Start A Bike Rental Store - Business Ideas

Pat Walls

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Updated: September 15th, 2022

Start A Bike Rental Store

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Bike rental is one of the most profitable business ideas most people overlook. Today, bike rental is in high demand, especially among people who love outdoor activities. Today, people prefer renting a bike as opposed to buying one. Moreover, bikes offer a hassle-free and quicker ride option for daily commuters. In that regard, starting your own bike rental business is exciting and can be profitable.

If you are starting a bike rental business, some avenues you could use to increase business profitability include:

Targeting tourists
Reaching out to biker clubs
Biking training schools
Cater to employees in organizations that encourage the use of bikes

Use bike rental software to manage bookings, and market your business on social media and biking clubs, to maximize bookings.

Starting a bike rental store requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell bike rental, or selling bike rental online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size

$2.5B

starting costs

$18.9K

gross margin

43%

time to build

270 days

Startup Costs

	Min Startup Costs	Max Startup Costs
Equipment & Supply Expenses	$66	$1,200
Retail Business Expenses	$1,250	$11,650
Inventory Expenses	$350	$14,750
Advertising & Marketing Costs	$75	$9,636
Software Expenses	$0	$425
Website Costs	$13	$215
Total Startup Costs	$1,754	$37,876

See all startup costs ➜

Successful Businesses

Business	URL	Rank
Indian Motorcycle	indianmotorcycle.com	82,753
Erik's Bike Shop	eriksbikeshop.com	151,302
Motorcycle Rentals	eaglerider.com	270,728
The Bike Connection	bikeconnection.net	286,547
Bike Rental Manager	bikerentalmanager.com	299,214
Incycle Bicycles	incycle.com	331,783
Bicycle Sport Shop	bicyclesportshop.com	354,097
Spokes Bicycle Rentals	spokesbicyclerentals.com	360,771
Rent A Bike Now	rentabikenow.com	377,965
Wheelworks	wheelworks.com	419,183
Houston Bike Shop	bikebarn.com	421,971

See all businesses ➜

Pros & Cons

Pros	Description
Rewarding work	Starting a bike rental store can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.
Meaningful business connections	You never know who you will meet as a bike rental store. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!
Daily physical activity	Bike Rental Store's typically involve a much greater degree of movement than other lines of work. Most days, you will spend your day walking, running errands for your business, and performing a multitude of tasks. This can have a positive impact on energy levels and your overall health.
Amazing perks and discounts	Working in the bike rental store comes with its perks! As a seller for these products/services, you typically also get to enjoy industry perks and discounts.
You are your own boss!	With starting a bike rental store, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating!
Local Community	One of the best parts of starting a bike rental store is that you can develop a local following by selling your products at craft shows, farmers' markets, or even local storefront businesses! This gives you access to additional revenue streams and loyal customers.

See all pros ➜

Cons	Description
Crowded Space	Competition is high when it comes to your bike rental store, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.
Finding The Right Supplier	Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section.
Motivation of employees	If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.
Low margins	The gross margins for your bike rental store are typically around 43%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability.
High employee turnover	In the bike rental store, employee turnover is often high, which can be quite costly and time consuming for your business. It's important to try and avoid this as much as possible by offering competitive pay, benefits, and a positive work environment.
Taxes	As a bike rental store, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

See all cons ➜

Marketing Ideas

1

Direct Sales

Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

Learn more about direct sales ➜
2

Word of mouth

Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

Learn more about word of mouth ➜
3

Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

Learn more about social media advertising ➜

See all marketing ideas ➜

Key Stats

Startup Costs

Successful Businesses

82,753

151,302

270,728

286,547

299,214

331,783

354,097

360,771

377,965

419,183

421,971

Pros & Cons

Marketing Ideas

Direct Sales

Word of mouth

Social Media Advertising