The use of bicycles has increased significantly in 2020. But while most of us learned to cycle as children, many haven’t owned a bike for years (perhaps decades). So what are your options if you want to get back in the saddle? You can, of course, buy a bike. But they’re in short supply this year. And even if you have one, a bike of your own is fine right up until the point that something goes wrong and you have to book it in for a service – again, not so easy currently, with many bike shops inundated with repairs.

An increasingly attractive option is, therefore, to sign up to a subscription that provides you with a new or reconditioned bike of your own, allows you to choose how long you want to rent the bike for (weeks, months, years) and, in many cases, offers pretty much instant repair and service when you need. Here are six options to explore.

This claims to be the UK’s leading bicycle and ebike subscription platform and operates in tandem with the government’s Cycle to Work scheme – meaning an employer can pay the entire subscription fee for a bike that’s used to commute to the workplace, or split it 75/25, 50/50 or 25/75 with the user (or an individual can simply sign up independently). Six models are available, ranging from the Radrunner cargo bike for deliveries to the sporty Cowboy 3, as well as electric or traditional Bromptons. Insurance and unlimited maintenance come as part of the package, with monthly subscriptions starting from £52.

Financial Times

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