GMTmin8

Inspired while reading a thread about running during a layover, I thought about cycling instead since I'll have my helmet and a long TATL flight afterwards one morning midweek day in August.

Then I found 3 Call a Bike Stations near FRA on Google. Looks possible but raises lots of questions.

Any good rides near the airport? Any experience with Call a Bike? How to engage company (no English version website)? How much time to leave to get back into the airport, shower etc prior to boarding? Any other bike rental options?

My main concern is contact via the app or phone since my mobile probably won't work in Germany (would Croatian SIM work there?) and I don't know how well FRA wifi works outside the terminal itself.

Thanks

SchokoLate

Hi, I can help you with the registration for Call a bike (we can do that by PM).

Rides:
- If it's hot (can be >30°C in mid-August, the wood around the airport or the track on the southern bank of the river 'Main' northwest of the airport might be interesting.
- The woody hills in the northwest might be an interesting destination.
- There is a different bike rental company with a bike station 5 km from the airport and an English website: nextbike.de
- Maybe back at the airport security 2 hours before departure?
- For Call a bike, you can unlock the bike by calling a phone number. To able to make calls outside Croatia, you might have to unlock calling abroad (check the FAQs or the online portal if it shows that status).

GMTmin8

Thank you for the advice and link. Nextbike allows card purchase so a mobile device is not needed.

I figured out I can substitute back my Verizon sim & for $ 10/day use it in Germany. I'll give you a PM if my high school German cannot figure out the Call a Bike app.

fppmongo

Depending on how much time you have, driving around the airport ground might be an option. There's a well-maintained bike lane all around. You'll pass several lookout points as well as cycle through the "Bannwald" (protected forest/reserve area).

I like this route especially after precipitation​ (you cycle on tarmac for the most part which dries quickly after it rained.

Edit: Note, however, that not all of the route is scenic. At times, you'll cycle right next to major freeways.

GMTmin8

Thank you for the suggestion. I found approximately 20 km route using a bike route planner which works time wise.

How well is the route marked , meaning would it be easy to get lost?

fppmongo

I recommend you use a free app for navigation (e.g., Komoot, Naviki, Bike Citizens work well in Germany).

To answer the question, though, routes are reasonably-well marked and easy to follow. (Especially easy for the part where you follow the perimeter of the airport.) There are signs just for cyclists in Germany. They are in green font on white ground. IIRC, they give indications such as "Flughafen Terminals" (= airport terminals), "Flughafen Süd" (airport south), "Flughafen Ost" (airport east) and so on.

EDIT: If you end up doing a different trip, you should also find these signs for cyclists regularly. BTW, dedicated paths for cyclists are marked with a round blue traffic sign with a white bicycle on it.

GMTmin8

I appreciate your advice. Thank you.