Originally Posted by
on the path
I've rented and also traveled with my own bike. Of course it's best having your own bike but if you travel to a place with a decent sized cycling community you can find good bikes to rent. If you do rent, make sure you know exactly what bike you are renting and which size. In preparing for one trip I confirmed the rental bike several months in advance. Still, as the date came closer I called again and they tried to put me on a different bike. I insisted that I get the bike I'd reserved and in the correct size. I ultimately got the bike I originally reserved, a Trek c-fiber frame. I would have liked my bike better but the Trek was actually very good.
Bring your pedals and know how you want the bike to fit. A good shop will take care of you. Oh, I've found that some shops have a daily rate, and if you rent for 4 consecutive days they give you the rest of the week for free. Do your homework and ask the right questions and renting is a viable option.
Yeah, this is true. In some places I've gone, they've put me on the trainer for a few minutes and adjusted my position professionally. In others, I've had to ask for aa multi-tool so I could adjust to the saddle height myself.
In either case, with a rented bike it's a good idea to have a multi-tool along. That way, if you get a few miles down the road and realize that the bike isn't set up right, you can make adjustments on the fly. OTOH, if you rent carbon, this can be a problem b/c it's probably not a good idea to be adjusting a carbon seat post or seat mast or carbon bars without a torque wrench.