Tangletown Bike Shop

Located two blocks from the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, in a vibrant part of the city with lots of locally owned restaurants and shops, Tangletown Bike Shop is a perfect place to rent a bike and start your tour de Minneapolis. Tangletown rents out road bikes and step-through bikes made by Roll: Bicycle Company, in addition to fat-tire bikes from Surly, which are available to rent from two hours on up to a week.

Tangletown’s newest addition to the rental fleet is e-bikes, which you can rent from shop open to close ($100) or in four-hour chunks ($65). You’ll have to call during shop hours to ask about those options. The bike shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, but you can also give them a call if that doesn’t quite work with your rental needs. “We’re as accommodating as nice Minnesota people can be,” chuckles Tangletown General Manager Nick Milton. And don’t forget to say hi to their adorable shop dog, Bella!

816 West 50th St, 612-259-8180. Get started on your rental.

Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop

At Angry Catfish, you can rent gravel bikes, electric bikes, and fat bikes (during the winter) from top-of-the-line brands including Wilde, Salsa, All City, and Benno. “Our bikes that we’re renting are super high-quality bikes, it’s a very nice ride experience,” says Angry Catfish owner Josh Klauck. “And we’re certainly happy to point people towards routes if they’re looking for that.”

Rentals start at a rate of $75 for 24 hours or $175 for the weekend. Now, here’s the fun part: If you fall in love with that rental bike—and odds are good you’re going to—Angry Catfish lets you apply the cost of your rental towards the purchase of the bike (within 90 days). It’s a great way to figure out what your next ride should be and have some fun doing it!

2900 E. 42nd St, 612-722-1538. Get started on your rental.

Don’t see your favorite neighborhood bike shop listed here? If you have friends or family coming to town and you’re looking to get around by bike, call them up anyway! It’s possible they’ll have bikes available for rent that aren’t listed online.

University of Minnesota Center for Outdoor Adventure

The U’s Center for Outdoor Adventure has a selection of seriously good fat bikes, hardtail mountain bikes, and full-suspension mountain bikes, all available to rent at affordable rates. Don’t let the U of M association scare you away: “We rent to everyone—university community members and the general public alike,” says Ben Phaneuf, Outdoor Program Coordinator.

The Center for Outdoor Adventure offers single-day and weekend rentals, with the option to add additional days after. (The center does ask that customers use the bikes on off-road trails only to help prolong the life of the tires and to help prevent theft.) Prices vary depending on the type of bike—$30 for a single-day fat bike rental, $45 for a single-day hardtail rental, and $65 for a single-day full-suspension rental—with the rates increasing as you add days. The best way to rent is by submitting an online reservation request form, but you can also stop by the shop during open hours (Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or give them a call to make a reservation.

244 Walnut St SE, 612-625-8790. Get started on your rental.

The Loppet Foundation at Theodore Wirth Park

There’s year-round cycling fun to be had at Theo Wirth, with 13 miles of single track mountain biking trails that are as fun on a fat bike in the winter as they are on a traditional mountain bike in the summer. And you can rent either, depending on the season, thanks to the Loppet Foundation, along with road bikes if you feel like tearing up the paved trails or pedaling to the lakes or nearby Utepils Brewing.

“Our goal, and this is aligned with our mission, is to get people active at Theo Wirth Park,” says Ben Bauch, Trailhead Director of the Loppet Foundation. The Loppet offers standardized three-hour rentals, seven days a week, with road bikes available for $40 and fat bike and mountain bike rentals for $50. (They also have a free library of Strider balance bikes available for kids from 1 to 6!) Bikes are available on a first come, first served basis and can be rented in person at the Theodore Wirth Trailhead.

1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy. Find more info on bike (and other equipment) rentals.

Wheel Fun Rentals

For a slightly more whimsical time, Wheel Fun Rentals has locations at three Minneapolis parks: Lake Harriet, Lake Nokomis, and Minnehaha Park. In addition to three-speed cruisers and tandem bikes, their fleet also includes unique options like three- or six-person surreys and choppers that are a lot of fun to take for a spin around a lake. Options differ depending on the location, but hourly rentals start at $14.

More info

Spinlister

Spinlister is like the Airbnb of bike rentals—individuals and bike shops alike can list their rides here, which means you can find everything from mountain bikes to electric bikes to single speeds to fancy carbon road bikes and custom builds. The options differ day to day and the prices are set by the renter and therefore vary widely, but generally you’ll save money by renting through Spinlister. (And you can make money by listing your underutilized bike, too!)

Get started

Just need to rent a bike for a quick ride from point a to point b? Your best bet might be Minneapolis’s bicycle share program.

Minneapolis partners with two bike-share companies, Lime and Veo, both of which have hundreds of electric-assist bikes available to rent around the city. Lime and Veo offer memberships, passes, and single-ride fares, and you can opt in to whatever makes sense for you—simply get started by downloading the apps to find and unlock a bike.

Lime: Download the app and find a Lime bike near you on the Lime website.

Veo: Download the app and find a Veo bike near you on the Veo website.

Hotel Emery: “The Twin Cities are best explored on two wheels,” the Hotel Emery website says, and we agree! Zybra cruiser bikes at this boutique hotel are available to rent from sunup to sundown, and hotel guests receive a complimentary free hour of riding.

Element Minneapolis Downtown: Element has two bikes available to rent to hotel guests, free of charge. Just come to the front desk and let them know you’d like to take a spin.

Graduate Minneapolis: Amenities at this trendy Washington Avenue hotel include a fitness center, Topgolf Swing Suite, and a fleet of Graduate-branded bikes that are available for hotel guests to rent for free during the warmer months.

• Reserve ahead of time. Most places only have a limited number of bikes available to rent, and not all of them will be in your size or be a good fit for the type of riding you want to do. Whenever possible, call or reserve online in advance.

• Rent the right bike for you. Do you plan on hitting some gravel or crushing dirt trails? Want to shred the snow on a fat tire bike, or cruise around via city streets and paved paths? Make sure you’re on a bike that’ll work with your riding plans—and most bike shop employees can help you figure that out, too!

• Ask what’s included in the rental. Many rental centers include a helmet and U-lock in their hourly or daily fee. Check to see what you get with your rental, and consider asking about other add-on rentals, like a hydration pack or bags for your bike.

• Don’t forget water or snacks. If you plan to ride for several hours (or all day), don’t forget to bring water and snacks like energy bars or power gels.

• Ask the employees about their favorite rides! Don’t have a plan in mind? Don’t fret. Bike shop workers almost always have a ton of routes to recommend—just ask when you go to pick up your rental. Or, check out our Minneapolis weekend biking itinerary!