Rented two electric bikes in December. Pros: - Easy location right off the docks Cons: - Overcharged in-person vs. price listed on website. They charged $60/bike, while their website has it listed at $50. No language indicating they charge more in-person. - 2/3 of our bikes were poorly maintained. One bike shut-off if you pedaled too hard while going up hill! We swapped this for another bike which performed marginally better, but still left us unimpressed. You had to pedal very slowly and only use the electric motor a tiny bit or it would just shutoff. Another bike didn't shift very well and at one point the chain popped off and we had to stop and get greasy while putting it back on. Chain looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. read more

easily located at the marina. we were originally going to share a golf cart with another couple, but, line was too long. great pricing options for All-Day or Hourly. we did an hour prior to attending a sponsored event. took it around the city, to the casino and back to just south of this bike rental. service was friendly and bikes were in great shape. no rust or anything. they are very on top of letting you know where to go and more importantly, where NOT to go. cool ride on a beautiful summer day. highly recommend. read more

I've visited Catalina Island/Avalon, maybe 10 times, my whole life. Many times I've taken the Flyer or Express over, from Newport Beach, and others while stopping from my Carnival cruises aboard the Imagination. Each and every time, I had chosen a golf kart, except this time. My friends and I decided to venture off on their electric bikes, and we had the time of our lives! This will be my preferred way to see the island from now on! What a rush! Mason assisted us with our reservation, instructions, and pertinent information. We were offered a map, helmets, and got to choose which bikes we preferred. I liked the one with a basket up front, to hold my backpack. The instructions were simple and the bikes worked terrific. We toured all over the place, including roads where rental karts are not allowed. We stopped and took pictures, toured two fire departments, and used the restrooms at the park, and still had enough battery on the bikes, to come close to 3 hours. It was perfect! Thanks for the affordable and fun way to get around and I'll be recommending you to everyone! read more

Brown's Bikes - I'm ready, to let loose! - Bikes Near Me - Avalon, California

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Do NOT rent from this place! I saw on Yelp that the reviews were pretty good, so I decided to stop here for my bike rentals. I was asking questions relevant to renting and payment, and the woman who helped me at the counter was so incredibly RUDE! I could not believe the customer service that I was getting. If I wasn't short on time, I would have just walked away and found a different bike rental shop. I did end up taking two of their regular beach cruisers, which were $8/hr. As I was riding, I found another location more centrally located in town (I think Catalina Golf Cart Rentals & Tours?) that was only $5/hr. I also spoke to the people who work there, and they were so incredibly nice. Their beach cruisers also come with baskets, which Brown's do not. I regret giving any money whatsoever to Brown's bikes. To Brown's: This was on Feb 21, around 12 pm. Get rid of her or train her on how to treat customers. When tourists are coming around, and this mean old lady is what you get, it gives us an extremely poor impression of locals on Catalina. read more

$18 per hour for a 21 speed tandem bike. Rather expensive imo, but tandem bike rides are so fun! However, 2 hours was a bit too long since Avalon is tiny and otherwise hilly, even the road up to the botanical garden was rather tiring. The bike was in good condition, however the seats were too high and cannot be adjusted. There's a back luggage holder which i was able to put my freakin heavy duffle bag on. It safely transported us with all our luggage in the end. We returned half an hour early and they didn't refund us anything. We managed to use the bike for 1.5 hours and we biked nearly to the botanical garden, around the side streets, to descanso beach club and walked around for like 10 minutes, ate at coney island west, got our luggage from our hotel and biked back to brown's bike. *** Tip: One hour is enough unless you plan to stop, chill and walk around. They close at 5pm Favourites: Good condition Do not want: No refund, there's also a late fee of $30 i think? $36 for 2 hours is rather pricey. could've gotten a golf cart for $40/hr! Last words: Nice bike ride along the beach. read more

Brown's bikes to the right as soon as you get off the transport boat. We picked up $15 bicycles for the whole day and just rode through all the possible routes. They even provide nifty bicycle baskets for all your belongings. The cheapest beach cruisers were more then sufficient for these flat streets. There are bicycle racks everywhere to leave your bikes. They don't have any bicycle theft in Avalon, so you can pretty much leave them in the bike racks with no problem with no locks. Bikes on Catalina Island are a must do, you're able to ride freely through every street. We were able to stop off and go snorkeling for an hour, lunch tacos, waffle cone ice cream and see all the sights. I don't think my Catalina visit could complete until I did it on bike. read more

STAY AWAY from this place as possible! We rented3 bikes for 2 hrs. The first 20 min the bikes had drained their battery to 60% so at that point we were concerned. It didn't want to work on flat surfaces nor either uphill so my sister had to pedal fully uphill & their brakes did not brake as well. Long story short due to their negligence on their bike maintenance my sister fell off the bike and sustaining concerning injuries. I called them and I was responded withTERRIBLE I mean TERRIBLE SERVICE. Rude! From this guy name sal. After him cussing at me and putting the blame on me he came to drop off a bike after 30 min being stuck. Go next door to them they have better bikes and have better staff. read more

$8 per hour to rent beach cruisers. This island is very bike friendly so I recommended doing this! One hour was plenty of time to bike to Wrigley Memorial, then to Casino Point and finally to Lover's Cove. You get a map of the town on areas you can bike to with your rental. Note 1: Minimum charge for credit cards is $24.00. Otherwise, you better have that cash handy! Note 2: Get there early if you want to rent a mountain bike or electric bike. They were both all rented out by 1:30pm on a Friday. read more

To quote Glen N. below, "Renting an electric bike was our best decision on the island." (Also thanks to Glen we cruised over to the pet cemetery, an off-the-beaten-trail MUST.) $40 per electric bike for a full 9am to 5pm day. (We saw another obscurer option offering the same deal for $55.) The owner was able to switch around our reservation day day-of when our Nautilus submarine tour was cancelled due to weather. He was kind and informative. Bottom line is business rating aside, GET ELECTRIC BIKES. With all the steep hills and inclines and miles to go, it's the best and most fun way to explore the island on your own or with a friend/bf/gf. Supes fun. read more

Rented the electric bikes for a day. Price was more agreeable than golf carts and more fun in my opinion. The reason for the lack of stars is due to the terrible customer service. They gave me a dysfunctional bike that gave out going up a hill. When I went to return it there wasn't another bike available. They stated that when someone returned theirs, I could swap it. However they were unwilling to give me any sort of refund. I paid for 8 hours and was unable to use it for the allocated time because their bike was broke. read more

Electric bikes were so much fun! $15 for an hour, $45 for the day They will give you helmets and maps with bike routes then send you off to explore! read more

My husband and I rented electric bikes all day and it was the most fun way to cruise around Avalon! Highly recommended. Pros: 1. Easy to rent, simple and straight forward 2. Allow you to come back for an additional battery when yours runs out at no additional charge 3. They provide helmets so you don't have to rent or buy. 4. You don't need to lock up your bike anywhere 5. They will replace your bike if you are stranded or someone takes it Cons: 1. You have to be 18 to ride electric bikes so our 16 year old was not able to :( 2. They don't have 24 hour or multiple day rentals 3. All day returns are due at 5 pm. We weren't ready yet at 5 pm but made it in time. 4. I believe they are pretty much the only rental shop that rents electric bikes...therefore they are the best lol. read more

Friendly nice service. Did the birthday special but it only works for one person. Pay for the first two hours get it for the rest of the day free! (Bummer it closes at 5 pm though so get on this deal early) Beach cruisers single rider $8 per hour so we paid $16 for my mom. I paid $20 for the entire day The bikes with the basket are the best. Don't need bike locks which is awesome. You can just park your bike wherever and if someone takes it just give them a call and they'll bring you another one. Perks of living on an island. Also ask for a free bottle of water if it's your bday! read more

I rented a beach cruiser bike for the day and called one hour before I had to return the bike to see if I could rent it for another day and keep it over night and they said they would report the bike as stolen and were not flexible at all. Decent bike and horrible customer service. read more

Brown's Bikes - Front of store - Bikes Near Me - Avalon, California

Hubs and I had the BEST time renting the motorized bikes! We cruised around the neighborhoods, took the scenic routes (they are marked on the map and streets) to the Botanical Garden, by the Golf Course and up the hills overlooking the Pacific and Harbor, and over to Descano Beach....stunning views all around and there's no way we would have seen it all without the bike. We rented for an hour, went back, and rented for another hour...it was really that fun and the highlight of our trip! Recommendation- fork up the extra $$ and get a motorized bike. The hills are really steep and high and way to exhausting to get up with a regular bike. Also, I can't say I recommend the Botanic Garden...it's a cactus garden, no flowers, and the views from the top were underwhelming and definitely not as good as the view from the scenic road that forks to the right just before the Golf Course. And yes, the people who work the shop aren't that friendly and kind of look at you like your dumb, but they were really helpful when I asked a bunch of dumb questions, so I forgive them. read more

My friends and I got the all day deal for $20. We got bikes with baskets which made it convenient to ride our belongings around. They have this policy where if your bike gets stolen, you just call them and they'll come out and replace it. They don't give out locks either. That was interesting. I heard no one on the Island steals...but I don't know about the tourists! LOL When you bike around, you're only allowed to ride in certain areas and you can park your bike in certain areas also. Staff in the area will warn you; signs in some places will also be posted. Just pay attention to signs. FYI - When you rent, they make you leave either a credit card or driver's lic/ID until you return the bike. read more

This place was awesome! My wife and I rented a tandem bike and had a great time. Prices were decent and we saw everything we wanted to in just one hour. Would recommend this place to all! read more

Brown's Bikes - Bikes Near Me - Avalon, California

This company provided the bikes for our tour around the city. They were pretty good bikes- and I was not afraid that they were going to break down. Their prices are great, and the guys are friendly! They are located right near the port and not hard to miss. Nothing more that I can say lol! **adding on: I failed to mention that if your bike does break down or becomes uncomfy (too small seat, can't adjust the seat height etc) give them a call and they'll come and bring you a new one. ** read more

We Had so much fun. No problems with the bikes or service. Friendly straight forward staff. Would definitely rent again next time. Highly recommend the electric bikes if you want to see the whole island. read more

Brown's Bikes - Such a good day to ride. - Bikes Near Me - Avalon, California

Ride like a power-rider! Get electric bikes here and cover the WHOLE ISLAND! Anthony gave us the quickest instruction and best service, make sure to leave gratuity. Stay open later.. That's my only suggestion to Brown's. read more

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE ! Literally ruined the excitement. Staff was extremely rude. First I went to ask for an electric bike to rent all day, they told me they don't have any. Then, my brother goes in two minutes later and they told him that they have two of them for all day. Once we both received the bikes they offered me a bigger one and I told I can't ride it due to me being smaller and they then went to the back and got a smaller one and once I took off the bike started having problems with the breaks and gas. I day went back and complained since obviously I can't ride the other one and that one is not working to give me a refund and they said they can't do nothing about it. so that was a waste of $60. I then when they store and rented out a different electric bike and the experience was so much better. please do not go to brown's bike. read more

I think Brown's Bikes is simple and to the point. You take your date out on a Catalina must-do activity then you pay and go. For a beach cruiser, you will be paying $8 / hr for one bike. That is the current price as of now. It's $16 total for 2 beach cruisers for an hour. **For a beach cruiser, it's $8 /hr --OR -- 20 bucks all day As for service, I do agree with some comments because the guy I got at the counter was really lax and didn't seem to care all that much up to the point he charged $4 extra on my credit card for a total of $20 -__- Not sure if that was a shady move or an honest mistake... Luckily I caught the overcharge in my credit card statement and I called Brown's to bring it to the their attention. The lady I talked to stated that charge shouldn't have happened because they have a MINIMUM $24 C/C charge. Okay that's cool but the card was charged by a worker that made a mistake so you should just cordially correct it. I know it's ONLY $4 but it's the principle of doing business more than anything else. Sorry there's a $24 minimum but if your worker who represents your shop makes an error, the shop should humbly correct it. The reason why I bring this up is because the lady just paused over the phone and asked me "uh so what do you want us to do about it?" Now she didn't have a nasty tone, but come on, what do you think I want you guys to do about it? Just correct the charge that reflects a $16 service not $20. She quickly corrected it after the short speech on how the C/C should never been charged and a hold over the phone. I don't have any beef with the shop, but they should be aware that if their business makes a mistake, they need to correct it without unnecessary questions or a speech justifying that this C/C charge should never have happened. But it did...business isn't perfect but learning how to solve issues smoothly with customers is kind of a driver for customer service/yelp ratings. #Just saying. Great now my post looks like an angry rant over $4 haha read more

I always wanted to ride a tandem bicycle. It just gives me a sense of romance like in the k-dramas. So on my trip to Catalina, I totally envisioned myself and my husband riding a tandem bike. Well reality check!!!! It costs $16/hour or $40/day for rentals. However, we rented it. We tried riding the bike uphill, which is impossible, so we had to fall back to ride on the flat land, which is not much of an area to ride. So I got my fixing of romance, but it is totally not practical to rent a bike at Catalina. read more

It is conveniently located next to the Catalina ferry landing in Avalon. They offer bike rentals on an hourly basis and for an entire day. They carry electric bikes, beach cruisers and mountain bikes. You will certainly need electric bikes and mountain bikes to explore further in the island. But, if you simply want to go to the gardens and bike around the Avalon bay, beach cruisers are the way to go. Helmets are included along with the rental prices. Avalon has back racks at every nook and corner and with a bike rented from Brown's Bikes, you don't need to lock your bikes at all. They even give you a map with all the streets that are bike friendly and the streets that you bike on, depending on whether you rent an electric one or mountain bike or the beach cruiser. The rental experience and bike returns were simple and efficient. read more

Brown's bike's is right off the terminal. We rented 2 21 speed mountain bikes for the day for $25 each. However, despite the map, some of the hills are much better for the golf carts. The person working there looks pretty bored as he gives the same spiel each time and isn't looking really to help you out. You don't need to worry about your bike as others have mentioned. We left in various places and sure enough it was still there when we came back. I would recommend renting a golf cart instead so you don't have to have a huge work out while you're relaxing in Catalina. Price is okay. read more

We rented the electric bikes it was so much fun we saw all of Catalina on one charge I recommend the electric bike 100% unless your Lance Armstrong get there early because they go fast : Customer service I give it a A+ the bikes were rented I gave the rep our number he called us and we picked them up. read more

We booked 2 electric bikes online and got them for $10 less than the usual price. Easy to locate as soon as you get down the ferry. Was helpful initially as they handed over a map with routes on which bikes were allowed to ride and their contact number in case of any emergency service. However, the battery for one of the bike started going down unusually as soon as we started to ride. When we were halfway to the botanical garden on one of the scenic routes (very high elevation), the electric power stopped working and when we contacted them, we were asked to come back to the store instead of them coming over and servicing it. We had to waste an hour coming back down. NOT COOL AT ALL!! NOT recommended. read more

I wish I could rate lower than 1 star. I warn you to stay away and use another bike rental business. The owner of Brown's was completely unprofessional and rude to my wife and I. We rented 2 electric bikes and one was about half the speed of the other, which made it a heavy pedal bike. The owner also thought I was trying to steal her bikes because we kept them longer than allowed, due to miscommunication between an employee and ourselves, and snatched the bike from my hands when walking through town and started scolding me like I was her child...without even trying to communicate first. read more

Brown's Bikes - The ride was great. I would just recommend that you use a more quality bike rental establishment on the island. NOT BROWN'S! - Bikes Near Me - Avalon, California

We had a couple of last hours on the island before our departure and rented mountain bikes at $10/hr for an hour. Not the best deal given that it's $15/day but we had a good time riding along the West road, up the hills, and seeing the spectacular view of the harbor from there. Word of warning though, those uphills slopes are not non-cyclist friendly and two of us mostly walked our bikes up. The bikes themselves and service were fine enough. read more

Brown's Bikes is super convenient because it's the closest bike shop just mere minutes away from the Avalon landing dock for Catalina Express. I went through them due to the bday deal (usually $16 for 2 hours but bday person gets that price for the whole day). I found out later there is another bike shop down the strip that's $15/day. Oh well. I rented a regular beach cruiser for one. The price is slightly different for mountain bikes, electric bikes, and tandem bikes, so beach cruisers are your best option. You can pick which one you want to ride, so I chose the bright orange one (easily recognizable) and one with a basket in front! Beach cruiser was nice with brakes and all, though I wish my BF was in town so we could rent a tandem beach cruiser! :( Essentially, you don't even need a bike to cruise around Avalon since the city is so small. All the major eateries and sightseeing is within walking distance. Oh, and no bikes allowed on the main strip facing the pier. But it was nice to bike around since I don't have a bike at home. It was also nice to bike to Lover's Cove, where my snorkel tour was. That shaved off quite some time and energy in the summer heat, whew. Few things: -Helmets are optional for 18+, but they do offer it to you for free. For safety reason, I wore mine! Those golf carts and blind corners are scary! -Cash only unless payment exceeds $24. You have to secure your reservation with a credit card, but they will not charge you unless you cancel less than 24 hrs in advance. -They require some sort of ID while you rent your bike. Keep your actual ID if you can, but any credit card or even your Catalina return ticket will do. -I didn't get my complimentary bday water as advertised! ;( Boo! Would have been useful with a full day's activity and in the heat... And I feel like you shouldn't have to ask since it's advertised on the Catalina website. -They give you a map of the island and color-coded bike trails. Note that the map isn't very clear at all for map n00bs like me. AKA no street names and just confusing overall. I ended up not using it at all and not deviating too much from the port. I almost wished they gave you a laminated map attached to the bike (like Bike N Roll in SF!). -They close at 5 PM, so you have to return your bike before then. No riding bikes around Catalina after sunset apparently. read more

My group came here all three days we were on Catalina. The first day we rented regular bicycles, including a tandem, which was pretty fun but definitely exhausting considering the hilly landscape of the island. The second day we rented electric bicycles, which ended up being a much better decision and allowed us to see more of the island. On the the third day, we rented a volleyball for $1 from Brown's in order to play on the beach court right across the road from the store. It was great, but the court's fence wasn't the highest (and we weren't the best volleyball players), so the volleyball eventually ended up in the water. The staff at Brown's refused to assist us in retrieving the ball, but we were fortunate enough that the ball drifted downstream and we were able to pull it out from the dock without having to dunk ourselves in the frigid water. Overall, they had a solid selection of bicycles and they seemed to be open later than some of the other bike places on the island, which was a plus. And if you feel like playing volleyball, this is the place to get a ball if you don't have one on hand! Just don't expect them to help you if it ends up in the water! read more

In short, bikes are good, that's the reason for the two stars. Customer service is beyond bad! It is incredible these guys stay in business despite the rudeness with customers. read more

The bikes were great and great price for the quality of bikes you receive. However, the customer service was terrible. The employee who helped us would not make eye contact at all and was straight up rude. While being attended, another lady asked the employee if they had restrooms..he snapped back no and when she left...RIGHT IN FRONT OF US..rolled his eyes. The whole experience was delightful but have never received such dry, rude service. read more

Came to Catalina for my boyfriend's birthday yesterday for the first time. We rented electric bikes from this place which were great, but the customer service was just horrible. They gave my boyfriend a bike without working brakes! We tried to use it for a while until we finally brought it back for a new one. No one ever said sorry about the brakes, yet kept telling us to make sure we rode with our helmets buckled. Sorry, but I think the brake issue was a little more unsafe and pressing. I wasn't looking for a refund or to complain, but a simple "sorry about that" would've been appropriate. THEN when we returned the bikes, the man asked if we had any issues, I said "no aside from the BRAKES!" and he just said "oh yeah besides that," downplaying the whole situation and STILL not saying sorry for giving us the most unsafe vehicle I've ever ridden! Just horrible. read more

They don't know what customer service is, refuse to rent us a bike based on we are wearing a hat...unbelievable, the trip is kind of ruined by this bike rental , worse attitude.... read more

Go elsewhere. They rented us bicycles without proper brakes. Not cool in a place like Avalon and the surrounding area. The electrical system on the E bike kept cutting out. When it was pointed out the guy say, "oh yes, I knew about that and have reached out to the company for an answer". Well my friend, screw you. There was no effort to give our money back, sorry, kiss my butt nothing. Just indifference. The proper thing to do was to give our money back. We rented the bikes on January 24th and my name is Craig Uhler. read more

We got there at 8:30 knowing that the shop opens at 9. The only worker comes in at 9 and spends 10 min setting up the shop. We were first in line and asked for electric bikes and he told us to come back at 10. We waited for the two people behind us to get their bikes. He told us again to come back at 10 JUST IN CASE more people come to get mountain bikes and he won't have time to give us the 10 minute electric bike tutorial. Since there was NOBODY in line I again asked the dude to give us our bikes or at least let us pay and come back at 10 to pick them up. He refused to give my friend and I bikes and the people who then started to come in line. This shop is going to lose its business completely if this is how they treat their customers. Sad excuse for an employee if I ever saw one. read more

A great bike shop with a friendly staff. We tried the electric bikes and had a blast! This is the way to explore the island. We rented a golf cart the day prior and, if I had to choose one, I would definitely choose the electric bike! read more

Rode the tandem bikes. Took awhile to get use to but wasn't too bad. Definitely should've tried the electric bikes.. well...If only we knew most areas weren't recommended for tandem bikes.. Thanks for the heads up! not. So why a 1 star? We got gypped. Let's just say... try to stay away from young teens giving you service. They'll most likely leave out a few "important" information. The story: We were excited to get tandem bikes, mainly cause we could (girly voice) take all those cyooot photos!! We definitely were not welcomed at the front desk, just got glances here and there (might of been cause they haven't seen asians? jk.. who knows). FInally a teen approaches us (17 yrs old or something) We gave a i.d. card for security reasons, and was told just to take any bike. Durrrr.. great customer service! NOT! After rumbling through a couple bikes we finally nudged one out. After we got the bike out she tells us that we need to be back before 5PM. But it was 3:30PM SO we knew that it's only an hour ride, so we asked again to confirm. "Why 5pm? It's an hour ride..." And she responds with, "yeah, so anytime before 5PM." So we leave taking note of that, "Anytime before 5PM". Engraved in our heads "before 5pm" we bring it back by 4:45PM, might as well be safe. Went to the side desk asking for my i.d. to return the bike. And then he says in a kind manner, "you were over time so it'll be another $6" Both of our faces were stund... so we glance at the teen again saying, "we asked and you said before 5PM!!!" and knowing she made a obvious mistake she looks away..... damn TEENAGERS!!! So we pleaded that it was obviously a misunderstanding, and then the old mans face turned dark instantly. "You were late." So we gave in. OVERALL CONCLUSION: [Being an adult I put aside the misunderstanding of the above story and will say...] I don't recommend [not the place] but the idea of riding bikes on a island that is no more than 100 ft of simple bike routes. It was not an enjoyable ride, all I did was yell at my boyfriend cause it was scary as hell since yo couldn't see anything from the back. Seriously we were sweating like stinky cave men, and all we did was ride around in a 100ft diameter circle for 2 hours! 1 hours wouldn't be any better. AND I was mainly jealous that my parents went on the golf cart and roamed around the entire island!!! Why did we rent BIKES... I felt like a fool. ***Rent a golf cart or walk, it's a smarter choice. Trust me, and I'm an adventurous soul so riding a bike with the seat up my a$$, and looking through peoples houses was not my idea of an adventure.*** read more

The only only ONLY reason i am giving this place a 3 star and not a 5 star is because of the customer service. The workers were so out of it, and were just trying to get through the payment rather than being friendly and answering our questions about which places we have to go to and what to do. Or else we enjoyed an AMAZING day on the island roaming around with our bikes. Can't wait to go to Catalina again! read more