Ardiden Velos and Luz-Saint-Sauveur
How to get to Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the best accommodation and FAQs
FAQs about Ardiden Velos
All about Ardiden Velos
Ardiden Velos is a bike rental company situated in Luz-Saint-Sauveur 19km from the top of the iconic Col du Tourmalet in the Hautes Pyrenees.
For 2020 we have the best quality BIANCHI, SCOTT and CUBE carbon and aluminium road bikes, electric bikes and mountain bikes for hire in the Pyrenees.
Group Discounts
We can rent single bikes to individual riders, or multiple bikes for groups of riders. You can book online HERE, or if there are a lot of you, please Contact Us with your specific requirements and we’ll come up with the best deal for you.
Luz-Saint-Sauveur - FAQs
Very simple if you have your own car, a little more difficult by Public Transport.
We have tried to make it easy for you by listing all the available means of transport to get you to Luz-Saint-Sauveur. Click HERE for more details.
There are a number of Cycling Friendly hotels, Gites, Guest Houses and Campsites in Luz-Saint-Sauveur and also some a little further away in St. Savin and Argeles Gazost.
We’re not Booking.com, but we have a selection of the best that we have worked with for many years and that we know well. Click HERE for more details.
Considering that Luz-Saint-Sauveur is not a big place, there really are quite a huge number of Bars and Restaurants.
We can give you a map of the Town, (also available for the Tourist Office opposite our shop), that shows the best places to eat and drink …
Ardiden Velos Bike Rentals - FAQs
We are open from mid April through to about the middle or end of October, dependant upon the weather.
During the summer months, we are open from 8.00am through to at least 7.30pm, 7 days a week. But if you want to rent a bike and we’re not there, just call +33 609 553102 and some-one will come and meet you at the shop.
You will need a credit card or cash for payment, (no checks), a piece of id (passport or similar) that you will need to leave with us and a credit card for us to run a “pre-authorization” or a “caution” of between €300 and €800 per bike, depending on which bike.
This pre-authorization is not a charge, just a guarantee that funds are available in your account if there is any damage to the bike, the same as when you rent a car.
Yes, if you are renting for a number of days, or just for one full day only, you can pick the bike up after 6.00pm the evening before the first day of the rental.
If you are only renting a bike for a 1/2 day rental, you cannot pick up the bike the evening before. 1/2 day rentals are from 8.30am to 1.00pm or from 2.00pm to 6.30pm only.
All of our SCOTT, BIANCHI and CUBE road bikes are fitted with 2 bottle cages. Our e-bikes and mountain bikes have 1 bottle cage only.
All our bikes are provided with a high pressure bike pump, (120 psi / 8.2bar) and a saddle bag with a spare inner tube, multi-tool kit, tire levers and a repair kit.
For health reasons we don’t rent water bottles, so either bring your own, or you can buy 75cl spotty “Tourmalet” water bottles from Ardiden Velos.
Helmets are included with all bike rentals if needed.
Regarding pedals, we have Shimano SPD, Shimano SPD/SL and Look Keo Classic pedals. If you use any one of these systems, just bring your shoes, otherwise you will need to bring shoes and pedals.
If you’re riding for any more than a few days, yes, it’s a good idea to bring your own saddle. They are very easy to switch, but please put the original saddle back on the bike at the end of the rental.
If you have your own Bike fit dimensions that will help us to set your bike up close to how you normally ride. Bear in mind however, that the road bikes that we rent are almost all a quite relaxed “endurance” style geometry, so they may or may not be the same as you’re used to at home.
They are however ideally suited to the local riding and are a lot more comfortable on the climbs than a race bike. (You don’t need to be too aerodynamic schlogging your way up the Tourmalet at 10 km/hr).
All our road bikes and mountain bikes are provided with a pump and a saddle bag with a spare inner tube, tire levers and a repair kit. Even if you are unlucky enough to have more than one puncture in a day, you have everything you need to do the repair(s) yourself.
Our electric mountain bikes are fitted with Michelin Protek Max anti-puncture inner tubes with a self repairing liquid, so no need to worry about punctures at all
In case of a mechanical breakdown that doesn’t allow you to ride back to the shop, (for example a broken spoke) we will come and find you and fix the problem. There will be a business card with our contact information in the saddle bag.
In case of an accident, just make sure to call us, asap, so we can assist as required.
Ardiden Velos Reviews
Professional, friendly service, high quality equipment
This is the second time we have rented bikes from Ardiden Velos. As with our first occasion it is difficult to fault the professional and comprehensive, as well as the very friendly, service provided by Ardiden Velos. The bikes are of the of the highest quality and the idiosyncrasies of some members of our group were happily accommodated.
Magic
Just rent from these people. Quality high-end equipment. Really cool clothing and accessories in shop. British couple who were kind and very attentive. Magical experience all around.
Tour de France Weekend
Service was second to none, the road bikes we hired were top quality and condition. Considering this was possibly the busiest weekend they could ever have with the Tourmalet stage of the TDF on their doorstep, the staff could not have had more time for us in setting up the bikes and advising on routes. I will be back!
What a Gem!
What a great place to rent bikes. The shop is well located in Luz St. Sauveur, close to the bottom of Col de Tourmalet. The bikes we rented were lovely high end Scotts, offered in a generous range of sizes, Enough gears (11-32) to get you up the steeps! We can’t say enough good things about this place. We will go back soon!
Excellent road bike rental
They also provided great advice on the routes in the area.
Climber812811, Dublin, Ireland
4 day hire in October
Tourmalet Cycling
Ideal location for cycling up to Col du Tourmalet. My Scott Addict 10 was in great condition, the downhill rides were awesome! The best I've ever enjoyed! Great fun riding up and down Luz Ardiden ski station as well. Thanks Niki for showing me the routes. Beautiful scenery everywhere especially at Lake Gloriettes and Cirque De Gavarnie.
Perfect Bikes for the Pyrenees
We couldn't have been happier with the bikes were rented. I take a bike on the small side, and they gave me an excellent bike that was exactly the same size as requested. It's also worth a visit to their shop where they carry an excellent selection of jerseys and goods. Several in our group stocked up on nice memorabilia there.