San Francisco Bike Rentals Information & Tips

There are many bicycle rentals in San Francisco, but not all are conveniently located for the Golden Gate Bridge bike ride. If you are planing to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, you may want to start near the Marina District for it's flat, scenic, and safe bike path near the waterfront. There are many bike rentals in Fisherman's Wharf that are near the bike path, but keep in mind that you will need to ride uphill through Fort Mason Park before you can reach the flat bike path on Marina Blvd. This will take extra time and effort compared to starting the bike ride directly from the bike rental places on Lombard street in the Marina District. There are several bike rentals in the Marina District on Lombard street provide bike rentals for the Golden Gate Bridge and you can skip that steep uphill in Fort Mason Park if you start from Bike the Bridge San Francisco Bike Rentals located at 1465 Lombard street. We are located closer to the Golden Gate Bridge, and less hilly.

Many San Francisco bicycle rental companies offer both hourly and daily bike rentals. Almost all of the hourly bike rentals have a minimum of 2-hour to start. Hourly bike rental rates range from $9-$12 depending on the type of bike you choose. If you are planing to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and return on a bike, a 3-hour bike rental period is perfect when starting from our bike rentals on Lombard street. If you are planing to bike to Sausalito and take the ferry back, a full day bike rental is more suitable for you because this trip will usually take about 3-4 hours and we offer online discounts on daily bike rentals in San Francisco. Daily bike rental rates range from $28-$40 depending on the type of the rental bikes. Bike the Bridge Bike Rentals San Francisco offers 20% discount if you book online in advance, which makes it one of the best bike rentals in San Francisco that offers great prices and great location to start your bike the bridge adventure! 

Sausalito is a beautiful small town on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge with many shops and restaurants and waterfront views. Once you are in Sausalito, you will have many options to return your bike rentals:

1. Ride the rental bike back to the original bike rental place

2. Take the ferry back. You can purchase a ferry ticket ($14.25) in Sausalito ferry station and bring the bike with you on the ferry. The ferry is a public transportation and you can check ferry schedules here: Blue & Gold Ferry (goes to Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf) and Golden Gate Ferry (goes to Pier 1, Ferry Building). 

Tips: Take the Blue & Gold ferry to Fisherman's Wharf for a shorter return bike ride back to Bike the Bridge Bike Rentals.

3. During the peak period (June-September) the ferry often becomes crowded with tourists and their rental bikes. When a ferry is full, you will need to wait for the next one which results in long wait time under the California sun (ferry comes every 30-60 minutes). Here are some tips to avoid this kind of situation: 1. Take the ferry early (usually before 2pm) to avoid the crowd; 2. take a taxi back (many taxis in Sausalito carry bicycle rack for rental bikes and they are usually waiting near the ferry station); 4. Lastly, you can always ride the bike back :)

It's free to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge! And, it opens 24 hours a day! The bridge is 1.8 miles long and the bike paths/sidewalks are on both sides of the bridge with fence to separate the car traffic. Both bike paths don't usually open at the same time; there is a schedule for which side to go with a bike here. Generally speaking, the WEST sidewalk opens for cyclists after 3:30pm (PDT) during weekdays and all day during weekends, while the EAST sidewalk opens for cyclist the rest of the time. PST schedule is slightly different. The EAST sidewalk is shared with pedestrians, while the WEST sidewalk is for cyclists only. You can visit goldengatebridge.org if you need more information regarding the sidewalks schedule when planing to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge.