Why Rent? The Benefits of and How to Rent a Bike
There is almost nothing you cannot rent these days. Quite frankly, renting or leasing has numerous advantages over buying. When it comes to bicycles, your best option when traveling or living in a place that affords you the ability to walk around easily, is to rent one. It's a good skill to learn how to efficiently rent a bike as a result.
Why Rent a Bike Instead of Buy?
Whereas you could easily buy a bike, there are reasons why renting one is the smart move:
1. It can save you money
Bikes are expensive. Even if you are not going for the top of the range stuff, bikes can still cost a great deal than most people are willing to part with. Couple this with the fact that, if you have a family, you will probably be buying more than one bike. Renting a bike on the other hand is more cost effective. You only pay for the duration of use and the fees are much lower than purchasing one. Considering you will probably not use the bike all that often, renting one makes sense. You only pay for when you need it.
2. You Do Not Have to Deal with Maintenance
Every machine needs to be maintained. Although you will need to do a little maintenance if you are renting for the long haul, you however do not need to worry about this sort of thing if you only rent from time to time. Owning one means you have to put up with the fees and hassle that comes with maintenance whereas renting one absolves you of this and places it squarely on the shoulders of the bike rental store.
3. You Can Choose Top of the Line Bikes
High quality bikes can be astoundingly expensive; and with good reason. As much as most of us would love to own the latest fiber racing bike, sometimes we simply cannot afford it. Thus we have to settle for something of lower quality. But when it comes to renting one, you can choose the best bike possible at a typically reasonable price. This comes with the added benefit of being able to try before you buy. Even if you choose to eventually buy, by renting you can experience a bicycle before committing to it outright.
How to Rent a Bike
Different bike rental stores have different terms and conditions for renting their bikes, but most of these conditions are standard throughout:
- You need some kind of deposit. You need to present a credit card as your deposit.
- You will need some form of identification. Many ask for your drivers license or passport.
- You need to be of age. Although almost all rental stores rent to people of all ages, minors need to be represented by an adult (parent or their legal guardian)
- You may need to call ahead of time to book a bike. This is only to make sure that the requested equipment plus add ons such as helmet are available.
- Cancellation has to be made well in advance. Mostly 24 hours prior to the date.
Other than that, all you have to do is walk into the store and pick up your bike. Many stores will give you a brief safety guide on riding within the city as well as the best routes to take.
Go ahead, rent a bike today and start working towards giving yourself better health.