Renting out your bike

[k_green]

No. I'll loan out most things but my bike is my second most valuable possession and it's so easy for someone to damage/lose it.

 

[Julia9054]

Depends on the bike. I'd lend out the household hybrid - that's the point of it - for any guests, visitors, my returning kids to ride.
Wouldn't lend it to a stranger.
Might let a friend ride one of my bikes if i was accompanying them
Otherwise, no.

 

[Katherine]

I don't look after my own as well as I'd like to.
I've seen and used hire bikes, they get wrecked.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Maybe it would be worth having a cheap bike or two in the stable for the extra cash. But then why wouldn’t I just set up my own little business? It’s easy enough. Talking as a self employed type. (20 years)

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

I voted yes, but this is a yes to the question; When not using your bike, would you rent it out in a hassle-free, safe way to make some extra cash?

I don't believe that anyone can create such a system.

As well as the problems already raised, collection and returns to my place would be an issue, how many people would want to rent on the days that I don't want to use it and how many would pay enough to make it worth my while?

A while back I found this site http://d2ride.co.uk/Road-Bikes-2018.php . Prices seems to be around £20-£30 per day, not much to split between the two of us.

Bye

Ian

 

[KneesUp]

I’ve seen the state of ofo bikes after a week or so in a nice part of town.

It’s a no from me.

OP how would you ensure it was safe?

 

[Newcyclist2018]

Hi,

Thanks for all your responses so far - this is really helpful to us. We are looking at problems cycle owners have when renting out their bikes (and what is preventing others from doing so), and the main one that is coming up is they they don't want hassle dealing with problems, also concerns with safety and damage to bikes.

If we offered a service where your bike was fully insured and serviced if needed after use by a renter then that is something we would look at developing.

You could rent your bike out for whatever you wanted - it would be up to the renter to value their bike and also offer it out whenever you wanted.

Similar to AirBnb except for bikes. :-)

Thanks

 

[mjr]

There are a couple of companies doing this already. I did think of signing up my ‘lesser used’ bikes, but for all the hassle it did not seem to be worth it.

Yeah, that's where I am. I've two bikes I intend to rent out (mainly so there are more rental bikes in the local area, plus to keep them used over summer as one is my winter bike and the other is a spare) but they've both got mechanical niggles and missing equipment (lights and locks nicked for other bikes, mainly) that I feel I ought to put right first. Given some of the horrors I've rented abroad, I maybe worry too much

 

[mjr]

If we offered a service where your bike was fully insured and serviced if needed after use by a renter then that is something we would look at developing.

I'm not bothered about serviced. I do much of it myself and there are two local shops I'd trust with the difficult stuff. The insurance is a big thing: both insurance in case the bike gets crashed or stolen while rented and insurance against minor damage, presumably while the insurer disputes the cost with the renter.

This is why I'd rent through a service rather than setting up my own spare-time/flourescentlighting rental business. It seems much easier for BigCorp to be trusted putting a £150 damage deposit shadow on a credit card than a new small business.

 

[KneesUp]

Yeah, that's where I am. I've two bikes I intend to rent out (mainly so there are more rental bikes in the local area, plus to keep them used over summer as one is my winter bike and the other is a spare) but they've both got mechanical niggles and missing equipment (lights and locks nicked for other bikes, mainly) that I feel I ought to put right first. Given some of the horrors I've rented abroad, I maybe worry too much

This is definitely part of it. I know my bikes are not mechanically perfect (even if the 'other' one had a saddle, which it doesn't at the moment) - the one I use daily can overshift because the limit screw is stuck, for example. I know it does it, and therefore I [strike]never[/strike] very rarely do it. I suspect the brakes could be better set up too, but they're fine for me. I dread to think of the liability claims if someone crashed and decided it was because the brakes were not perfectly optimised.

I'm guessing OP isn't about people renting bikes for an hour or so as I first thought though? I thought the idea was that, for example, my bike is locked up at work all day, so during the day I could rent it out like a Boris bike thing. It seems though the idea is matching people who think 'I want an expensive bike for some event or other' with people who think 'I spent a fortune on that bike and I never ride it'

 

[Newcyclist2018]

Yes, we are looking to match people who want a good quality bike for longer rental rather than the 1 hour city bike options (although people who might want a better quality bike for a shorter rental would still have options).

 

[harrison_888]

My initial thought was no way Jose...but if the company could guarantee I'd get my bike back in the condition I'd lent it then I don't see a downside - the T's and C's would have to be bloody watertight though!

I've let friends ride mine in the past and it didn't cost the world so perhaps I have a different viewpoint to some of you.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Not quite the same, but I belonged to a small ‘Tool Library’ where us local tradesmen shared out our tools. One person’s idea of ‘looking after’ kit is very different to the the next. I had an expensive stone cutter badly damaged from being left out in the rain. The guy completely denied it, despite rusty water draining from the innards.

I also host for Warmshowers. With the best will in the world there are some unpleasant people out there.

I guess if you expect the worst, you will be ok.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

So we have the owner, the renter, your company, plus the insurance company. Tell us how the seamless same day no quibbles payout insurance would work..

 

[classic33]

Hi,

Thanks for all your responses so far - this is really helpful to us. We are looking at problems cycle owners have when renting out their bikes (and what is preventing others from doing so), and the main one that is coming up is they they don't want hassle dealing with problems, also concerns with safety and damage to bikes.

If we offered a service where your bike was fully insured and serviced if needed after use by a renter then that is something we would look at developing.

You could rent your bike out for whatever you wanted - it would be up to the renter to value their bike and also offer it out whenever you wanted.

Similar to AirBnb except for bikes. :-)

Thanks

How would such insurance work when its a non standard cycle being used?

I've one that parts have to be ordered for and got before they get damaged. I trust only one bike shop to fix parts that I can't.