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Bike Bag (rinkō-bukuro, 輪行袋) Top Tips

I have experience of a small number of shinkansen, but they varied quite a lot. I eventually managed to jam my giant bike somewhere or other, but with difficulty, and no doubt annoying other people. Same story for the other "limited" expresses.
 
The day when you forget or lose your bike bag, a few hundred yen at the convenience store for a pack of 75- or 90-liter garbage bags and some packing tape will get you home. Ghetto-rinkō style.

N.B. Save the planet: the garbage bags can be recycled into... garbage bags.

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The day when you forget or lose your bike bag, a few hundred yen at the convenience store for a pack of 75- or 90-liter garbage bags and some packing tape will get you home. Ghetto-rinkō style.

N.B. Save the planet: the garbage bags can be recycled into... garbage bags.

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the ghetto bag, hmm now that sounds so cool
 
This thread is great! I'm about to pull the trigger on a rinko bag on Amazon.

In the train stations, do you carry your rinko'd bikes on the escalators or look for an elevator?
 
This thread is great! I'm about to pull the trigger on a rinko bag on Amazon.

In the train stations, do you carry your rinko'd bikes on the escalators or look for an elevator?
usually at major train stations they will have an elevator. The size will fit your bike and a wheel carrier.
Recently the bags have gotten very light weight, but l bought a heavy duty Ostrich bag which l also use as a pillow. Not so cheap, came with a separate front wheel carrier, nice . Also room to put light weight stuff in.
hope this helps.
oh, one thing if u order from amazon, if u seach first, then wait awhile, next time u search, seems like the price drops about four hundred yen. weird, but it may happen.
 
In the train stations, do you carry your rinko'd bikes on the escalators or look for an elevator?
Bit of both - it depends on the station layout, how busy it is, and where I want to get on the train. For example, at Mizonokuchi station south exit, one of my frequent haunts, there's an escalator from street level to the gate level. I wheel my bike up there, and bag it next to the gate. Just next to the gate are an escalator and elevator to platform level. Elevator comes out near car 3, and escalator near car 4. I want to get car 1 which has best options for stowing the bike. So if there's no one waiting for it, I'll take the elevator.
 
Rinkō with my disk brake bike. Always carry one of these brake pad spacers plus an elastic band.

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I put the spacer in the caliper as soon as I remove the wheel.

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Then strap up as normal, with the front wheel's disk facing outwards.

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what about traveling by bus?
Recently i got back from Nagano to Kawagoe and the driver did accepted the bike without problems (bike was inside the bag and i did consult with the company beforehand). I wonder if it would be the same for any other company, since traveling by bus is much cheaper than taking the shinkansen
 
what about traveling by bus?
I've only done this twice. Once I had no choice because I'd crashed (in a freak blizzard) and smashed up the derailleur. Second time was more planned. It seems it's up to the driver and how many 'normal' passengers there are with luggage that needs to go in the hold. Bikes can really slide around and potentially get damaged down there in the luggage compartment.
 
If there's a group of you after a hot and sweaty ride, it's polite to advise citizens that they may be more comfortable in a different carriage/train/time zone.

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