CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Oban Disaster!

(34 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by lionfish
  • Latest reply from lionfish

12

  1. lionfish
    Member

    We've just come back from a lovely four day cycle trip around Tiree and Coll (Coll was particularly beautiful, with craggy hills and sandy beaches and flowery meadows [+no midges!]).

    Unfortunately there wasn't enough space on the train back from Oban for our bikes*. Anyway, we had to leave our bikes locked up outside the train station, and have returned to Edinburgh without our ONLY bikes! minimoth has already borrowed a bike from a friend, but lionfish will be commuting on foot for the next few weeks(?). If anyone has a bright idea of how to get our bikes from a bike rack in Oban to Edinburgh, let us know!
    (we can't return to Oban until September at the earliest...)

    Anyway, I'd definitely recommend Coll and Tiree :)

    from lionfish and minimoth

    * we'd reserved bike space on the train up but not back. They're already booked 9 bikes for the 6 spaces so ours couldn't go on too (we were dismantling the bikes and putting the parts into bin bags - but that still wasn't allowed).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. DaveC
    Member

    If you want to contribute to fuel I could drive up and bring them back? I have roof racks for 3 bikes and a rear rack I have borrowed for a few months which can take a couple more? I guess I could possibly do it early next week? Or at an outside chance on Thursday morning VERY EARLY? I have Thursday and Friday off this week and we're heading down to Notts for the weekend. I could head up early with someone with the keys and drive back for mid morning. It'll take ~3 hours each way.

    PM me you're number

    Dave C

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Similarly to Dave, we were actually planning on heading to Oban sometime soon to do the Sustrans route there - I've only got three bike carriers on the roof, but could probably fit a fourth bike in the boot - all weather-dependant on when we'd be going though.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. DaveC
    Member

    Anth, if you have room on your roof I could lend you a roof carrier.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    Anth, seeing as you already have a roof carrier I could lend you a boot carrier.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Probably wouldn't fit the straight back of the Clubbie + baaaaaaad experiences with boot carriers (as in bad, not evil sheep) - last two have left dents in the roof and boot respectively. Big fan of roof mounting (despite wind-dragginess, and by that I mean an increase in resistance, not dressing the bikes in dresses) - though Mini are, amongst other manufacturers, slowly getting there with the integrated rear carrier that might be an option at next car upgrade.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. wingpig
    Member

    Fitted the straight back of a Seicento...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. DaveC
    Member

    Do you have room for an extra roof carrier? Two facing fwds and two rear?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. tammytroot
    Member

    I'd just like to say bravo to the helpful folk above.
    I don't know any other forum where you could get multiple offers of help, at considerable cost in time and effort, like this.
    Well done folks!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. minimoth
    Member

    Wow! Thank you so much everyone. Just thought I would have a quick look before I went into a meeting. Thank you thank you! I'll come back later and read it properly!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    @wingpig - still got those bad experiences to contend with, vowed never to use a boot mounted carrier again! ;)

    @DaveC - probably would, though sticking it in the boot might be easier in terms of organisation (will probably be late notice to know if I'm going to Oban or not).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. lionfish
    Member

    wow everyone!

    DaveC: There's no way that we could ask someone to drive all the way to Oban and back! Thank you so much though :)

    @Wilmington's: If you're going to Oban anyway, then we'd be very happy indeed to take up your offer!

    @wingpig: Thank you too!

    update: minimoth has two friends coming to stay in 2 weeks and the friends are pootling around Scotland in a hire car. minimoth spoke to them, and they think they might be able to fit one bike in the back (but not two). The car's very small. currently they're not coming to Edinburgh until after Oban. How easy is it to fit a bike mount thing on the back of a car? (bit worried about doing it to a hire car, if Wilmington's fears about the boot carriers is well founded). Anyway: The upshot is that, even if you can only get one bike back, that would be really helpful! I'll investigate the friends-in-a-hire-car option more today.

    This situation is really our fault, but a couple of free days came up and we decided to take the risk of something like this happening (but we thought it would some how work out!). It really was fantastic up there! (we even saw basking sharks, never seen them before - will try to get some pixelly photos into the wildlife thread tomorrow).

    PS If anyone is going to Oban in the next few days and wants a couple of bikes to use whilst up there, give me a pm! [they're rather heavy hybrids though].

    Other options we're looking at: just waiting until September to go on holiday up there again - hope bikes survive (Maybe someone knows someone who lives in Oban who could move the bikes to a safer place). Asking a courier. Getting someone to put it on a train and meeting them/bikes in Glasgow.

    Once we both get hold of a spare bike, it will be less urgent (except my worries about the safety of the bikes, although they are insured...). Maybe this is the moment to get on the N+1 bandwagon!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. lionfish
    Member

    thinking about it more, getting some bike-carrying equipment to minimoth's friends is probably the way to go. I don't know much anything about these things: Do cars need modification or can it fit on any random hire car? This might be useful knowledge for future trips (we were discussing that maybe next time we'll hire a car, rather than use the trains).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    @lionfish

    Might have been my car. First carrier, over the space of a year or so, left little indentations on the roof where the feet sat, and rubbed the paint a we bit matte (mainly T-cutted back). The second one didn't rest on the roof, but one journey to Skye put a big dent in the boot lid just under the number plate - might have just been a weak point. But I just don't trust boot carriers anymore.

    However, everyone's experience is different. Wingpig clearly has no issues with his boot carrier, and 100s more would say the same. Wouldn't dream of saying people are 'wrong' for using a boot carrier, just that for me I don't like them/I've had two that not only didn't work well but actually damaged my car.

    Plus I just find roof mounted is more secure (touring NZ years back I saw a bike carrier fall off the boot of a car in front spraying bikes across the road - probably user error, but it sticks in your mind.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. DaveC
    Member

    Lionfish, The offer stands, as I really don't mind doing this.

    I have a freind who lives in Oban and could possibly take them to his house and chain them up where he lives (garage/garden). I'll check. He has a car and Ridgid Inflatable Boat so has a decent sized car.

    Though really, I have booked Thursday and Friday off for a long weekend, but not confirmed with her indoors when we're driving south. I'm happy to drive with you and return with all the bikes.

    Dave C

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. ARobComp
    Member

    Tough luck on this one. I had the exact same situation apart from mine was caused by a delayed ferry leading to me missing my train. I put the bike in a double duvet case and had to beg to be allowed on, at one point getting out my phone and saying "well you have to tell my granny why I'm not seeing her this evening then...."

    Best of luck!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. lionfish
    Member

    @ARobComp: Yeah, I wish I'd tried a bit harder with the bin bags etc! I think with hindsight we could have convinced him to let us on!

    @WC & @DaveC: Thanks again so much! I'll have to confer with minimoth (I think she's in a meeting at the moment) to decide what to do...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. DaveC
    Member

    PM'd you my number earlier on.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @lionfish if you aren't able to retrieve the bikes anytime that soon I could give you a lend of my singlespeed bitsabike. The gear is pretty low so wouldn't give too many hillstart challenges for those not use dto singlespeeding, although it does lack flat pedals currently.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. LaidBack
    Member

    That is so annoying. Can borrow a Paper Bicycle with 8 speeds.

    Moving bikes around a bit I use Paisley Freight

    If you could box up they would cost £30 each to shift (Highland Price - non-Highlanders pay £21.50). Bet people think that's a lot but consider how many hours driving you need to do. If they can pop in a bike box then that would be one way. You would need to leave at someone in Obans work for a daytime pick up. I have some boxes... but you'd have to courier them unless there's a friendly local bike shop.
    In the old days you'd get them on a fish truck.. good anti-theft measure.

    I have a Fuego customer in Oban who works for NHS. I could ask.

    **In fact PF will carry a box for a lot less but they charge extra for bikes but still less than many. Plus some companies don't do Highlands and Ireland.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. DaveC
    Member

    Funny my mate in Oban also works for the NHS.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. lionfish
    Member

    @LB re deliveries: I've been investigating that a bit today. It would make more sense than going there ourselves (it's a bit tricky actually getting them from the bike rack to the person doing the delivery)...but in general, we can't just give Paisley the location of the bike rack and our bike keys? I'm looking at 'anyvan.com' at the moment waiting for bids - they might be more flexible about just putting the bikes in the back of a van.

    @kaputnik - ooh. single speed! I've been meaning to try out one for ages :) Are the cranks normal (can I switch to flat pedals? Also would that be a fashion crime? :)

    @LB: I saw the paper bike at the bike breakfast! They look wonderful :) Could I come by some time? (woohoo! I'll have wheels again! I promise to be really careful with it!

    @DaveC: Thanks! I got your PM. But don't worry, we won't be asking for such an epic drive :)

    I'm really grateful for the wonderful offers of help from the forum.

    If the delivery thing doesn't work out, we'll just hire a car, take a couple of days off work and make a little road-trip of it :)

    [When we realised we couldn't get them on the train we had a panicked run around town to look for how to get them delivered, but ran out of time. I should have just stayed in Oban overnight and taken the next train down that had space, but in the 10 minutes of panic I didn't think straight.]

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. Uberuce
    Member

    I can live without the iron horse and the tractor for a fair while, so if you want an elegant old roadster and an MTB, then nudge away and once I'm back on Saturday, come round to mine to collect. The iron horse has pretty cruddy brakes and 40/60/90-ish Sturmey 3-speed gearing so I advise against hill work, but the MTB is grand anywhere.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  24. lionfish
    Member

    @Uberuce - minimoth's picked up an old bike from a friend - I'll be intrigued to see what it's like :)
    Hopefully we'll be going to recover our bikes on Sunday (we'll go for an explore of the route by road, as we usually go by train :). Thanks again for the offer.

    I need to help people more on this forum to replenish my karma :)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  25. ExcitableBoy
    Member

    lionfish: sorry to hear you're experience, very distressing. As said above, an impressive response from others.
    My children laugh at me because I get so stressed taking our bikes on the train. Last week my wife and I were coming back, a bike each from Dunkeld, both bikes booked on (which itself can take well over an hour at Waverley). So we rush to find the right carriage, leap aboard to find 2 bikes already in place. Call the guard along who says there are 2 bikes in another carriage all booked, hence no space for us and if nobody is getting off in Perth we'll have to! To which I tell him I am not getting off, I've booked my bike on. He then said the train won't move, so said I don't care I'm not getting off - he then threatened to call the police! - I said go ahead. Not my finest hour, but we have had 2 particularly bad experiences with bikes on trains.
    Bring back guards vans I say. Have you asked Scotrail (or whoever) if there's anything they can do?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  26. lionfish
    Member

    @ExcitableBoy - in fairness to ScotRail we knew there might be a problem, as we'd not been able to book the bikes on the train back. I'll send ScotRail (maybe to Oban station) to explain, and see what they say. Thanks for the idea.

    In your situation I'd have been way more annoyed, and would probably have done the same thing as you! They'd promised (via the booking) that they'd transport your bikes!

    In our case there were 9 bikes booked (plus our two bikes) for the 6 spaces (some how they'd over booked). They took apart 3 of the bikes to fit them all in the bike-zone on the train.

    Anyway, 12 bike spaces/day to Oban! (I can't believe there's only 2 trains/day, I don't know if that's why people drive, or if there are only 2 trains/day because people drive...).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  27. gembo
    Member

    If driving to Oban we always stop at green welly in tyndrum but now the organic place is making the best ever fish suppers (small sizes available) that will be our tyndrum stop as the driver likes fish suppers, just chips for me. I love the train into Oban, the time I did it a couple of years back out of Glasgow in July there was one cyclist on the six o'clock train, he was from sweden and had flown across that morning, he got off the stop before Oban for wild camping. He went out into the night well wrapped up against the midge. Apart from that it was just me and a lot of inebbriated people

    Posted 12 years ago #

  28. lionfish
    Member

    gembo - thanks! We'll see about that stop :)

    The train ride to/from Oban is really beautiful. Once we leave Queen Street it feels like the holiday's begun already :)

    Until our ride back to Glasgow I'd not noticed any drunkenness on that line, but there was in our carriage this time (and not a good sort of drunkness either).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  29. lionfish
    Member

    Two bits of fantastic news!
    First: Was telling office-mate about the bike-crisis, and it turns out he'll be up in Oban at the weekend, and will be driving back with an empty car! Problem: solved :D

    Second: Just picked up the paper bike from LaidBack. I forgot how nice it was to ride the amsterdam-style bikes. I went with the single speed which is geared just right (can make it up hills, but can move at a fair speed on the flat). Looking forward to riding it about over the next few days! minimoth also wants a ride on it too :) (I'll need to ensure I'm wearing a shirt, as I feel one must look fairly smart on these bikes!)

    Thanks again LB! Sorry I didn't leave many raspberries :/

    Posted 12 years ago #

  30. chdot
    Admin

    "turns out he'll be up in Oban at the weekend"

    Don't forget to give him the keys...

    Posted 12 years ago #

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