spacemaniss

We packed our tandem to an Amtrak bike box last night, and it fit fine, there is even some empty space. However, when I measured the weight, it came out at 62 lbs. On their website Amtrak specifies the limit for bike weight being 50 lbs. I wonder how strictly this weight limit policy is enforced. Does anybody have similar experience? I know that if they refuse to take the box, I could maybe take the wheels and racks off the box to make it comply, but I’d rather check it in whole.

oldacura

I'm not certain but I'll bet the weight limit is based on the human handling the box - not on the capacity of the train. Maybe if you can make it easy for a person to handle it, they won't enforce the limit.

B. Carfree

My experience with Amtrak is that the staff can do anything they want. If you get a baggage handler who has trouble, s/he may disallow your bike. I would repackage it and get closer to the weight limit, but that's just me.

When we had our last tandem built, we included a set of couplers so we can split the bike in half. We were putting it in two boxes, but now the Coast Starlight has bike hooks so I just put some foam on the exposed ends and hand them up to the baggage handler who is happy to have two lighter-than-normal bikes to hang up.

vmizera

Is this the "official Amtrak" bike box that you used, the one that measures
70x41x8.5? If so, did you have to remove both wheels in order to get it
in?

Also, are you planning to be using Amtrak Express shipping with this
or will this be checked baggage?

spacemaniss

Yes, we had to remove wheels, detach handlebars and turn them, remove pedals as well.
Update: nobody gave us any troubles in regard to weight limits. Seems like they base it off of what a baggage handler can carry/slide around the station.
Amtrak worked out well for our trip on a tandem bike. Assembling/disassembling with packing/unpacking only takes about an hour if you have two experienced enough people and the right tools.