Bike Hire Agreement: Terms and Conditions
These Terms and Conditions form part of the Agreement made between Lake District Bike Hire Ltd trading as Lake District Bikes and the hirer.
It is hereby agreed as follows:
Lake District Bikes rent bikes booked in advance, from their premises in Lowick Green, near Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 8DX
Booking Hire Bikes
All hire bikes must be pre-booked and paid for online via www.lakedistrictbikes.com. Each hire bike is individually listed on the website and multiple different bikes can be reserved on the same booking form.
Payment
Payment for the full period of bike hire must be made with the online booking. A receipt is emailed immediately the booking is made. A confirmation email with further details of location and collection times will be forwarded within 24 hours.
On collection of the bikes/equipment, a credit card deposit is required which will be refunded in full on the safe, undamaged return of the hire bikes/equipment. Alternatively a passport, driving licence or your car left on our premises (free parking) can be used as security against the safe return of the hire bikes/equipment.
Last minute: Clients wishing to hire bikes on the day must still book online prior to collection to ensure availability of the bike(s).
Cancellation of a Bike Hire Reservation
No refunds will be given for any bike hire cancellation for whatever reason.
Pandemics
Cash refunds will not be made for bookings unable to be utilised due to pandemic lockdown restrictions. Bookings can be rescheduled for when restrictions are lifted and are to be made within a rollover period of twelve months. Please contact John 07887 731552 or jrsutcliffe7@icloud.com to re-arrange as these changes cannot be made via the website.
Late/Early Returns
Unless previously agreed with Lake District Bikes, all bikes/equipment must be returned by 16:30 in summer (BST) and 16:00 in winter (BWT).
A charge for the late return of bikes of £20.00 per hour will be made.
Full or partial refunds will not be given for the early return of hire bikes under any circumstances including adverse weather conditions.
Delivery/Collection Service
Delivery and collection of hire bikes is free of charge within a three mile radius of Lowick. Delivery and collection to other locations can be arranged for a supplementary charge dependent on the mileage involved. This service is not available to be booked online and is subject to driver availability. Please contact John in advance on 07887 731552 or jrsutcliffe7@icloud.com
Rental Bikes and Equipment
By accepting the bike(s)/ equipment the hirer accepts that they are in good technical, safe and clean condition and must be returned in the same condition. Bikes and equipment hired remain the property of Lake District Bikes. The hirer is obliged to take good care of the bike/equipment hired and take all precautions necessary to protect from damage or theft. All the bikes are regularly maintained and inspected prior to each hiring as the safety of the client is paramount. It is the hirer’s responsibility to double check the bike and report any damage prior to setting off. On return a representative of Lake District Bikes will examine the bikes/equipment and if there is no damage or loss will confirm the cancellation of any credit card deposit taken. If for any reason a full inspection cannot be undertaken on their return, Lake District Bikes reserves the right to inform clients within seven days of the return of any damage found and invoice the hirer accordingly. Inner tubes supplied with the hire bikes will be charged at the recommended retail price if used or missing.
Should any damage be sustained to the bike or components during the hire period, the hirer is responsible for the full replacement cost at current market price of the whole or part of the bike so damaged. The hirer is responsible for the full replacement cost of the bike/equipment if it is lost or stolen during the hire period. It is recommended that the hire bike is kept in sight at all times. If you wish to transport the hire bikes to another location, this can only be done in a van, estate car or via a correctly rated mounted bike rack. If the wheels are removed, this is entirely at the hirer’s risk. Should any damage to the bike occur such as scratches to the frame and decals or any other damage, the hirer will be responsible for repairs as quoted by Lake District Bikes.
Children under 18 years must be accompanied by a riding adult at all times. Under UK law E-Bikes are not to be ridden on public roads by children under 14 years of age.
Road and hybrid bikes must not be used on mountain bike trails and must not be taken onto sand on the beaches. Mountain bikes must also not be taken onto sand.
Mountain bikes returned in an extremely muddy condition will incur an additional cleaning charge of £10.00 per bike. This charge is at the discretion of Lake District Bikes. Bike cleaning facilities are available on site should clients choose to clean the bikes themselves thereby restoring the bikes to the condition in which they were hired.
Group Bookings
The hirer it totally responsible for the welfare of all the bikes in a group booking, and if any of the bikes are damaged or stolen is individually responsible for all costs incurred. Therefore, it may be advantageous for each member of a group to make their own booking
in order to be individually responsible for their bike and equipment hired.
Hirers Responsibility
As all bookings for bike hire/equipment have to be made in advance via the web site, and the terms and conditions of hire agreed to there is no “Paperwork” to complete on collecting the hire bikes/equipment. A conformation email will give an allocated collection time. It is the hirer’s responsibility to check/inspect the hire bikes prior to leaving our hire base in Lowick. Leaving the hire base at Lowick presumes the hirer is wholly satisfied with the clean, safe, working order of the bike/bikes/equipment hired.
Long Term Bike Hire
Bikes and equipment may be booked for several days. In such circumstances an additional deposit will be taken from a card for a minimum of £500/bike.( on collection of the bikes) E-Bikes will be supplied with chargers. ( You may need to supply an electrical extension lead as you will need access to a 3 pin plug socket). Mountain bikes may be supplied with an off road bike “first aid” kit if requested. Cars may be parked at our hire base in Lowick , free of charge, while the hirer is away cycling for several days.
Car Parking
There is free on site car parking for everyone hiring bikes, by the hire base in Lowick. All cars are parked entirely at the owner’s risk.
Electric Bikes and Battery Care
E-Bikes should not be ridden through deep water nor streams. Water ingress will damage the motor and battery.
E-Bike batteries should be charged at room temperature for optimum performance and charging rate. Batteries must not be run completely flat as this can permanently damage the components. Damage can be traced by diagnostic software and replacement will be charged to the hirer at full retail cost.
Electric Bike Battery Life: All bikes are supplied with a fully charged battery. The hire fee for the electric bikes is for the use of the battery on the hired bike. How long the battery lasts is entirely dependent on how the bike is ridden, the route chosen, and the modes of assistance selected. There is no guarantee the battery will last all day. The E-power is “pedal assist” to pedalling and all the e-bikes have a full range of gears which must be used in conjunction with the “power assist” modes. In the unlikely event of the battery running out, it is possible to pedal unassisted back to base. Economic use of the e-bikes is fully explained and demonstrated on collection of the hire bike. If hiring for more than one day, all e-bikes are supplied with a charger and the charging process is fully explained.
Electrical Error Codes on E-Bikes
All E-Bikes returned showing an error code on the display will require professional Bosch diagnostics. This will be undertaken by Ride Repair Cycles, Grange over Sands, where a qualified Bosch technician will undertake electronic diagnostics. There is a standing £50 fee for this initial diagnostic investigation.
Error codes can be caused by mainly physical damage (impact) or water ingress (cycling through deep water). The hirer is responsible for the investigation and repair to the E-Bike highlighted in the error code. On completion of the Bosch diagnostics a full report will be submitted to the hirer by this independent assessment together with the repair costs. Should an error code of 500 be visible on the display the motor is probably damaged beyond repair by water ingress. Replacement motors including fitting cost approx. £900. Therefore, please investigate your own insurance cover when hiring an E-bike through either your home or holiday insurance.
When riding in a careful, responsible manner E-bikes are very robust and reliable. It is usually when the hired E-bikes are ridden disrespectfully that the above issues can occur. There has only been one incident of a 500 error code in 7 years of hiring E-bikes. A deposit payment of £1000 will be required in all cases where a 500 error code is apparent on the hire bikes return to cover the cost of diagnostics and repair. Should the estimated repair cost be less that £1000 the balance will be immediately returned to the hirer.
All diagnostics and repairs will take place only in the normal working hours of Ride Repair Cycles, and any time scale for diagnostics or repair will reflect this.
Long Term Hire of Electric Bikes
Electric bikes may be hired for more than one day. In this instance a Bosch battery charger will be supplied and a full demonstration as to how to recharge the bikes battery from a mains supply. You must ensure that the E-bike can be stored in a secure dry environment and that all electrical charging is done under cover. Electrical extension cables are not provided and in any doubt as to the accessibility of a mains supply you are to bring your ownextension cable. Batteries are to be charged on the E-bikes.
Cars may be left free of charge in our parking area at our hire base in Lowick. If intending to transport the E-bike by a vehicle please bear in mind that e-bikes weigh 25 kilo and are generally longer than standard bikes. Should a vehicle be unsuitable in the opinion of Lake District Bikes employees the opportunity to take an e-bike in a vehicle will be refused. The hirer is then responsible for making alternative arrangements.
If on placing the e-bike in a vehicle any wheels are removed to facilitate transport, it is so done at the entire liability of the hirer. Lake District Bikes accepts no responsibility nor liability for any damage or accident occurring after a wheel has been removed and refitted
by the hirer.
In addition to the terms of normal daily bike hire, a pre authorisation from the hirers card will be taken on arrival of the hirer to ensure any damage /none return of items supplied or theft cost implications of the E-bike is covered. This will remain valid for 48 hours after the return of the hired e-bike to give time for the employees of Lake District Bikes time to clean and inspect the returned bike.
All E-bikes to be hired are supplied with a canister of Bam! which is a puncture repair foam. Should this canister be used in case of a puncture there in an additional charge of £20 per canister. On the final day of hire the E-bikes must be returned to Lowick by 16:30 in BST and 16:00 in BWT.
Electric Bike Hire for Children Under the Age of 18
Children under the age of 18 cannot hire E-Bikes independently and must therefore be accompanied by an adult. E-Bikes can be ridden on road, trails , tracks ,lanes and bridleways by anyone over the age of 14 years old.
If the E-bike is hired by an adult for a child under the age of 14 years old it is entirely at the adults liability to ensure the E-bike is ridden legally at all times. E-Bikes are hired to children under the age of 18 on the understanding they are competent cyclists. Instruction will be given on the workings of the E-Bike but not on “How to ride a bike!”
Collection of Bikes/Equipment
Hire bikes are to be collected and returned to Lake District Bikes in Lowick during hours of business: 08:30 – 16:30 in summer (BST) and 09:00 – 16:00 in winter (BWT). You will be allocated a time to collect the bike(s) in the confirmation email you receive upon booking. This time will allow sufficient space between individual clients.
A fee of £20 per hour will be charged for any late return. Full or partial refunds of bike hire will not be given under any circumstances including adverse weather conditions.
Any bikes not collected by 1300 (unless by prior arrangement) will be deemed as not required by the hirer and will be returned to storage. Refunds will not be made.
Substitution of Hire Bikes
In the unlikely event of the bike you have booked be unavailable for hire for whatever reason, the bike will be substituted with the nearest alternative from our extensive hire fleet. Should no similar substitute hire bike be available an upgrade will be offered with no additional charge.
Liability in case of Accident
Lake District Bikes does not provide cover nor accepts any liability to third parties for damage caused to others or their property. It is recommended you have adequate insurance cover or ensure that you are covered by your holiday insurance policy. It is recommended that you carry personal identification and insurance documents whilst cycling.
Lake District Bikes does not accept any liability for any damage caused or injury to the hirer during the hire period. We recommend that helmets are worn at all times whilst cycling and are available to rent from Lake District Bikes. We advise that all cyclists ride within their own capabilities and fitness levels. Mountain biking can be dangerous and clients should not attempt hazardous trails beyond their skill level.
We recommend that clients carry a mobile whilst cycling. Lake District Bikes contact number is 07887 731552 (John Sutcliffe). For emergency services contact 999.
Accidental Damage to a Bike On Hire
In the case of an accident causing damage/no apparent damage to the hire bike there will be a standard charge of £50.00 to over the cost of the independent assessment of the bike to ensure the bike is removed from hire or allowed to continue to hire. This will be undertaken by a qualified accredited cycle technician at Ride Repair Cycles, Grange over Sands. Should the bike have sustained any damage a quote will be obtained for repair and submitted to the hirer by email. In the case of obvious visual damage to the hire bike being apparent a deposit of a minimum £250 will be taken by card towards the repair, making a total of £300. On submission of the repair estimate by email the hirer will be expected to pay the remaining sum or will receive a refund from Lake District Bikes. Lake District bikes does not offer any form of insurance to the hirer for any occurrence, we recommend you obtain your own insurance via your holiday or home insurance policies.
Civil Responsibility and Limitations
The hirer is responsible for respecting existing UK traffic laws. The hirer is responsible for all damages that occur whether to himself or anyone else within the rental period. Lake District Bikes does not accept liability for any claims by third parties regarding accidents, wounds, blows or damages caused by the hirer, nor to their property, or loss of objects for whatever reason outside of the control of Lake District Bikes.
Adverse Weather Conditions… Red Warning
Only in very severe weather as designated by the Met Office RED warning for this specific area of South Lake District will Lake District Bikes be closed for bike hire, for safety reasons. Such severe conditions are very unusual and usually only last for a short time. In such circumstances any bookings for bike hire will be rolled over to the day following lifting of the RED weather warning.
Weather in the Lake District National Park is very localised, here at our bike hire base in Lowick, we are miles away from the mountain tops where weather conditions can be severe, while we bathe in sunshine.
Agreement of Bike Hire Terms and Conditions
By completing the online booking form on the website www.lakedistrictbikes.com you agree to the above terms and conditions of hire.