The Gaslamp on Two Wheels

September 18, 2014  |  Michael Gauthier  |  Featured, United States

“How tall are you?” he asked as he adjusted the seat height on my rental bike. “Need a helmet? Need a lock?” continued Matt from The Bike Revolution store in the Gaslamp district of San Diego, as he checked off a list of things to make sure my ride was going to be as trouble-free as possible.

I wanted to do a quick tour of the Gaslamp District, and figured a bicycle might be the best way to do it. A on-line search turned up The Bike Revolution, and they seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. The store is centrally located on 6th Avenue and loaded with bikes and accessories for purchase and rent. After getting properly equipped and receiving some route suggestions, I headed off. My bike was a nice, solid 21 speed unit. It had more than a few miles on it, but it was tight and comfortable, and the brakes immediately responded to a quick pull (nice to know before pulling away).

I completed my tour without incident, but I was somewhat surprised by the lack of bike lanes on the three major streets enclosing the District – there were numerous occasions when I needed to check to if a driver was willing to share the road with me. A number of bikers had taken to the sidewalk, which clearly was not the best idea in a lunch hour crowd.

I was easily able to take a quick look at the entire District and make mental notes about places I wanted to return to. My rental bike performed as it should, and the rental process was easy and painless.

The Bike Revolution is open 7 days a week at 522 6th Avenue, and rental rates start at $10 an hour and $22 a day. Highly recommended.

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