Holiday bike hire

[Dogtrousers]

A thread about hiring bikes on holiday.

I've just been on a jaunt to the Savoie region with a primary aim of riding up the Grand Colombier with some friends - for which I obviously needed a bike. Taking my own bike would have meant driving all the way there and back, a total of four days behind the wheel. No thanks. So I took the train (half the travelling time) and hired a bike.

The first option I looked at was a company called Bcyclet that delivers and collects fancy road bikes to/from your holiday location. Nice bikes but a very expensive option.

In the end I found an outdoor activity company called Takamaka ( https://aixlesbains.takamaka.fr/en/p/bike-rental-aix-les-bains ) local to my destination. I got a decent Lapierre aluminium road bike with (I think) Sora gears, and importantly a 34/34 bottom gear for €45 per day. Not the fanciest of bikes and slightly tatty but it did 100% of the job I wanted. I was very happy with it.

Your bike hire abroad experiences?

 

[T4tomo]

Mallorca, loads of hire companies, pretty decent value due to the competition, always good bikes (although I did get one with a squeaky BB once) and friendly service

Base of Mont Ventoux. Nice bike (trek Domane) more expensive than Mallorca.

Hired as part of a self guided cycling holiday in Puglia, Italy. Decent bikes, but just hybrids, wasn't a drop bar option. Delivered to hotel on arrival

I normally take my / our own saddles with us and pedals (although Mallorca co's always just ask what type of pedals you want on it).

As you say, its generally easier than flying a bike out there. I have stuffed bikes in back of car driving to France, but just on a 1 day each way drive, with two drivers sharing. Its the sort of place you need a car out there anyway, the need to take bike, didnt prompt the driving.

 

[ColinJ]

@Dogtrousers - I was wondering how much you paid!

I don't know if I will ever go abroad again but if I do I was thinking of hiring a bike for the duration if I could get a reasonable deal.

I thought about buying a cheap bike from Decathlon at the destination and either selling it at the end of the holiday, or maybe even donating it to a local cycling charity.

My experience years ago of hiring bikes on Corfu was mixed. One hybrid bike was ok but a bit small for me. I went back to pick it up on another reserved day but the hire guy had let someone else take it... A married couple wanted 2 bikes. Rather than sticking to our agreement and disappointing one of them, he chose to disappoint me instead!

I got redirected to someone else with a hire bike but refused it when I saw the appalling state of it.

 

[Dogtrousers]

As you say, its generally easier than flying a bike out there. I have stuffed bikes in back of car driving to France, but just on a 1 day each way drive, with two drivers sharing. Its the sort of place you need a car out there anyway, the need to take bike, didnt prompt the driving.

I often take bikes on the back of the car to Normandy - but that's not so much driving. But multiple days driving would do me in.

Next year's jaunt is likely to be the Pyrenees. I think I'll get a train as far as I can, hire car for the rest, and hire a bike when I get there.

Any good Pyrenean bike hire tales?

 

[T4tomo]

Any good Pyrenean bike hire tales?

If you're down Pau / Tarbes way etc where a lot of the "trophy" climbs are, I imagine there will be plenty of places to choose from. I did research a few years back when a long weekend was mooted to do the Tourmalet & Hautacam etc, but it never quite happened for one reason or another.

 

[ColinJ]

I thought about buying a cheap bike from Decathlon at the destination and either selling it at the end of the holiday, or maybe even donating it to a local cycling charity.

Hmm... The first place I looked at Albir (near Benidorm, where I used to go every year) had road bikes for 25 euros/day for rentals of 10+ days! I didn't check what the bikes were but that is very reasonable - about £275 for a 2 week holiday.

 

[mustang1]

Don't hire bikes much but on the few occasions I did:

New York, Manhattan: used to hire bikes here about 15-20 years ago, what is cycling snobs might called BSO, front suspension "mountain (shaped) bike". It did the job though, just stayed in the city, was their customer for a few years, always rode their bikes way more than any other customers. They were always friendly and always wanted to know how far I took their bikes. Can't recall how much I paid but I started taking my Brompton after a while.

Various parts of Spain: when my SIL orders the hotel rooms, she usually orders bikes with them. Can't recall prices, they are cheap+as-possible hybrids or Dutch style. Again, I use them more than the typical customer.

I would hate to take my own full size bike. I never go on cycling holidays but like to have a bike to go around town so I don't push them hard or to places where they shouldn't be ridden. Well, I had taken the Dutch style bikes off road a few times... but all the bikes have always been fine.

 

[Slick]

I've always taken my own, but I've just been invited on a boys tour of France and the plan there is to hire bikes, so I'll watch this with interest.

 

[Brandane]

Best experience I had was in Orlando, Florida. Not strictly on topic as the OP was "bike HIRE" and in my case I bought a second hand Specialized Sirrus hybrid from Orange Cycles (somewhere near the tourist part of Orlando). Cost me $200 (about 12 years ago). I used it for getting around the area for 2 weeks, and then was left with the "what to do with this bike now?" when I was leaving. It was going to cost about $200 to fly it back with me (I later regretted not doing that, I had got quite attached to it!). But in the end I took it back to Orange Cycles who bought it back from me - for $100. So effectively 2 weeks rental for $100. I hope they noticed I had swapped the brake cables round as I was struggling with the front being on the left, rear on the right.

On another holiday to Majorca, the hotel in Alcudia had hire bikes (Merida MTB's). So I used one for a week and it did all I wanted which was to get to see a little more of the island. Cost was peanuts, cannot remember how much. It was a good deal for Merida though, as I have since bought 2 Meridas; a Ride 4000 carbon road bike, and an e-Scultura e-bike. Total spend of £4200, so that particular rental turned out to be quite expensive! Got 2 very nice bikes to show for it though .

 

[Dogtrousers]

The other people I looked at will deliver the bike to you and pick it up (at an extra cost, natch) and their daily rates start at 60€/day for a carbon framed Scott/tiagra road bike up to 240€ for a full spec Colnago V4RS racing bike. Even if I was going for the low end I would be expecting an absolutely perfect bike. https://bcyclet.com/bike-rental/road/

They are too fancy for the likes of me, but I thought of pushing the boat out just so that I could have a go on a fancy carbon bike, which I've never done. But in the end I settled for a slighly tatty alu framed bike which, to be honest, was just as good. In fact better, as it had a 34T cassette and the cheapest of the Bcyclet fancy bikes only have 32T. And picking a bike up from a shop, having the chance to check it over and talk to someone is much better than having it delivered.

 

[Ridgeback Roller]

Can recommend Luz St Sauveur as a good base for the main Pyrenean climbs. It's right at the base of the Luz-Ardiden climb, where Armstrong had his handbag moment, has a direct road to the Tourmalet, plus a few miles down the road is Hautacam. My favourites though were the non tdf cols, the cirque de Troumousse and the col de Gavarnie - both right on the French/Spanish border. We drove ( 4 drivers in a large mpv) and took our own bikes but the lads next to us on the campsite hired from hire and seemed very please with the bikes.
https://www.ardidenvelos.com/bikes-to-rent
One thing we overlooked but is worth knowing, most personal insurance only covers cycling up to 2000m altitude, a lot of the col summits on the French/Spanish border are higher than this. Just have to make sure any incidents aren't at the top.....

 

[Dogtrousers]

Unpacking I found that I had inadvertently nicked Takamaka's bike pump. I fessed up by email and they've charged me €10 which is probably fair enough as it's quite a nice pump to add to my collection. Although having seen the chaos in their storage rooms I doubt they'd have noticed if I hadn't told them.

 

[matticus]

For least hassle - and certainty that your bike is reliable and fits you - I find the easiest way is to cycle to the Alps (from Dunkirk).

😇

 

[Dogtrousers]

For least hassle - and certainty that your bike is reliable and fits you - I find the easiest way is to cycle to the Alps (from Dunkirk).

😇

Great for those who have unlimited time. Not an option for me unfortunately. I scraped together 5 remaining days of holiday for this jaunt.

I also tend to go on holiday with my wife, who doesn't cycle. I think she'd be a bit miffed if I blew all my precious holiday days on such a journey.

 

[matticus]

Great for those who have unlimited time

Ah, but don't you remember darling?