The chairman of Oxford's cycle promotion group Cyclox, James Styring, tells me that an ever-increasing number of us are riding to work, adding that employers should not shy away from installing showers at workplaces, since the reward will be a workforce healthier in mind and body.

But more and more commuters live too far from work to cycle the whole way, giving new urgency to the old question of trains being too often unable to carry bicycles.

Mr Styring said: "The train problem is unhelpful." He added that despite new bike racks and shelters having been recently installed at Oxford rail station, the bicycle park is usually full, while the car park is half-empty.

This is in line with rail industry thinking, as explained to me by a bike-and-train commuter who is also an executive of a major rail company - namely that passengers travelling in peak hours should be encouraged to own two bikes: one parked at each end of their journey.

He said: "Train companies have never really been able to accommodate commuters and their bikes. But as a general rule, folding bikes can be carried, and full-sized bikes can be taken on board outside peak times. The policy is to take bikes when they can be accommodated."

Which, of course, means that bikes being taken from A to B for leisure purposes can be carried, but bikes needed for the everyday business of commuting, cannot.

The demise of the guard's van on many modern trains is largely responsible for the present state of affairs - which too often leaves passengers uncertain as to whether or not they will be allowed to take their bicycle onboard.

Voyager and Adalante trains both have small "crash areas" which can be used for a few bicycles, but Turbo trains have no space at all - and of course train companies would rather use any possible space for fare-paying passengers than for bicycles. Officially, rail companies reserve the right to charge a £3 booking-charge for bikes, but this is usually waived on the grounds that it is not worth the administration cost to collect.

Now cyclist-commuters in Oxfordshire are asking themselves whether their predicament will be improved or worsened by the fact that Kidlington tycoon Richard Branson's Virgin Trains has lost the Cross Country rail franchise to Arriva, due to take over on November 11. Certainly, Arriva has promised more seats at peak times, but at increased fares.

A spokesman for Arriva, Anne Lever, said: "We were very aware that Oxford was a great cycling city when we did our research. Now I can say that there will be room for more bicycles on some of our trains, notably the High Speed Trains, as they have a guard's van."

She added: "We shall work closely with partners at stations to promote more parking space for cycles."

Meanwhile, passengers with fold-up bikes - including Channel Four newsreader Jon Snow, who regularly travels to Oxford before unfolding his bike for the onward journey to Oxford Brookes - are already experiencing relatively hassle-free train commuting.

Mr Styring, pictured with a £530 Brompton folding bike borrowed from Warlands Cycle Shop, in Botley Road, said: "There does need to be more provision for bicycles on trains. Other northern European countries have better provision than we do."

Perhaps his hopes will be answered twice over, for First Great Western (FGW) which now runs some of Britain's most overcrowded trains - Department of Transport figures released last month show that the 6.14am Oxford to Paddington service is the second most overcrowded on the London and south-east network - is also planning to re-intoduce the old HST train early in the New Year.

A spokesman said that the company had spent £160m on upgrading the HSTs, which will now see carbon emissions reduced by up to 50 per cent while offering more bicycle space than the Adalante fleet they replace.

But improvements have come too late for Cyclox member and commuter Simon Banks. He gave up using the train some ten years ago in favour of the Oxford Tube bus to London.

He said: "The buses have a locker which I know is big enough to take two tandems and six solo bicycles. I know that, because I have tested it!"

He added: "I am old enough to remember the pledge by British Rail back in 1977, the Queen's Jubilee year, saying that the railways were committed to carrying all bicycles for nothing."

Don't Jubelieve it!