cuzzinit

Howdy
i'm unexperienced with Bents and would like to rent a few, to see what suits me best vs what looks cool before i buy. i'm not in any hurry to buy. But would like to rent a few bikes to test the waters. Living on the road takes me to a lot of places so having a way to find rentals would be nice for my layovers that happen with little lead time.... Any directories ? guides ?

Dudelsack 

It can happen but not very often. I rented a nice bent when I was in Boulder, Colorado last year.

I found the shop through google, and pulled up each listing until I found one that rented them.

You might see a few bents down in London in April. At least I'll be there for the Redbud Ride.

VegasTriker

Ask your question on 'BentRider Online. Many more people there ride bents as the site is all about recumbents. The few rentals that I have seen people post on bentrider are usually located along some major trail. A better way is to ask if there is anyone living close to you who will allow you to try out their bents. You need to find someone of roughly similar height so you get one that fits.

cuzzinit

i'll try to make it, if i'm home during that time.... Will you do the Recovery ride in Richmond hosted by Mike's ? That's where i bought my Kona

cuzzinit

i don't know anyone with a bent, heck i don't even know anyone to ride with.... i travel for a living and the "here today gone tomorrow" lifestyle really undermines having a normal life

Tractortom

Most recumbent shops will allow you to 'test ride' a recumbent and see how you like it. Some rent. There are several shops in Central Florida who rent recumbents. One in Inverness on the Withalacoochie trail, another in Floral City, just a few miles south, and the bike shop in Seminole, Florida on the path that runs through St. Pete to Tarpon Springs rents recumbents. Indeed the Bacchetta Belladare that I ride as a commuter bike was in their rental fleet for a while.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

dbg

A few years ago I looked and found nothing (up and down the popular Fox River Trail west of Chicago). Several shops mentioned they used to rent bents at daily rates but no longer do. I would bet it will be hard to find recumbents for rent --and test riding for 10 min is not sufficient to determine if you like them, IMO. I had a 600+ mile trip coming up and wanted to check out recumbents. I expanded my geography and tried to negotiate with numerous shops for a two week rental rate and found myself looking at 14 x daily rates (hundreds of $$). I ultimately reasoned I would try to get a good deal on a used recumbent, --and sell it on to someone else after the trip. Even a small loss would be much cheaper than a $500+ two-week rental rate, --and maybe break even or profit. I kept it for two years, added some nice updates and eventually sold it at a profit.

cuzzinit

i agree that a 10 minute test ride is not really enough time to form an opinion, and asking people to ride theirs is prolly not much longer of a ride. i of course, will do just that since a short ride is def. helpful. So far rentals in my area, let alone shops with Bents, are difficult to find. And then there is the problem of parking close enough in a 70 ft vehicle to pedal over to a shop to look/see

AerobaticDreams

Rent a Bike Now ? Bicycle Rentals ? Online Bike Rental Reservations

National database for renting bikes nationwide. Find your area, hop to local business and see what they offer....used it this morning to reserve a couple of Trikes for a first time tryout for my wife and I.

buttnerd

Cuzzinit, I was in the same situation, rode bikes for years and decided that I wanted to see what a couple of my buddies were raving about. If you get to San Luis Obispo, Ca there's a bike shop call Wally's Bicycle Works. He has a Catrike Expedition and Road that he'll rent you at $75 per day. I know that's a little steep but if you buy from him he'll credit it to the purchase of the bike. I took one out for about 20 miles and fell in love with it. No sore butt, numbness, tingling fingers and an incredible feeling of stability.