Enjoy the city in a healthy and ecological way. The bicycle allows you to see the city at your own pace while you exercise and enjoy the outdoors. In Madrid you have several options to rent a bicycle and explore the city on your own or join a guided route.
The capital has different bicycle rental services and different specialized centers that offer their services, mainly in the vicinity of large parks and tourist attractions. Many of these rental systems have a system that allows sharing the bike so that you can remove it and park it in multiple points of the city.
Today we tell you some of these services with their positive and negative qualities that we have experienced in our experience. We hope this helps you choose the services that best suit your situation.
Mobile apps
These applications allow you to locate and collect bicycles parked throughout Madrid. Some will also allow you to rent in other cities in Spain or even in other European countries.
1BICIMAD
This service was acquired recently by the municipality of Madrid. It offers its users the rental of electric bicycles within the perimeter of the M30. There are 2 ways to acquire or use this service, either by registering on the website or by renting them at designated parking lots. Both have a cost that varies according to the time of use of these, but the cheapest way to use them is with the web registration that involves the purchase of the card.
THE POSITIVE
- If you want to tour the center of Madrid is the best option since its cost is low and the range of bicycles is very wide. This decreases as we move away from the center (Plaza Sol)
- The community that forms around this service tends to take care of bicycles a lot and it is difficult that you do not find one in good condition at the time of your rental.
- The telephone service is fast and efficient in case of having a problem with the bike or with the billing.
THE NEGATIVE
- The service is good near the center, as we move away the stations or points to pick up and park bicycles decreases what obliges to plan the trips.
- The rent for tourists is a little high price and management in the totem is not always agile.
2OBIKE
This service differs from others in the absence of fixed stations. The user, once the use of the bike ends, can park it anywhere in the city. Then another user can reserve it from the mobile and upload it. It is certainly a more flexible service than BiciMAD in this aspect.
The process to rent and use an Obike shared bike is quite simple: you see in your application for iOS or Android where the nearest one is, the reservations, you unlock your lock by scanning a QR code and you get on. When you finish, you return to park by securing it with your own padlock.
THE POSITIVE
- Not having fixed stations to park has been very useful.
THE NEGATIVE
- Bicycles do not have different speeds and in addition to their weight, it is very difficult to use them if you have to drive in areas with elevated terrain.
- We have not found a lot of bicycles, and sometimes you do not find any near where you are.
3OFO
Ofo, this is a Chinese company pioneer in dockless fleets that has arrived in Madrid. The zones of begin to operate are: Las Tablas neighborhood, Usera and Salamanca district with a fleet distribution of 50, 50 and 15 respectively. They are simple and light bicycles, with 1 or 3 speeds (depending on the model) and have a cost of € 0.50 every 30 minutes of use. They also use the modality that allows parking anywhere without the need for a base.
THE POSITIVE
- Like your competition, being able to park anywhere is appreciated.
- The 3-speed seems a success for the city, although we prefer the electrically assisted.
THE NEGATIVE
- The initial fleet is small and is reduced further if we do not count the 1-speed bicycles.
- At the moment, the coverage of the service is very small.
- Compared with other App, we find the service a bit expensive.
4DONKEY REPUBLIC
Although one of the least known app, Donkey stands out for having a service in multiple cities in Europe. In Madrid you can find your bicycles distributed in the center and it is not necessary to look for where to park. It is a good option for tourists with the option of renting multiple bikes in one reservation.
THE POSITIVE
- Have service in multiple cities in Europe.
- The price is somewhat competitive and varies if you are local or just visit the city.
THE NEGATIVE
- We have not been able to try electric bicycles in Madrid, and depending on where you go, it can make you exercise a lot.
- The number of bicycles available is not very large.
Bicycle Rental Locations
Finally, in this section we chose to name some places that offer bike rental, but the number of companies that are dedicated to providing this service is very broad and we have not tested all. In these cases the most important feature is the seniority and the recommendations that they have, this will help you to hire a professional and quality service.
5ByBike City
Avda. Menéndez Pelayo, 35, 28009 Madrid
They are located in the surroundings of the Retiro Park and are dedicated to selling and renting, they have a large assortment of bicycles, and they are open 365 days a year.
6Eco Moving Sports
Av del Manzanares, 2, 28011 Madrid
Company located between the Bridge of Segovia and the Bridge of Toledo, in the heart of Madrid Río, in which in addition to rent bikes or electric bikes, you can rent pedal skates and karts.
7Mi Bike Río
Calle Aniceto Marinas, 26, 28008 Madrid
Located in the Madrid River, near the Temple of Debod, where you can find a variety of vehicles. Its price is a little lower than those of its surroundings on weekdays (€ 4 per hour) and € 5, like the great majority in Madrid Río on weekends.
8Rutas Pangea
Paseo Yeserías nº 15- esq. c/Arganda local 1. 28005 Madrid
Specialized in bicycle routes. Located in the surroundings of Madrid Rio offers both bicycle rental and the possibility of making routes with your own. It has very interesting proposals such as night routes to see a full moon night or a tour of the Madrid Civil War.
