Travelling with a bike across London by train

Is there an overground option?

Not an easy one. City ThamesLink but that's from Blackfriars and by the time you've got yourself over there you may as well just have gone direct to KX.

Some taxi drivers are OK with taking bikes but it's highly variable. How big is the luggage - too big to ride with it?

TfL website seems to suggest that bikes aren't allowed on the Victoria Line:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/cycles-on-public-transport

Can you get to Sutton and then thameslink it. Bikes are prohibited on most of the tube.

Will depend on what time you go but the best bet is to change at Sutton and hop on the thameslink all the way to Kx.

Won't even need to change platforms. I have done it loads

Yes, it's easy, Epsom to London Bridge, London Bridge to St Pancras International.

Are you riding this bike or is it in a bag?

Ride / Train to Sutton, get on Thames link, get off at St Pancras, walk over to Kings Cross, get on train to Scotland.

Edit: And in the minute I was talking to Mrs Dubs, 3 others have said the same thing ;P

Also

https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/travel-information/on-board/bringing-a-bike

To make sure there is space for all our passengers at times when our trains are busiest, we don’t allow non-folding bikes:

Peak hour trains are the following:

On trains travelling towards London that are timed to arrive at or pass through any central London station between 07:00 and 10:00 Monday to Friday, except on public holidays

Some taxi drivers are OK with taking bikes but it’s highly variable. How big is the luggage – too big to ride with it?

When I went on a riding holiday in the Parc du Volcans, my bike was in a bag, I took a coach to Victoria, got a taxi to St Pancras to catch the Eurostar, and the taxi driver wasn’t bothered at all.
Coming back, using a taxi, I saw the result of the hysteria surrounding Lady Di’s funeral all around Westminster, and I was so glad I’d been away from all forms of mass media for a week.

Was planning to travel with it assembled but not to ride across London.

The time restriction is a pain. One train arriving before 7 am in St Pancras but a tad early departure!

If you don't mind riding, the route from Waterloo to Kings Cross / Euston is actually pretty straight forward, we did it when we took our bromptons to York

Is there a Cycle path?

National rail app seem to be tube from Vauxhall to King’s Cross but this doesn’t sound like the easiest option with a full size bike and a big pack of luggage.

Is there an overground option?

In answer to that particular question Vauxhall to Kings Cross would be an easy bike ride. And pretty bike friendly.

I'm not sure how you get to Vauxhall though. And I would expect Epsom to Kings Cross to be much more challenging. And much less bike friendly.

The time restriction is a pain. One train arriving before 7 am in St Pancras but a tad early departure!

What are your timings?
Cos it's no good us giving transport options if we find out that you're arriving into London at peak time and you won't be allowed to take a bike on board a train!

I'm wondering why you're arriving into Vauxhall as well? Trains from Epsom can go to Victoria, London Bridge or Waterloo but again, maybe you're travelling at a time where you can't go all the way into town?

It's about 20 miles from Epsom to Kings x, depending on weather I'd just ride there rather than faff about on a busy bike hostile transport infrastructure...

As mentioned above, your rail experience will vary massively depending on time of travel.

Journey is epsom to King’s Cross. Well actually epsom to Edinburgh but I’m assuming I can get a bike in the King’s Cross To Edinburgh train.

I don’t have to go to Vauxhall, that’s just where National rail route says to get on the tube.

I’m not looking to ride in to London from epsom. I was planning to try and get going fairly early to arrive early afternoon. So would be some peak travel so that might not be possible with a bike. I could aim to get through London before 7 though.

I ride from @51.5171142,-0.1350519,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x487604b9c09f521d:0x1d0598197b5003ba!2m2!1d-0.112293!2d51.5032466!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761ba3a5a1470b:0xd5656d630ccedd8c!2m2!1d-0.1233551!2d51.5306865!3e1?entry=ttu">Waterloo to King's Cross on a folding bike (rather than take the tube) and much of it is segregated now. Will depend on your luggage, but with a decent rucksack, it would be fine. About 20-25 min. With regards to SWT peak times, you're stuck I am afraid. Has to be off peak, but you can often get on earlier when outside London and no questions asked (not 7 am peak times though!)

Stick to off peak network rail (ie avoid tube) and you'll be fine. Not sure what the deal is with bikes and the overground.

I regularly cycle commute from south to north London, crossing the Thames never gets old 🙂 Appreciate urban cycling isn't for everyone. If heading for Camden I also cross at Waterloo, I may have bumped into TiRed in the traffic light peloton.

I’m assuming I can get a bike in the King’s Cross To Edinburgh train.

There will be bike spaces for sure, but I'd definitely be booking one rather than just rocking up and risking it.

Maybe look into the KX onwards journey, last time I got a Lomo(?) train, my fellow travellers had nearly filled the bike compartments with luggage (showing the lack of luggage provision).  I was lucky to find space for my Brommie.

Sorry that was a ramble! Just that the bike spaces are minimal even when empty, putting a.bike.bag or box in might be tricky.

Journey is epsom to King’s Cross. Well actually epsom to Edinburgh but I’m assuming I can get a bike in the King’s Cross To Edinburgh train.

I don’t have to go to Vauxhall, that’s just where National rail route says to get on the tube.

I’m not looking to ride in to London from epsom. I was planning to try and get going fairly early to arrive early afternoon. So would be some peak travel so that might not be possible with a bike. I could aim to get through London before 7 though.

OK, train from Epsom to London Bridge.
Change for ThamesLink - it's 15 minutes from LB to KX but you'll need to complete the journey before 087:00 or do it after 10:00.

Second the comments about the KX to Edinburgh, you WILL need to book your bike on.
https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coast-experience/travel-tips/travelling-with-cycles/

Only other option if there's travel within peak time is to get a taxi cos you won't get a bike on any train or tube between 07:00 and 10:00.

If your luggage isn't too bulky or heavy, I'd just be riding it but I'm assuming from your earlier comments that it's too big for that to be safe...?

Waterloo to Kings Cross easy on a bike. Aim for quiet streets to Blackfriars Bridge, then straight up Farringdon Road (which is segregated for bikes), then eventually cut left onto Greys Inn Road and arrive at KX.

Or buy a really cheap bike bag of Amazon and use that

Definitely just go to Sutton and get the Thameslink to St Pancras and as someone said its across the road into Kx.

Much easier changing trains in Sutton than London Bridge because you will just get off the train from epsom on platform 1 and the thameslink departs from platform 1 so no need to try and get around London Bridge which will be much busier.

I did this last year going to Newcastle twice, once for the dirty reiver and once for chase the sun. the trains are nowhere near as busy as they used to be so outside of 7.30-8.30 its not too bad

@alansd1980 Thames link say no bikes until 10am. But sounds like they didn’t enforce then? Albeit I wouldn’t want to be on a packed commuter with a bike unless there’s a spot outside of the door area for one

Just checked my photo reels and I was on the 9.16 out of Sutton on the Friday before the reiver last year. I changed from the epsom downs line (Banstead train) so didn't have to go through the gates at Sutton but so long as it's not too busy they are generally not too bad at Sutton. If you think they might be funny at epsom letting you through you can always go to the next station along(Ewell?) which is always much quieter  and depending where you live might be easier anyway

edit, that's not true, just remembered I cycled down to Sutton because of timings so did go through the gates.

Do the trains have bike spaces or are you just in the door way?

From memory some of the Thameslink do, they are also completely open all the way through without door between carriages. I'll say though, as someone who travels from the Epsom area into London for work on a regular basis, depending on the day the trains could be packed.

All the trains have some bike spaces, they are normally 8 carriage trains with 2 lots of bike spaces next to the toilets.

This was the 9.16 to St Pancras on a Friday last April

You could do a dry run just with the bike and cycle back to Epsom. That's what I just did for an important connection with a bike reservation, exercept it was nearly 100 miles home!

I left home at 04:30 to miss the bike ban  (one backup train after but involves a change which is likely to be busier further up the line) worries were confirmed within the first 15 minutes when my train left on time but was 4 minutes late into the next station, not enough time to get the lift and ramp the other side so carried my bike up the stairs to not miss my connection, not going to be so easy when it's got a week's bikepacking gear on it. Spoke to another commuter (with a bike incidentally) and he reckons he misses the connection once a fortnight (with an unladen bike up the stairs)

So I think I'll drag my wife out of bed in the middle of the night and get her to take me 20 minutes up the road as good is the only connection that could make the journey stressful.

Good idea, although I’m not sure if I’ll find the time.