Ultimate Guide – Biking in Cape May

Have you tried biking in Cape May? From what I can tell, the only thing more popular than the beach in Cape May is bike riding. It is the quintessential fun activity in Cape May! Literally, everywhere you look (and I mean everywhere) there are people of all ages on all kinds of bikes. 

Some vacation rental properties and Bed & Breakfasts provide bikes as part of the experience. You may also prefer to bring your own familiar bike from home. However, if you want to rent a bike or take a tour you have a ton of options!

Types of Bike Rentals

What types of bike can you rent? Literally you name it! You’ve got the typical men’s, women’s and children’s bike of various sizes. You can rent ones with baby seats on the back or a child trailer (I have seen little dogs in them as well).  There is also an Alley cat bike that is like a bike with half a bike behind it—three wheels in a row. Tandem bikes with two seats and two wheels are available. Of course, I can’t forget to mention the two-seater or four-seater surreys with the little canopies which are so very popular in Cape May. There are even electric bikes to rent for those who really want to take it easy on vacation. For something completely different, there is also Railbiking!

Rental Companies

Shield’s Bike Rentals

Shield’s Bike Rentals – 11 Gurney Street. They have been renting bikes in Cape May for over 28 years. It is family owned and operated and there will likely be 4 generations onsite at any given time if you stop by. They have a huge variety of bikes and equipment on their website.

Cape Island Bikes

Cape Island Bikes have three convenient locations: Congress Hall (Perry Street side), 135 Sunset Boulevard and 727 Beach Avenue and Howard Street (across from the arcade). The majority of the beach cruisers that they rent are a very distinctive bright yellow—you really can’t miss them around town. They also have bike repairs and parts if you bring your own bike to the island and need a fix. There is also a sales department and periodically have a used bike sale.

Village Bike Shop

The Village Bike Shop – 605 Lafayette Street is also family owned and operated.  For the last 30 years they have been serving locals and tourists alike. Offering rentals, repairs and sales in their small shop right by Big Wave Burritos and across and down from the Acme.

Pedego Electric Bikes

Pedego – 110 Park Boulevard, West Cape May. They are relatively new compared to the others on the list.  It opened in 2020 where Seaside Cheese use to be (still miss that wonderful shop). They actually rent electric bikes in a variety of types and sizes include an electric trike. Despite less than a year in this location, I am currently seeing 130 raving Google reviews.  If you fall in love with electric biking, they also have a sales department to keep the love going.

Railbiking with Revolution Rail Company

Revolution Rail Company is located behind the Welcome Center at 609 Lafayette Street. It may be a bit of a stretch to include in a biking post, but it looks so cool I could not resist. It popped up in 2020 and has been gaining a great deal of popularity.  What the heck is it? Per their website “Railbiking with Revolution Rail Co. is a fun excursion activity that allows riders to ride the railroad tracks under their own power and explore the outside in a brand new way.” You sit on an open, reclined makeshift bike/railcar thing and pedal. There are ones for 2 or 4 people. The trip itself is 4 miles and about 90 minutes.  Full disclosure, we have not tried it yet, but it is on our list for spring for sure!

Biking Tours

In prior years, there were also biking tours available in the Cape May area if you want to turn your biking fun into more of an adventure. 

Curious Cape May

Curious Cape May offers downtown Cape May, Cape May Point and even private bike tours. The tours are between 90 minutes and two hours and they provide the bikes and helmets. What makes these tours unique is that you also learn history, as well as little known fun facts during the ride.

Pour & Pedal

If you like wine and biking, this is the tour for you.  Pour & Pedal offers tours that include Hawk Haven Vineyards and Cape May Winery!  How fun is that! It is a 9-10 mile tour featuring tastings of approximately 15 different wines paired with a catered lunch. Bikes and helmets are included, but you can provide your own. You can even customize the tour for a special event or party.

Pop & Clink

I featured Pop & Clink, a premier event planning service in a prior blog post. They also do customized bike tours for any occasion or just a fun day out.

At this writing, Curious Cape May and Pour & Pedal did not have any tours posted for registration. I have reached out to both of them and will amend this post with the updated info as soon as I can.

Rules and Etiquette

I would be remiss if I didn’t cover the rules and etiquette of bike riding in Cape May.

• Bicycle riding on the Promenade is permitted in the morning up until 10 AM.
• All riders under the age of 17 required to wear a helmet by state law.
• Remember to always ride with traffic, or on the right side of the road.
• Please obey all traffic laws such as stop signs and traffic lights

Biking is such a wonderful way to get around and see Cape May and the surrounding area.  With so many rental options available, there really is no reason not to do it!  Still want more info? The City of Cape May has a handy guide and map that is an downloadable PDF that give you all the details on biking in Cape May. 

Enjoy!

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