Rent: My touring bike

Hi.

Don't want to come across here like someone who is simply trying to exploit the forum here, I have been a member here for a long time even though I don't post much. And my last few posts have been selling stuff which is not popular with some I know. Sorry. But I have been a cyclist for a while now ridden 1000 plus miles on my touring bike and thought this idea might be beneficial to many on the forum...

I was wondering given the amount of interest that comes up about getting touring bike equipment it struck me that it seems a shame that my own touring bike is not used for its primary function as much as it should be.

Most people are going to be reluctant to fork out £1000 on a tourer and most bike snobs are not going to want to do a tour on anything other than the best equipment.

So I was thinking about renting it out and I wondered what the people on the forum thought of this idea?

The bike is a Trek 520 23inch and like a cross between a tank and an armchair and is by far the most comfortable bike I own. It rides very well and when fully loaded seems to handle even better.

It has front rack, rear rack, handle bar bag mount and bar end shifters.

This is just an idea I had a minute ago sitting on my arse and dreaming of riding to somewhere warm and dry. So feel free to slag off the idea or if you would be interested let me know.

I don't know how much I would expect to rent it for but I guess £10 a day maybe £15 with luggage [front & rear panniers + handlebar bag. Don't want to seem greedy though tell me what you think.

Cheers,

Jon.

pic below...[/IMG]

fair play - many people have bikes that don't get used enough!
If you can help a forummer out then why not?
I would suggest rates be on a sliding scale e.g.:
weekend (2 nights) - £20
week (7 nights) - £40
whaddayathink?

good idea and i'd be interested.

hey thats a good start eh? a sliding scale sounds good. i guess i should get some insurance too so there's no problems should something go awry.

I'd ask for a deposit & or a replace with you break type agreement. Don't want to seem negative as it's a nice thing to offer but shit happens.

nice idea, but say i wanted it for a month over summer, would i be better off buying one? what price for long term shizzle?

a deposit would be sensible but i don't want to me too business like about it of course.

renting it for a month might be too much, the summer is when i use it the most myself and if its off with some one else and i get an opportunity to go on a ride for a weekend i'd regret it. so i think i'd be looking at 1 week maximum.

i'd recommend buying a touring bike to anyone though. i've had some great trips on this one.

but a good touring bike is £800 + then add luggage and racks, they often don't come with them. i've spent over £1000 on this one but not regretted it at all.

dang it, looks like i'll have to splash out.

I'd ask for a deposit & or a replace with you break type agreement. Don't want to seem negative as it's a nice thing to offer but shit happens.

+1. despite best intentions, it's better to get all this out in the open beforehand, otherwise it's a good way to lose friends.

think about everything that could go wrong, decide what you would want to happen in this situation, write it down and agree it. Other than that, I think it's a good idea.

I'd ask for a deposit & or a replace with you break type agreement. Don't want to seem negative as it's a nice thing to offer but shit happens.

I agree with ^

Also think this is a great idea! share the wealth =)

on the deposit to ensure its enough to remind whoever is renting that its nice and not theirs, i guess [plucking a figure that i would be happy to pay from the sky] £100 deposit?? i would get insurance to cover the bike should it get damaged but this would be something that both renter and myself would want to avoid anyway.

i would take the brooks off but can put a gel saddle on if needed i suspect most people would have their own cherished saddle anyway though.

i dont mind reasonable wear and tear but dings/minor frame damage would be the most annoying thing.

i'm thinking as i'm going here, thanks for the input.

This is a great idea.

I'm looking for a reasonable geared race bike for a 70-90-mile run this summer - either White Horse Challenge or London To Brighton but I'm still saving for a race-worthy mount. So does anyone have something nippy to rent to a 5ft 8.5in / 30in inseam bloke?

+1 good idea. Most people (myself included) don't have the storage space and/or cash to justify buying a bike that won't get used frequently. Renting from you at a fair price would clearly be mutually beneficial. I'd potentially be interested. (As the others have said, don't be afraid to lay down terms and conditions - it's better all round if everything is clear from the start.)

nice one awer, very noble thing to do is that.

With regards to the deposit, why not take something other than cash? Debit or credit card?
Something the renter will defiantly want to come back for... Otherwise you may have just sold them your lovely tourer for £100.

With regards to the deposit, why not take something other than cash? Debit or credit card?
Something the renter will defiantly want to come back for... Otherwise you may have just sold them your lovely tourer for £100.

Why not both? Taking the card could mean nothing to some people. I personally have a bank card which is never used.

I'd say you'd want:

£100 deposit
confirmed home address
debit/credit card

insist on a bike as a deposit? make sure it's a touring bike though, so you can rent it out whilst they're away

i'm thinking that maybe a vouchsafe thing for making sure whoever is renting it is trustworthy etc. like must have been on the forum 6 months or something.

i'm going to take my time over the details and hopefully have something solid for spring time.

Think I saw this today maybe, do you climb at Mile End by any chance?

good idea, i'm planning a trip this spring and am definitely interested. i'll be in touch!

Why not both? Taking the card could mean nothing to some people. I personally have a bank card which is never used.

I'd say you'd want:

£100 deposit
confirmed home address
debit/credit card

why not a photocopy of a drivers license as well. dont they have the registered address on them?

insist on a bike as a deposit? make sure it's a touring bike though, so you can rent it out whilst they're away

why would they rent a bike if they had one, and doesnt that sort of limit the people that can utilise this offer?

a bike as deposit would be a good idea no beaters though. but yes a touring bike would be strange. i think a deposit of £200 would be reasonable too?

what do people think of £70 per week [7 nights] including luggage? bit much?? £25 a weekend?

@harrysmith, no i've not been the mile end climbing wall, do you know lewis?

OP, would you consider hiring out just the luggage without the bike?

What a brilliant idea. So many of the forumongers must have bikes that they dont use anywhere near as much as they like. We could start a bike library. I have a SS MTB that anone can borrow. Obviously there would need to be some form of Security element, not just lending your bike to any untraceable oich who signs up to the forum...