Where To Rent A Bike In Austin: 5 Best Rental Companies

By Kelsey Kennedy | January 24, 2023

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Yes, this city is a tad crowded, but Austin can be a great place for biking because of its compact zoning, abundance of trails, and a (pretty) good amount of bike lanes provided by the City of Austin. (More on that later...) If you're spending an afternoon in town and want to experience Austin on your own bike, here are some of the best places to rent a bike in Austin.

Where To Rent A Bike In Austin

Is Austin a bike-friendly city?

If you look at the statistics, it's actually considered a very bike-friendly city! Most local Austinites will tell you it's NOT, though. That's because, while many of the streets have bike lanes, Austin has been known as a small college town until recently. And now there's a flood of cars and traffic flying down tiny neighborhood roads, and it can be a pretty scary place to be a bike commuter.

But if you're simply talking about enjoying one of our fun bicycle tours, spending an afternoon cycling the bike trail that goes around Lady Bird Lake, or maybe mountain biking in Austin, then YES! Austin is a very bike-friendly city!

Can you rent bikes in Austin Texas?

There are actually a lot of great shops and rental companies here. Keep on reading for a list of some of our favorites!

If you're hoping to rent bicycles in Austin, you're probably in one of three categories:

You're visiting Austin and you want to see the city by bike. Bike tours are a fantastic way to see Austin! You can bike to the Texas state Capitol, the famous UT tour, all the way down to the murals on South Congress, go through Zilker Park and Barton Springs, and even see downtown Austin, all in about 10 miles. If you love to get out and move, enjoy the sunshine, and see some of the best parts of Austin close-up, a bike tour is perfect for you. Scroll down to see a few of our favorite bike shops that offer unique tour packages so you can get the whole group on bikes and head out an see Austin!

You just want a bike for the day/weekend so you can explore Austin on your own. Lots of folks, including tourists who are visiting for bachelorette parties, local Austin residents who have family in town, or SXSW attendees, want to have their own bike for a weekend. You don't necessarily need to have a car in Austin (although you might need a ride share to get from the airport...read more details here), and a bike can be a great way to get around the crowded downtown/East Austin area for a few days. If this is you, there are plenty of bike rental options in Austin.

You're a cyclist and you want to rent a high-quality bicycle in Austin. Again, there are some options of you! Austin is a city full of excellent cyclists who love training and competing, and there are several high-end cycling shops where you can actually rent by the day, week, or even month.

Are there city bikes in Austin?

We have our own bicycle-sharing system called B-Cycle. You can rent a bike from any station around the city, pay for the ride, and return the bike to another station. In fact, Austin set a national record for the number of bike check-outs in a single day one year during SXSW!

Does Austin have Lyft bikes?

No, not yet.

And if you're not sure what Lyft bikes are, they're basically a way to rent bikes through the Lyft app. You open your app, select your destination, and Lyft gives you the option to bike instead of catch a ride. It's a way for them to provide a way of low-cost transportation for everyone, and they've launched Lyft bikes in a few cities in North America, like Bay Area, NYC, Portland, and Metro DC.

Lyft bikes haven't launched in Austin, TX, yet. However, if you're looking for something similar in Austin, just use B-Cycle.

How does Metro Bike Share (B-Cycle) work?

It's incredibly simple.

Use the CapMetro app or the BCycle app to create an account, find the closest bike station to you, and unlock the bike.

You can see a station map on the app. They have locations throughout Downtown Austin, down SOCO and South 1st St, and even into East Austin. Find the station near your destination and dock your bike there. Once you dock the bike, the clock stops.

You can pay per ride (ride for minutes or hrs and just pay for what you use), or you can purchase a day pass, a 3-day weekend pass, or even a full year of unlimited 60-minute rides.

They also offer discount rates for UT students.

How do you use a Metrobike?

The MetroBikes are just normal bicycles. They're not e-bikes, so you don't need to worry about anything fancy. If you know how to ride a bike, you're good to go!

Where to rent bikes in Austin?

If you're hoping for something a bit more unique, like a custom bike, a road bike, a mountain bike, a bike tour, or a couple of electric bikes for your group, here are some bike shops in Austin that offer rental options.

1. Barton Springs Bike Rental & Tours

Located in a convenient spot right by the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, Barton Springs Bike Rental offers a variety of bikes for rent. Walk-ins are welcome, or you can reserve in advance. Rates start as low as $7.50/hour.

If you want a HUGE selection of different types of bikes, Barton Springs probably has it. They're great at helping find the perfect bike/fit for each customer, and the folks who work here are really friendly and eager to serve.

Bikes available for rent:

- Beach Cruiser rentals

- Multi-speed Bikes

- Hybrid

- Mountain Bikes

-E-Bikes

- Road Bikes

-29er Hardtail Mountain Bikes

-Tandem Bikes

- Fat Bikes

- Tagalongs, trailers, and kids' seats

- Kids bikes

They also offer bike tours, and these are an incredible way to see Austin! You can choose an e-bike tour (those bikes go up to 28 mph) for a 2.5-3 hr ride around Austin or a basic hybrid bike for a leisurely 10-mile ride around the city. If you have a sense of adventure and you want to get a taste of Austin, a bike tour could be a fun option for you.

Photo: Wendy H, Yelp

WEBSITE | 1707 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

2. Mike's Bike's Rental and Tours

Mike's Bikes specializes in custom tours that are tailored toward each customer, but if you just want to rent a bike and explore Austin on your own, they offer that as well.

A few of their tours include:

- Lady Bird Lake Tour (2.5 hrs)

Check Out Austin & Capitol tour (2.5 hrs)

Congress Ave Bat Tour (2.5 hrs)

Bikes and BBQ Tour (3 hrs)

Barton Creek Biking Tour (5 hrs)

You can also rent a variety of hybrid bikes from Mike's Bikes. (Hybrid bikes are just road bikes - not e-bikes - and they go anywhere except mountain biking trails.) If you book online, Mike's Bikes offers free delivery in Austin. All bike rentals come with safety gear and locks.

Photo: Mike's Bike's Rental and Tours, Yelp

WEBSITE | 200 S Pleasant Valley Rd, Austin, TX 78741

3. Mellow Johnny's

Mellow Johnny's is one of the highest-respected cycling stores in Austin, located in the downtown historic warehouse district. (Fun note: there's a coffee shop connected to it!) They offer classes, guides, and rentals, as well as a lot of high-end retail for all levels of cyclists.

If you're looking for a high-end bike rental in Austin, Mellow Johnny's is it. Check their online rental to see the fleet of bikes available for daily rates, weekly rates, and even month-long rentals.

They offer road/city bikes, hybrid bikes, and even gravel bikes. Mellow Johnny's also offers weekly group rides around Austin.

Photo: Christine R, Yelp

WEBSITE | 400 Nueces St, Austin, TX 78701

4. Austin Bike Rentals and Tours

Located in hip East Downtown, Austin Bike Rentals and Tours is an excellent place to grab a bike and hop around to some of east Austin's coffee shops and breweries. (This Austin bike rental location is also only 4 blocks from the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail.)

Their hourly and daily rates are some of the most inexpensive in Austin. In addition to a bike rental, you get exceptional service here - they want to make sure you have a great time in Austin! You'll get bike route maps, lunch suggestions, and directions to anywhere in Austin you want to visit.

Austin Bike Rentals ONLY offers hybrid bikes. Their goal is to make it super simple, so you don't get stuck on the wrong type of bike. Their bikes go on the road, and they go on the dirt trail around the lake, and that's about all you need to know!

Photo: Keith B, Yelp

WEBSITE | 1710 E 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701

5. Bike Rental Austin

This is a very small, part-time, family-run company, but the bikes are just $25/day or $10/hr and they're delivered to you.

You text them with your date range and drop-off location, and they'll bring the bikes to you! All of the bikes include lights, helmets, and locks. When you're finished with the bikes, just lock them up, and they'll come to pick them up the bikes.

As far as convenience goes, this is one of the easiest bike rental options in Austin. Keep in mind that the bicycle options are limited, and they request that you reserve either 2 bikes at a time or rent for a minimum of 2 days so that they can continue providing free bike delivery in Austin.

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