Practicality vs insanity. Opinions please.

Tomorrow I need to go to London. Blackfriars to be precise

This usually means a car ride (15 mins), then a train ride (50 mins), then a tube ride (20 mins walking/queuing/escalating + 15 mins on the tube followed by more walking). Door to door I'm looking at about 90 minutes minimum, and thats not taking ANY delays into account. Needless to say it always takes more than that.

I don't like trains for 2 reasons.

1) I don't like everyone else being on them at the same time
2) I can't have my own.

So:

Can you wear a suit (with/without the jacket?) under textiles and arrive looking anything like presentable?

If not - can you carry a suit/shoes/etc feasibly in a combo of tank bag & rear seat pack (dont really want to use a backpack) I think maybe.....but I've not tried it.

Has anyone done any of this and succeeded? More importantly, who has tried and failed?

I fear I will succumb to the paying-for-but-not-getting-a-seat pleasure that is the 0715 South West Trains service to Waterloo anyway however.....

Thankyou, sadly.

It's easy. Wear the shirt, fold the jacket loosely in to a tailbag and make sure you have 10-15 to sort yourself out at the other end. Try riding around raindrops too

Personally, if only to avoid the idiot cage-drivers in/around London, I'd take the tube and be done with it. By your tickets in advance = no queues. Get an earlier train into Waterloo (I got one from Farnborough station at about the time you mention and got a seat - and there were a fair few available).

If you really must take the bike, then:
1) I reckon shoes and suit-jacket (neatly rolled up) will fit into a tail-pack OR tank bag.
2) Be careful

Never tried it, but I wish you luck
The tube ain't so bad - just don't stand too close to the back-pack-wearing Asians
JUST KIDDING!!

Actually, my journey used to be West Drayton ->[SW Train]-> Ealing Broadway ->[Central Line] -> Bank (and back again). I didn't have the bike back then, so it wasn't an option for me (thankfully!)

Originally Posted by Pedro68

The tube ain't so bad - just don't stand too close to the back-pack-wearing Asians
JUST KIDDING!!

I'm asian and disgracefully hurt and offended by that remark.

where you gonna park? If you get in after 8.30 am you'll be doing the musical chairs of finding a decent parknig place....

[Spiderman]

I udes to do this often mate and its not as difficult as you think it it will be.

Stuff socks into the shoes so they keep their shape. Fold or roll trousers up into tail pack.

Wear shirt BUT not tie and losely fold jacket and place on top of shoes in tank bag.

make sure your luggage is waterproof!

Look to be in london early to get a parking space in a bike bay then take your time getting dressed and have a nice coffee n brekkie in your suit letting any wrinkles you may have picked up fall out.

For bike bays etc look here http://www.motorcycleparking.com/


hth, but if you still have doubts/questions then might be worth posting in the Soho Massive section and getting answers from Londoners in the know

The company I'm visiting has a garage (woo!) so I can land at any time really, but the big question is how long will it take?

Reckon this route takes longer than 90 minutes on a bike?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl...2854&z=10&om=1

Might need to take this to the Soho group I think.....

I need to be there about 0900 approximately.

Cheers

[Spiderman]

post your route in the soho group too mate as there are a few who live over Staines way who can give a better idea of time it'll take. And bloody good news on being able to park there

Originally Posted by Spiderman

post your route in the soho group too mate as there are a few who live over Staines way who can give a better idea of time it'll take. And bloody good news on being able to park there

Just done that, thanks.

I wouldnt take the bike if I had to get on street parking.

I sometimes take that route myself (well from Woking to Victoria anyway) and I'd reckon on your trip taking closer to an hour than 90 mins. That said, if you don't know the route that well it would be good to plan some leeway in case of getting lost, etc!

I'd offer to meet you for the run in, but will probably be coming into town a bit later than you tomorrow