Family Fun on the Boardwalk: Sunrides Bicycles

Although my husband and I have been vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland for seven years, we’ve only been investigating bicycling on the famous boardwalk for the last two. This was, in part, because our daughter, Allie was too young and I was out of shape. Now that she’s older and I’m a bit more fit, we always make a point to rent a surrey each time we visit OCMD. It's a real hit with the kids! We’ve tested out three different bike rental companies over the last two years and have finally found our favorite: Sunrides Bicycles.

Allie and I on the two-person surrey, beside my in-laws, all from Sunrides Bicycles.

Sunrides offers not only traditional and recumbent bicycles for adults, but also has bikes outfitted with baby carriers and kids bikes with/without training wheels. Sunrides also has two and four-person surrey rentals available, both of which includes seating in the front for two younger children.

My daughter felt like a celebrity, chauffeured around on the front of the surrey.

Allie was so excited that Sunrides had a pink bike with training wheels!

My father and mother-in-law actually found the place a few years ago and now they won’t rent bicycles from anyone else! That’s mainly because the owner of Sunrides Bicycles, Jack, personally helps adjust seats and provides a basket for the bike if the renter intends to do shopping. He is an outgoing, personable and very knowledgeable guy who rides his own bike in and out of Ocean City every morning from the mainland. Jack's prices are reasonable and he is gracious to repeat customers. He will even snap a picture of everyone on their bikes for a keepsake, if you ask him. My in-laws have witnessed Jack helping people with bicycles issues, who didn’t even rent them from him! He’s just that kind of guy.

Riding on a four-person surrey with the relatives.

Sunrides has no website and had no business card, but I placed one of their bike magnets on Carousel 601’s refrigerator. It’s on 16th street, directly on the boardwalk next to the new Hyatt Place that is currently being built. Their Summer 2018 rental prices are:

Bikes - $7/Hour

Small Surrey - $22/Hour

Large Surrey - $25/Hour

Ocean City’s boardwalk is 2.25 miles one way, which starts at South 2nd Street at the Inlet and runs up to 27th street. If you don’t mind an early ride, try 8 or 9 am in the morning before it gets too hot and the boardwalk gets too crowded. Since we go earlier in the morning, we haven’t encountered problems finding parking spaces. There are Municipal Parking areas adjacent to the boardwalk and at the Inlet, which can be paid per hour or day; but if you don’t mind a short walk, we often find free street parking in the blocks behind the boardwalk. The only parking difficulty I have encountered is when the Inlet Parking is closed for special events, which forces parking overflow to other areas. On those days, getting dropped off or catching the Beach Bus ($3 a day), which picks up at the bus stop directly across the street from Carousel 601, might be a better alternative.

Depending on the time of year, the Town of Ocean City regulates when bikes can be on the boardwalk, so please refer to the following website to determine a time that works best for you:

https://ococean.com/things-to-do/recreational/biking-rollerblading/

Be sure to check out Sunrides Bicycles the next time you are on the boardwalk and enjoy the ride!