What’s the best way to explore a new city?
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Seeing this prompt really lit a spark in me because from my experience I know for a fact that renting a bike is the single best way to see a new city (or at least it is for me!). I also know that renting a bike can be very intimidating. Even I will admit that the first time we decided to take the plunge while we were visiting Toronto many moons ago, I was terrified. At that point in time I didn’t have much for city biking experience and the Toronto traffic is no joke. But what ended up being the hardest part of the rental process surprised me, and might surprise you as well.
We were staying in Niagara Falls and had booked a day trip to Toronto where we thought we might have fun exploring the city by bike. But when the day arrived, I wasn’t feeling so enthusiastic about the idea anymore. The drive to Toronto was long, we didn’t know where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do in the city, and worst of all we really didn’t know what the bike rental process was going to be like. They make it seem easy online; the bikes are scattered throughout the city and have a contactless rental process. But was it really that simple in practicality? The unknown was eating me.
As fate would have it my thoughts, for one reason or another, ventured back to my childhood. While on vacation in Mexico my parents rented vespa type vehicles and toured around an unknown city with two kids and no maps. With no children, functional cell phones with GPS, and still within the borders of my home country I thought to myself, if my parents can do that, surely I can very easily do this, and off we went to the big city.
We parked our car near the CN Tower and found a bike rental station. With more bike knowledge than myself, my husband had the where with all to check to make sure that the basic components of the bikes we chose were in functioning order. The rental process at the time was as simple as was claimed. We paid for an allotted amount of time with our credit cards and the bikes unlocked from their station. Once we wished to be through with our ride, we would need to find an empty station to replace the rented bikes at. With a program like this available it would be a safe assumption that Toronto has the infrastructure to suit, and you would be right to assume this. If you are thinking about renting bikes in a new city, I would highly suggest a city where street side contactless bike rentals are available. This will likely indicate you are in a friendly place for bike riders of all levels.
We had a very pleasant time utilizing the bike lanes and exploring. Like I said previously, the hardest part was not renting the bike but rather to my surprise, riding the bike. Even though it was a crisp fall day, I found myself quickly coated in sweat and I was able to grasp a pretty good sense of the state of my fitness. Poor.
I think this was one of the most impactful moments that sparked my love for biking. Zooming about, wind breezing by, and all the sights and sounds of the city right at my fingertips. It made me feel free, and alive.
Since then we have taken up biking as a more serious hobby and have bought bikes of our own that we have now taken to other exciting destinations in Canada. On our last trip (out to the Rocky Mountains) we even rented e-bikes to embark on a new downhill adventure. Not dissimilar to our trip to Toronto, I was once again terrified that something would go wrong. But once again it was better than I thought, I was less fit than I had hoped I would be, and I felt more alive than ever before.
Taylor
This article is based on my personal experience and opinions and is meant for entertainment purposes. Biking can be dangerous and if you are considering biking as a hobby or renting bikes at your next destination, be sure to wear the appropriate attire, ride to the conditions and your ability level, and be safe out there!
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