NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THESE CROOKS !!! We rented from them several times in the past and were always pleased with their bikes & price. However, this year we sent them a request for 5 bikes for Spring Break 2014 months in advance, but never heard anything back from them about the reservation. On April 1, 2014 I called their business number to make sure they received our reservation - the phone line said "the number you have called is disconnected or no longer in service". We thought "wow - that's too bad they were a good company". We had to book with another company because our trip was only 4 days away. We found another company online and they immediately confirmed our reservation and charged our credit card. Then we showed up on Kiawah Island yesterday and found Seaside had delivered the 5 bikes without any notice or confirmation. I double checked the call detail on my cell of the call I had made on 4/1/14 and it was the same number listed on the contract they left. I immediately called the number on 4/5/14 and to my surprise someone answered this time. He could not give me an explanation about why the phone said disconnected, and he said they confirmed the reservation via telephone a day or two after the order was placed but he "would have to check their phone log". WE NEVER GOT SUCH A CALL!! I offered to pay a "small" delivery charge for their trouble, but I was told I would have to pay a one-day rental fee of $18.95 per bike. Are you kidding me - the rental fee for a whole week was $32.95 per bike!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE?? We were charged $97.00 and never even unlocked the bikes!!! 5/1/14 Update - We immediately disputed the charges on our credit card, and our credit card company ruled in our favor and reversed the charges to SS Cycles. Now Seaside Cycles is trying to charge our credit card $50.00 for nothing. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? read more

I have to agree with the other reviewer (whose post has been taken down now)....this company is a rip-off. They may be like $1 cheaper than other companies per week for a bike, but do yourself a favor and do not use them. The bike I had broke twice in two days...once after literally riding it 10 feet, then again when I was at the far end of the island and had to push it all the way home. After they came to pick up the broken bike the second time, they told me they were "cancelling the contract because a woman was 'mean to the delivery person'". No idea who they talked to...could have been anyone from a relative to someone cleaning the house or walking by...in any case, I am male and I had the contract and it wasn't me. After all this, they still billed me and refused to explain themselves or work it out over the phone after I gave them the benefit of the doubt and a courtesy call before disputing with my credit card company. Overall, terrible experience. 7/19/2013--Update: Results speak for themselves. Entire charge was credited to my account. I still have no idea what owner is talking about. Note to owner: it is probably not good business practice to make unsubstantiated accusations of racism towards people associated with your customers. Maybe excuse just to get money? Maybe just misunderstanding? Not sure. read more

Hands down the best bike rental company on Kiawah Island. After traveling to Kiawah and trying Seaside Cycles we have never used another rental company. They provide exceptional service and great bikes. We highly recommend them. read more

The bicycles were in terrible shape, not to mention unsafe. We rented three bicycles, two of which had seats that wouldn't stay secure in the desired position. Of those two malfunctioning seats, one of them would stay in place if you rode slowly, but the other one would shift left-to-right-to-left with each peddle of the legs, and once or twice it shifted downwards suddenly. Lastly, one of the bicycles had such a sudden break when you backpedaled even the slightest that we ultimately ditched it after two rides; it was so unpleasant to ride to the point that my wife dreaded having to brake. This was the bicycle that had a malfunctioning seat that was workable, but as you can tell, overall, this was a terrible set of bicycles to be dealt The child stroller was also in questionable shape; the seat bench was covered with dirt and some kind of stains, and given that they sit out in the open, there was what appeared to be mildew / fungus inside the canopy itself. There were also brown streaks that we had to wipe off the bench initially; we weren't entirely sure if it was dirt or residue from the previous child, but we were obviously not placing a high priority in getting lab results back. We were dreading the thought of rain coming down because the cover was so nasty and had the same fungus-like substance and smell to it, and ultimately, we never had to use it. We laid down a plastic bag and a towel for the one time we allowed our 3 year-old to sit in it About the only positive was that the male on the phone was eager to take our order and credit card number and was timely from that perspective. Other than that, the only other positive (or some would deem this a negative) is that we never had to see anyone from this so-called business; they dropped off the bikes and picked them up when we weren't around, which was probably a good thing for them. The family in the house next to us rented from Island Bike & Surf and had better equipment, and they said that their bicycles were great rides. Wish we had known. On the billing issue that Steve may comment on, yes, there is a billing issue but I didn't initially want to write about it because the Yelp community is more interested in the bicycles than billing issues. But yes, we have a billing issue too, which they want everybody to know, so I will quickly address!! Long story short because readers shouldn't be bored with these details, but I was billed for three helmets that I wasn't sure I wanted but Seaside Cycles left for us to try, and when I called and indicated that we wouldn't want them, I was kindly told not to worry and that I wouldn't be billed and to just hold onto them. I was NOT told that they would come by to pick them up. When I received my bill, I was billed an extra ~$15. VERY annoying, but when you have only a 'gentlemen's agreement' on the phone and no paper trail and the other side is citing that they came to pick them up and that they weren't there (which was not the case), there's nothing you can do, and it's only $15 for a $170+ bill (so I don't care at the end of the day, but they obviously do). So why didn't I ask for my money back if the bicycles were in such bad shape? All I can say is when you're on vacation, you just don't want to deal with things sometimes, so I let it go and just asked that they not bill me for the helmets, which they went ahead and did. As for saying that they did a great job, I'm not sure where that's coming from given my experience! I was very nice on the phone when I tried to correct what I perceive as a billing mistake on the helmets (I think it's an obvious strategy that one should be nice when you're trying to get money back), but that clearly didn't work, so I'm paying for the helmets and won't dispute it further because it's not worth $15. I reference Christy W (8/15/03) and Hunka J (7/8/13) appear to have had billing issues too. Last words: there are plenty of customers on Yelp who have had EXCELLENT experiences with Seaside Cycles, and who would disagree with my assessment of my own personal experience. You should read those and consider my own experience as only the experience of one family. That said, it's my right to express my experience: bicycles were terrible; I feel that I was overbilled (and the proprietor says that I was properly billed and you can read his comments); the positives were that it was speedy processing of my order and the locks were very easy to work with. Enough said - I've spent too much time on this review, but in response to the VM that the proprietor left for me that was not pleasant, I felt the need to be heard and as well, to remind you to balance my views with those who had a positive experience and what the proprietor has to say. Lastly, I hope you read my other reviews of Kiawah!!! It's a fantastic destination, and my reviews of ALL places experienced are out to hopefully serve you well. read more

So I didn't read Yelp reviews before renting from this company and I now really wish I had as our issue was similar to a number of others on here. Our reservation and delivery were very smooth and we had no issues with the bikes when we got them. We used them twice during our short trip with no issues. On the last day we went for an early morning ride before heading home and at the farthest point of our ride (5+ miles away from our condo) one entire pedal fell off one of our bikes making it completely unrideable. My husband had to bike back alone, get the car, and come pick up me and the bike making our plans for a final relaxing ride anything but. These things happen, though, right? I figured I'd call the company, explain what happened and they would offer a small reimbursement for the inconvenience. Not only did they not offer reimbursement, they never answer their phone and never even bothered to return ANY of my calls! For what is supposedly a small family business you'd think they would want to protect their reputation and offer high quality products and customer service. Apparently all they offer are excuses to complaints on Yelp. Do yourself a favor, steer clear of this place and go elsewhere. There is PLENTY of competition with similar pricing and, I would assume, better customer service. You can't get much worse than non-existent. By the way, Seaside, you could have avoided this review with a simple return call, an apology, and a small credit. Think things all the way through next time you're thinking about ignoring your customers. read more

They missed their delivery time and did not answer the phone for 5 hours, only when I called to cancel did they drop off the bicycles. The equipment was in fair condition at best. I would try another company. read more

Great price and service. Excellent communication. The bicycles were in good condition and worked perfectly. Thanks again!

Misleading advertising to say the least. Advertised one rate online but then ended up paying $12 more when the bikes arrived. Was told that the rate online was only for a limited number of bikes and that you had to mention the rate when ordering. Make sure you get the price guaranteed up front before ordering from this company as they are definitely not the cheapest rate on Kiawah Island unless you get the "special" discounted rate. read more

We initially ordered two bikes, one with an infant seat and another with a trailer. Those came just fine. We called back and added two more bikes to the order on Sunday afternoon at 3:30. We called back 24 hours later because they had yet to be delivered. They were guaranteed by 5 on Monday. I called at 6:45 PM because we still had no bikes. No one answered and no one called back. The bikes FINALLY arrived Tuesday around 10:30 AM. We were over two miles from the house when my husband told me to stop because the infant seat seemed loose. Whoever put the seat on the bike didn't even bother to put the seat on the track, so the only thing holding our toddler in was a bolt and the top of my seat. I was livid. It's one thing to be late and offer no apologies. It's another to risk a traumatic brain injury to my child because of incompetence. I called the owner and of course no apology was offered. My family has owned a small business for over thirty years. If we operated like this, we would have been out of business in no time! Pay the extra few bucks and go with Alligator. This guy still charged us full price even though he brought bikes late, improperly equipped, and risked the safety of our child...all without uttering the first apology. read more

We have rented from Seaside at least once a year for about 10 years. They always have bikes when the other rental companies at Kiawah are out of bikes. They also have the lowest prices every year. Their bikes aren't all brand new, but I would not expect them to be shiny and new, especially when they are used around the salt, surf, and sometimes punishing weather on the SC Coast. If we ever have a problem, all we have to do is call and Seaside sends out someone with another bike, repair, etc. (I think we had, maybe, one equipment problem in the last 10 years, and we have rented practically every kind and size of bike, tag-along, child seat, helmet, etc.) I have never had the proprietor be unfriendly or short (at least I think its the proprietor because I recognize his voice year after year). Delivery is usually very quick. Are they perfect? Of course not -- once they accidentally delivered bikes to a house two doors down, but hey did not charge us for that day, of course. Not bad for 10 years or so. They do not demand perfection from their customers either. One year, one of the bikes we rented disappeared -- we had neglected to lock it while swimming at the Sandcastle. Instead of charging us for a new bike, the owner said they would wait a while and see if it showed up somewhere on the island by the end of the summer. The bike did show up eventually, and Seaside didn't charge us a thing for the time the bike was missing. Seaside has definitely earned our loyalty. read more

We rented 4 adult bikes, 3 children's bikes, a child carrier seat, and Burley child carrier for our recent trip. Upon delivery, we found that one child's handle bars were not screwed on. On my husband's first ride, his pedals fell off while riding. When I spoke to them on the phone, they said they would send out a repair guy (which they did) and I asked is he would check over all the bikes to be sure they were safe. That night, we found a BOX CUTTER KNIFE in the Burley child carrier along with a shop rag. This gave me nightmares that my 2 and 1 year old had access to this knife (thankfully no one was hurt). When I spoke with Steve on the phone, I found myself very upset that he did not take ownership for this situation. I was appalled that he implied that we might have been responsible for this knife in the carrier. (We were in a rental home without access to a single tool...completely empty garage). When he asked what he could do for me, I asked that he revisit his policy to make sure that this type of negligence would never happen again. His answer was to inform me on what the definition of negligence was and that this simply was a possible mistake and the only time that it has happened in his 17 years of business. One time to many, Steve. Sorry I had to hang up on you. I just could not understand why you could have no compassion for our family in this situation. read more

this made for a fun afternoon to get a feel for the area. they had great brand new bikes and excellent service.