Does anyone here have experience using Rapha rental bikes? From what I can see, if you are an RCC member (I am not but debating joining so I can rent bikes when traveling for work) this is an option in Rapha clubhouses around the country. Looks like they rent Canyons. Seems kind of ideal when I am going somewhere for 1-3 days and have time to ride but don’t want the hassle of flying with a bike (or, gasp, not riding). The thought of riding in LA in March seems dreamy right now with perpetual snow where I live…
I am mainly curious if the bikes are decently maintained and if it is as simple as it seems?
My brother joined RCC before a trip to London last year with the intention of doing exactly this. The bike rentals were booked solid and he was not able to rent. Even with significant planning ahead of time.
Not saying this is the norm, but the only first-hand experience I’ve heard of.
I have friends that do the Rapha rentals regularly. They are very nice bikes, e.g., Canyon Ultimate with Dura Ace mechanical and rim brakes. From what I’ve seen, I would try to book as early as possible.
The Rapha “LA” clubhouse is actually in Santa Monica. Could be worse.
Rapha used to have a clubhouse just down the road from me in Sydney. Every time I went in there the bikes were always in great condition - not spotless but very well maintained. I don’t think they have many at each clubhouse; they had 5-6 in Sydney so definitely get in early.
Great bikes, well maintained and if you can provide your preferred set-up measurements they will get the bike dialled in as much as possible, before you pick the bike up. The benefit of joining the RCC also means you get insurance within the membership, covering you whilst you are enjoying that riding trip.
Look out for opportunities where Satellite Cafes and Clubs are set up in other areas too, as you may find there is a mix of Cannondales and Canyons available to ride, so good for bike testing purposes as well as less of a headache when travelling. I have some strong links within the RCC so if there are any questions on hire (especially within the UK/Europe), keep it coming!
Hey up @DanMorris - how you doing? Basically said just what I was going to!
I’ve never rented a bike but was going to in San Francisco last year till my trip got cancelled. The clubhouse guys are usually spot on and were even happy to book well in advance for me because I was making a trip from UK. You can also include a wahoo with local routes ready to go if you want to ride away from organised clubhouse rides. I’ll be looking to try again in New York when I visit in August - the rental prices have gone up, but membership costs halved so unless you’re making regular rentals shouldn’t notice much difference in benefit and I doubt you’ll find many options of similar spec bikes for comparable prices.
Bikes are nice and well maintained. As said above, the challenge is getting one, especially in a 56cm/medium. I dropped RCC because the bikes were booked every time I tried to rent one. Even planning a month + ahead.
Seeing that the RCC membership includes insurance only when doing an RCC ride or Rapha event, and that you’re liable for up to £10,000 if anything happens.
I’m on a work trip soon, and there’s a clubhouse nearby, and I could get one or possibly two decent rides in, but work insurance would likely complain if I filed a 10k claim for a bike, and taking out a full travel policy that covers a 10k bike seems hard.
It is worth taking a look at the detailed hire agreement conditions. Effectively, for accidental damage you pay £5 and the liability is £nil unless you are in breach of the waiver (see page 4 of the hire agreement).
So, if you were to get hit by a car, you wouldn’t have to pay anything. If you were to crash because of a pothole, or something similar, you would not have to pay anything. If the damage to the bicycle was caused by your negligence and or riding the bicycle without due care and attention, you would have to pay. This is pretty similar to a lot of rental services.
Oh, that is much more reasonable. On the front page of the terms and conditions, it said " However, please be aware that members are liable for up to £10,000 for any loss or theft."
I read that as being liable if I damage the bike or anything, but looking at your link, that’s much more reasonable.
Yeah they seemed to stress that point a couple of years ago when they started with the Factor fleet (wasn’t highlighted before that) but in reality it is not problematic if you are a careful user and you have the waiver included automatically
Rental service was great the last few times I used it. Always check for a Rapha clubhouse when I want to hire and it’s the only reason I buy a membership
Thanks from me as well. I have flown with my bike multiple times to a city that had a Rapha clubhouse because I was afraid of that big $10K threat. I could have saved a lot of time and grief over flying with a bike and given Rapha a lot of money had an employee made this clearer. Other than the bike rentals, I still can’t fathom what you’re paying for with membership other than the right to buy expensive kit more frequently.
100%. If you live near a store (“club house”) and do the rides regularly, it makes sense, but my nearest store is a 2 hr drive. I’m not after any $200 riding jersey’s or shorts either.
This is my first work trip in 10+ years which goes to a city with a clubhouse, so it may well be that I only use the membership for this one (maybe two) rides. I’m looking at a travel bike to start bringing a bike to the non-RCC cities I visit regularly.
The store opens at noon, and closes 8pm. Sunset is 6pm, so I want to collect the bike and get going. It’s a 25 min walk from the hotel, so I’ll have some shoes and clothing to store whilst riding. Are they setup for leaving a bag in the store whilst out riding? (I know, I could get the bike, ride back to hotel, dump stuff, go ride and then the reverse at the end, but just wondering how setup they are).
I’ve been allowed to leave shoes/bag while renting, yes. Worth emailing them first to check, once you reserved the bike. Probably varies depending on the location. I’m actually fairly certain the one I used to regularly visit even has a shower (definitely toilets) but I’ve not been there for a year now. Think you need to bring your own pedals. If you don’t have a set you’d take, a cheap set from Decathlon does the job.