Bicycle rental in Coz

[DandyDon]

My budget is $5 per bike per day

I do appreciate your feelings, but why would anyone go into business to rent bikes that cheap?

I drive down Ave. 10 every day on my way to yoga. Just around the square there is a shop on the east side with a sign that says "bikes for rent" next to dive shops, moto rentals, etc. etc. Hard to miss.

That sounds like Best Bikes on 10th Ave near Juarez Ave, two blocks from the ferry dock. $8.50/day for three or more days is probably as cheap as it gets for any business. One person on google maps said "Got their WhatsApp number in case of flat tires or similar, and unfortunately had to use it two times during our stay. The service was great and the bikes were great."

 

[Grateful head]

I do appreciate your feelings, but why would anyone go into business to rent bikes that cheap?

That sounds like Best Bikes on 10th Ave near Juarez Ave, two blocks from the ferry dock. $8.50/day for three or more days is probably as cheap as it gets for any business. One person on google maps said "Got their WhatsApp number in case of flat tires or similar, and unfortunately had to use it two times during our stay. The service was great and the bikes were great."
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You really feel that $5 bucks a day times two for 7 days is too cheap? On a $150 bike? Do the math, a couple of weeks and that bike is paid for, rest is all profit. Again, we are talking about bicycles, not cars or scooters with expensive motors or moving parts. I’m all about capitalism but cmon.

 

[DandyDon]

You really feel that $5 bucks a day times two for 7 days is too cheap? On a $150 bike? Do the math, a couple of weeks and that bike is paid for, rest is all profit.

Sure, aside from the lost & damaged bikes with deadbeat customers. But the owner has to be there every day, all day, 10 hour days, pay the rent, keep the tags current, pay 16% sales tax, clean & furnish helmets, include someone else to fix flats whereever, etc. Not much profit for all of that. Best Bikes on 10th Ave offering all of that for $8.50/day sounds cheap, includes all of that.

 

[Grateful head]

Sure, aside from the lost & damaged bikes with deadbeat customers. But the owner has to be there every day, all day, 10 hour days, pay the rent, keep the tags current, pay 16% sales tax, clean & furnish helmets, include someone else to fix flats whereever, etc. Not much profit for all of that. Best Bikes on 10th Ave offering all of that for $8.50/day sounds cheap, includes all of that.

Agree to disagree…. Once again, it’s just a bicycle. I’ll keep looking and or just cab it for less than 17 bucks a day.

 

[FishWatcher747]

I visited Best Bikes on 10th Av about 2 weeks ago when I was in Coz. Spoke to the manager (?owner). It is not a bike shop like in the US. They don't do repairs on privately owned bikes. They don't sell bikes. They don't have bike parts to sell if your bike breaks down. They just have rental bikes and they work to maintain the rental fleet.

Apparently as a business model those extra things don't bring in enough income. They just rent bikes to tourists.

I am still wondering where one can get bike parts or bike repairs on the island.

Maybe one has to take the ferry to Playa to get bike parts or repairs.

 

[MMM]

I visited Best Bikes on 10th Av about 2 weeks ago when I was in Coz. Spoke to the manager (?owner). It is not a bike shop like in the US. They don't do repairs on privately owned bikes. They don't sell bikes. They don't have bike parts to sell if your bike breaks down. They just have rental bikes and they work to maintain the rental fleet.

Apparently as a business model those extra things don't bring in enough income. They just rent bikes to tourists.

I am still wondering where one can get bike parts or bike repairs on the island.

Maybe one has to take the ferry to Playa to get bike parts or repairs.

Biking is a very popular sport on the island...witness the recent Ironman last week. There are boatloads of bike repair places.

 

[DandyDon]

I am still wondering where one can get bike parts or bike repairs on the island.

Go to google maps, find San Miguel de Cozumel, then click Nearby and input Bike Repair. There are several. They may not all have signs.

 

[ReefHound]

$5/day pays for a $150 bike in 30 days. Can you say that about any rental car? Even Isis' ratty VW's? And a rental car has to deal with all the same issues. Does your hotel room rate pay for the room in 30 days? I'm not sure why a business model where the rent can pay for the thing being rented in 30 days is unreasonable. Sounds like a cash cow to me.

 

[DandyDon]

$5/day pays for a $150 bike in 30 days.

Renting the same bike for 30 days, sure - if your overhead can absorb the down days.

Can you say that about any rental car?

Apples vs kumquats. You'd have to rent dozens of bikes a day to equal renting a few VWs. I've not noticed a huge number of tourists on bikes in town.

and a rental car has to deal with all the same issues.

You'd have to rent dozens of bikes a day to equal renting a few VWs.

I'm not sure why a business model where the rent can pay for the thing being rented in 30 days is unreasonable.

It's a tiny market. On a big day a shop might rent 5-10 bikes, yielding $25-50. Hardly a living for a shop that has to be open 70 hours a week plus send bike repairmen out wherever.

 

[ReefHound]

Renting the same bike for 30 days, sure - if your overhead can absorb the down days.

Apples vs kumquats. You'd have to rent dozens of bikes a day to equal renting a few VWs. I've not noticed a huge number of tourists on bikes in town.

You'd have to rent dozens of bikes a day to equal renting a few VWs.

It's a tiny market. On a big day a shop might rent 5-10 bikes, yielding $25-50. Hardly a living for a shop that has to be open 70 hours a week plus send bike repairmen out wherever.

You have the same down days issue with cars or hotel rooms or anything else.

Dozens? Isis rents a VW for $35. But with the same capital, you could own dozens times more bikes than cars.

Maybe it's a tiny market because it is overpriced and it's often cheaper to rent scooters and cars?

But one way of addressing your concern about overhead is to not make bicycle rental your only product. Nobody could rent wetsuits for $5/day either if that was their only line of work but dive shops are able to do it easily. Imagine Isis adding bicycles to their fleet of scooters and cars. They already have the overhead of a shop and an attendant and roadside assistance covered.