes definitely 😁
Quibble: It's called just "Amtrak", not "The Amtrak". Same usage as "Greyhound", not "The Greyhound", etc.
INTERESTING. Thank you for this.
It's actually Thee Amtrak
greyhound bus used to allow you to embark on a journey with your bike. not anymore after the pandemic. the new ownership group is destroying the company from within in my opinion.
Wow. What an awful experience. US trains really do suck.
Where are the trains the best??
@@ericebikes depends on what metrics you're looking to maximize. If speed, France's TGV, Italy's HSR, Japan's Shinkansen, or China's HSR are some of the world's fastest. Connectivity and multitudes of routes gives China the win, with over 46,000 km and no one being close to matching, though if you consider the intercity and international routes of Europe, they would be comparable. For taking bikes on trains, most systems do require you to disassemble and box the bike beforehand; not many allow direct storage like Amtrak does, though for the most part, bikes are permitted to travel as luggage.
@@jajefan123456789 Yeah, from what I can tell, Amtrak letting passengers bring bicycles with such minimal disassembly is pretty rare on trains worldwide. Sadly, it's about the only advantage it has, though basically right in line with the U.S.'s crappy public transportation support overall, especially outside of major cities.
Doesn't seem so bad to me. Sweden only allows foldable bikes on national trains. If you want to bring a regular bike cross country you need to take local trains. Often cheaper and easier to just buy or rent a bike at the destination.