Bringing my bike onto a GWR Intercity train

[miklcct]

I live in Willesden Green and my destination is University of Reading, about 2.5 km south-east of Reading station. The most convenient way for me is to cycle to Paddington down the A5 and take a high-speed train, and of course I don't really want to wait for a bus which runs every 20 minutes and pay a fare at the other end.

The GWR website now says that

A bike reservation is strongly recommended and we cannot guarantee storage without one.

Read the instruction posters. Secure your bike using the metal hoops provided.

Given the above statement, how likely I can find a bike space on a high speed train to travel to Reading, if I board at the last minute before it depart? Or am I better off to reserve a space before I cycle to Paddington? On the return journey, how likely is there a bike space on a high speed train back to Paddington in the afternoon?

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you look up an itinerary on the Trainline app (yes, I know, we all hate it, but don't worry, you won't need to pay any fees) and select the train it'll tell you how many bike spaces are left on it. The bike symbol on the results will be absent if they're full. The next one with availability now appears to be the 1148, so using that as vague guidance it's probably recommended that you reserve.

Cycle journey times are very consistent generally (second only to walking, which tend to be consistent to under a minute) so once you've done it a few times you should be able to work out which train you'll need to book without leaving excessive slack.

 

[miklcct]

Cycle journey times are very consistent generally (second only to walking, which tend to be consistent to under a minute)

Unfortunately this fact doesn't hold on my cycle commute from my home to Holborn due to the large number of traffic lights and traffic (especially those temporary traffic lights which create congestion), even if my route is simple all the way down the A5 and on top of the Central Line.

On some days my cycle commute to Holborn takes 32 minutes only but it can go up to 40 minutes, while on a Sunday morning on a trip to Victoria, it took me just 17 minutes from my home to Marble Arch down the A5, while my worst commute took me 24 minutes.