Bike sharing app Lycle lets you rent high-end bikes at affordable prices

Bike sharing app Lycle has relaunched its platform and released an iOS version of its app which lets anyone rent high quality bikes at a reasonable price. The service is partnered with bike shops around the country and has over 200 different bike models to choose from, including road and electric.

A beta version of the app for Android was released last year and picked up 10,000 users in just four months. The startup has also partnered with shops near the Han River, which is expected to boost the number of users, especially as the weather warms up.

The Lycle app displays rental locations along with the different models available at each one. Bikes can be borrowed for four hours, or 24 hours — a lot longer than standard rental services in Korea. Payments are made from the app via a credit card before you pick up the bike.

Information on bike trails around Korea is available, as well as recommendations for the best bikes to ride on trails. If you’re not sure where you’re going you can click through to view courses in the popular cycling navigation app Openrider.

More bike for your buck

Co-CEO of Lycle, Backbum Kim, says that one of the motivations for starting the company was the government’s national bike trail project which began in 2010 and has opened up many new areas for cyclists. The project has sparked an increase in the number of cyclists, with an estimated 10 million riders — or 1 in 5 people.

This has also led to growth in demand for high-end bicycles, and while the number of bikes being sold across the industry has only seen a slight increase, sales revenue overall is high. While not everyone can afford a top-of-the-line model, bikes available to rent can leave a lot to be desired.

“The demand for different and high quality bikes is growing, but Korea’s rental facilities are lagging behind,” says Kim. “Bikes at existing rental facilities at the Han River and recreational areas are generally low-end, and it’s not easy to find rentable bikes that are worth riding for leisure. Most are usually valued at under $100 and haven’t really changed in the past ten years.”

Lycle, on the other hand, lets cyclists select from a wide selection of high-quality bikes that would normally retail from $300 to $1000, meaning a better riding experience all round. You won’t be paying an arm and leg for it either — at the same price as low-end rentals, Lycle’s bikes can be used for 2 to 3 times longer.

Rise of cycle tourism

Korea’s new cycling trails have begun to attract overseas riders, creating a new era of cycle tourism for the country. In 2016 alone, cycling tourists made up five percent of all visitors to Jejudo, which is popular spot for cycling.

“Many overseas visitors have no choice but to rent bikes when they come here, so we see this as an attractive market,” Kim explains. “It’s expected that the number of cycling tourists will naturally increase as more bike trails are completed and regions become connected around the country. We’ll expand our platform into one that tourists can use to easily rent bikes.”

While an English version of the app isn’t available yet, Kim says that it plans to release a version for overseas visitors by the end of the year. Until then, if you’re keen to check out Lycle’s bikes but can’t read Korean, accommodation hosts and information centers should be able to guide you through renting one.