Bike hire in Zanti/zakynthos

[I like Skol]

I'm not sure if this should be posted here in General Cycling, in Mountain Biking and Off-Road or over in Touring and Expedition.

later in the year I am off to Zante/Zakynthos for a fortnights family holiday. We are staying in Alykanas which is right next door to Alykes.

I am getting a bit excited now as this is the first time we have been anywhere for a full fortnight and I am wondering if I will be able to sneak off for a day of exploring by bike on my own.

Does anyone know of anywhere that hires decent bikes. I am probably going to want an MTB and wouldn't want to be riding a BSO if I was to head into the mountains. Also would the hire place provide a basic tool kit? I reckon a pump & inner tube together with a few small spanners and a couple of allen keys would do it. I could take my own small tool kit but this seems a bit OTT.

Has anyone else done this? Any hints or pointers will be gladly recieved and if it does happen I will be sure to take some pic's and post about the experience here on the forum

 

[dan_bo]

Ino my experience, you'll struggle to find a DECENT bike for hire- you might be better off getting the 35-40 pound oversized baggage allowance, borrowing/ blagging a bike bag from someone and taking your own. The bikes in these places tend to be servicable but agricultural.

Oh and take care when near the saltpan in nearby Alikes- mozzytastic!

 

[Hicky]

I got married in Zante stayed in Vassilikos, didnt really see any bike hire outside of scooter/moped and they looked knackered/deathtraps.
We hired a car and drove up to the north to view the shipwreck and the caves.....some of the roads are superb to ride on(ignoring the temp) if there wasnt any greek nutters on the road of which there is many.

 

[I like Skol]

you might be better off getting the 35-40 pound oversized baggage allowance, borrowing/ blagging a bike bag from someone and taking your own.

Oh, I can imagine that going down well with MOH! "I thought this was supposed to be a family holiday and all you can think about is you and your bikes!!!"

 

[Soltydog]

I went to Zante, Laganas, on honeymoon 17 years ago, so I'm guessing things may have changed a little. We hired bikes one day & after about 3 miles the rear wheel on mine seized. I started walking back & luckily a passing coach stopped & gave me & the bike a lift back. I doubt you'll get a decent bike, or a tool kit. My advise would be to take your own multitool from home & give any hire bike a quick once over before you set off anywhere

 

[bikeridezakynthos]

your right about not being able to get a decent bike on the island to rent. alternatively we do tours around the island to the most beautiful places. we use good quality specialised hardock bikes. i could go into more detail but its probably best to visit our facebook page, just search for Bike Ride Zakynthos on google. have a good holiday guys, hope to see some of you in the summer :-)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Zákynthos-Greece/Bike-ride-zakynthos/188697674486901

 

[sabian92]

To be honest I wouldn't bet on it and even if you could you'll probably be constantly crapping yourself with the way Greek drivers drive.

 

[david k]

i went 20 years ago, hired a motorbike and went riding in the hills and sand dunes etc, was fantastic, i will always remember it

 

[geomytis]

A friend of mine works at a local bike shop that rents bikes and organizes tour. My friend is very experienced rider and knows the island very well.
the website is podilatadiko.com

 

[SamC]

I'm also going to Alykes this year and was hoping to hire a bike so I don't lose my fitness before the Great Manchester Cycle. I distinctly recall us struggling to get up some of the hills in Zante in a car though, so god help me on a bike!

I didn't find the Greeks' driving that bad - they're not as bad as the teenage British tourists on quads and mopeds! Then again, I was in the safety of a car at the time.

 

[Tomba]

I'm also going to Alykes this year and was hoping to hire a bike so I don't lose my fitness before the Great Manchester Cycle. I distinctly recall us struggling to get up some of the hills in Zante in a car though, so god help me on a bike!

I didn't find the Greeks' driving that bad - they're not as bad as the teenage British tourists on quads and mopeds! Then again, I was in the safety of a car at the time.

Sam, I'm going to Alykes end of June for two weeks and was thinking of hiring a bike for a day or two. Only place I've seen online is http://www.podilatadiko.com/

Looks like they have road bikes, hybrids and mtbs. I think I read it is only €1.30 on the bus from Alykes to Zakynthos town.

I tried to map a ride out along the coast back to Alykes and it was roughly 12 miles with the only really steep hill just outside Zakynthos town.

 

[beeblemaster]

I was in Kalamaki in October, plenty of cycle hire places, but don't expect anything decent. Would be fine for riding the flats, but up in the hills..... ... and the VW Polo I hired (service indicator constantly on) struggled.

 

[Cycleops]

The bikes sound like they are in a worse state than the economy!

 

[SamC]

Sam, I'm going to Alykes end of June for two weeks and was thinking of hiring a bike for a day or two. Only place I've seen online is http://www.podilatadiko.com/

Looks like they have road bikes, hybrids and mtbs. I think I read it is only €1.30 on the bus from Alykes to Zakynthos town.

I tried to map a ride out along the coast back to Alykes and it was roughly 12 miles with the only really steep hill just outside Zakynthos town.

Thank you .

Having done some research that appears to be one of the only (if not the only!) place where I can expect to hire a half decent bike! I don't need anything special, but I would like to be able to cycle comfortably.

The cost to hire a Specialized Allez for 3 days about as much as I paid to hire a car for 3 days last time I was in Zante!

 

[SamC]

Just a quick update - I've just got back from Zante and did indeed hire a bike. We used http://www.podilatadiko.com/ as recommended in this thread.

I can highly recommend them. We hired two Mongoose Crossway 350s, which cost 115 Euros for a week (which was actually closer to 8 full days - Friday morning til 6pm the following Friday). We were given a spare tube, repair kit, pump and locks included in the price. Helmets would have been included but we took our own.

The biggest surprise was how considerate Greek drivers are of cyclists! Although familiarity with the tiny little winding roads makes them drive like nutters, they pass cyclists much wider than drivers in the UK, and will stay behind until it is safe to pass. This possibly because cyclists, scooters, motorcycles and quads are extremely common there. The road sufaces were also no worse than they are in Manchester city centre. The only difference is the gully/ditch/ravine the side of some of the roads.

I'm not sure about the distance from Zante town to Alykes. 12 miles sounds about right looking at a map, but it seemed much longer in the heat. The hill out of Zante town is pretty huge too, granny gear definitely needed! It wasn't until I went up the same hill on a quad another day (and struggled!) that I realised how steep and long it was. We cycled to Tsilivi a couple of times, a nice route which only has one real hill, and also cycled part way up towards the mountain road behind Alykes, which is a gradual hill (for a few miles before it becomes crazy mountain road that makes your ears pop, best done in a 4x4) and quite fun to come down. We tried a couple of other roads which, to be honest, I think the most competent of cyclists would struggle with some of the hills.

The main issue was that it was so hot. We went in June specifically to avoid the hottest months but it was 35 degrees for most of the day, and not really safe to go out by the time is back in the 20s, so in retrospect I would rather cycle there in May or September.

It was great fun though, I would highly recommend it. Also, I only went over the handlebars once, at about 4mph. My own fault . As a result I now know how to adjust a v-brake. I wouldn't recommended cycling 10 miles in the blistering heat against your own front brake though .