Bicycle rental on Cozumel

[loudives]

Anyone have any experience renting a bike lately?

 

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

We rented bikes for 10 days or so last August, so not all that lately, but we used Sombrero. We picked the bikes up at the Tuk Tuk place. We got the Scott MTBs, and the guy in the office was very nice to deal with (the owner, Rogelio, we emailed with--he was out of town but on top of his business and easy to communicate with). Sombrero might very well have the best bikes in town, although it still wasn't like riding our nice home bikes. I think the salt air of Cozumel takes its toll on cables and brakes and such, as much as I believe they try to keep their bikes maintained. My bike had a funky, back-straining, tilted seat that I had to swap out after a day, and I definitely missed the easy roll of my road bike, but overall the bikes were way, way better than what we rented for an afternoon from Isis--the Isis ones had major issues like bent pedals, rusty components and poor shifting, and their largest still wasn't tall enough for my husband. Sombrero had frames in a full range of sizes, and the bikes seemed to shift properly. They were basically sound, and definitely fine for getting to and from town and moving through the resort zones, but I abandoned my original plan to try to circumnavigate the island in part because I didn't think I could be happy for that many hours on that bike. How I wish the airlines charged reasonable rates for transporting bikes.

Also, for all the warnings I had read about it perhaps being scary to ride a bike there, we thought it was pretty easy and safe. Certainly we exercised extra caution at intersections, but drivers for the most part gave us enough space and didn't seem inclined to want to mow us down. Then again, we ride on some pretty busy Chicago streets. And that cyclopista is pretty sweet!

 

[Prop Joe]

If you stay at Villa Aldora there are bikes for you to use FOC. Most of the bikes have a basket. All bikes have a lock. I was told to always lock the bikes as bikes may get "borrowed" and returned to the same parking spot days later. Guido's is a very quick ride for a pizza from there...
Edit: spelling

 

[pword]

I asked our hotel about renting bikes and security and they said it shouldn't be too much of a problem but that there are not many places to park them. Ms. Ann, did you find that to be true? Did your rentals come with locks? Were those mountain bikes you rented? I was thinking of renting one while on island in lieu of always taking taxi but I am not a serious road biker and worry about traffic and theft. Are there sidewalks in cozumel and is it ok to ride on them?

 

[MMM]

There are no bicycle stands. I just lock the bike wheel to the frame or some nearby structure if there is one. There are sidewalks and even if you were allowed to ride on them (which you are not), you probably wouldn't want to as they are very uneven. The one exception is along the ocean early in the morning before the cruise ships disembark. I have had the occasional taxi driver tell me I can't ride on the sidewalk when I have done so then but that's about it.

I asked our hotel about renting bikes and security and they said it shouldn't be too much of a problem but that there are not many places to park them. Ms. Ann, did you find that to be true? Did your rentals come with locks? Were those mountain bikes you rented? I was thinking of renting one while on island in lieu of always taking taxi but I am not a serious road biker and worry about traffic and theft. Are there sidewalks in cozumel and is it ok to ride on them?

 

[olphart]

I asked our hotel about renting bikes and security and they said it shouldn't be too much of a problem but that there are not many places to park them. Ms. Ann, did you find that to be true? Did your rentals come with locks? Were those mountain bikes you rented? I was thinking of renting one while on island in lieu of always taking taxi but I am not a serious road biker and worry about traffic and theft. Are there sidewalks in cozumel and is it ok to ride on them?

Hell, the sidewalks are barely wide enough to walk on, and then you have to keep a lookout for air conditioners
I really don't think you want to even try it on those sidewalks, besides it's just wrong.

 

[LoveOceanicGears]

Ever since I got my driver's license 30 years ago, I never ride the bicycle once. During my trip to Cozumel in May, I decided to try riding the bicycle again. And it put a big smile back on my face.

I was able to explore different places more leisurely and stop when I see something interesting. When I rode on Meglar and traffic became too scary , or need to pass town center in San Miguel, I just got off the bike, and walked with my bike on sidewalk.

One night I even rode the bicycle to La Perlita. On my way back I was surprised by unexpected rain. But I really don't mind getting a little wet.

Given the chance, I will ride the bicycle again next time I am in Cozumel. I will not tour the whole island with bike, but I will try to ride a little further south.

 

[MMM]

Lou, if you are going to be in Cozumel next week when I am there, you are welcome to borrow my husband's bicycle.

Anyone have any experience renting a bike lately?

 

[Skittl1321]

Are there any sites available with bike maps? I've read there is a good path that takes you from downtown all the way to Chankanaab, and that you can bike to the east side of the island. Is there a safe path to bike from downtown to the marina?

This would certainly be a fun way to avoid taxi's; but if the biking is on the main roads, well that terrifies me even more than renting a car.

Do rental places tend to rent locks too, or should we bring those from home? (If we plan to bike, we'd be packing our own helmets; not sure I ever saw someone wearing a helmet, but I couldn't not wear one.)

 

[JTinSD]

My friends Caitlin and Nacho run Cozumel Rent A Bike. Very nice bikes and they come with a helmet and a lock.