1

Luggage is not weighed for trains, but I have no idea of the size of your bike when folded. However, if it becomes the size or look of a suitcase and you have stored on other trains, I cannot see a problem. Delve into the RENFE website and you can find bicycle policy. If you cannot find come on back and I will try to find.

For whichever bus company, you would have to to look on their website. I am certainly aware that ALSA, which you may be using, gives this -
' Transporting bicycles, surfboards or skis has an additional cost, 5 euros for short-distance routes and 10 euros for long-distance routes.
In international services, you are only allowed to carry on bicycles in a Spain-Morocco route, by booking and paying for this extra service.
Because of the limited space, we admit 4 objects (bicycles and surfboards) total in each coach, one per ticket. They have to be good conditions to travel without causing any damage to other baggage, so it is obligatory for them to be well packaged in boxes or bags suitable for transportation.
You can buy your ticket on our website along with bicycle transportation, indicating it in the box in step 3 of the purchasing process. Tickets with bicycle transportation must be bought one by one, so it's impossible to check this box if you chose 2 or more seats.
If there is no space in the selected coach, this box will be unavailable too.
Once the ticket is bought, the passenger must be there at least 15 minutes before the departure time with the indicated bicycle or surfboard.'

Again, for bus, I do not know how your bikes will present themselves folded up, so perhaps it would be unnecessary to declare as a bike.

2

A folded bike is NO a bike for a transporter but normal luggage. So like annemariet days: no problem.
More detailed info on BikeFriday issues here: http://www.bikefriday.com/community/clubs/netherlands

3

You can consult here the rules of RENFE regarding bikes.

In the AVE, you can only transport a bike if it's a folding bike and if you don't exceed the weight and size allowed for luggage (the bike would be considered as part of your luggage; not as a special piece of luggage). You can consult here that weight and size. Luggage isn't usually weighed but there's a control access to all AVE trains and I recall luggage being refused because didn't meet the rules (not sure what rule was it but it seemed the size rule).

A folding bike shouldn't be a problem in a medium distance train. Most medium distance trains also accepts bikes (not only folding bikes). You should get a free ticket for your bike if it isn't a folding bike though.

For info about the rules for buses, we would need to know previously what bus companies are you going to use.

4

Thank you. Since the size for our bike suitcases are within the limits, I think we'll be ok (they are regular suitcases) - so long as they aren't weighed. I've read the Renfe stuff but sometimes it's good to hear personal experience.

Thanks for all responses - I think we can make this happen.

5

I saw a spot for hanging three bikes with a small cable lock attached to the wall (at a price of 1 euro) on a medium distance train.

lpkaren, please let me know how it goes. We plan on taking our Bike Fridays :-) to Spain the next time we go. We did a similar type of trip with trains, buses and bikes in France and it worked out just fine.