Renting Bikes In Copenhagen

April 16, 2008 12:44 PM

Where can I rent/borrow different types of multi-person bicycles in Copenhagen?

I'll be spending several days in Copenhagen with my girlfriend. I'm totally psyched about riding bikes everywhere I go while I'm there. My girlfriend, though, not so much. She is on the sickly side and tires quickly. So I'd like to find a bike where I can do all the work for both of us. It's easy enough to find a place that rents out typical tandems and, sure, that would be ok. But my hunch is that I can do better than that in a bicycle-crazed town like Copenhagen. Maybe something like this or a trike of some sort? I'm not sure what exactly I'm looking for. Any suggestions?

posted by GalaxieFiveHundred to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

How tall is she? If she is petite enough, maybe she can ride in a customized Christiania bike? Maybe you can rent one in Copenhagen. Thats where they are built.
posted by chillmost at 1:11 PM on April 16, 2008

I've never seen a bike for more than 2 persons in Copenhagen. Tandems are very unusual here.

On the other hand, the Christiania bikes are quite popular among parents with small children. The bikes cost approx. $2000. It's not unusual for teens/tweens to ride as a passenger.

When riding a C.B, always keep to the right. Even in Nørrebro where the bike paths are very narrow, other bikers expect to be able to pass you. Bike-crazy Copenhagen means that everybody (except very small children) is assumed to be in shape to ride a bike, even the retired and crazy old cat women, so we have no tradition for multi-people bikes.
posted by flif at 2:43 PM on April 16, 2008

The free bikes are by purpose very heavy to ride to avoid being taken too far away. The are called "bycykler", litt. "city-bikes".
(But if you use the English word "city-bikes" in a bike store in Copenhagen, it means a different kind.)

The black bike in the pict you linked to is called a "budcykel" and was in old days used by local distributors (e.g. groceries which made deliveries). Even larger versions exists, called "Long John".
posted by flif at 3:04 PM on April 16, 2008

oh, i can now see that my comment about everybody being able to ride can be read as being descending. That wasn't the intent, sorry.

Another possibility is for her to go by bus. They are light and nice, very much unlike those in San Francisco, and they are used by everybody. The ticket system can be somewhat complex, but you can get a 24-hour ticket which is covers all of Greater Copenhagen for 24-hours. Don't be afraid of asking people on the streets for help for which bus to take to go somewhere.
posted by flif at 3:19 PM on April 16, 2008

copenhagen-bikes.dk, Located at track 12 at main railway station (open mon-fri 8-17, and sat 9-13) and at Østerport station (Open mon-fri 8-18, and sat 9-13).
posted by flif at 3:39 PM on April 16, 2008

A christania bike is awesome for two people. (or three!) The person sitting in the front can actually see what is going on instead of looking at the back of your head. And the driver is a bit higher up, so they also get a good view. It is a bit of a beast - and takes some getting used to, but cph is a friendly town for biking. I rented one at Østerport Cykler. They're located in an S-train station, so it's easy to get to. Looks like it will run you 200 DKK/day.
posted by kamelhoecker at 5:55 PM on April 16, 2008

Thanks guys.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 7:29 AM on April 17, 2008