I was going to be in the DF for a month and wasn't ready to give up my NYC cycling habit. Ecobici…read moreis a great program but I wanted a little more freedom. I looked into renting but such thing doesn't exist here, oh well. After checking out a few places right in the same corner of Roma, I'm happy I finally wound up at Alterbike. The very friendly trilingual owner (sorry, forgot his name!) set my girlfriend and I up righteously with two single-speed cruiser style bikes, along with baskets, lights, etc. We walked the neighborhood a little bit, had coffee, and when we returned to the shop they were expertly set up for us. The total bill came to around $300USD for both -- about what it would cost for me to rent similar bikes for a month in, say, Los Angeles and now I get to keep them! The owner explained that Alterbikes are made in Mexico so prices are cheaper than imported stuff. Personally I liked the idea of keeping my pesos here. Mind you, these are simple, functional transportation. They're not the bikes you're gonna ride to Toluca or break any speed records with. That said, we've ridden these many times from our place in Escandon down to Coyocan, up to the Zocalo and Tepito, etc and they've performed like champs. Alterbikes guarantees their gear for a year, and though I've had to make a few little adjustments and tightenings along the way, I'm happy to report that after three weeks of hard riding I haven't had to visit the shop again for tune-ups (More than I can say for the far more expensive bikes I purchased back in NYC!).

This was a great way to ride around Mexico City for free! This was absolutely free! You just have…read moreto leave your ID with them and fill out some paperwork. There is a limit of 3 hours but still enough time to bike around without having pay and worry about the 45 time limit like on Ecobici. This place was especially useful for Sundays when some of the streets are closed and you can bike on the beautiful streets of Mexico City. There are multiple bicigratis locations around Mexico City, just look for the huawei advertisement haha. I recommend finding a bicigratis off the path of where the streets are closed during Sunday (I think the street that is closed is called insurgentes). There's definitely less people and more of a guarantee to get a bike.

Free bicycle rental is available from Bicigratis on Reforma and ta a number of other locations…read morearound town. What's not to like? Just leave your driver's license and they will loan you a bike for free. The main downside is the limited hours - you can't can't use these at night.