Bicycle rental in Netherlands with drop-off in another city

Question

I'm planning a Bicycle trip in Netherlands for this April. I'm searching for bike rentals. I saw a lot of information on renting bikes, but I have two specific questions.

It is easy to find a bike to travel medium distances (Like 50 ~ 70 Km)?

Is is possible to rent a bike in Amsterdam and return it on other city (I would like to go to Rotterdam and from there get my plane back to France)?

PS: It is very strange to me that information like this one is not very often found in english. I wouldn't expect that from a country that has "ciclying everywhere" as a tourism appeal.

EDIT

It seems like the best solution after all is to buy a second hand bike (the very same tip came from a dutch friend)

Answer 1

Most bikes can take you 70km, that's not a very concrete criterion.

There are two main classes of bicycles: "race" bikes and everyday transport bicycles. The difference is that on a transport bike, you sit much more upright and go much slower, racing bikes are mainly used for sport, have thin wheels, et cetera. Rental bikes are typically the slow type.

The only nationwide agency that allows renting a bicycle in one city and returning it in another is probably OV fiets, affiliated with the national railway company NS. These are available at many train stations, but you need a yearly subscription (10 euro) loaded on a personal chip card. If you don't have a personal chip card, you can buy a special "OV-fietskaart" (11 euro). You may need to do this over the Internet in advance. Renting the bicycle costs 3,45 euro per 24 hours. Also, returning a bicycle at another station costs extra (another 10 euro).

However, the type of bike you get is maybe not quite comfortable enough for 70km (wikipedia image), it doesn't have gears (and remember, there is always a head wind). These bikes are intended for the last bit of a trip, after a train ride.

So I think the best option would be to take a train to Rotterdam, rent a bike there, take the train back with the bike (6 euro extra for taking the bike), then cycle to Rotterdam...

Answer 2

• Traditional renting Most bike rental shops are local bike shops that also do renting so it will be hard to rent in a city and leave it in another city. If there is a renting company that also accepts bycicles in another city I am not aware of it but your best bet would be with the big players (Macbike and others. just google for bike rental amsterdam)

• OV-Fiets Another option would be ov-fiets. These bikes are part of the Netherlands public transport system and you can find them in almost all train stations. You can rent in one place and leave it in another rental point. The problem is that you need to apply for this and you need a Dutch address.

• Buying Another option that you may consider is, depending on the nr of days you plan to cycle, to buy a second hand bike. You can find them starting at 100euros (even less). In the end it might be cheaper than renting and you might allways try to sell it at destination.

Answer 3

If anyone, like me was trying to find resources for doing a long-distance riding trip to tour cities in the Netherlands, the best options I found was either to:

1. Rent a touring bike for several days from a big renting company (geared towards multi-day & longer distance rentals)
2. Buy a second-hand bike

I am planning to opt for the first choice because it removes the hassle of needing to find a second-hand bike in the first place, and for the flexibility for how many days I can rent it for. Approaching King's bikes in Amsterdam in the morning to inquire for prices and bike sizes :)

I used the following article to help me - https://www.hollandcyclingroutes.com/practical/cycle-hire-and-parking

Other options I considered:

• Renting a road bike (didn't go for this as it posture does not look that comfortable considering I will be carrying a backpack w me + more expensive)
• OV fiets bike (cheap, but probably not as comfortable/suitable too)
• Using my own personal city bike

Answer 4

Most Dutch bikes will be capable of travelling 50-70KM easily. I have personally travelled that distance on a Mac Bike (3 gear) last November. Obviously you need to be physically up to it but because of the Dutch bike network and geographically flat lands, racking up the mileage is relatively easy in my experience.

I am not aware of a rental shop that will allow multi drop off. Although I have not seen it as an option either. The larger rentals will possibly be your best bet as they are have a larger network across The Netherlands but don't be surprised if there was an added cost. For what it is worth a rental in Amsterdam is much cheaper the longer you have the bike so it might be best to just rent the bike for the duration and return at the end of your visit. It will probably be cheaper.