Two-wheel pleasure: Albuquerque joins other cities that rent bikes to tourists

A mother duck and her young swim the ditch alongside the Rio Grande. (Photo by Denise Tessier)

ALONG THE RIO GRANDE IN ALBUQUERQUE -- One of the best ways to really enjoy a tourist destination is by bike, and Albuquerque has joined the ranks of cities that offer bikes by renting along one of its most bike-friendly areas -- the Paseo del Bosque Trail alongside the Rio Grande.

 
I'm no tourist, but almost qualify, since I live outside the city and have no practical way to bring a bike to town. So, when the city announced it would rent bicycles, I knew I'd be among the first to try one out.

 
And it was truly a pleasure.

 
Head down to Tingley Beach, outside the train station, where you'll find summer employees under a patio umbrella. They'll give you a "Bike Rental Rules and Regulations" form, and if you agree to the terms, they'll send you into the building to pay at the Beach Cafe. It's $8 an hour or $20 for four hours -- and you leave a $200 deposit, either cash or a credit card authorization (only charged if you don't return with the bike). The price includes use of a helmet.

 
It took me almost a half an hour to get situated, but I chalked that up to the newness of the venture both on my part and that of employees, plus lack of prominent bike rental signage. (I went to the bait shop clerk, who referred me to the Beach Cafe worker, who referred me to the umbrella site outside. The one sign I saw inside the building had bike pricing, below the pedal boat rental information.)

 
Once the paying and paperwork were done, however, there were no problems. My partner and I headed south and stayed on the paved path because he had brought his own street bike. But on the city's mountain bikes with fat tires, one can easily venture toward the river and into the cottonwood trees for shady and scenic riding on a number of paths. Both child and adult sizes are available for bikes and helmets.

 
While a good portion of the view on the south ride is industrial (I hadn't seen the backside of Bueno Foods before), it also includes a close-up of the new additions at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and a long stretch of the Rio Grande Zoo, including the elephant and alpaca areas. The portion north of Rio Bravo Boulevard is part of the Rio Grande Valley State Park, and the ditch is always nearby. At one point, we watched a mother duck herding several playful ducklings, which, when startled, literally ran atop the water on their webbed feet as if choreographed.

 
Next time, I'll head north and ride alongside the Rio Grande Botanic Garden. The paved trail goes all the way to Alameda.

 
At one point, all of the nearly dozen city bikes were rented out last Saturday, the first day of rentals, according to Trevor Beagen of the New Mexico BioPark Society. But few takers showed up Sunday, and rentals also were light on Monday, the day I rode. You can't make reservations, but if all the bikes are out when you arrive at the umbrella, Beagen said he or a co-worker will take your name and cell number and call you when a bike becomes available. Meanwhile, there's plenty to do in the area while waiting for a rental to open up.

 
Rentals run from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

To get to Tingley Beach, head down Central Avenue toward the river and turn south on Tingley immediately east of the Rio Grande Bridge. You'll see the train station/bait house in between the parking lots by the fishing ponds.

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