Renting bicycles
 

Hi

I'm planning a trip to Germany in September and have a quick question. If I rent a bicycle, will it usually come with a lock so that I don't have to mind the bicycle the entire time? If not, do most shops also rent locks? Along the same lines, so rental stores rent helmets?

Thanks for the help
AC

DB (German Railways) is in the bicycle rental business bigtime. Not just at the stations, but, according to an article I read, they have self-serve bicycle stands all over major cities where with a debit card you purchase, you can take the bike out of the rack and return it to another rack in the area- thus apparatus must lock the bike up when you return it. Don't know much about this but could be of interest to you. Don't know about helmuts, many Europeans still eschew them - a helmut is still a sign that you're an American.

The last three or four times I've rented a bicycle in Europe they all came with locks. In Holland, the bikes also came with helmets. I'm drawing a blank about the others.

We rented in Amsterdam a few times - a lock is mandatory there, with a double-key system (Mac Bikes). No helmets.

We rented once in Boppard, Germany. We only rode along the river and back thru Boppard, so we didn't lock up. I can't remember but I think we had locks b/c they told us where to leave the bikes if we returned after hours. Again, no helmet. (We didn't ask for them, though).

Sorry. My mind is slipping. I just looked at pictures and realized there were no helmets in Holland. In fact, now I remember because a hat blew off and we had to go chasing it in field of cows. No pics of helmets in other places either -- I guess PalQ is right about them.

When I was in Berlin in July there were bicycle rentals all over. I never used it, but I think you call a number there and who ever runs them unlocks the bikes for you. Didn't see any helmets around there. Also didn't see the riders wearing a helmet.
Enjoy Germany...the people there are wonderful and the sights are extraordinary. :)

In the Netherlands you can usually pay a very small extra fee for insurance. If the bike is stolen but you can produce the key (proving that it was locked, since you can only get they key out of the lock if it is locked), you aren't liable. I'd advise you to take out insurance wherever you rent, since a locked bike can still be stolen!
Re helmets, I've never seen helmet rentals. Bring your own. They are generally not worn for recreational or daily cycling, just by racers or in big-city traffic (couriers, etc.).

In Paris they come with locks, and I think across Europe. The hire firm does not want their bike stolen.

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