What bike for hiring out?

montevideoguy

Hey guys,
I'm hoping some of you can help with this as road bikes are not my forte by any stretch. I'm looking into starting something seasonal involving bike hire (and tours based on local knowledge). The area I'm wanting to set this up is deffo more road orientated than off road (though there are a few kick ass trails) so need to look at road bikes. Now rather than just fobbing people off with asda specials (and destroying my reputation before it has a chance to establish itself) I'm wanting to get good budget bikes (perhaps with a sportive slant... thinking being that friendlier geometry for people not used to cycling will encourage people to come back for more...or even get more into cycling as a result). Was looking at budgeting between £300 and £500 for each bike (obviously preferring closer to the lower amount) but I'm aware you get what you pay for.
Do you guys have any suggestions for that price bracket that would do a good job? I had been looking at the Specialized Allez and Secteur models as entry level ones there are just a touch below £400.


Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

sungod

outside the uk i've hired bikes a couple of times, the model they had was giant ocr, these are now called giant defy i think, under 400 quid

seemed tough as old boots, not the greatest ride, but it's a hire bike and tbh i found them perfectly ok

btw they'd fitted them with adjustable height stems, which was really good as i could set the bike to my 'home' settings

i used to take my own shoes+pedals, but they also had different pedal options for hire at extra charge, also lights and other stuff

the basic hire price included a seat-pack with multi tool and repair kit, plus there was a minipump and cable lock

montevideoguy

Good stuff there. Will check out the Giant. been undecided what to do regarding the whole issue of pedals. Thinking to have flats as well as spds as they are easy to swap over and also was planning on having seat packs with the kit you've mentioned (must be a good idea if other people already doing it ).

Thanks

Avanti Roman

May be worth having some Specialized Sirrus bikes for those who don't feel confident with drop bars. Secteur also a good shout - plenty of fit range with long seat tubes.

cougie

If you're hiring a bike - I'd say the vast majority of people would be happy with normal pedals then ? If anyone is keen enough to bring shoes - then they can bring their matching pedals too ?

MichaelW

The style of bike sounds OK but the brand is really a business decision. Since you are buying a whole herd of bikes, you should be able to negotiate a hefty discount. Do hire companies buy from local shops or direct from the wholesaler?
Any decent Taiwanese frame/Shimano Sora-Tiagra combo will do the job so I would focus on the best deal.
You will need a spread of sizes in suitable quantities and maybe some womens versions. You also need transmission suitable for your terrain and clients (double/compact/triple)

montevideoguy

I'd be hoping for discount but I'm looking at it being a small scale effort just now (with an emphasis on guided tours taking advantage of my local knowledge on good routes). Because of that I don't see me purchasing more than 10 bikes so don't know how much of a discount I'd get on that.
As for the transmission I'm looking at triple due to the location this will be in (Tuscany)...plenty hills. I'm lucky in that I already have storage and a place to work out from. As I've said before I'm more of an off roader so will be doing a lot of cluing up on the tarmac side
Will see what I can find out in terms of wholesale deals (previous experience there has always been a bit of a minefield with various people/companies promising the world and delivering a bag of crisps).

Once again thanks for this advice. Tis much appreciated.

montevideoguy

cougie wrote:

If you're hiring a bike - I'd say the vast majority of people would be happy with normal pedals then ? If anyone is keen enough to bring shoes - then they can bring their matching pedals too ?

That's what I have been toying with. I suppose when people are used to spds it's not just the shoes they are used to

AndyF16

Montevideoguy wrote:

That's what I have been toying with. I suppose when people are used to spds it's not just the shoes they are used to

Or use A530s - flat one side with SPD the other, still doesn't accommodate SPD SL etc but would cover most hirers, especially if from the casual MTB crowd :idea: