We had a great experience at Southwest Cycle! Mark and Bob fitted each member of our group to a bike and took their time to discuss different route options. We had the most magical day riding the carriage roads! We can't wait to come back next summer! read more

Southwest Cycle - Bike Rentals Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

We rented bikes here while on vacation. Bob set us up with a couple basic hybrids that were perfect for cruising the carriage paths of Acadia. Bikes weren't anything fancy but were perfectly dialed in. Perfectly. We also were given a map and some excellent suggestions about where to ride. All around great experience! read more

Ended up not renting from here, because the staff was rude and kept giving reasons why he didn't want to rent to me.

These guys are great! Bob (the owner) and Mark were extremely friendly and helpful, advising us on the e-bikes that we rented, the best routes (and what roads to avoid), local politics, and where to eat and drink locally. Great shop, damn nice people, good experience. read more

A local friend recommended Southwest Cycle and they were spot on. Their team was SO helpful. Everyone worked together, they put a hitch on our car, fitted our bikes, checked the air, and were generally nice people throughout the process. I recommend them to anyone. The bikes and helmets were in great condition and we had a good time. Prices seemed fair. read more

Long time user, first time reviewer. Rented a child trailer from a tall blond guy on a Thursday afternoon for use through Saturday. When I asked him how to use it he seemed confused and told me it "just hooks right up to the back" and put it in my trunk. If you've got young kids you know that sometimes the best laid plans go awry, we were unable to use the trailer and it stayed in the trunk Friday until Sat morning. We pulled the trailer out on Sat morning and while trying to attach it to the bike realized that it was missing the crucial part needed to attach the trailer arm to the bike. Result? Wildly disappointed children. Went to the shop to rectify what seemed to be a straightforward and understandable oversight on the part of the shop. Tall blond guy was at the register, recognized the mistake with an "oh sh$&, I'm really sorry, let me get someone who can handle refunds." A guy with short hair and black rimmed glasses comes out and tells me that they don't do refunds of any type and that I "should have called on Friday when I knew there was a problem." I explained to him a few times that due to not using the cart I didn't know there was a problem to report. He then took my receipt, put it two inches from my face and said, "no refunds on rentals, you should have called, now please leave the store." Have been customers every year for the last 20 summers, never again. read more

We were looking for a new bike for me. Bob spend a great deal of time with us helping to find the right bike. We rented a bike for 1 day to try it out. When we came back, Bob helped find a bike that addressed my minor concerns. He spent time adjusting the handlebars and seats to make sure everything was perfect for me. You could tell that Bob is passionate about biking and helping others enjoy the sport. His staff was also friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. Great shop for buying or renting a bike! read more

Great rental! Staff was knowledgeable and kind. Price was super competitive. Definitely a steal compared to Bar Harbor prices.

Rented a FUJI aluminum bike with carbon components here. The store found a few women's specific saddles for me to choose from, and popped on SPD specific pedals for me. Fair price and loaned me a CO2 cartridge (since you can't bring them on planes). Pleasant folk and a good experience. **CALL AHEAD TO ENSURE YOU RESERVE A BIKE*** I have found that the bike shops in Acadia are very busy in August and you will want to ensure you get the bike of your choice by calling ahead. read more

We've been trying to encourage our now 10 year-old to ride a bike for years with zero luck. He didn't like the balance bike or a bike with training wheels and then stopped trying after an REI class that guaranteed he would succeed. But with a few weeks in Bar Harbor, we decidEd to give it another try. Steve was super helpful and encouraging. At first he removed the pedals and we were able to get him to balance. Then we had to go back to the shop because our son complained that the seat was too uncomfortable. We went back again to get the pedals put back on. Each time Steve was super helpful and supportive. Highly recommend! read more

The Other Bob is the most amazing human on this side of the harbor. The cycle shop price point is the best anywhere, Bob checks your car to place the rack and he's super honest and funny. I wouldn't just go bc it's cheap and awesome cut bc you get to meet Bob read more

This is a teensy weensy bike shop close to Acadia National Park and Seawall Campground, right smack in the middle of Southwest Harbor. It's not particularly notable, but it deserves 4 stars for being the only game in town, providing friendly service, and having what we needed to do some serious cycling in Acadia. A huge group of us were camping, and only 3 of us had brought road bikes, with 2 more who wanted to come along for the ride. So we set off on a mission to rent more road bikes so that we could do a zippy exploration of the 19 mile Park Loop Drive in Acadia National Forest. We came upon Southwest Cycle and asked for 2 road bikes. We were shown... mountain bikes. So we clarified, no, we want road bikes. We were shown more mountain bikes and a few hybrids. I must say, I think these dudes are used to people walking in with no clue what they are talking about, who just want to explore the carriage trails, and have no clue what they need. We, however, knew what we needed, and after a few minutes of being like, dude, we're going on paved roads, give us road bikes, they finally showed us two very nice Redline road bikes that fit their riders like a glove. Sweet. The bikes held up great, and cost a reasonable $30 per day, including helmet and lock. (Mountain bikes were $22 a day). And even though the shop closed at 5:00pm, they were fine with us returning the bikes later and locking them up out back. They also provide free maps of the area, as well as info on the shuttle bus. They also have a small selection of other cycling accessories like jerseys, gloves, water bottles, locks, pumps, tubes and tires, and they sell a small but nice looking selection of bikes. You could even buy the new Schwinn fixed gear bikes here!?!! Not bad for a small town shop. If you're in the area and need a bike to rent or buy, this is your spot. read more

A friendly, expert little bike shop. Bob seems to be the boss, but he's very hands-on with the repairs. They are way into bikes here, but in a happy, enthusiastic way, not in a snobby way like some race shops. They want you to enjoy your bike as much as they do. I came in for a repair and they did it on the spot, saving the bike part of my vacation. I'm a recreational rider, not a bike maniac, and they treated me fine. If the store is not super busy they will give you loads of advice on where to ride. I wish his was my local bike shop. I trust that their rental bikes are well maintained and safe. You want to rent bikes with good brakes on Mount Desert Island I visited in the early season, so it is possible they can't do repairs while you wait when they are in the thick of the summer season. Still, it is a great little shop with personal service. read more

Southwest Cycle was very helpful and accommodating in renting us bikes for the day. As far as I know it's the only place in SW Harbor to do so. There are a couple other shops across the island in Bar Harbor, but it's much more busy over there. We got there a little after opening and were the only ones in the shop, so we had our choice of bikes. The guy who was helping us set us up with two hybrids since we planned on doing the carriage roads in Acadia. He even attached a bike rack to our car so we could get them over there. For the day, the bike rental cost $22 (road bikes cost more) and the bike rack was $10, I think. They close at 5, but said it was no problem to just drop the bikes in back if we got back later than that. The price also included helmets and locks. read more

These guys sure know how to tune up a bike! I'd been putting off taking my bike in and going around with squeaky breaks and a broken pedal... Southwest Cycles fixed my bike up and I got to learn that I had no idea what I was missing!! It's great to have my bike back in good form! For a very affordable price, it feels brand new. Thanks guys! read more

These guys were pretty darn good. Even though there was a huge, mostly clueless and just a bit obnoxious group of 14 ahead of us, the staff did their best to get to us as quickly as possible. My 11-yo daughter and I got two well sized bikes, helmets, a lock and a carrier for less than $40 for a half day. About two hours later, I got a flat while coming down one of the carriage roads near Upper Hadlock (just dumb bad luck as far as I could tell). We brought the bikes back, and they swapped me out a duplicate bike right away, and offered us the bikes free for another day. read more

These wonderful people saved our Labor Day weekend. Fitting in two bike repairs when they were already busy, and not charging an obscene amount which we would have expected on this holiday weekend. We are fans forever. Thank you! read more

My husband, toddler and myself were visiting the area. We are absolutely so grateful for the support and help at Southwest Cycle! It was our first time biking with our son; they spent the time fitting us, providing us a map, and and giving us lots of support before we got on our way! It was an incredible day of biking all thanks to their wonderful help!! We can't wait to bike again with our son and it is all due to the wonderful introduction to biking everyone provided us. read more

Bikes are in great condition and they have a variety of options! Reasonably priced! We went with hybrid bikes for the carriage roads and biked about 40 miles of them! We were allowed to return them after-hours which was perfect as we didn't finish our ride until after 5 pm. The rental included helmets and locks and we were even able to rent a bike rack for the truck! Perfect!! read more

Rented a cyclocross that was perfect for the carriage roads. The price was reasonable, the bike was in great condition, and Bob the owner was personable and accommodating. I'll rent here every time I return to Acadia. read more

Bad attitude and bad service will haunt this place. They're way into bikes and don't seem to care about serving the customer. Fortunately, there are several bike repair and rental places in the area to go to instead! read more

Wonderful bike shop. The owner Bob was very personable. The prices were very reasonable. I wish we knew about this shop earlier!

Wow. This is why I stay over here. Bob & Francis were just terrific. They even gave us suggestions on which carriage roads to take. Easy transaction & super helpful with loading the bikes!! read more

A big shout out to Bob the owner!! I stopped in to get air in tires and grease to my chain. He was very accommodating and stopped what he was doing to help me out and even adjusted my brakes! Great service and will definitely go back! read more

Great bike shop! Friendly, quick service. Best thing is they let you return the bike after hours (by 8 pm) so you don't have to hurry back after a day of cycling! read more

GREAT bike shop. Staff was knowledgeable and incredibly nice. Can't day enough nice things about the staff and their flexibility and thoroughness. Made our rides of the carriage roads easy and enjoyable. read more

Nice little shop. They were able to get us in and replace my daughter's chain as a walk-in first thing on Sunday morning. Got us out and riding the carriage roads with no problems. Later in the week they fixed my wife's front brakes before my wife needed fixing due to brake failure! Good prices and friendly people. read more

Great service. Knowledgeable staff. Bikes and supplies in good order. Good recommendations for planning our route around the mountain first to get the climb done first when it's cooler. Tip: reserve bikes in person before you pick them up to speed your pick up during the morning rush. Only took ten minutes before we were on our way. read more

I have been coming to Southwest Harbor Maine for over 10 years now, and I would recommend this shop to all. Bob is not only a super person, he remembers me every year: "Coach, how are you, good to seen you!" This guy knows it all. Just ask him anything about biking in and around Southwest Harbor. read more

Very accommodating and knowledgeable staff! Fair prices! They rent racks and help you mount the bikes. Love that you can return all items after they close! Would highly recommend! read more

We rented from here today and were very pleased. We got good advice on bike routes and the bikes were in good shape. We were properly fitted, received helmets, maps, a lock and a repair kit. A very friendly chap helped us out. We paid 16 dollars each for a hybrid for a half day. Recommended. read more

These guys are THE BEST. They spent 30 minutes in the rain to fit a bike carrier on my car. They were cheerful and pleasant in spite of being soaking wet. read more

Extremely helpful place. I had several bike rentals on different days and then had to change everything. They gave me a call later t o make sure I had what I wanted. Bob lent me pedals after I forgot mine. They were busy but they always made sure I had help. Make a reservation to make sure you get what you want. If you are on mdi and need a bike, this is the place read more

I went to Southwest Cycle to look for a new bike rack to fit my new car which has a bar across the trunk. After checking different types, the owner was able to find one that was just what I needed. And he went out of his way to make sure it would arrive at my home in VT before my next visit to Mt. Desert Island, so I could bring my bicycle. It did arrive on time and fits perfectly! In years past, I and friends have rented bikes from this shop and have always been pleased. On one visit I was able to get new handle bars and a little "fixing" after a small tumble over one of the ledges in Acadia. It's a good place with decent prices, fine service and friendly workers. And it's like this year after year. read more

Excellent shop for rentals: good, well-maintained bikes and friendly, helpful staff. Our family reserved four bikes for several days of our vacation. They cheerfully accommodated our request to change dates because of bad weather, and the sizes/styles of bikes we requested were ready when promised. The folks there suggested and mapped routes appropriate for our family. Highly recomend. read more

Never again. Last year we brought out bikes in for service. The owner was great and his employees were most helpful. I was utterly amazed with my experience this morning. I came by with a bike I thought would need a lot of work. I walked into the shop and they asked how I could be helped. A manager (not the owner) came outside, looked at the bike, adjusted one cable, and said I was all set. Foolishly I asked "what do I owe you" thinking he would say forget about it and I would Then have the chance to tip him. Instead he said "two cups of coffee which is $3" "and by the way you might want to oil the chain". I was completely taken aback that he would charge me for like 30 seconds of work. I'm local to mdi. Maybe he didn't see my Maine plates and thought he'd stick it to an out of stater. Regardless it was beyond the pale. I gave him the 3 bucks which is the last money he will see from me. read more