Maximum Tire With on Amtrak

[geobikee]

I recently completed a tour of the Icefields Parkway in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada on an e-bike and experienced some challenges returning home from Whitefish Montana via Amtrak, which are outlined below: 

My return trip from Whitefish, MT to San Luis Obispo, CA was via three legs of Amtrak travel. The first leg would be on the Empire Builder and the second and third legs would be on the Coast Starliner.  Britt, my ticket agent in Whitefish, MT was awesome. He strove to help me reach my destination without needing to disassemble and box my bike, which is what an earlier ticket agent told me would be required to travel with my bike directly between Whitefish and Portland, OR.  Britt created an alternate route that would take me from Whitefish to Seattle and then on to Portland, all without disassembling and boxing the bike.  Baggage staff in Seattle and Portland were more officious and (rightfully) concerned about Amtrak’s rules concerning bike weight, tire width, etc. The rules are a bit ambiguous, however, and are enforced differently by local stations. This, of course, does not inspire confidence in a traveler with an e-bike. I hope as more travel with e-bikes better and more consistent accommodation will be made but the staff I spoke with seem to think that the solution is to tighten up the rules.

In fact, as I picked up my e-bike at my trip's end in San Luis Obispo the conductor passing my bike to me from the baggage car said, "Due to a recent rule change Amtrak would no longer accept my bike in a luggage car due to its 2.4-inch tire width." A 2-inch tire width is the maximum accepted due to the bike tire hook size on the trains. I had deflated my tires so that they would collapse to fit into a 2 inch opening, but the conductor explained that it was more about the rim width, which, in my case is less than two inches... We’ll see which direction things go but with Amtrak's budget constraints it is unlikely it will make the necessary changes to accommodate the wider tires found on e-bikes without serious advocacy work from outside organizations, such as Adventure Cycling.

[John Nettles]

Good to know!  I wonder how much wider hooks would cost?  If minimal, ACA could always donate the hooks (I would give and don't even get serviced by Amtrak).

[davidbonn]

I know a few people who worked around this by purchasing narrower diameter tires that they'd install during the train rides.  Not a perfect solution but workable for a lot of trips.

The bummer with this is that a lot of bike configurations for dirt touring use wide-diameter tires and rims and packing skinnier tires for the train ride just isn't feasible.

[John Nettles]

Totally agree.  I wish Amtrak would be a bit for customer oriented.  For instance, I live in Oklahoma and only OKC is serviced by Amtrak.  However, they do not accept bikes at all.  I would have taken Amtrak probably a half dozen times or more now except for this.  I bet there are other cyclists, say the Great Divide riders or as you say e-Bike riders who have 2+" tires who do not take Amtrak.  To me, Amtrak should get bigger hooks in order to get more business.  It can't cost that much for a hook and if they get just 1 rider who would not have gone otherwise, it pays for at least 1 hook as a train with an empty seat is lost income.

[geobikee]

I agree.  I too would donate to ACA for a "larger diameter bike-hook fund" for Amtrak to accommodate e-bikes & mountain bikes.

[ExploreEnthusiast]

Wow, what a journey! It's great that Britt in Whitefish was so helpful, but it's frustrating that the rules for e-bikes are inconsistent. Hopefully, with more advocacy, Amtrak will adapt and make travel smoother for e-bike travelers. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[GiroRider]

I was hoping ACA communications with Amtrak would produce some positive results/experiences with bikes on Amtrak travel.  I have been required to box my SWB recumbent in the past because it's not compatible with Amtrak requirements.  Even though it will fit in the bike rack hanging by the rear wheel.  With the seat removed it takes up even less space than a conventional bike.  I'm planning to make my return trip home after my Pacific Coast ride via Amtrak and it would be great if I don't have to box it.  I'll be taking the Amtrak California Zepher, Cardinal and Crescent  from Emeryville, CA to Spartanburg, NC.  Anyone have any experience with these Amtrak routes and bikes on the train?

[David W Pratt]

I think that a part of the secret Amtrak Employee Oath requires that they must make it as difficult as possible for a mere passenger to find out anything about bicycle carriage.

[adventurepdx]

Totally agree.  I wish Amtrak would be a bit for customer oriented.  For instance, I live in Oklahoma and only OKC is serviced by Amtrak.  However, they do not accept bikes at all.  I would have taken Amtrak probably a half dozen times or more now except for this.

In defense of Amtrak in this case, the Heartland Flyer (Oklahoma City to Forth Worth) is a state funded service, and a lot of times the amenities Amtrak can provide on these trains is dictated by the state(s) priorities and funding. I'm guessing that neither OK or TX care that much about providing bicycle service on this train.

[ExploreEnthusiast]

Sounds challenging! How was the rest of your trip along the Icefields Parkway?

[BikeliciousBabe]

I think that a part of the secret Amtrak Employee Oath requires that they must make it as difficult as possible for a mere passenger to find out anything about bicycle carriage.

It's actually quite easy.  All one needs to do is Google "bikes on Amtrak".

https://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

And wouldn't you know it, the 2" tires restriction appears prominently at the tops of the page.  And, BTW, it's not peculiar to e-bikes.  (I.e., no discrimination going on.)

I am actually surprised that anyone noticed.

[BikeliciousBabe]

Totally agree.  I wish Amtrak would be a bit for customer oriented.  For instance, I live in Oklahoma and only OKC is serviced by Amtrak.  However, they do not accept bikes at all.  I would have taken Amtrak probably a half dozen times or more now except for this.

In defense of Amtrak in this case, the Heartland Flyer (Oklahoma City to Forth Worth) is a state funded service, and a lot of times the amenities Amtrak can provide on these trains is dictated by the state(s) priorities and funding. I'm guessing that neither OK or TX care that much about providing bicycle service on this train.

Yep.  A lot of people don't realize that many Amtrak routes are subsidized by states because those states realize the advantages the services provide to its citizens.  The Keystone Service from NYC to Harrisburg, PA is heavily subsidized by PA, and it's very popular.  Not that long ago, Amtrak began offering Carry On bike service service on the route.  Trainside Checked service was also introduced on the Pennsylvania service between NYC and Pittsburgh.  If you live along the Northeast Corridor, it's now possible to, say, take you bike on Amtrak to PGH, ride the GAP and C&O, and turn north on the Vermonter service, which has Carry-On bike service from D.C. all the way upo to St. Albans, VT via NYC.

[John Nettles]

It's actually quite easy.  All one needs to do is Google "bikes on Amtrak".
https://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

And wouldn't you know it, the 2" tires restriction appears prominently at the tops of the page.  And, BTW, it's not peculiar to e-bikes.  (I.e., no discrimination going on.)

I am actually surprised that anyone noticed.

What is interesting is that Amtrak, or at least some cars, have the ability to do wider tires as shown on the link above and then click on the "Electric Bikes and Scooters" section.  It shows that specific California routes accept up to 4" tires.  Now the question is, is this 4" rule only for eBikes or all bikes since it is buried under the eBike section since it should not matter if the bike is an eBike or not.  Amtrak really does not do a good job with their website. I still say it would benefit ridership if they allowed bikes on all trains and offered wider hooks. 

Tailwinds, John

[adventurepdx]

What is interesting is that Amtrak, or at least some cars, have the ability to do wider tires as shown on the link above and then click on the "Electric Bikes and Scooters" section.  It shows that specific California routes accept up to 4" tires. 

Well, one specific Cali route, the Surfliner, which runs between SLO and SD. The two other state-funded lines in the Golden State can only accommodate tires up to 2.5" wide. I'm guessing that there's new cars on that route that have bigger hooks.

Now the question is, is this 4" rule only for eBikes or all bikes since it is buried under the eBike section since it should not matter if the bike is an eBike or not.

It shouldn't.

The two big things with e-bikes is a) the bike fits in Amtrak's parameters as "...electric bikes and scooters powered by lithium-ion batteries and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Accepted e-bikes are low-speed with fully operable pedals, a motor that produces less than 750W (1.01hp) of continuous power and a maximum speed of 20 mph (32km/h) when powered only by the electric motor."

The other big one is weight. Amtrak has a 50 pound limit on bikes of any type, and I know that some e-bikes are heavier than that. While this weight restriction may seem, well, restrictive, I understand their perspective, as trainside checked service (where one brings their bike to the baggage car) often means lifting the bike about five feet from the ground--those old school baggage cars have high platforms. And the baggage handler would also have to lift that bike into the hook. You may be able to "get away" with a heavier bike if you use the self-service hooks, like on those California services mentioned above since Amtrak personnel aren't handling your bike. But if you get used to that, then a leg of your journey uses trainside checked, you may be unpleasantly surprised when the baggage handler refuses your bike because it's too heavy.

  Amtrak really does not do a good job with their website. I still say it would benefit ridership if they allowed bikes on all trains and offered wider hooks. 

How does it "not do a good job" with their website? They clearly list their policies on the page listed above, and go into further detail here: https://www.amtrak.com/onboard/bring-your-bicycle-onboard/bike-faqs.html

I do wish that Amtrak will have bikes on all trains at all stations. I think that will happen at some point. And it sounds like their will be hooks for wider tires. But I can see there being issues with the big hooks--how would a bike with 32mm tires fare on a hook designed for a four-inch wide tire? I can see some sort of multi-fit hook could be a solution. Or straps instead of hooks, though the extra time to do that may get grumbles from the train personnel. But unfortunately there's not a "one size fits all" solution to bikes on Amtrak, as there's many different styles of cars and trains.

[John Nettles]

To me the website is not very good because, whenever I need an answer, the website rarely makes it easy to find.  The 4" tires for instance is buried under electric bikes.  I personally would think the 4" exception would apply to any bike so it should be shown under the general heading if that is the case.  If not, then state this 4" is only for ebikes.

Other times, the website does shows bikes allowed on the train but then does not allow you to purchase (at a baggage checked station).  There have been other times when I have called the Customer Service to inquire about something and they say it can/can't be done while the website says the opposite.

Then you get the stupid case of where a train going from A to B shows two "routes" even though they are identical except for the price.  Of course, the higher price is the only one that accepts bikes again, even though it is the exact same train.

While I love trains, I am not a fan of the Amtrak website. Obviously, you opinion differs and that is fine.

Tailwinds, John