Many fans of riding a bicycle sooner or later the question arises whether to buy your own bicycle or use the services of bike rentals.
Consider the pros and cons of both options.
Bicycle storage
Storing a bicycle takes up quite a lot of space. Well if you have a private house or better yet a dry garage, but what if not? Let’s imagine you live in an apartment building. Store in the staircase or vestibule is very dangerous. From these places to steal a bike is easy and they are really often stolen. The only thing you have to do is inside the apartment. And if the apartment is small and there is no room in the corridor, and the balcony is full of “necessary things”? What to do with dirty wheels? How do you get your bike up to the balcony? This we do not consider the students from the dormitories, which in principle no one would allow to store a bike in the room. And where to put the bike in the winter…
Where do I ride my bicycle?
It is unlikely you will want to ride a bike on busy roads with lots of cars and not always adequate drivers. Most likely your choices are wooded areas, bicycle paths, parks and reservoirs. In Kharkov there aren’t many places for skiing and living in a residential area you have to ride your bike halfway across the city risking being run over by an inadequate driver. Even just let the bike out of the apartment high-rise is not so convenient. At the same time, bike rentals are usually located near places that are most suitable for riding. You just come to the rental place, rent a bike, and ride. Even if you have your own car, to load a dirty or at least dusty bike in the trunk is unlikely to please you. Of course you can always buy special mounts on the roof or a towbar, but they are very expensive. Another thing is if you bike for you kind of transport for daily trips to work.
Buying a bicycle more profitable?
Some people will say, “If I buy my own bike, I’ll save money on rentals. Yes, you will save money if you ride it very often and can maintain it yourself. Give correction, very often – is not 5-10 times during the summer, and self-service – is not a rag to wipe the dust once a month. Keep in mind that on a bicycle to lubricate the chain every 50-100 km, every 700-1500 km it has to be changed, every 1500-3000 km rear sprockets. At least every 300-500 km to disassemble and clean the fork (front shock absorber), and at the end of each active season, and do a complete maintenance with lubricant replacement in the bushings and steering, adjustment of switches, brakes, etc.
At the same time, using the services of a bike rental, these problems will not be in principle. Have a ride on one – did not like it, took another. There are many kinds of bicycles, with narrow or wide wheels, low or high seating (the slope of the back when riding), for the city or the woods, etc. We recommend not rushing to buy a bike and first decide which bike is exactly right for you. The best way is to use a bike rental service. This way you can save money, time, and nerves.