"one of those fer nawthern"-bike rental company uses MB's

bamabikeguy

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http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090719-BIZ-907190311

Saw this article from Portsmouth....interested folks could go to this guys place and experience the "grin factor" right away, see what we all are talking about.

He also might be contacted about joining MB.com, the article has his e mail and website:


By Laura Hedges
business@seacoastonline.com
July 19, 2009 6:00 AM

PORTSMOUTH - In a time when corporate businesses are racing to extinguish perpetual fires, small start-up businesses like Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales at Strawberry Banke Museum offer a breath of fresh air to the Seacoast community.

Shop owner Dan Clarke said simplicity is the premise behind the concept of his family's business. Clarke lives close to Portsmouth's bustling downtown and said he and his family wanted to give the community a fun outlet. After approaching city officials and other community members with the idea of a bike rental shop, the business took off.
At a glance

Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales, LLC

OWNER: Dan Clarke

ADDRESS: 91 Marcy St., Portsmouth

PHONE: 918-0346

E-MAIL: dan@wanderlust-rentals.com

WEB: www.wanderlust-rentals.com

"The business is just something simple and a way for people to get out and about," Clarke said. "What else could you do that only costs $5 an hour?"

Like the basic sales booth for the shop, the cruisers, or beach bikes, are also basic. It costs $5 per hour or $35 for a daily rental to take the classic one-speed out for a meander. If you planned to follow the suggested cemetery route or Wallis Sands tour, a motor-assisted bike for $55 a day provides a faster alternative.

The motor-assisted bikes get 100 miles per gallon and can reach 20 to 25 mph, said Clarke.

Clarke's wife Christine Addison said what many people in the area do not realize is how close the beaches are to the downtown.

"I was able to reach Wallis Sands in just 10 minutes on a motor-assisted bike," Addison said.

In fact, the curiosity about motorized bikes is what sparked the idea for a bike rental shop.

"They were so cool," Addison said. "I just wanted to try one myself."

Although the motor-assisted bikes might spark new interest, the classic style bikes have been a major call for attention. With wide seats and curved lines, it looks as if the bikes belong outside a neighborhood soda shop from days gone by.

"These bikes are nostalgic to people," Addison said. "We were going for that classic, old-school type of look."

Clarke said Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales has had a slow start due to the rainy summer so far, but he is hopeful word of the shop will get out. Addison said every business has some type of initial struggle and the rains of June will just be a story they tell their friends in coming years. Clarke and Addison said the last couple months have not been a serious personal loss because the family as a whole has been able to spend time together.

"As opposed to doing our own thing, we are working together for this business," Addison said. "We would never spend this much time together."

Their son, Storm Addison, 18, recently graduated from high school and has taken on the responsibility of running the bike booth. Storm said most custumers have been satisfied and leave with smiles on their faces.

"It's all about communicating with each other," Storm said. "If there is something to do, it will just get done. I've had other jobs where I didn't want to talk to my boss because it was my boss, but it's different because they're my parents."

Clarke agreed and said the family is always involved with each other because they are settling details for the business. The Clarke-Addison family assembled the bicycles themselves, designed their own brochures, and painted their own business sign as a way to keep overhead costs down. With a full-time job as a manufacturing engineer for a company in Amesbury, Mass., the bike shop helps Clarke express himself creatively and to spend time with his family.

"This has been something that's been really fun to do together as a family," Clarke said.

As Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales gains momentum, the family said the next step is to start adding children's bikes, making it an all-around family business.

At a glance

Wanderlust Bike Rentals and Sales, LLC

OWNER: Dan Clarke

ADDRESS: 91 Marcy St., Portsmouth

PHONE: 918-0346

E-MAIL: dan@wanderlust-rentals.com

WEB: www.wanderlust-rentals.com
 
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What a great add on to a bicycle rental outfit. I think it's Portsmouth N.H. great seacoast and Lobsta.

New Hampshire, Rhode Island....one of those fer nawthern places....

I know what threw me, I was just in Texas and there was a blurb that said if the US was full of states the size of Rhode Island, there would be 6,309 stars on the flag.

I changed the title, it din't take. So what happened after that is ALL TOM'S FAULT !!
 
Wanderlust Bikes

This is Dan, owner of Wanderlust Bike Rentals. Thanks for mentioning the article here guys.

If anyone is in the Portsmouth, NH area, stop by, lets go for a ride.
I am just getting started with the motored bikes so I may have some questions as well. Although I have to say, so far, I have pretty much found an answer for all my questions by searching the forums, or least have been pointed in the right direction.

Anyway, I'll be updating my website and posting some pics of the motored bikes.

If there are any NH members around, get in touch.

BTW, I wrote the DMV in New Hampshire and the DMV in NH will not register a motored bike as a moped anymore. It is a "motor-driven cycle". You can pedal it, therefore they say you do not register it, you do not need a drivers license, you must obey the rules of the road as a bicyclist.
 
Dan:
How many motored bikes are in your stable? Brand, etc. How is the maintenance on them? Any problems keeping them running? I would think numerous naive users could be an issue.
-Mike
 
I would think that the insurance would be kinda high on renting MB's but maybe no more than regular bike rentals, had some thoughts about doing it here, we have a lot of hills, HMMM something to think about
 
Hi guys. We have 5 to 6 motorized bikes in service at a time. Usually one is pulled out of rotation for personal use or tune up. I am using the skyhawk engines. Like I said earlier somewhere...I'm new to the MB thing...but overall, it's a very simple engine, but there are a lot of little nuances and I'm constantly discovering something subtle and new with these. The forums have been a wealth of info.

We are a bit discriminatory, (in a friendly way), about who we let ride the MB's. It's a pretty easy judgment call to make actually. The MB's are fully insured as a rental vehicle, a policy was written for us that categorizes them akin to a moped or scooter. The insurance is also very reasonable. My GL insurance is more than the MB insurance...go figure.

The biggest issue it seems is getting new people to realize that a little choke adjustment makes all the difference when starting them and getting them going.

There are some other little frustrations, but when you step back and remind yourself what they are, it's not that big of deal. At least that's what I keep trying to tell myself...

Cheers,

Dan
 
Dan,
You are a brave person. I wouldn't rent a bike with only a coaster brake since they are prone to failure. I would also be afraid to rent with a manual clutch since that is foreign to many and I'd go the centrifugal clutch route.

Do you limit speed on your bikes in anyway by sprocket size?
 
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