One of the best ways to get around Manly is on two wheels, and if you’re visiting for the day there’s an easy way to hire a bike that’ll give you that freedom for the day.
Manly Bike Tours is a bike hire and rental service that has a shop front right by the Corso, and you’ll likely spot it on your way to the beach from the Manly Ferry wharf. They hire out their cream beach cruisers (slightly heavy, and only one gear) for $16 – which is the cheapest option and perfectly functional for a cycle to Shelly Beach.
We gave a beach cruiser a try and operationally it’s all you need to reach a leisurely 10km speed, which is what you’re restricted to around most of the cycle lanes in Manly. Each bike is fitted with a pocket bag for your essentials (phone, lock) and there’s a laminated map attached to the handlebars. The Australian flag bell is a little rusty, but the tires are pumped and once you’ve registered on the app in store and handed over your licence, you’re good to go.
As the cruiser only has one gear, it’s a challenge to scale any kind of hill (or even to mount the curb) but you’ll soon pick up speed on the downhill. There are bike storage points all over Manly, and they provide a helmet to keep you safe and within the local road cycling laws.
Manly Bike Tours a wider range of bicycles for hire, including road bikes, off-road mountain bikes with full suspension, kids’ bikes and tandems. Their e-bike is $25 per hour and their hybrid is $21 per hour. Day rates are reasonable, starting from $33, and they have child seats and lockers for hire too.
You don’t need to book in advance; simply rock up with your ID and payment.
