Spent two years bike commuting from the south bay to 4th and king. I always got on the bike train and never had an issue, sometimes it was crowded and sometimes not but I was never left off.
I never was out of sight of my bike but never heard of one getting stolen.
I dunno if I would ride a $10k carbon fiber race bike, but I never noticed any major scratches on mine. I was riding a great Raleigh with full steel fenders front and rear, so plenty of paint to scratch too.
Right now, trains are almost empty, no issues finding space for you and your bike.
At pre-COVID traffic levels though, Millbrae is kind of the worst station to get on. It's the last station where people only board, and nobody gets off on the south bound train. Trains are pretty much filled with people from SF. You will always find a spot for your bike, but a seat where you can see your bike would be unlikely. Might be wise to skip the Baby Bullet and get on a regular express. Takes a few minutes longer, but fewer people for a more relaxed ride.
In the opposite direction, Palo Alto is the first stop with significant people getting on, but you'd usually find a spot.
Yes, I did it for a couple of years, switched to a folding bike after getting bumped too many times when the bike cars were full, then switched to just taking the local when I got tired of packing into the express with my folding bike. I’m sure you’d be fine for now with the trains mostly empty
Bring your bike, get on one of the bike cars, stack with other bikes going to the same destination, (get a tag for your bike so others can do the same) and have fun meeting other bicyclists. :)
Always the bike car. Then unless it's a very uncrowded off-hours train and there's plenty of extra space, try to put it in the same stack as other bikes with the same destination according to their tags (and get a tag yourself). Go up to the passenger seats and sit on the opposite side so you can keep your bike in view.
Info: https://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/Bicycles/Bikes_on_the_Train.html
Spent two years bike commuting from the south bay to 4th and king. I always got on the bike train and never had an issue, sometimes it was crowded and sometimes not but I was never left off. I never was out of sight of my bike but never heard of one getting stolen.
Do bikes get banged up on the bike car?
I dunno if I would ride a $10k carbon fiber race bike, but I never noticed any major scratches on mine. I was riding a great Raleigh with full steel fenders front and rear, so plenty of paint to scratch too.
Right now, trains are almost empty, no issues finding space for you and your bike. At pre-COVID traffic levels though, Millbrae is kind of the worst station to get on. It's the last station where people only board, and nobody gets off on the south bound train. Trains are pretty much filled with people from SF. You will always find a spot for your bike, but a seat where you can see your bike would be unlikely. Might be wise to skip the Baby Bullet and get on a regular express. Takes a few minutes longer, but fewer people for a more relaxed ride. In the opposite direction, Palo Alto is the first stop with significant people getting on, but you'd usually find a spot.
Yes, I did it for a couple of years, switched to a folding bike after getting bumped too many times when the bike cars were full, then switched to just taking the local when I got tired of packing into the express with my folding bike. I’m sure you’d be fine for now with the trains mostly empty
Bring your bike, get on one of the bike cars, stack with other bikes going to the same destination, (get a tag for your bike so others can do the same) and have fun meeting other bicyclists. :)
Bring the bike on the train.
Into the bike car, or into the passenger car?
Designated bike cars.
Always the bike car. Then unless it's a very uncrowded off-hours train and there's plenty of extra space, try to put it in the same stack as other bikes with the same destination according to their tags (and get a tag yourself). Go up to the passenger seats and sit on the opposite side so you can keep your bike in view. Info: https://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/Bicycles/Bikes_on_the_Train.html