Keep bike at station?

[yoohooitsme]

Do people do this - chain to a rack in station and collect on commute to work ie Train, arrive in city station, use bike to get to work then back to station after then leave bike in station and train home?

It's the model our local rail operator (Abellio) want its bike-users to move to. I've not done it but had to think about it.

How will you manage if you get a puncture or need a repair, can you afford to have a spare bike for use at home (or do you not need one at home). Can you carry a lock on the bike or just leave it on the rack 24/7. Those are my obstacles.

Yes, but I wouldn't do it with an expensive bike or if I knew the area was unsafe

This exact conundrum is why I'm still using Santander Boris bikes. No maintenance worries, no theft worries in exchange for a heavier bike a short walk away

That's another model we're supposed to embrace.

The hourly/daily hire bikes are very heavy for getting up hills & don't have pannier racks; my back suffers if I wear a backpack to cycle in.

Well I don’t have a bike at the moment but it would help to have one for part of my trip to work and would give me some practice as dc’s are starting out more on theirs so I’d be able to join in sometimes in the future.
I’m thinking second hand so it won’t be a thief magnet anyway!

yes two people I know do this, they have ancient bikes in good working order, ie chainset, brakes, gears etc are looked after but the frame looks old-fashioned and rusty so they don't get pinched. Also a decent lock.

I commute about an hour a day by bike and punctures aren't a worry, I get them about once a year (50+ miles p/w through very glassy city streets, I've just invited a puncture by typing that) I changed the tyres to ones that are pretty much puncture-proof. It cost about £50 for the tyres but that's like the saving off 12 days train fares! Go for it!

I used to cycle in on a Monday and then leave my bike at Paddington and use it just across town till Friday when I’d cycle home.

If I went out Friday night I’d get the train home with the bike after rush hour.

I know someone who did this for years, keeping a bike at Victoria for getting from the train to the office.

I think the key is to have an old-looking bike and duff it up a bit so that it doesn't look resaleable. Wrapping a bit of gaffa tape around the frame helps get the 'I'm not worth nicking' look.

Dh tried this. His bike was stolen. It wasn’t a fancy one.

This is what many people do in the Netherlands. Some have bikes at several stations. The bikes tend to be cheap ones though.

.. and NE is flat so weight & gears hardly matter.
They also have these mega heavy chain locks with padlocks usually.