Another 'selfish cyclist' on a train row as passenger takes up SIX seats with bike

Never taken a bike on a train, probably won't bother. Don't live in London either.

I can't believe anyone is defending either of these two people.

Independent of whether or not the train is full , or whether there's enough provision on trains for bikes, or whether or not this article is badly written clickbait , or whatever, both of these guys are simply crass, inconsiderate idiots.

In whose world is it ok to put bikes on public transport seats,  and to stop people sitting down?

Feet don't go on seats and neither do wheels.  If you want to be close to your bike on a train then stand up.

(and no one should do this with a 50" TV, or a dog or a large pot plant either)

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with people?! I've no idea why commuters can't spend two or even three seconds thinking about their surroundings on trains with regard to bags, cases, coats - BIKES?! (Don't get me started with feet-on-seat wankers)

I travelled with my bike during the tube strike last summer (I wasn't alone in doing so, either) and it didn't even remotely occur to me to put it on or near seats. Christ's sake.

The amount of idiots who think that, just because they're the first person to rock up at a given spot on a train gives them the right to take up as much space as they like, drive me nuts - and why do people simmer and tut and not open their mouths to make the twat move it! Take the front wheel off to reduce the footprint? Or how about going crazy and accepting that you're creating a blockage and stand WITH your bike in the entryway so you're there to move it out of the way as people get on or off; you know, basically think about someone other than yourself.

And blaming the infrastructure is a poor argument as it's been overlooked and underfunded for decades - cycling has increased in a big way, yes, but trying to get a full-size bike on a standard commuter train at peak times is a very hit and miss exercise; If the train layout was altered to make it easier, there'd still be people rammed in like sardines, they'd just ALL be standing instead.

Sorry, I'm on a bit of a sugar low.

So, was there anywhere else that he could have put his bike? Would people have been in uproar if he had taken up 6 seats with a double push-chair and luggage? Give the guy a break - he just wants to use the train with his bike. That's what integrated transport should look like although it'd be nice if the trains allowed more space for taking bikes.

This could easily be solved by having one or two carriages without seats to cater for cyclists, passengers with large luggage items or simply standing passengers. Could also increase the trains carrying capacity as well.

The guy is a tosser for doing it in the first place and the whingers are equally tossers for not taking him to task about it

Clearly there was space when he got on the train, unless he got passengers to move from the seats to make space for his bike.   If he is unused to that train route he may have thought the train will remain lightly loaded  - some trains run with very light loading.

As the train fills up (if it did) a quiet word would probably have solved the problem. As it is there is at least 1 seat of the 6 free and probably more.  

Not somewhere I would have put my bike but solvable rather than rage inducing.  

If you look at the picture you can see the cyclist has his knees touching the chairs opposite him. Does he look like he's freakishly tall? No. Does the carriage look like it has anywhere else to store a bike? No. 

Perhaps road.cc would be better off asking why train companies think it's ok to shove people into these tiny spaces, which aren't even big enough to sit in comfortably, rather than reprinting brain-dead garbage from the bottom rung of Facebook. Cyclists catch trains too is not news; cyclists disadvantaged by train company's lack of decent standards is. 

A mate and I had to get the train home yesterday as his mech hanger snapped and we were a bit worried about the strength of the rejoined narrow 11 speed chain on the resulting impromptu singlespeed conversion.

We placed our bikes in the aisle next to our seats, with enough room for people to squeeze past, just about. The train guard, unwilling to discuss the matter, insisted we put the bikes in the doorways, which as any fule kno is where everybody wants to stand, crammed in like sardines, even when the aisles are completely empty, as they were in this case.

I'm sure we looked "selfish" taking up all the standing room while fellow passengers tutted and shook their heads, but all this sensational reporting does is gloss over the real problem which is that my mate doesn't use powerlinks there's simply no provision for carrying bikes, or indeed any large luggage (I'm looking at you, snowboard bag) on most trains in the UK.

People. Its fake. The train is not full. Carry on with your day. 

There's even an empty seat in front of the cyclist away from the bicycle. From the position where the photograph is taken, the photographer must have had a seat. And if the photogtapher wanted to give the impression that the carriage was full of standing people at each end, why on earth are they not in the photograph? Or standing in the aisles?

From what's visible in the photograph, there's only four other people in the carriage, including the photographer. Its just taken at a view point which doesn't give the full story. 

For all we know there could have been buggies / prams / or wheelchairs users by each set of doors, and the cyclist was kindly keeping out of the way, and able to do so because it was an empty carriage. 

Another load of mad balls from road.cc for the reasons outlined by miffed.

 I'll be getting my ccycling news from elsewhere from now on.  

You didn't really "report" the first issue, did you.  You just re-wrote it from another media source.  Come on.

This is plainly a matter of bad behaviour. Why would one want to argue about that? If there should be issues with available space for bikes in those trains, address this to the train company and don't bother other passengers. It's a bit like riding on the pavement. Fight for safer roads instead.

Did anyone actually discuss the issue with  each bike owner, or was it all very British with much muttering done very quietly and surreptitious photo taking?

I also remember goods wagons for stashing my bike in. I made damn sure that I stayed with it to make sure it didn't walk away or get crushed by heavy packages.

To those complaining about the quality of the article: why did you click on the clickbait?

Nothing wrong with clickbait. Publishers need to make money and you have free will not to click!

You did the same story last week you lazy bunch of arseholes. Waste of space, the article and the "journalist".

WGAF....people dying all over the world and this 'needs' reporting!

If people are so upset, then challenge the individual.

Usual crap...moan and whinge, but do nothing about it...as it's not the 'done thing' to complain to the actual perpetrator...

I'm sure it's not the worst thing that happened on a train, ever.

This lad doesn't exactly look intimidating, could someone not have asked him to move his bike to allow people to sit down? 

Question? Where was the Guard or whatever name they are now known as. If the commentry fits the pictures then the Guard wasn't doing their job or maybe, as I suspect, there were plenty of seats & some people wanted to be anti-cyclist SJW's. Notice the pictures are all zoomed in to show the cyclist, not zoomed out to show the alleged full carriages. Convenient eh!

Playing devils advocate if he had bought a 50 inch tv and was carrying it home on the train and took up a load of seats that would be OK?

the trains used to have baggage cars down on the south coast then about ten years ago they all went. The infrastructure is just very poor there's not normally enough seats for commuters let alone bikes. 

I give up, this is the last article of road.cc I shall read. Your fall from great quality cycle blogging  is complete. When you started your take all things cycling was refreshing and better than anything else available, your reviews have alway been fair and accurate but your descent into clickbait hell is spectacular. 

Last week you posted this story and it was weak, to rehash the same story with a different picture and then reference all the negative comments from last week without any actual news or editorialising this week  is spectacular in its audacity if nothing else.