Electric, Hybrid, Road and Mountain Bikes
On-Site Cafe
Free Parking
We at Waterside Bike Hire aim to give high quality, friendly service to both locals and tourists for that ideal Tarka Trail bike hire experience. We carefully select our hire bikes for maximum enjoyment. Lightweight, with a smooth and comfortable ride, all of our bikes offer quality so you can be confident in your hire. With 10+ years experience in the bike world we aim to provide you with well serviced bikes and quality customer service. We will always be more than happy to answer any questions!
Our location gives us both great access to the Tarka Trail and a close proximity to the popular Waterside Cafe. Grab a coffee before your ride, or have a well earned cake and tea after. For Tarka Trail bike hire you can’t get a better location!
We’re proud to offer a quick and easy online booking system! Book through there, and it’ll greatly speed up the process when you get to the shop for maximum time with your bike!
So from the team, we hope you have a great time enjoying the scenic views of the Tarka Trail, or exploring anywhere you can think of, from Braunton and Barnstaple to Meeth and Saunton.
FAQ
What bikes are best for the tarka trail?
We have a range of bikes available for the trail, we class our Hybrid bikes as Tarka trail bike hire specific as they suit most people. If your looking for a bit more comfort with some suspension we have a range of mountain bikes or if your looking for a speedy ride we also have a range of road bikes.
What do i do when you get here?
We are pretty efficient when it comes to getting riders out as quickly as possible. When you arrive we simply tick you off our list, get you fitted on your bikes then all we need is a quick signature on our waiver and payment before you leave. Top tip – it can get pretty busy in the summer with 10am being peak pick up time, get to us for 9am and we can get you out quicker.
Where to cycle from us?
We have created a map to give you an idea of distances from our tarka trail bike hire centre to various locations. If your looking for a great day out their are various options:
– cycle to Fremington with the kids for a nice leisurely 2 hour round trip
– Instow is 1hr 20mins from us and offers you a range of food options such as johns deli or the instow arms. Along with having a beautiful beach this makes a great tarka trail stop.
– if your looking for an extra challenge why not head to the puffing billy in torrington, this takes approximately 5 hours in total to get there and back.
Do you deliver?
Starting in 2025 (watch this space), we will be offering a delivery service so we can delivery your bikes to a location of your choice, saving you time and expanding your cycling opportunities for your holiday.
Do you offer one-way Tarka trail bike hire?
We get a lot of request for people cycling the south west costal path so for 2025 along with deliveries we will be offering a bike collection service so you can carry on your walk. The most popular option is to cycle from us (near braunton) to westward ho or bideford where we will collect your bikes and you can continue your adventure around the coast.
Do i need to pay upfront?
No, all payments are made on the day so no payment is needed upon booking. It’s not a problem if your plans change, just let us know and we can cancel the booking for you, no commitment required 🙂
Can i Bring my Dog?
Yes! We have dog trailers available to take your pooches on a trip down the tarka trail.
Is there any extra costs on top of bike hire?
Everything is included in the hire cost. We have helmets, pannier bags, locks and lights if needed at no extra expense.
What happeneds if i get a puncture?
We have a pretty good strike rate with punctures not occurring due to all our bikes fitted with kevlar banded tyres however they can happen. We have 3 options:
1. all groups will have a puncture kit and spare tube with them so if you are able to fix yourself that is great.
2. The 2nd option is there is a few bike rental shops dotted down the trail (barnstaple, fremington, bideford, instow, Torrington) if you are able to get to one of these we all work together and they will be able to fix your puncture for you (and bill us)
3. We will come out and fix the puncture ourselves, in most cases we are no more than 45mins to get to you.
And don’t worry we will never leave you stranded so theres always a way of sorting it out.
Meet the Team!
Dan
Meet Dan the Bike Man. Dan’s been a true biker for many a year, from causing havoc in the local woods by setting up a mini pump track, to starting first his own bike shop, and now his own bike hire!
His first shop was in the grand location of his garage whilst he was still working in a running store. From here the bikes went from strength to strength, resulting in him quitting from the day job and biking full time!
The garage moved to a shop, and morphed into his hugely popular bike shop Rollquick in Bristol. Thanks to the success and stability of the bike shop, bike hire was the natural way forward.
The question that needed solving was where to open it. Luckily this wasn’t a hard one to solve. Fond memories of childhood holidays both camping and visiting family, plus recent memories of fun in North Devon with his son gave an easy answer.
Cez
Yep, that’s me!
Cez (It feels weird to talk about myself in the third person) is Dan’s brother, and has been the sounding board of Dan’s ideas for many a year, especially with this new venture.
Admittedly not initially the keenest biker in a bike mad family, he’s recently acquired a new found love of biking thanks to lockdown. Some might call how he pinches his stepdad’s electric bike every now and again cheating, but you can make your own minds up about that.
Cez has a varied CV – he’s mostly the tech man of the business, helping out with anything electronic. Any mistakes on the website are most likely his fault, so let him know if you think of any improvements! He’s been a teacher for a bit, both in China and the UK. He’s been a Business Analyst and a Taxman. He’s cooked thousands of pieces of bacon on a bacon trailer.
Most importantly though, he’ll be the friendly face manning the bike hire! Always happy to have a chat about anything (Mention golf or food and you’ve got me), come in and say hello!