If you’ve landed here from a google search about bike rental and just want an ordinary bike to help get around Tokyo then click here for some suggestions. Otherwise let’s take a closer look at road bike rental options in Japan, some have gravel rental bikes too.
Giant
Bike manufacturer Giant has a network of stores in Japan. You can rent from ten of these as shown on the map above, including at both ends of the Shimanami Kaido. There is a range of bikes available, including a lot of e-bikes. They can be reserved two months in advance and for popular locations like Onomichi between April-October, especially weekends, you better visit with 60 days to go because bikes get booked quickly. If you know when you will be visiting then put the opening day of the reservation window in your diary and book as early as you can. It’s got an English-language website although the shops don’t always have English-speaking staff but even without you can clear the paperwork in ten minutes. The network is good, plus you can rent for long periods. The downsides are the price is high for a multi-day trip and the bikes in different locations vary, their fleet is getting a bit dated now. You can swap tires, chains, bar tape and more of course and they’re well maintained
Road Bike Rental Japan
The name says plenty. To explain more, see the RBRJ website of course. It’s in Osaka. So a good option for anyone visiting the city, or the wider Kansai area. Kobe and Kyoto a quick train ride away. Also there’s some great riding in this region, just as long as you get out of the big urban conglomeration. RBRJ has a collection of Bianchi and Cannondale aluminium road bikes and some hybrid bikes too, plus touring kit like paniers and bar bags. I’ve yet to use them and if they had one higher end carbon frame with some mid-level components I’d have been there already and able to report back but I can see why more solid machines make sense as a rental fleet.
Rapha
Clothing brand Rapha has a members’ club and subscribers can rent bikes from their clubhouse stores all over the world. There is one in Tokyo, another in Osaka. But being able to rent one doesn’t mean you’ll get a bike. They don’t have a big fleet and bikes are often booked up long in advance. But if you can plan far ahead then this is a good choice. They now use Open bikes, these are suitable for road and gravel riding with 1x 13 Campagnolo groupset. Price is ¥5500 per day but of course you’ll have to buy membership on top.
Merida X-Base
Merida X-Base is the showroom for the Merida brand and all its bikes. It’s in Izunokuni on the Izu peninsular, a stroll from Takyō station. They have a big range of bikes and some great riding on their doorstep with the Izu peninsular but the reservation process is 100% Japanese so if you’re not fluent you can try to plod your way through the process using Google Translate and then hope for the best when you show up in person. But I’ve spoken to them and they’re delighted to welcome tourists so don’t be put off by the reservation form where it asks for your Japanese ID, for example use your passport.
GS Astuto
GS Astuto are based in the countryside near Takasaki. It’s no bad thing as you can speed on the Shinkansen to Takasaki, take a connecting train and be at the shop in under two hours. Then have the great roads of Gunma to explore right from the first pedal stroke as they’re based on the old Nakasendo road. Run by Tim, he knows everything there is to know about bikes and wheels. You can get custom service, you can swap wheels or stems, rent a saddlebag and more, plus Tim can give you lots of tips in English.
Chapter 2 at Gypsy Café
About half an hour from Tokyo on the Shinkansen is Odawara. The Gypsy Café is a short walk from the station. One of the co-founders is Michael Rice, who is also the agent for New Zealand bike brand Chapter 2 and a local cycling legend. You can apparently rent Chapter 2 bikes for the day and they have gravel options and even suggested gravel routes. Contact Michael or Glen for more info, they offer accommodation, food and group rides too.
Astuto also works with Chapter 2 so you can get some premium road bikes to hire in Odawara.
Red Bikes in Onomichi
Giant have a store in Onomichi but so does Red Bikes in the shōtengai shopping arcade.
Splinster
Splinster is to bike rental as AirB&B is to accommodation, the idea is you rent a bike from someone who has a spare one. A nice idea but arranging a good road bike rental might be harder. If it’s worked for you, let me know.
Know Your Size
Some crucial advice: know your bike size. Put another way, if you are very tall then choices are limited. Without sidetracking into population data, average height in Japan is shorter than some western countries, typically 3-4cm for men. The result is that there are few bikes to rent for very tall riders, specifically 58cm and 60cm versions can be hard to come by (often L or XL, this depends a lot on the brand). But Astuto has some options here.
Travel Tips
- Rental is a great option if you don’t want to fly in with your bike and store your bike box etc
- There are several road bike rental options in Japan but book as early as you can as the fleets of bikes available are small
- Check the T&Cs as some have time limits, travel restrictions and so on. Their bike means their terms
- Bring your shoes and pedals and remember your saddle height to save time on set-up
Great job providing down-to-Earth advice and accurate information for international cyclists interested in everything we have to offer in Japan! I don’t know if we’ve ever met but thanks for introducing our NHK Cycle Around Japan series and our Cycling GYPSY Cafe for high-end carbon bike rentals and bespoke tours.
We have a fleet of 20 bikes mostly DURA/RED/SUPERRECORD/EKAR grade. Most of the smaller sizes have the brakes set up Japanese style and the M,L,XL sizes have the brakes set up international style (left hand front brake). Since my saddle height is 84cm, we have every model in L or XL size for me to ride😬 and available for rent.