Vienna Pedaler: Combining Cycling With Other Modes Of Travel

I’ve written a bit in the past about combining cycling with other forms of transportation, so now I thought I would delve a little deeper into that. With a little planning and forethought, mixing cycling with some other mode of transportation can work really well for both practical and recreational traveling.

There’s nothing inherently new or radical about the idea – most of us have put our bike in or on a car to get to the start of a ride. But if you put your mind to it, you can find an almost endless number of opportunities to incorporate cycling into other forms of transportation, and vice versa.

Let’s start with that car that we just put our bike in. It’s obvious that a car can really extend your range when it comes to finding a good place to ride. That remote mountain bike trail, your favorite beach town, or that spot on the multi-use path that puts you in easy range of work ... a car can help get you there. But try looking at it from the other side as well: Where can a bike take you that your car can’t? If you get in the habit of bringing a bike on your car trips, you’ll soon find it extends your range in different ways. New countryside can be experienced much more intimately in the open air at the slower pace of a bicycle. The next time you go to one of our national parks or refuges, see how a bike can take you into quieter spots that you can really see, smell and feel from the seat of your bike.

You don’t have to own a car, however, to meld cycling with other ways of getting around. Take a look at the front of a Metro or Fairfax Connector bus sometime ... see that strange looking gadget on the front? Yep, that’s a bike rack, designed to carry two bicycles at a time, no extra charge. Whether you’re trying to get to work or explore a different part of the region, a bus can definitely increase your range. Heck, you might even find it handy in a bind ... say, when you’ve gotten a flat tire or just don’t have any energy left to ride.

The same is true of the Metro rail system, with a few caveats. While you can take your bike on any part of the Metro system, you are not allowed to bring a conventional bike on the trains during rush hour, and there are restrictions as to which part of the cars you can enter. You also must use elevators in the stations. Working within those rules, Metro can help open up the whole of the D.C. area to you and your bicycle. I’ve taken the train many times to a station near the Mt. Vernon Trail, or the C&O Canal, or simply downtown to explore some of the monuments and neighborhoods. The first time I rode the Canal from Cumberland down to D.C., camping along the way, I made my way home – tired and grubby – on the Metro from Roslyn,  a bit of a shock to me after four days of solitary riding and camping, I’ll tell you.

Traditional railways such as Amtrak can also sometimes extend your bicycle adventures, but they often require more planning, since not all trains or stations allow easy access for bikes. You may have to pack your bike in a box and check it in the baggage car, which doesn’t really allow much spontaneity. One bright spot is Amtrak’s recent announcement of plans to soon accommodate “roll on/roll off” service for bikes on the Capitol Limited from D.C. up to Pittsburgh. That opens up a world of possibilities for combining Amtrak with a journey along the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage routes.

Finally, don’t rule out air travel with your bike. It’s gotten more challenging and expensive over the years, but if you choose your airline carefully and understand all the rules and fees, you can make it work well for you. You’ll have to find a solid box for your bike, and you might consider a folding bike or “take-apart” bike to make it easier. Pack it carefully, and remember just how careful the baggage handlers might be.

Of course, nothing says you can’t combine multiple forms of transport in one trip.  Perhaps you’ve always wanted to pedal the Oregon coast. Well, you can pack your bike, load it into your car for a trip to the airport, fly to Portland, then catch a bus to the coast on the other end to start your ride. Once you’re done riding, perhaps there’s a train you can catch back to the city. A customer of ours just returned from a trip to Scandinavia, a trip that involved planes, trains, ferries, and of course, his bicycle, a Brompton folding bike. He’s just returned to the States, and if his email message to me is any indication, he had a grand time, thanks in no small part to having a bike with him.

So give it a try sometime, even if it’s just throwing your bike on the back of your car on your next road trip, or rolling it onto Metro the next time you head into the city. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how much fun mixing your modes of transportation can be.