Bicycle Hire for Cycle Touring in Hokkaido

Posted on Aug 1, 2018
56 16
Posted on Aug 1, 2018
56 16
For bicycle hire in Hokkaido, you’ll generally pay around 5,000yen a day for a bike suited to cycle touring (prices per day are cheaper the longer you rent for). It is best to bring your own panniers, as cost for renting those will be over and above the rental cost for the bike. Carriers for your gear will also likely be extra too, so consider bringing a bikepacking setup that you can strap to a standard bike, in order to keep costs down. Here, we list a few options we've heard about over the years for hiring cycle-touring specific bikes in Hokkaido. Regardless of who you hire from, it is always best to try to book in advance. The Niseko-based providers are located in Niseko Town, accessible by bus from New Chitose Airport (approx. 2.5hrs) or Sapporo by train or bus (about 2.5hrs).

Last updated Mar 29, 2024

  • Spark Cycling (Sapporo City) – These guys should be your first-stop when looking for a bike for touring in Hokkaido, if leaving from Sapporo. They offer service in English, their bikes are super good value, and have racks, panniers…everything you need for cycle tour | Link | Location
  • E-Motion (Sapporo City): They have some touring bikes, and e-bikes for rent. Link | Location
  • North Bicycle Hokkaido (Sapporo City) – Also good value bicycle hire in Hokkaido. Nakamura-san from North Bicycle Hokkaido can communicate in English. Bikes must be booked at least three days in advance. In addition to bicycle rental, they also offer a support car service (33,000yen per day plus driver accommodation) – the driver is a bike mechanic, so mechanic support is included in the price. | Link (Japanese only) | Location
  • Cycle Garage PAZ – Located in Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido, PAZ has a selection of hybrid, road, mountain bikes, and e-bikes, along with full framebag rental also. Expect to pay around 2,500yen per day for an extended rental. Very highly recommended – they have English support, and Kushiro is accessible by air from Tokyo. An excellent way to insert yourself right into one of Hokkaido’s wildest and most pristine areas. LINK | LOCATION
  • Rhythm Cycles (Niseko) – Link | Location
  • Cycle Japan (Furano) – If you’re after a road bike, then these guys should be able to help | Link
 

Comments | Queries | Discussion

16 thoughts on “Bicycle Hire for Cycle Touring in Hokkaido”

  1. nathalie Janssens

    Hello,

    We are visiting Hokkaido this summer (July 2024) and would like to hire a road bike for our son. Ideally in or around Sapporo. Can you help? Couldn’t find anything so far…tx!
    Nathalie

  2. Hi Rob
    need help on where i can get some touring bikes in Sapporo, Sparks is understaffed and cant accomodate for some reason 🙁
    Help we arrive in Sapporo 30/9 and looking to cycle about 8days.

    Thanks
    Celia

    1. Hi Alberto, thank you for the question. Unfortunately, as far as we know, there aren’t any bicycle hire options in Muroran. If you’re there now, however, I would recommend asking at the Muroran Tourist Info center (location), TEL: 0143-23-0102. I hope this helps!

  3. Hi Rob,

    Do you know of any good touring bike rental companies? Spark cycling has closed for the season, and I’m in need of a good company that has drop handle bicycles that take pannier racks. Any good alternative recommendations?

  4. Do you know where I can rent fat bikes in Sapporo in winter?

    Is it easy to cycle beside the Toyohira River by yourself in winter? I can mountain bike in normal terrain.

    Thanks

    1. Hey Chew, you can try E-Motion in Sapporo – https://www.e-motion.group/rental. If you do rent one from them, please let us know how you get on. Fatbiking beside the Toyohira River in winter really depends on how long since the last snowfall. Usually, there’s a foot-trail, but after a good dumping of snow, this can be covered. And even when there is a foot-trail, it can be quite narrow – you’ll need good balance! A fun challenge though.

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ADVANCED FILTERS

Filter by location

About Filters

REGION: The general mountain/geographical region the route is in.

BEST MONTH(S): Time of year a route is suited to visiting. Some pop all season, some are more limited.

DIFFICULTY: How strenuous a route is, and how technical it is. Full details here.

FREERIDE/SKITOUR: Very subjective, but is a route more-of-a-walk-than-a-ski or the other way around? Some routes are all about the screaming downhill (freeride), some are more about the hunt for a peak or nice forest (ski-tour). Some are in between. 

MAIN ASPECT: Which cardinal direction the primary consequential slope is facing, that you might encounter on the route. More details here.

ROUTE TAGS: An eclectic picking of other categories that routes might belong to.

SEARCH BY LOCATION: You can find routes near your current location – just click on the crosshairs (). You may need to give permission to HokkaidoWilds.org to know your GPS location (don’t worry, we won’t track you). Or, type in a destination, such as Niseko or Sapporo or Asahikawa etc.

Please let us know how we can make it easier to narrow down your search. Contact Rob at rob@hokkaidowilds.org with your suggestions.

Bicycle Hire for Cycle Touring in Hokkaido Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

Navigation

D

Totals

25/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.