Lyndhurst and the New Forest are just made for cyclists – miles and miles of fantastic routes and bridleways, along picturesque rivers and through peaceful woodland.
There are few better ways of spending your time here – but not everyone has access to two wheels; you may have forgotten them, can’t fit them on the car or simply don’t own a bike. Don’t despair – there are plenty of options for cycle hire in the New Forest and Lyndhurst. You just need to decide when you need a bike and what type and away you go…
And of course if you’re staying at one of our New Forest Collection hotels, you’ll not only be able to fuel up with a great breakfast, but reward yourself after your ride with a cold glass of something – or even an afternoon tea. You’ll have earned it, we’re sure…
When you first look at the array of bikes on offer, it can be a bit baffling – two-wheeled travel has come a long way from the days of the Penny Farthing. Once you know what kind of cycling you’ll be doing, that will help shape what kind of bike you need.
Road bikes, as the name suggests, are designed to ride on the road, and because of that they’d perform terribly on a mountain dirt track. Don’t get a road bike if you want to take it off-road – its skinny tyres mean you won’t really be able to use it on anything other than tarmac. Icy roads can also be a problem.
It should come as no surprise to hear that mountain bikes are designed to go up and down mountains, or on off-road trails; to handle the job, they’re chunkier and heavier than road bikes, have thicker tread tyres and a frame which makes them better suited for seriously uneven terrain.
If you’re going to be doing a mixture of on and off road, hybrids could be the answer – a mixture between road bikes and mountain bikes. They give you the versatility to do a bit of everything, with a bit of comfort – some models have front suspension to cushion bumps.
The popularity of Electric or ‘e-bikes’ has shot up in the last few years; these have a battery and a silent motor, which means they’re considerably heavier than other bikes – but the upside is you’ll never again curse a steep gradient. Great if you want to go twice the distance for half the effort, but not if you want to ‘feel the burn’.
So those are the three main types of bike you’ll come across in cycle hire shops, but there are others to consider. Gravel bikes have drop handlebars like road bikes, but with chunkier tyres with a better grip so they’re good for gravel paths, broken pavement and unpaved dirt tracks. You don’t see many about these days, but if you want to tag team, then consider a tandem – a bicycle made for two. A tandem lets two riders cycle together without anyone getting left behind the others; ideal for an adult and child.
So you’ve chosen your bike – next decision is which Lyndhurst bike shop to hire it from. The good news is that there is plenty of choice when it comes to Lyndhurst cycle hire.
You’ll find Cyclexperience Bicycle Hire in Brockenhurst Railway Station Car Park – they stock all bike types, including trailers and child seats, and have lots of great route suggestions on their website. The Woods Cyclery is in the heart of Lyndhurst, with free parking in the Forestry Commission gravel car park just 300 yards away. Hire prices are pretty good – adult bikes from £20 per day and kids’ bikes from £11, with all major types covered and offered. Prices include helmets, backpack, pump, lock, toolkit and a mobile mechanic backup. It’s all laid out for you at Trax Bike Hire – they deliver and collect the bikes (which are serviced daily) and they provide a free helmet, pump, puncture repair kit, lock, tools and maps. You just provide the pedal power…
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