Laag Catharijne Rental & Repair

We rented a bike with a rear child carrier and it was only 10 euros, which seemed reasonable compared to other places. The bike was very comfortable, with a front brake as well as a nice bike seat. When we returned the bike, we were slightly late but the staff still received the bike and they were very friendly!

Friendly and great value at 7.50 a day :-)

So so so helpful and kind when my keys got stolen and I had to have my lock cut! Great guys

Good quality bikes and price was very reasonable. Near impossible to find unless You are a former secret agent, total lack of customer service, really feel like you are on your own to figure things out, if you can deal with the lack of customer service and you are lucky enough to find the site you will be satisfied.

I hired a bike from here for a couple of days while staying in Utrecht. The place isn't the easiest to locate, however was right next to our hotel (Hampton in the main shopping complex by the station) and I happened to spot it when walking past. The site is a partially underground garage-like complex with a large door at ground level and a couple of signs outside. It's situated beneath a block of offices / apartments on the west side of the street that are currently being refurbed as part of the regeneration of this part of the city, so one would assume access and identification will get easier once this is all complete! The rental process was straightforward; I was served by one of the guys in the workshop whose English was adequate enough to get us by (and a lot better than my two-words-of Dutch so very much appreciated!). Probably partially because of the language barrier instructions were fairly scant, but as long as you know how to operate a bike and use a lock properly you should be all good. No adjustments were made for me but the only important one (the saddle) had a quick-release-ish setup so no tools were required and I was able to set it at me leisure. Unlike some other rental places the only deposit required was my ID (no additional money) and they were happy to accept my UK driving license while other places apparently want a passport from non-Dutch customers. The price was a very reasonable 7.50 Euros per day (payable on return); which I think is charged per calendar day rather than 24hr period - so get the bike in the morning and take it back at night to make the most of it. Being used to a road bike I was uneasy about the prospect of riding a fixed gear setup, and thankfully while traditionally-styled the bike I received had a decent spec - being apparently the same model as pictured in Mark Small's review a bit further down. This was my first time riding a bike of this type; predictably it was great for general touring on the flat if speeds were kept modest. It had a gripshift-operated 7-speed Shimano Nexus hub which provided an adequate range and drum brakes front and rear that did the job without any issues. The mass of the bike was significant (I'd reckon maybe 20kg with the beefy lock that came wrapped around the seatpost included) but again this wasn't an issue for the type of gentle touring it's intended for. The bike was in decent-enough nick with an appropriate amount of air in the tyres and no obvious issues other than the gears probably needing a bit of adjustment. Given its sit-up-and-beg styling you fit right in with the natives; providing you're confident, assertive, respectful and observant while enjoying the excellent (if sometimes a little confusing) cycling infrastructure provided. Cycling on the city's dedicated routes / lanes is a very different experience to riding on the UK's roads, unsurprisingly mostly for the better. I took my GPS trip computer and fitted it to the hire bike; allowing me to explore both within and outside the city with a lot more confidence than a paper map would have allowed me to. downloadable .gpx routes can be found on the net for various rides in and around the city and I enjoyed a fantastic 40-ish km mostly-rural ride out to the east of the city. Progress was "sedate" compared to what I'm used to at an average speed of 10mph versus the 16-17mph I'd expect on my road bike, however it was the hottest day on record and I was taking it very steady (on the odd occasion I tried I found it pretty much impossible to thrash the bike as it's most definitely built for comfort, not speed!). In summary while somewhat no-frills, I'd recommend hiring a bike from this place based on their very reasonable pricing, easy-going deposit requirements and decent kit supplied. Cycling is a fantastic way to get around the city thanks to the infrastructure provided; while rural routes are also very well catered for and there's probably no better country in which to casually see the sights from the comfort of two wheels.