jonwvara 

Polite and friendly is definitely the way to go. That has always been my approach, too.

I've patiently worked my way through the Amtrak system, and have gathered some useful information about their folding bike policy. I still don't have a definitive answer as to whether Amtrak considers rinko bikes to be folding bikes, but the answers I got suggest that they are, and should be treated like any other folding bike.

A couple of calls to Amtrak ticketing clarified that, operationally speaking, any bike that's packed down to smaller than the 48" x 34" x 15" size and under the 50 lb weight limit is a folding bike. In fact, the ticket agents I spoke with seemed slightly annoyed that anyone would consider asking such a question:

"It's a bike? It meets the size and weight limits for a folding bike? Well, duh, yes, it's a folding bike. Do you have any real questions?"

Practically speaking, that's probably the only answer that's needed. But being an inquiring sort, I got in touch with a media relations person at Amtrak (I'm a former journalist and magazine editor) and asked him to look into Amtrak's official definition of "folding bike."

The distinction I specifically asked about is this: There are two broad categories of what the bike industry considers to be "folding bikes." There are Bromptons and Dahons and Montgues and such, which have hinged or pivoting frames that close up on themselves. They are folding bikes--no ambiguity there. But there are also what the industry calls "separable bikes," like those with S&S couplers or Ritchey Breakaways, which can be broken down into a small package by splitting them into two or more unconnected pieces. Are separable bikes also folding bikes? Or are they dismantled non-folding bikes? By the standards of the bike industry and bike users, they are clearly folding bikes, but what does Amtrak say?

The response I eventually got from the media person--which evidently came from some unnamed higher-up in the organization--said this:

"If Jon has a separable bike, he can certainly bring the bicycle on board as checked baggage as long as it does not weigh over 50 [lbs] and is within the dimensions. If the bike is in checked baggage, some rules apply. If the bicycle is apart, it has to be packed away. If the bike is intact, it is simply just another bike. [I take this to mean that if you show up with a folding bike that is not folded up, they'll accept it as they would a fully-assembled conventional bike. Fair enough.]

Unanswered in all this is whether rinko bike with its fork removed is in fact a "separable bike." I am of the opinion that it is. Amtrak doesn't seen to have any basis for saying that it is not.

So things are clearer, although still far from crystal-clear. The media person sent me a pdf of the Amtrak baggage manual, which is supplied to employees to help them navigate the rules about dealing with special baggage. (I'll try to attach it here, but can't promise that it will be openable.) It seeks to define "folding bikes" on page 14, with the following:

"Folding bicycles carried onboard may be stored in baggage storage areas at the end of the car or in the lower level of Superliner equipment. They must be considered a [sic] true folding bicycle; frame or spokes are hinged for easy disassembly."

As a policy, of course, that's nonsense. "Hinged spokes?" I'm going with the explanation offered by both the ticketing people and by the nameless higher-up quoted by the media person: If it's small enough, and light enough, and it's a bike, it's a folding bike.

To make my bike seem as legitimate as possible, I made up a set of "Rinko Folder" downtube decals. Once I install them, I'll try to remember to post a photo of the packed-up bike.