Tandems on French Trains

[Boopop]

With Avanti it can only go on pendolino services (so ok from London to Glasgow) but needs 2 bike reservations so 2 tickets.

In my experience, at least at Leighton Buzzard railway station you can usually ask for two bike reservations without proving you've bought any tickets. Last time I got some grief from the staff member but I said I'd done it before (this time I was just asking for one bike space), but he printed out the reservation anyway.

It's ridiculous that Avanti expect you to buy tickets for two seats on their trains if the only thing about your journey that would imply two people travelling is a larger bike, especially given that they do not charge for bike spaces. I own a tandem but several of the people I'd ride it with live several hundred miles away. I'm not going to let Avanti charge me double just so I can move a bike. I wouldn't mind paying £5-10 extra but a double fare is extortion.

 

[Stig-OT-Dump]

When I was trying to book it, I phoned their customer services. They advised that as I would potentially block all 4 hangers, I would need to buy 4 tickets.
I told them that's absurd and they said it had come from their manager.
That is in direct contradiction to what is on their "travelling with a bike" guidance, that says 2 spaces need reserved. So I told them they were talking nonsense and finished the call.
As it happened, there was one other bike on the service and he managed to hang between mine and the wall.