Bicycle Hire

[The Riff-Raff Element]

We would like to start hiring bikes to our guests. We'll be talking to our nice insurance lady shortly about bottom-covering, but has anyone any thoughts on potential pitfalls? I've had a squint through the archieve but didn't find much.

Any help appreciated.
Jon

[Liz]

LAST EDITED ON 01-Jun-04 AT 04:06 PM (BST)

We've never hired out bikes to guests but we have occasionally loaned out our own. As keen cyclists ourselves we have several shapes and sizes. Being conscious of the liability aspect we do not volunteer in our gite literature but if people are keen and understand they are borrowing at their own risk we sometimes do it. I have found that the vast majority of holiday makers over 9 years of letting have no interest whatsoever in going on a bike, the ground nearby has to be dead flat and preferably on cycle tracks for people to show any interest and even then they only go a mile or 2 at most. Maybe in your part of the Vende you have these conditions.

Apart from accidents to themselves I have always thought what if they get a puncture or other breakdown; you have to check the bikes very carefully after use and have some mechanical knowledge to do this. The bikes also have to be cleaned and children, particularly, are fond of throwing them down any old place and then forgetting to bring them back. No doubt a proper deposit would take care of this.

I'm afraid I'm a bit cynical about the British (I'm assuming most of your guests are British!) desire to go bike riding, even the ones who bring their own never go further than a few miles. Personally I don't think it's worth the bother of getting involved, there are several hire companies not too far from here and, no doubt, your area is the same.

Liz (29)