My boyfriend and I recently spent 5 days in the Washington DC area. We are not by any stretch of the imagination young or athletic. I would describe us as a couple of aging lethargic p.c. gamers. So, you can imagine we were a little hesitant at the idea of renting athletic equipment. Nevertheless, we had been to DC one time before and knew that there was no way we could see everything we wanted to see on foot. So we decided to rent bicycles. It was hands down the best vacation decision we have ever made!
First off, the staff of Bike and Roll was fantastic. Even though we were obviously novices to the sport they treated us with the utmost respect. When we first arrived a staff member took us around and showed us all of the different types of bikes that they offered and helped us decide what would best serve our needs. They provided everything a helmet, a lock, a high quality pump, and spare tubes for each of the bikes. Even though they were busy the staff spent about 20 minutes with us and answered each and every one of our questions. Never once did they treat us like our questions were stupid (and looking back now I’m sure some of them were) or deride us in anyway.
We wanted to rent the bikes for 5 days, but we were unsure if we would physically be able to bike for that long. We were told to take the bikes and return them when we were done and we would only be charged for the time we used. They were true to their word when we returned the bikes we were charged the exact same price we were quoted. There was no trick, no subterfuge, and no fine print. Doing business with Bike and Roll was like a breath of fresh air. After we felt confident that we had asked every silly question we could come up with we mounted our mechanical steeds and headed for the U.S. Capitol. Instantly I was transformed into a kid again. Before we had gone two blocks I was literally giddy with excitement. I couldn’t stop myself from yawping, “Woooo Hoooo!“ and laughing wildly to the wonder of the DC residents who were trudging to work around me.
We used the DC Metro (the DC subway system) in combination with the bikes which allowed us to go all over the city. In many cases we used the Metro like a ski lift. We would take the Metro up hills and bike down. One great place to do this is on a path called the Rock Creek Parkway. You take the Metro up to the National Zoo and then down the parkway. You can coast almost the entire way. We did it twice and it was worth it both times.
The bikes were top of the line and preformed perfectly. The equipment was well maintained. The brakes were adjusted just right. The gears changed fluidly. At one point I somehow punctured my rear tube. Because of the instruction we received from the staff I was able to quickly replace the tube with the new one provided. I used the pump to refill the tire and 15 minutes later we were zooming along again like nothing had ever happened. I know it may sound silly but at that point my confidence level soared. I felt like I could do anything. My advice to you is this: if you are feeling like you’re in a rut, if you feel that at your age life has nothing left to offer, or if you’re just looking for a little adventure, go see the Nation’s Capitol on a bike. For five days I felt like a kid again. One last thing, if you do decide to rent a bike in DC, do yourself a favor and rent the bike from Bike and Roll.