We had a great tour last week to the San Andreas faults. We learned a lot and beautiful pics. The salton sea portion was anticlimactic- so this could even be removed as part of tour bc hard to see from so many miles away. Saw some wild life and great tour guide. read more

A great ride, every time! - - - - - - - - February, 2025 Visit - - - The Concise Overview - - - Big Wheel has been doing this for years; you'll be glad you rode with them... we rode the Earthquake Canyon Bike Ride You can talk on the phone and ask questions, but you sign up / register online. 1) You meet; 2) the van drives you to the starting point; 3) you get your bike and confirm it's set "just right" and get water; 4) riders ride and Big Wheels follows you - mostly downhill with minimal pedaling for 15-16 miles, which you'll likely cover in 30-45 minutes; minimal pedaling the last 4-5 miles, all flat, no uphill; Recommended... DO slow and/or stop and take it in and capture photos and have a great time; 5) at the end you ride back in the van. - - - Brief Background - - - My wonderful wife and I just enjoyed a trip to Pam Desert and San Diego, with a visit to La Jolla. One of the more exciting activities was riding the Earthquake Canyon ride... again! I first rode wit Big Wheel Tours, just me, on one of our trips to Palm Desert back around 2005; then in 2008 or 2009 we enjoyed a family ride, my wife pedaled with our daughter in a pumpkin seat and I pedaled with our son in a pumpkin seat. Now they are both in college so we are traveling, together, just us. On this trip, my wife recommended this ride, and what a recommendation! Even if the weather was not as amazing as it was (clear skies, mid-80s), it would have been a great ride. - - - The Prep - - - All riders meet at the pickup location; we happened to meet in Palm Desert, at the parking lot for Morton's, across the street from the JW Marriott & Marriott Vacation Club's Desert Spring Villas. From there, you're all in the van. Three of us couples rode that day; Ben was our friendly and helpful and knowledgeable guide + chauffeur + chase van driver. Ben is wise about many things, from the weather and geology of the Coachella Valley, and nearby Joshua Tree National Park, to animals including his falconry interest, and much more. Ben is also helpful in getting you ready to ride. The Earthquake ride is through the Box Canyon... It's off I-10, east of the Valley; at the same exit, to the South, as you would take if you were going north to the Joshua Tree Cottonwood National Park Entrance. Ben parks in a safe place and provides the helmets and bikes; they are hybrid bikes with tires thicker than 10-speed road bikes and not as thick as a mountain bike. You share your height when you register, and they bring a couple extras to make sure you have one that fits. The bikes have bottle holders and BWB provides water bottles. And you can leave all things in the van and they will be there when you are picked up; and if you need something you can stop and get it. - - - The Ride - - - A fellow rider was accurate when she shared: biking / cycling / riding is just the right pace... driving is too fast to take in all the beauty of the desert and this canyon, and walking is too slow. So true. So true. The Coachella Valley leads down to the Salton Sea, which is the second-lowest elevation in North America, at -234 feet below sea level; most of places visitors stay in the Valley - Palm Springs, Palm Desert, etc., are ~ 250-450 feet in elevation. The Earthquake Canyon ride starts just over 1,500 feet in elevation and finishes ~ -180 below sea level. On the drive you'll notice the gentle uphill climb along I-10 eastbound. That similar slope is your Earthquake Canyon friend. Ben shared the five sections of the canyon, and each is distinct and readily seen; thanks, Ben for sharing! BWB will pace you in the van, so you can ride at your pace and stop for photos and to take it in. Impressive are the views of the layers of the rock that are tilted by the San Andreas fault, which you ride over! Impressive are the plants growing along the ride. Impressive are the minimal vehicles you'll likely encounter. Toward 15 miles you'll cross over one of the aqueducts that brings water to the farmland that provides so much of our food in the grocery stores, especially the produce we enjoy in the winter. The ride will likely end in Mecca; you'll hand back the helmets and turn in the bikes; you may likely stop by a stand where you can get fresh-cut fruit or something else. - - - The Ride Back - - - BWB will get you to a place with a restroom before the drive back. The ride back helps you see more farmland and some palm tree farms. Soon you're back at the drop-off/pickup spot, and happy for such a great ride. Review Thank you, Ben, and Big Wheel Tours! ----- ----- ----- read more

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We recently took a 4-hour off-road tour of the San Andreas Fault with Big Wheel Tours in Palm Desert, and it was absolutely fantastic! Our guide, Jeff, made the entire experience unforgettable. Jeff was incredibly educational, explaining the creation and meaning of the San Andreas Fault in a way that was both fascinating and easy to understand. His breadth of knowledge about the geology and the surrounding area was truly impressive. What really stood out, though, was his ability to tailor the tour to our interests--he had so much more he could have shared, but he adjusted seamlessly to what we wanted to see and learn. On top of his expertise, Jeff was easygoing, pleasant, and had a great sense of humor, which made the tour both fun and engaging. He was also mindful of possible concerns at some of the more adventurous stops (a bit of an E-ticket ride!) and put everyone at ease. We walked away with not only a deeper appreciation for the San Andreas Fault and its history but also wonderful memories of a truly unique adventure. I would highly recommend this tour--and especially Jeff--to anyone visiting the Palm Desert area! read more

Booked bikes on their website, they even took a deposit. Only to get an unapologetic call saying that the prices were doubled because it's a busy weekend! Terrible customer service. They will nickel and dime you, be aware! read more

Ron, our tour guide was extremely well knowledgeable and took us to absolutely fabulous places in Joshua Tree national Park. We saw so much in the park and my friend who is visiting thoroughly enjoyed it. read more

Integrity, honesty, good value and service. Wow just blown away by the customer service of this business as we had two bikes assembled recently and they did a great and impressive job. read more

Big Wheel Tours - These came in 5000 pieces and they put them together in 24 hours or so. - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Awesome bike shop!! Super helpful and knowledgeable staff. They did a tune up on my Specialized bike and it feels great!

Please note that there is a new address for this place, please find it on google maps which is updated. But on to my review: Fantastic place with real bike enthusiasts! Great customer service, wonderful store, close to my house, reasonable prices, and great bike repair! I highly recommend this place read more

Ben was our guide and he was very knowledgeable of the area. He met us in the Morton's Steakhouse parking lot in Palm Desert. He drove us 40 minutes to the drop off point. I was disappointed that we drove the whole route before being dropped off to bike the same route back down. The bike route is 20 miles and took us 1.5 hour. It is NOT all down hill. You should be in moderate shape to do this ride. We pedaled the entire time. Once you leave Palm Desert, there is no restroom until you return 4 hours later. Nature is your friend for the bathroom during the bike ride. Only half the bike ride is in the canyons. The rest is through open area and farm land. The chain fell off my bike and Ben quickly swapped it out with one in the truck. He follows you in a truck and when you need water or help he stops. The date shake is no longer part of the tour. Ben provided snacks and water. Overall, it was an ok experience. It would be better if you only rode in the canyons and skipped the first and last 5 miles. The canyons were beautiful and I'm glad I did the ride. read more

Big Wheel Tours - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Great service,Great bikes, Great location near shopping, restaurants, and trails. Highly recommend!

All I can say is WOW! Evan and the Team at Big Wheels are miracle workers! Not only did they bring my bike back to life they made it look brand new! I called around a few bike shops and most were running on 3-4 weeks turn time. Evan from Big Wheels called me back after I submitted my request on Yelp and I almost didn't believe him when he said it would take him a couple of days to tune my bike up. Well, he delivered and gave outstanding service! Thank you, Evan and Team. read more

Helpful + great bike selection to rent , purchase + for repairs! Fabulous to do business with !

Easy peazy to rent - excellent customer service - great bikes! read more

Big Wheel Tours - Cruising around PGA West in La Quinta - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California

My wife and I took a van tour of Joshua Tree recently using this tour line, and we had a pretty good time! First, you have to know what you're getting into when you take a van tour at Big Wheel Tours. There's not going to be a lot of hiking or staying too long at any given place. The point is to cover as much distance as possible, with a few small breaks along the way. We definitely felt like we got our money's worth - the tour lasted from 1 PM to 6 PM, so we were pretty tired by the end, despite sitting in a van nearly the whole time! We covered ~100 miles and drove through about half of Joshua Tree, so not bad for an afternoon's work. The park is really beautiful and Steve, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable about the different plant and animal life in the park. My favorite scenic view was when we stopped at Keys View - the landscape was breathtaking! We also stopped to check out Skull Rock (a big rock that looks like a skull) and get a closer look at some of the flora in the region. Overall, I'm not sure I would recommend going on a van tour to my friends because I think you may enjoy the park more if you take it slow and spend more time appreciating a few spots (as opposed to driving ~100 miles in an afternoon!). Still, for what it was, Steve did a good job, so I can't rate the tour lower than 4 stars. read more

We recently purchased some bikes, yet they were semi-assembled. Since I have never put a bike together before, I searched for a nearby bike shop on Yelp. When I came across Big Wheel Tours and saw that they do bike repairs/maintenance along with having a very good Yelp rating, I decided to give them a try. I was very impressed with meeting Evan. Not only did he provide AWESOME customer service from beginning to end, he treated us like very close friends vs. just average Joe customers. Best of all, I thought Evan's original quote to assemble our bikes were very fair and reasonable, yet Evan ended up charging us less than his original quote and assembled our bikes much quicker than he thought it would take. Overall, I wish more business owners were as professional, nice, friendly and offered such outstanding customer service as Evan. "Way to go, Evan!" :-) read more

We rented bikes for a festival weekend. They knew exactly what we needed, delivered them to our house on time, picked them up when we were done, and the bikes worked perfectly. Great customer service and price. Thank you! read more

Evan was exceptionally friendly and efficient. My bike got repaired in record time. Thank you for the hospitality! Michael read more

I was looking for a mountain bike specialty store to service a couple mountain bikes and found this bike service on Yelp . Although I reached out to a few specialty stores, Evan, was the first to respond to my inquiries and he promptly scheduled our bike service. Upon arrival, Michael, our service technician was timely, professional, and extremely helpful. He provided us with a complimentary gear tune up on one of our bikes, provided 2 tire adaptors, and offered to help us load our bikes on our car. His service, knowledge and professionalism blew our socks off! This level of customer service is rare and so very much appreciated. I highly recommend this business and will keep them as my mountain bike service "go to." read more

Great road bike rental and super friendly staff! Shoutout to Michael for all the help.

I love this place because the staff are all so friendly. Always clean and a great variety of bikes to rent. The tours of the area are a lot of fun. Great prices for renting a bike for a day or a week. You will like this place. read more

Evan runs this bike rental shop. He is so kind and helpful. Loved the bike. It was easy to ride for a small person. Rode the walk through e bike and had the best time. I loved the service Evan offers. You can call and he will answer with answers. Thank you, Evan!! read more

Best start to this new year!!! Our tour guide was awesome and super insightful! My husband and I had a blast! read more

Big Wheel Tours - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California

I've been looking around for someone to put my bike together and some of the other bike shops were Kurt not friendly and quoted me three or four weeks to get my bike taken care of.Hi I just had a great experience at BIG WHEEL TOURS. I've been looking around for someone to put my bike together and some of the other bike shops were Kurt not friendly and quoted me three or four weeks to get my bike taken care of. or for any services you might need. Great shop and great people!!! read more

We are still talking about our wonderful bike and hike tour of Andreas Canyon with "Captain Ron". The ride and hike were delightful - traversing thru old Palm Springs, then up to Andreas Canyon: an oasis in the desert. Ron was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the original peoples of the land, the culture, the trees, plants, and geology of this area. We were very impressed! He even had our 18 and 20 year old kids entranced. Highly recommend!! read more

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Rented a carbon road bike, the KHS Flite 900. They delivered to the hotel, didn't have to drag my wife and (adult) kids to a bike shop on our way into town. Good bike, great price on 4 day rental. Recommended. read more

I rent bikes from BWT occasionally: Friendly. Good guys. Good bikes. read more

Our group picked the Andreas Fault Jeep Tour and had the time of our lives!!!! HIGHLY recommend this tour! We had Joe for our guide and he was amazing. He made the tour so much fun. Not only entertaining, but was so knowledgeable about all our stops, patient and helpful through all the climbing, and even captured some pictures for us. We made some great memories that we'll never forget. We saw some interesting wildlife and creatures. If you go....pick Joe!!! Thanks again for a wonderful trip! read more

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We use them to tour Joshua tree in November. I'm so glad that we did! We never would've understood the history and hit all of the best spots without their help. They were very accommodating as we ended up switching trucks right before we left due to confusion on our part. I highly recommend them! read more

Kollin was the best, friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. We had a great time learning about the area and taking in the sites. My only comment would be that the description did not give a good enough indicator of the physical requirements for the biking and hiking. read more

Big Wheel Tours - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Big Wheel Tours is a great company to rent your bike. Their bike delivery service is great and the bikes are of great quality and well maintained. I rode around Palm Desert from the Indian Wells Tennis tournament and I would just suggest to bring your own head lights or bike lights in case you want to ride around in the dark. Thanks Big Wheels! I will be back next year! read more

Evan and michael went above and beyond to repair the bottom bracket in my bike. Thanks for the solid and thorough work! Highly recommend dealing with these guys if you're looking for a local bike tour, or need any minor or major repairs on high end bikes. Thanks again. read more

I was shopping around for a place to rent a bike in the Palm Springs area and decided to try BWT and was glad I did! I first called the Palm Springs location but they were closed (due to the pandemic shutdowns) so if you do please select the option to be transferred to the Palm Desert location. I spoke to the owner Evan who was very accommodating in setting up a pick-up appointment. He gave me a quick overview on how to get set up and let me take a test ride around the parking lot. I was also able to get a bike lock and helmet - very convenient. I did a 24-hour rental which was well worth it. I was able to ride around Palm Springs in the evening and take the bike out to the trails at Joshua Tree NP the next day. Made my trip so much more worthwhile! To keep this short I'll just say this place is so much better value than Pedego it was worth the 25 minute drive from Palm Springs. Will rent from them every single time I am in the area! read more

Big Wheel Tours - E-bike mountainbike - awesome! - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California

We reserved 2 great electric assist Mountain bikes and enjoyed 4 hours of riding at Cove Oasis in La Quinta. Great bikes. Great service. Bikes delivered on time and picked up when we finished. Hope to do it again soon. read more

I've been a repeat renter due to consistent, excellent customer service and quality bikes.

We just recently returned from Palm Springs, our first trip there and the highlight of our trip was the Big Wheel Bike Tour. It provides a good way to get some exercise and see the country as well as hear about the history of palm springs, from our bike guide, Bill. The tour is at a slight decent so you dont need to push yourself unless you want to and the tour guide follows the riders in a 'pace' car to ensure you are safe. There are virtually no cars on the road you travel on so its already pretty safe They outfit you with all the necessary gear (helmet, bike, water) and even provide a snack about 7 miles in (warm chocolate chip cookies baked by the owner). The ride lasts a good 1.5 hrs and you travel over 20 miles. Its a blast and would recommend it to anyone. read more

We rented four e-bikes during the Thanksgiving Weekend. We were absolutely delighted with the service we got from Big Wheel Tours in Palm Desert. From easy reservation process, bike orientation for novice family members... to quality of e-bikes and ease of pedal assist -- all awesome. Michael was wonderful and so helpful. 2 hour biking fun in Palm Desert. Highly recommend. read more

Here's my HONEST and COMPREHENSIVE review of Big Wheel Tour's Earthquake Canyon Express Downhill Bike Adventure We booked this bike tour based on the many positive experiences on Yelp & TripAdvisor; but after our personal experience on 4/2/18, I feel it necessary to share with you the ACTUAL facts of this tour. 1. THIS IS NOT AN EASY RIDE! Don't be fooled by the name of the tour or the many reviews saying you do not have to be in good shape. There's this thing called HEADWIND which is common in the desert, and when you're biking with the wind blowing towards you, even downhill can feel flat and flat-land can feel like an uphill ride. There were four of us - two of the riders were avid road bikers who ride over 45 miles every weekend. I am fit, averaging twice-a-week workouts, a triathlete, and training for my next half marathon. We all agreed that the first 9 miles were hell and the head wind made it feel as if we were riding uphill. The final 11 were better, but the wind was still brutal. I'm not saying don't do the ride, but just be mentally prepared that this is not as easy as what some of the other reviewers make it seem - you will be riding at least 15 miles, you will be winded, you may encounter wind, and you will be sore after the ride. 2. THERE IS CAR TRAFFIC THE ENTIRE TIME ON THE ROAD! Parents of younger kids should definitely know that we are riding on a two-lane paved road. This means that cars will come up behind you and eventually accelerate past your bikes. If the pack is split (there's a group in front and a gap and then your group, know that cars may pull up suddenly in front of you to avoid oncoming traffic. There were more than two cars for certain. It was a busy day so we had sedans and trucks race past us and cut in front of us. There was also opposing traffic so just be prepared. 3. THE GUIDE DOES NOT RIDE WITH YOU. I'm not sure if this was stated in the reviews but I didn't "get" that. What actually happens is that the van driver, who is also the tour guide, the bike mechanic, and refreshment provider, drives his van behind the pack of riders. He did say that if the headwind got worse, he'd drive in front of us - he should have driven in front of us to cut the wind. What our guide, Steve, did was drive behind us and when it's time to stop for him to tell us something about the canyon or the fault, he'd pull up in front of us in a distance and we would stop behind his van on the road and he'd get out of the van and tell us about the sight. If we had an emergency or wanted to stop to take a photo, we would put our arm up to signal for him to stop, and the entire pack would have to stop. 4. THE GUIDE IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE. Steve knew a lot about the terrain and the history so ask questions. 5. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SOLID. The process to purchase the tickets were easy - we booked over the phone. I'd recommend that because while the rates advertised on Tripadvisor & Yelp say $105, we only paid $85 without a coupon or asking for a discount. 6. DATE SHAKE GOOD BUT SMALL. The date shake is part of the experience. The guide isn't paying out of his own pocket. It's a small portion and more like liquid soft serve. It's tasty and not too sweet, unlike Hadley's. Ample of variety of date samples to try. This was a fun final stop before getting on the van for the 30-minute drive back to the meeting location. 7. DON'T WORRY ABOUT PARKING. The instructions are to meet at the restaurant parking lot. It's actually a huge outdoor parking area that houses a Vons Supermarket and a variety of stores so don't worry about not finding parking. 8. WEAR A CAP (they will give you a helmet) AND DON'T FORGET SUNSCREEN & SUNGLASSES. read more

I inquired late on a Friday, and they took me on Saturday morning. They had to order a part, and my bike was back to me by Monday. I would highly recommend them for all your bike service needs. read more

After calling a couple other bike sales and repair shops and getting no response, I called Big Wheel Tours and Evan got back to me immediately. I got my bike repaired and tuned up for a great price! Thank you Evan for customer service! read more

Rented a road bike for 4 days. Easy to book. Excellent quality NEW bike. Delivered on time and set up. Pick up on time. Michael gave great advice on some of my planned routes. Will definitely book with Big Wheel on my next trip to the area. read more

Big Wheel Tours - Bike Rentals Near Me - Palm Desert, California