Are you familiar with sites like Vacation Rentals By Owner? These are where people can browse lists of condos, vacations cottages, etc., available for rental directly to others.
People lamenting the difficulty in finding bikes to ride when they travel for work or pleasure, will be glad to know there is now a similar service, called Liquid (formerly Spinlister), an online marketplace that lets bike owners rent their bikes to travelers, cyclists, locals and others who simply need a bike.
The site launched in NYC and San Francisco in April and has grown rapidly since then. It's now present in 300 cities across 50 countries. Many of these places, of course, either have no public bike share program and/or lack retailers offering bike rental, making this a good option for those who need temporary use of a bike, as well as a way for bike owners to make some dough off bikes that would otherwise be sitting around unused.
How it works:
-Bike owners fill out a brief online form and submit photos of their bike. Within 24 to 48 hours (after details are verified for quality, price, and accuracy), their bike will be ready to rent.
-Prospective bike renters simply search by location, bike size, and type (i.e., road bike, mountain bike, recumbent or hybrid, etc.) to get a list of available bikes. From there, a rental request is sent to the bike's owner along with any questions. Once the request is approved (and it's never required), both parties meet at an agreed-upon time and location to make the exchange.
Pretty cool, huh? If you've used this service, we'd love to hear about it from you. Comment below.
Related Links:
- Liquid website ( "find a bike to rent from awesome people")
- How to Find Ways to Ride When You Travel
- Readers respond: Ways to Find a Good Bike When You're on the Road
- City Rides Reviewed: Tampa/St. Pete -- Portland -- Washington D.C. -- Destin/Fort Walton Beach
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