Electric Bike Rental in Chicago: Where to Rent, What It Costs and Rules Ahead

An e-bike makes the lakefront an easy day. Shops rent by the hour or the day, and Divvy covers short trips. This page lists who rents them, what they cost and the rule change coming in 2027⁴. For the full set of options, see Rentals & Divvy.

Where to rent an e-bike

Provider	Model	Price
Bobby’s Bike Hike	Serfas E-Dash, 20 mph	$29.99 an hour1
3rd Coast Cycles	Radio Flyer midtail and longtail	Shown at booking10
Divvy	City e-bike	$1 plus $0.44 a minute3

Bobby’s Bike Hike

The shop is at 540 N Lake Shore Dr, in the heart of the Lakefront Trail¹. The electric bicycle is a Serfas E-Dash with a 20 mph top speed, for riders 16 and older¹. Rates: $29.99 an hour with a two-hour minimum, $69.99 for four hours or less, and no full-day rate¹. Online rates include a 10 percent discount¹. A comfort hybrid, by comparison, costs $14.99 an hour¹. Locks, helmets and maps are free with every rental¹.

3rd Coast Cycles

3rd Coast Cycles rents Radio Flyer e-bikes in two models, a midtail and a longtail². The longtail carries 400 lbs². Both list a 30–50 mile range, a 500-watt motor, a throttle and five levels of pedal assist². Helmets are included with all rentals, locks are available, and you can rent for as many days as you want². Free demos run at its lakefront location².

The company also lists a Velotric Discover e-bike with hydraulic suspension and brakes¹⁰. Prices for each bike appear on the booking page¹⁰. The shop meets riders at 152 N DuSable Lake Shore Dr⁵.

Bike and Roll

Bike and Roll sits by Millennium Park and Navy Pier, right by the lakefront trail⁶. Its fleet includes electric bikes, cargo e-bikes and electric scooters⁶. At Navy Pier, the shop offers adult pedal and electric bikes¹¹. Read more in bike rental at Navy Pier.

Divvy e-bikes

Divvy is city-owned and operated by Lyft under contract⁷. Its e-bikes give a motor assist while you pedal, up to 20 mph⁷. You can start and end a trip at any Divvy station, or lock the bike at a legal bike parking space for an extra fee⁷.

Pricing depends on the plan:

• Single ride: $1 to unlock plus $0.44 a minute³.
• Day pass: free unlocks plus $0.44 a minute³.
• Annual member: free unlocks plus $0.20 a minute, capped at $6.00 for minutes 31 to 45³.

The day pass itself costs $19.90 and the annual membership $143.90³. Details are in Divvy e-bikes.

E-bike tours and upgrades

3rd Coast Cycles runs an e-bike skyline tour of just under an hour at speeds up to 21 mph⁵. It runs Monday to Friday at 9 am, noon and 3 pm, from $29.95⁵. Bobby’s Bike Hike sells an e-bike upgrade for $29.99 on its Lakefront Neighborhoods and City tours^8,9. See Chicago bike tours compared.

A monthly option

Whizz rents e-bikes in Chicago at $159 a month, with ownership after 12 months¹².

Rules ahead

A new state law, effective January 1, 2027, sets statewide rules for e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards, e-unicycles and higher-powered electric devices, including where they can be ridden and who can ride them⁴. The Chicago Park District is gathering feedback to set additional rules for some of these devices on its bicycle paths and trails⁴. Check the Park District’s Lakefront Trail page before you ride¹³.

At Bike the Drive, only bicycles and Type 1 and 2 e-bikes are allowed, with a 20 mph speed limit¹⁴. Riders should charge the battery fully and bring a charging cable¹⁴. For the law in depth, read Illinois e-bike laws; for daily riding, e-bike commuting in Chicago.

What the old station charged

The 2004–2014 Millennium Park bike station listed an electric bike at $20 an hour, $49 for a half day and $59 for a full day¹⁵. Its Friendly Neighborhoods Electric Bike Tour ran 3 to 4 hours, leaving daily at 11:00 am¹⁶. Adults paid $49¹⁶. Today’s shop rates are in the sections above; see also downtown bike rental.