Hading to Vancouver to stay with a friend of my wife in June. Managed to persuade M that couldn’t go all that way and not visit Whistler.
Anyway now wondering about bike hire options, where to rent from? which is best value?
Only going to be there for three days and will want to try out the more sedate stuff with M in tow as well as the gravity-fed fun on my own. Suggstions?

Loads of options – too many to list really. Only thing to look out for is that most bikes will have the brakes reversed so try to find a bike with brakes that are easy to swap.

We just turned up and wandered around – hired from the lost lake trail head which seemed to have some cheaper more XC orientated stuff than the gravity orientated shops by the lifts.

Try Summit Sports: That’s where I hired my Rocky Mountain Slayer SS from last year. Good bikes and in good working order.

Do not go to the place by the GLC: The bikes there are in poor condition.

We used Summit sports I think. Plenty of bike hire shops around the plaza at the bottom of the bike park, just have a look about.

Summit Sports were pretty good at setting the bike up for me, swapped the brakes over on the Rocky Mountain ETSX I hired. Seem to recall bike was well used but well maintained.

We also used Cross Country Connections (the one that Sweaman is referring to by the Lost Lake trailhead) and hired a nice Specialized Enduro that was in really good nick considering it was close to the end of the season. The riding round Lost Lake is what most would consider to be more sedate (for Whistler) but I really enjoyed it.

Echo the comments on Summit – we got Slayer SS’s from them last year.

Only did a day there, was also with the Missus. The easier trails are fine – I’m sure she’ll enjoy them!

Summit have the best maintained and larger inventory of bikes in town. If you want to reserve, click the link above, you get the web discount and it buys me a beer too 😉

Summit used easy swap Formula brakes last year, but before that that had some shimano equipped bikes.. for our guests on mutiday rentals, they were even swapping and bleeding shimano hoses for us! Now thats service!

Drop me a line if you need any Whistler help.

If you’ve got 3 days, you’ve also probably got time to try Squamish too. Lots of sedate XC stuff there (try Alice Lake area), as well as gnarly stuff in abundance.

Off the top of my head, I think you’re looking at about $50-60/day in Squamish for XC bike, $70-80/day for an XC bike in Whistler. DH bikes in Whistler are nearer to $90-100/day, armour is extra but very much recommended.

Last summer I got a bike from Fanatyk and they thoughtfully got me a “British bike”. Sadly I ride with my brakes set up the way everyone else does so they had to go find me a normal one 🙂

Factor in the cost of a full-face if you’re in the bike park and you’re not bringing your own armour (I had my own pads).