My question is my husband and I are traveling to Bacharach,Fussen,Rothenburg,and Berlin,Germany and also Salzburg,Austria and Prague. We have been thinking about purchasing portable bikes because we do like to explore alot and get off the beaten path. Are we going to places that warrent buying bikes or should we just be happy walking?
Thanks for any input!!
Jana
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23278 posts
Steve may be a non-cyclist. It depends on your anticipated mileage and how much riding you would do. If you thinking about just a couple days of riding and short trip in and around town, then it makes sense to ride local bikes. Most will be of marginal quality and designed for short trip. And for what you get I think bike rentals tend to be expensive.
If on the other hand you going to serious touring between cities, day loops into the country side, etc., having your own equipment is a big plus. There are some excellently packable bikes but you need to choice carefully because all are not created equal or designed for the same purpose. We use New World Tourist from Green Gear (Bike Friday) and after more than 5,000 miles still believe they are the best packable bikes for that purpose.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I tend to agree with Steve. If you're a serious cyclist and plan trips for the purpose of cycling you would probably be happier with your own bikes. But since you are only expressing interest in biking as an alternative to walking, taking your own bike might be more trouble than it's worth in the long run. As Steve says, if an area is especially suited for biking, there are bike rentals available.