Your customers will be toying with the idea of bringing their own bike to their cycling destination. You can help them to make the right decision with help from these arguments.
COST OF BRINGING OWN BIKE
Airlines, especially low-cost ones, can charge a large amount to carry a bike. Within Europe in 2019 the costs often vary between 40-80 euros each way.
In addition, the airlines request the bike to be packed in a bicycle box or bicycle bag. That will add to the cost of transporting a bike. Bags start from around 50 euros but these offer little protection. Hard case prices start at around 250 euros and offer better protection.
Another cost will be transport costs between the airport and the planned destination. Options include renting a larger car to accommodate the bike or paying for another mode of transport to get it transferred.
The costs are adding up! You could check and calculate how much the transport providers in your local area charge for these services and compare the costs to your hire bikes. You can then easily access the figures when needed with your customers. You can find articles, listing costs per airline, to help you get the costs calculated, Skyscanner has one for Europe and bicycling.com for US.
POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE BIKE
Perhaps the biggest fear is a damage to their precious bike. Especially if they’re not using a hard case, it’s likely anyone handling the bike will not be as careful as the owner would like. Even a well packed bike can get damaged.
Starting a holiday with a bike to be fixed is nobody’s idea of a great holiday. Will they get it fixed, how quickly and where? There will be less time to enjoy the planned cycling.
HASSLE
It is plenty of hassle to bring their own bike.
- Buying or renting the bike bag or box.
- Dismantling the bike to be packed and re-assembling at the destination.
- Organising transport to and from the airport.
- Arranging or carrying out repairs if the bike breaks.
BENEFITS OF BRINGING A BIKE
Ok, there are some benefits of bringing their own bike.
- Knowing the ride will be comfortable.
- Bike setup will be optimal for them.
- Pedals and shoes will fit. But you could give them an option to bring their own.
BENEFITS OF RENTING A BIKE
Luckily there are plenty of benefits for renting a bike rather than bringing their own.
- No transport costs.
- They can maximise their ride time as no need to keep packing/unpacking the bike.
- Ensure them that you will give your full support if there is a problem with the bike once they are out riding.
- They can try a different bike.
- Upgrade their bike with better wheels, brakes, etc.
- You can ensure they will have a well-maintained bike to rent for the local conditions. BRM Bike Maintenance will keep you on top of the maintenance and you can have the bikes ready for their arrival.
- Offer a pre-rental service to get their bike set-up before they arrive. Information is easy to collect with BRM rider information even in the online booking.
- You can offer to deliver bikes straight to their accommodation. BRM makes bike deliveries has
Make it as easy as possible for them to rent a bike from you. Especially the ones who are contemplating bringing their own, you want to make sure that they can rent a bike they want. BRM online booking will make it easy for them and will take the hassle out of managing rentals by doing it for you.
Read our article on 5 reasons why customers want to book rental bikes online to make sure you don’t miss out on online bookings.
We have got a BONUS for you!
Get a blog article template “Rent or Bring Your Own Bike” that is tailored to your customers, to publish on your own website. It will be accessible to your website visitors to read and might assure them that renting a bike from you, instead of bringing their own, might just be the best option.
Here is an extract:
“Travelling with your bike takes a lot of effort, and money. We believe there are more benefits of renting a bike from us than bringing your own.
We all know what a pain it can be to pack your bike in a box or a bag for the flight. You spend…”
It includes advice on SEO keywords to help you get more visibility for your rentals in the google search results.
The article will also answer questions many of your visitors might have before renting a bike. It will assure them of the high quality customer service that you will be able to give them. And that just might give you an advantage over your competitors. Just add your e-mail in the box above and we will send it to you straight away.
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