Bike rental places in Erie Pa. offer options, prices for all levels of riders
Better weather in Erie means more bicyclists will be out and about enjoying a trip around areas like the bayfront and Presque Isle State Park.
For those who don’t own a bicycle, Erie has at least two rental options that will allow you to take a ride either manually or with some help from an electric motor.
For Erie riders who are looking to rent a bicycle around the Presque Isle area, The Yellow Bike Rental Company at 52 Peninsula Dr. offers several options.
Owner Greg Clarke, who also owns Presque Isle Boat Rental, says that his company offers both manual and electric options.
For manual bikes, Clarke's business has options from normal single-speed cruisers to tandem bikes, fat tire bikes, tricycles for kids and teens, senior tricycles, three-wheel bikes for easier balance, junior bikes for kids, and streamways, which are step-through bicycles.
More: Paddling around: The ins and outs of kayaking at Presque Isle State Park
The rental prices for manual bikes are:
Bicycles: $12 for one hour with $5 each additional half hour.
Tandem bicycles: $22 for one hour with $8 each additional half hour.
Youth bicycles: $10 for one hour with $3 each additional half hour.
Trikes for ages 17 and under: $15 for one hour with $5 each additional half hour.
Senior trikes: $15 for the first hour with $5 each additional half hour.
Fat tire bicycles: $12 for the first hour with $5 for each additional half hour.
To reserve a bike ahead of time, all bike rentals require a $40 deposit.
Surrey bikes, four-wheeled bikes that seat four to six people in a carriage with an open bench seat, start at $30 for an hour with $10 every additional half hour for a bike with one bench. A double-bench surrey costs $40 for the first hour with $15 for every additional half hour.
To reserve a surrey bike ahead of time will require a $100 deposit.
The Yellow Bike Company also offers an aqua-cycle water trike for $20 every half hour and a $40 deposit to reserve ahead of time.
“They’ll rent a bike, come back and then the kids usually want to go out on the pond and pedal one of our water tricycles,” Clarke said.
Electric bikes are becoming more popular in Erie
On top of the manual bike options, Yellow Bike Company also offers electric bikes that can be requested at the shop.
“We have noticed an increase in electric bikes, Clarke said. “A lot of people like to get what our most popular bikes are, which are beach cruisers."
He continued, "I think where eBikes come in handy is if you are riding in an area or going an extended distance that have a lot of hills in it then the pedal assist will help you."
Another company in Erie that offers electric bicycle options is eBIKE DROP.
This company offers three rental options including a 24-hour delivery service, a two-hour rental bayfront cruise and a service known as the long haul rental.
With the 24-hour doorstep service, the bicycle will be dropped off at your front door. Employees will provide a crash course on how to use the bike and then pick it up on the last rental day.
The 24-hour doorstep option costs $95 for one day or $85 per day for two or more days.
The long haul rental allows riders to pick up and drop off the bike at any select eBike drop location around Erie. Two notable pick-up and drop-off locations include the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, at 301 Peninsula Drive, and either end of the Bayfront Connector trail.
The other option that the eBike company offers is the Bay-side Cruise. This is a two-hour eBike rental that also involves pick up and drop off at any eBike location around Erie.
The Bay-side Cruise option is for a two-hour rental that costs $50.
More: Getting ready to plant a wildflower garden? Try using these native plants in northwest Pa.
Each eBike rental includes a helmet, bike lock, battery charger, instruction booklet, side mirror and basket storage.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Bicycle rentals: Where to rent a bike in Erie
