Renting bicycles out?
#1
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Renting bicycles out?
I have some good bicycles, a little older, still in good working condition but I don't use as much anymore because I got better bicycles. It's kind of hard selling them because a lot of people are just ignorant on bicycles.
I was looking into renting them out to out of towners. There is Spinlister but it appears mostly defunct.
When I've traveled I would have liked to rent a good road bike to explore the area so there must be demand for a service like this. Most rental bikes are crappy hybrid bikes like the citibikes in NYC.
I was looking into renting them out to out of towners. There is Spinlister but it appears mostly defunct.
When I've traveled I would have liked to rent a good road bike to explore the area so there must be demand for a service like this. Most rental bikes are crappy hybrid bikes like the citibikes in NYC.
#2
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One word - Liability
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When some coworkers visited from out of town, they mentioned wanting to rent bikes. I offered to let them borrow mine for the weekend. They were stoked and recommended that I start a rental service. Liability and the need to provide mechanical support/customer service were the primary deterrents.
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I can't imagine making enough money to offset the hassle of dealing with the public at my door complaining about their experience with my old bikes.
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There's a reason why I don't do Airbnb, nor have any investment rental properties with tenants.
I like to use my time for CYCLING, not providing customer service.
Best of luck to the OP and their insurance and tax filings.
I like to use my time for CYCLING, not providing customer service.
Best of luck to the OP and their insurance and tax filings.
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Maybe you are also part of that group. Maybe because you have had those bicycles a while and care about them quite a bit you are putting more value into them then they might be worth. I cannot judge either as I have done the same, that is why I don't sell stuff often.
I wouldn't rent bicycles, it is a lot of work for little to no reward unless you really dedicate to it and have a good shop behind it also making other money. Plus all the insurance is going to be a pain and worrying about loss and also having sizes for people. Most rental places have the same bike in different sizes you probably have a bunch of stuff in the same size.
I wouldn't rent bicycles, it is a lot of work for little to no reward unless you really dedicate to it and have a good shop behind it also making other money. Plus all the insurance is going to be a pain and worrying about loss and also having sizes for people. Most rental places have the same bike in different sizes you probably have a bunch of stuff in the same size.
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Talk to a local attorney before you even consider this. There may be licensing requirements, major liability issues, what you would need to do to secure your bikes against theft (nonreturn). and the documentation your customers will have to sign.
Also make sure you have a vehicle to go get these bikes when they break dwn wherever because the people you're renting to aren't going to be really keen on roadside repairs.
Seriously, what could go wrong? Bwahahahahahaha!
Also make sure you have a vehicle to go get these bikes when they break dwn wherever because the people you're renting to aren't going to be really keen on roadside repairs.
Seriously, what could go wrong? Bwahahahahahaha!
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Thinking about this some more, another spin on this is to provide guided rides/tours with bike rental as part of the experience.
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If you want your bikes to get trashed, I can’t think of a better way than renting them out.
#12
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I can't imagine you having enough bikes to cover the liability insurance needed to protect yourself
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I've given away old bikes or sold them cheap. Wouldn't want to try and rent them to strangers or even let people use them. I did let a friend use one of my bikes and he crashed it and gave it back unrideable.
I've had a bunch of old cars and a friend and I bought one to use as a rental when we worked at a shop. Some guy had our car and it was stolen from him. He said "sorry". My boss shamed him into giving us a little money but still a loss.
I've had a bunch of old cars and a friend and I bought one to use as a rental when we worked at a shop. Some guy had our car and it was stolen from him. He said "sorry". My boss shamed him into giving us a little money but still a loss.
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When an owner makes excuses as to why "It's kind of hard selling" bikes, it always boils down to the same.
They're asking way too much.
Vintage crap is not valuable (unicorns fall into here).
No one simply wants what they have. The crux of the world economy works on supply to demand.
Accept it.
They're asking way too much.
Vintage crap is not valuable (unicorns fall into here).
No one simply wants what they have. The crux of the world economy works on supply to demand.
Accept it.
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I have some good bicycles, a little older, still in good working condition but I don't use as much anymore because I got better bicycles. It's kind of hard selling them because a lot of people are just ignorant on bicycles.
I was looking into renting them out to out of towners. There is Spinlister but it appears mostly defunct.
When I've traveled I would have liked to rent a good road bike to explore the area so there must be demand for a service like this. Most rental bikes are crappy hybrid bikes like the citibikes in NYC.
I was looking into renting them out to out of towners. There is Spinlister but it appears mostly defunct.
When I've traveled I would have liked to rent a good road bike to explore the area so there must be demand for a service like this. Most rental bikes are crappy hybrid bikes like the citibikes in NYC.
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When an owner makes excuses as to why "It's kind of hard selling" bikes, it always boils down to the same.
They're asking way too much.
Vintage crap is not valuable (unicorns fall into here).
No one simply wants what they have. The crux of the world economy works on supply to demand.
Accept it.
They're asking way too much.
Vintage crap is not valuable (unicorns fall into here).
No one simply wants what they have. The crux of the world economy works on supply to demand.
Accept it.
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When an owner makes excuses as to why "It's kind of hard selling" bikes, it always boils down to the same.
They're asking way too much.
Vintage crap is not valuable (unicorns fall into here).
No one simply wants what they have. The crux of the world economy works on supply to demand.
Accept it.
They're asking way too much.
Vintage crap is not valuable (unicorns fall into here).
No one simply wants what they have. The crux of the world economy works on supply to demand.
Accept it.
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That isn't a Black Phantom just sitting there, is it??
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I rented out a couple of my bikes on Spinlister a few times. It was a good service, and I keep my bikes in pretty-ok condition, so didn’t get any complaints. I made a couple hundred bucks off 5 or 6 total customers.
When I looked into renting out through them in other cities, it seemed like other owners generally priced their stuff higher than I would have expected to pay.
When I looked into renting out through them in other cities, it seemed like other owners generally priced their stuff higher than I would have expected to pay.