One day, bikes might be cheaper than cars

[quilkin]

Going to Portugal for a couple of weeks cycling. Bike hire cost : 280 euros.
After booking the flight, Ryanair offered me car hire (as per usual) - cheapest car 44 euros . Yes, 44 euros for 2 weeks.
I know that :
- car hire firms hope to sell add-ons like insurance, and
- bikes probably don't last as long as cars
but surely the prices souldn't be quite so inverted?

 

[wafter]

Bet your flights are ridiculously cheap too, for the energy consumed and environmental impact..

44 Euros for two weeks of car hire is absolutely insane tbh!

 

[Cycleops]

- bikes probably don't last as long as cars

Are you sure about that?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Are you sure about that?

In a hire situation I can imagine bikes would get hammered.

 

[C R]

In a hire situation I can imagine bikes would get hammered.

No more than hire cars do.

 

[Cycleops]

Apparently according to the stats average life of a car in the US is 12 years.

 

[PeteXXX]

Nothing handles quite like a hire car! 🏎

 

[Jody]

but surely the prices souldn't be quite so inverted?

44 Euros sounds like there's going to be a massive catch somewhere. It would be cheap even as a day rate

 

[wiggydiggy]

Going to Portugal for a couple of weeks cycling. Bike hire cost : 280 euros.
After booking the flight, Ryanair offered me car hire (as per usual) - cheapest car 44 euros . Yes, 44 euros for 2 weeks.
I know that :
- car hire firms hope to sell add-ons like insurance, and
- bikes probably don't last as long as cars
but surely the prices souldn't be quite so inverted?

It's not just abroad. For a UK holiday we decided it's cheaper in the long run to buy a new bike, and a new bike carrier, than try to rent bikes for a week.

I suspect this is simply that whilst car hire is a competitive and in demand service, bike hire is not and thats why prices are inverted so.

 

[Sixmile]

How much is it to take a bike on a Ryanair flight? Is it even an option? I'd say it'd be more than £44. I think easyjet is £45 each way from memory.

 

[matticus]

It's not just abroad. For a UK holiday we decided it's cheaper in the long run to buy a new bike, and a new bike carrier, than try to rent bikes for a week.

I suspect this is simply that whilst car hire is a competitive and in demand service, bike hire is not and thats why prices are inverted so.

Yes. And air travel doubly so - hence prices for the same 600 mile trip can be £4 or £400.

To really save money, you might look at ordering a bike from a bike shop in the town you are flying to (ideally one that also buys 2nd-hand bikes ... )

 

[matticus]

How much is it to take a bike on a Ryanair flight? Is it even an option? I'd say it'd be more than £44. I think easyjet is £45 each way from memory.

£45 is cheaper than the charge to check-in at the Airport with Ryanair.
(I've only flown with a bike once - BA took it for free.)

 

[ianrauk]

£45 is cheaper than the charge to check-in at the Airport with Ryanair.
(I've only flown with a bike once - BA took it for free.)

Yep, with BA it's classed as hold luggage.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Yes. And air travel doubly so - hence prices for the same 600 mile trip can be £4 or £400.

To really save money, you might look at ordering a bike from a bike shop in the town you are flying to (ideally one that also buys 2nd-hand bikes ... )

To fly there for our trip it would start and finish at the same airport lol Though if I was going abroad and wanted to cycle I'd buy a folder and have it transported as luggage.

 

[Alex321]

It's not just abroad. For a UK holiday we decided it's cheaper in the long run to buy a new bike, and a new bike carrier, than try to rent bikes for a week.

I suspect this is simply that whilst car hire is a competitive and in demand service, bike hire is not and thats why prices are inverted so.

Well I just checked a few places in Mallorca, which has a very strong cycling culture, with multiple competing bike hire prices, and the cheapest I could find any decent road bike was about the same as the OP here. Most were a fair bit more.