Kyoto Cycling Tour Project (Kyoto Station Cycle Terminal) — Local services in Kyoto

Initially great impression on arriving at the Kyoto main station location at 5pm Monday evening, plus having read glowing reviews I was looking forward to renting a good quality mountain bike for 3 whole days (72 hours) to use for training while on holiday. Very helpful and happy staff members helped me by telling me all the rules and laws for cycling in Japan, I hired a helmet as a cost extra plus additional recommended insurance to be on the safe side. A Cannondale mountain bike was handed over to me which from experience is a good quality make. Off I set and just as I rounded the corner from the property I applied both brakes and discovered that the front brake stuck on which was dangerous and as the rear wheel was slightly buckled the rear brake was dragging all the time! To be fair I could have turned around and asked for these items to be fixed or another bike to be exchanged but as I am an engineer with basic tools with me, I set about improving the problems myself. Went straight to our hotel as it was getting dark. Next day went for a long cycle and the bike performed very well, only other nagging thing was the chain could have done with lubrication. Had done enough cycling by 12 lunchtime on the Thursday so decided to return the bike 5 hours early only to be told by the staff member that I had returned the bike late and therefore had to pay another 2000 yen for an additional days rental !! They informed me that the Monday rental at 5pm counted as a full day which in my book is a total rip off and nowhere does it mention this. Every other bike rental I have done on the 4 months I've been traveling is based on 24hour 'days'. So please be forewarned to first check the bike you are given thoroughly and second be aware that their 'days' are counted from 9 - 5 !!

We rented two assisted E-bikes for a few hours. The bikes worked fine and the staff were polite(and very easy to communicate with) :)

However, the reason for not giving a higher score is simple:

• On the website it says for E-bikes "Suitable height:145cm~200cm". This is not true. I'm 184 cm and the bike barely fit me and that was with the seat at absolute maximum.
• On the website it says "All our bikes are professionally maintained and come with liability insurance and emergency support for peace of mind." This is wrong, as insurance is ¥300 per bike
• Bike map costs ¥100. Other they should offer a free digital version or just limate a map that can be attached to the basket.
• Helmets are not free, costs ¥300 (which is very strange compared to other companies we've rented bikes from before). It should be in their own interests that all that rent wear a helmet in terms of insurance etc. and a great opportunity for branding.

So just be aware that you have to add on quite a lot extra on top of the price. Most of this would have been perfectly fine if they actually listed all this clearly on the booking page.

We had a great Kyoto cycling tour with a fantastic guide, Kaz. My husband and I did the Kyoto Golden Tour which included stops at 3 Unesco World Heritage sites. This tour is a great way to see some tourist spots while also seeing a side of Kyoto that you might otherwise miss. Kaz was a knowledgeable guide who spoke fluent English, and explained the history of each site, shared interesting facts and a few jokes too. He was able to give us a full understanding of each site, while still moving us through quickly enough to not get stuck in the mass of tourists. It was a perfect way to see and experience the Kinkakuji Temple, Ryonaji Temple, Hirosawa Pond, and Bamboo forest. The cycling included some uphill, some downhill, and some meandering through beautiful countryside. For this specific tour, one would need to have moderate experience riding a bicycle, be in reasonable physical shape, be comfortable riding on the left side of the street, and be comfortable riding on or near some crowded pedestrian sidewalks. I highly recommend this fun tour!