Doubting Thomas Blog

Archive for the ‘Buffalo-to-Albany ride’ Category

I was supposed to start my long bike ride yesterday, but due to the way the summer has gone, I’m not going. So I feel dejected.

Argh. The fine folks at Amtrak allow bicycles to be brought on board some trains, and their web site says to call 1-800-USA-RAIL to find out which trains and stations allow it, but the person who answered when I called said that no bikes are allowed on the trains except in boxes (which means disassembling the bike first) and they go in the baggage car.

Bicycles Stored Onboard in Bicycle Racks

On some Amtrak trains you can roll your bike up to the train and secure it in a bike rack, unboxed.

Availability: Availability of this service varies widely from train to train, and station to station. Please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800- 872-7245) to determine whether bicycle rack space is available on a particular train and route.

Please reserve space early: You can reserve space for bicycles when you make a ticket reservation. We charge a fee (generally ranging from $5 to $10 depending on route and distance traveled) for reserving a space in the bike rack. If space is available, you will be issued a ticket for bike rack space. Please be prepared to give this ticket to the conductor when boarding with your bicycle.

If a space on the bicycle rack is unavailable, you may be able to check your bike as carry-on baggage. See below.

Secure your bike: On some trains, bungee cords and locking mechanisms are incorporated into the bicycle rack. You may find it useful to bring your own bungee cords to further secure your bike to the rack.

No unusual bikes allowed: Please note that bicycle racks will not accommodate tandem, recumbent, or other unusual bikes. Such bikes must be transported as checked baggage, in a box. Please see below.

Specially designated spaces only: Bikes may not be transported in the vestibule of any car, except in spaces specially designated on certain limited trains.

Liability: Amtrak disclaims liability for loss of or damage to bicycles carried onboard and stored in bike racks.

I thought the person on the phone might be wrong, so I sent an email, and they wrote back right away. Here’s what the email I got says:

Dear Thomas,

Thank you for contacting us.

Bicycles can only be stored in checked baggage. A bike box is needed when putting your bike in the baggage car.

We hope this information will be of assistance.

Sincerely,
Amtrak Customer Service

I don’t want to take my whole bike apart and box it up, then put it back together again when I get to Albany. What a pain that would be. But I guess if I have to do it, I have to.

So for now the plan is to camp the whole way instead of staying at hotels. I’m going to borrow a small tent that only weighs a few pounds–it’s designed for backpackers.

As far as food and water goes, I’m going to try and pick up only a day’s worth at a time so that I don’t have too much weight on the bike.

For gear, I think I’m going to get two pairs of bike shorts, and each night I’ll wash the one I wore that day and wear the other clean pair the next morning. I think I’ll bring enough socks for three days and wash them too–hopefully they will dry overnight or at least by the following morning. I’ll bring a long-sleeve T-shirt and a wind-proof jacket, but other than that I may just wear a T-shirt or no shirt. My panniers will hold the clothes and some other gear, plus I have the “trunk” bag that fits on top of the pannier rack, and I also have the handle-bar bag that is about 10 inches wide and 6 inches square, and it also has two water-holder pockets on the sides. I’ll probably drink sports drinks with electrolytes, not water all the time.

One thing I don’t know for sure is how well my cell phone company covers the route I’ll be taking. I’ll have to get an updated map of their coverage.

Speaking of maps, I haven’t found the perfect map yet. I’m doing a lot of searching online, but what I have found so far is missing chunks of my route, because apparently nobody rides across NYS except with an official tour group, and to get their map you pay a couple grand.

It’s going to be great! I am still not 100% sure that my friend is going to go with me. Even if he doesn’t, I am still going to make the trip. It’s really not that far a ride, so I think starting on a Sunday I will be able to finish Thursday or possibly Friday.

UPDATE: (8/5/2005) I called Amtrak again today and talked to a customer service guy who seemed to know a little more than the other ones I’ve talked to. He said all the bike-rack-equipped trains are on the west coast. So I guess I’ll be getting a bike box and taking my whole bike apart for this trip.