Bike rental in Catania

Cycling in Catania- Families & Beginners

First things first, when planning on renting a bike in Sicily's capital, you must decide what type of cycling you are going to do.

Will you use your rental bike to go off road and explore the remnants of the Greek-Roman colonization? Will you rent e-bikes to effortlessly zip through the city streets and check out the local shops? Or will you commit to doing a cycling holiday and bike across the Sicily island?

If any of these ideas sound good to you, then check out our rental options for touring bikes, or e-city bikes.

Touring Bike Rentals

Touring bikes will give you maximum comfort for a full day in the saddle as you bike from Villa Bellini to the Greek-Roman theater and beyond. The touring bikes we have available come equipped with gears, pedals, lights, brakes, a bell, and bottle cages.

E-City Bike Rentals

E-city bikes are a great option if you want to cycle everywhere you go, but aren't a huge fan of peddling up those hills, or traversing by foot. Much like the touring bikes, the e-city bikes will provide maximum comfort but also the added bonus of minimum effort while you explore the rich history, cuisine and beautiful views of the Sicilian coastline.

Cycling in Sicily- Mount Etna

Sicily is a largely hilly island, so no matter what type of cycling you want to do, expect some climbs. The most notorious climb on the island; however, is Mount Etna.

Cycling up Mount Etna first came into popularity among many cyclists when the Giro d'Italia visited. Now, climbing the active volcano is an absolute must for anyone on a cycling holiday on Sicily island.

With so many signs pointing in the direction of different routes up to the top, Catania is basically begging you to attempt to climb Mount Etna, but whether you chose to go by road bike or mtb, that's up to you.

Road Cycling- Mount Etna

Popular road bike brands available for rent in Catania include Wilier and Bottecchia. Both are ideal for uphill climbing.

Wilier Bike Top Components

• Carbon Frame
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra 11S
• Crankset: Shimano Ultegra 34/50T
• Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 12-28 T

Bottecchia Bike Top Components

• Carbon Frame
• Ultegra Group 11v
• Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 11/30

Both bikes come with a repair kit, and you have the option to use your own pedals, or rent pedals along with your bike.

Once you've decided on which road bike you'd like to rent, reserve it online so that all you have to do once you arrive is pick it up and start riding!

Cycle from Catania up Mount Etna

To begin your journey up Mount Etna from Catania, you'll want to cycle about 17 km north to Nicolosi. Nicolosi is technically where the route up the mountain begins, so consider this first part your warm up.

From Nicolosi, you head to Belpasso, then to Ragalna, then towards Refugio Forestale Monte Vetore. This is where you'll begin to climb the switchback roads up to the Refugio Sapienza.

This is the most common tour completed by the Giro d'Italia and takes you about four hours to complete the 55 km loop back to Nicolosi. With the additional 17 km to and from Catania, the whole route comes out to about 89 km, and depending on how fast you ride it could be an extra few hours.

For those of you doing this tour with a group, make sure everyone is in great shape and ready to climb! This tour is most certainly not for beginners.

Mountain & Gravel Bike Rentals

For those that love riding on anything but pavement, rent either a mtb or gravel bikes to climb Mount Etna!

MTB Rentals

Popular mountain bikes we have available for rent in Catania include the following:

• Merida
• GFM
• Rockrider
• Atala
• B'Twin
• Europa Cicli

You'll want to rent an mtb if you plan on riding on the least maintained trails.

Gravel Bike Rentals

Gravel bikes allow you to experience a variety of terrain including pavement, gravel, and dirt paths, while also giving you the endurance and the posture of a performance bike.

This is a good rental bike option if you don't want to stick to the paved roads on your Mount Etna climb, but still need some of the speed and endurance of a road bike.

Below are the popular gravel bike brands we have available for rent in Catania:

• Cinelli
• Merida

How to Choose Between Mountain Bikes and Gravel Bikes

The main difference between the mtb rentals and the gravel bike rentals is speed and capability.

Gravel bike rentals will be faster on the streets so when you're cycling up to the trails, it will be easier and more efficient to get there. However, they're not as fast as a regular performance bike.

Mountain bikes will be better at navigating steep hills and rough terrain. However, they're much slower on the streets.

Therefore, when deciding whether you want to a mtb rental or a gravel bike rental, consider the difficulty of terrain that you will be biking on and the amount of time that you'll be required to cycle on the pavement.

Bike from Catania to Mount Etna

For more experienced mountain bikers, try the loop from Catania up to Crateri Silvestri Inferiori.

From Catania, you'll want to bike away from the coastline towards Mascalucia, then to Nicolosi, and on to Piano Bottara where the hairpin turns start.

Follow the switchbacks up until Monte Vetore where there is a charming Refugio. The Refugio is almost at the end of the loop, so it's a great place to take a break before finishing the second half of the ride.

The loop ends at Crateri Silvestri Inferiori and then follows basically the same path back down to Catania.

The loop in total is about 5 1/2 hours long and ends up 66 km long in total.

Given the long distance between Catania and actually cycling on different terrain, it might be a good idea to reserve gravel bikes rather than mountain bikes so you're not slowed down in the beginning and the end of your loop.

Again, if you're doing this loop with a group, make sure everyone is very physically fit since this is an expert level loop.

Additional Rental Information

Before you reserve your bike rental, there are a few more things to know about our high quality bike hire service.

All bikes come with theft and damage insurance to give you peace of mind. At night, make sure you take your bicycle inside to reduce the threat of theft.

To find out what kind of equipment your bike rental comes with, check the bike's detail page.

Some bikes come with lights, a lock, a helmet, and equipment like an air pump or a tool kit. If your bike doesn't come with a helmet, it's a good idea to get one in addition to your bike.

All bikes are rented by days not by hours! This means you can have your bicycle for a longer duration of time without an extra charge.

Once you have your bike rental, you can cycle anywhere you want as long as you're able to return it at the agreed upon time in the predetermined location. This means you can cycle outside of the city of Catania to fully explore Sicily on your own!

So what are you waiting for? It's the perfect time to plan a cycling holiday and enjoy Sicily on your perfect ride.