Fat Tire Bike Tours

It really bums me out to write this review since this is my first time rating a bike tour less than 5 stars.
We had such an amazing time on our Fat Tire Bike Tour in Paris so we were eagerly anticipating our Fat Tire Bike Tour in Barcelona. Unfortunately, the Fat Tire tour in Barcelona paled in comparison with the Paris tour.
Our morning tour on Saturday, January 23^rd met at the Plaça Sant Jaume. We were told to meet at the side of the plaza closest to Las Ramblas, but since we were unfamiliar with the area it took us a while to locate the exact meeting spot. The Fat Tire website claimed the guides would be wearing Fat Tire shirts and carrying a sign. There was no sign and if the guides were wearing Fat Tire shirts we could not see them under their jackets. There were two other bike tours meeting in the same plaza that morning so it would be helpful if they brought a sign in the future.
We didn’t receive the warmest welcoming from the tour guides. Once they acknowledged that we were there for the bike tour they turned their backs to us and continued to talk among themselves while we awkwardly stood around. Luckily, once the bike tour started our guide ended up be very cool and friendly. I forgot her name, but I remember she was from Holland.
I was surprised how worn out the bikes were at the Fat Tire bike shop. Initially, I was offered a bike that was missing the front part of the seat! They seemed reluctant to switch out my bike even after I pointed out the missing chunk of the seat. Who wants to bike on cobble stone and unpaved paths with a broken bike seat!!! My replacement bike wasn’t much better. My bike’s kickstand was broken so I had to lean my bike against bushes and walls during each stop of the tour. My sister’s bell was broken on her bike so I had to ring my bell for her when unaware pedestrians stepped in front of her bike.
About thirty minutes into our tour, my husband’s tire went flat. Luckily, two guys from our group knew how to change a tire and had the bike fixed in about 20 minutes, but you could tell everyone was annoyed that we had to pause the tour to fix his bike.
Foodies: prepare to be disappointed! On the Paris Fat Tire tour we stopped for an ice cream cone at Berthillon, one of the best ice cream shops in Paris. On the Barcelona tour we stopped at an overpriced tourist trap on the beach that had terrible food. Barcelona has so many amazing restaurants so I can’t understand why Fat Tire couldn’t have picked a better lunch spot. A «locals only» tapas bar or a cute churros shop would have been a better idea.
It’s apparent why the Fat Tire bikes are in terrible condition. At the end of the tour, the bikes were simply lined up in the shop and none of them were inspected for issues. We had to remind the shop to put my husband’s bike with the spare tire to the side so that the tire could be replaced.
Overall, the bike tour was fun, but our bikes and lunch were awful. I would advise booking a bike tour with a different company in Barcelona that offers nicer bikes.

Just went on a bike tour today in Barcelona and had the time of my life! I didn’t think one could see so much of the city in the 4 hours! The bikes are easy to ride and the guides are really fun! I had a great group of people and spent the entire time laughing and enjoying myself while exploring the city! I highly recommend touring the city through Fat Tire Bike Tours! Shout out to Benja for giving me and my friends a great final day in Barcelona too!

This was our second fat tire bike tour and it was amazing. We had Ben as our tour guide and he was the best. He was extremely informative. It is a great way to see the city and get to know it. We had a really fun lunch at the beach. This is great for all ages. This is so informative and a great way to spend the day. We give it our highest recommendation!!!

Thanks for the fun tour! I have done the Barcelona tour twice now — I highly recommend it! We covered a lot of area in 3 hours.

Excellent tour guide, who was funny and able to keep the interest and attention of my three boys as he explained the history of Barcelona. The three-​plus-​hour tour was key to making Barcelona my boys’ favorite place during their two-​month vacation in Spain. My wife and I took the Fat Tires tour of London and loved this tour at least as much, probably more. Highlights included a brief lesson about Barcelona’s big-​picture history at the beginning of the tour and visits to the Roman ruins, old royal castle and plaza, Barcelona cathedral, Sagrada Familia, the abandoned bull ring, Parc de la Ciutadella, Port Olimpic, and Barceloneta beach. The cycling itself was invigorating, but not at all taxing on anyone in our group. What a fun way to see and appreciate a truly great city!

Great tour with Nick… my second one but i’d recommend they start investing in new cycles, most cycles were in pretty bad shape.

An outstanding time today with Cam as our guide. We covered so much land and made the most of our time. We even stopped by the beach and ate some lunch. We did a few bike tours on our travels through Europe this week and this was by the far the best.

Had a chance to take this tour on the last day here in Barcelona. Wish I would have taken it earlier so I would have had the time to go into some of the places we saw. Adam our guide was informative and fun. He made the tour entertaining while learning about the history of Barcelona. If looking for a way to see the sites of the city while getting some exercise and having fun doing it, then I recommend this one. Wish there were more tours like this in the different cities we are going to visit this week

Great tour to break the ice with the city of Barcelona. Adam our guide was awesome and very informative! Hit these guys up for a tour you won’t be disappointed :)

Our second fat tire bike tour (well technically my third but minor detail!!!), and we were fairly impressed with the experience (compared to the Berlin one…).
Our guide Paolo was super friendly and had great knowledge of the city–
The bikes were old and cranky but we managed to get around in the city just fine. As we did the tour on Tuesday, for lunch we got the Tuesday € 1 (pinxtos) specials about a skip from La Sagrada Familia.
A word of warning for those thinking of taking this tour, the pedestrians of Barcelona do not give a fire truck you’re on a bike, you as a rider are merely in the way. It actually felt more safe to ride on the main roads with other cars!
What was frustrating about this tour– the lunch option. With how great, amazing and tasty the food options are in Barcelona– a local tour should have decent local food attached.
But if you want to squeeze in a tonne of Barcelona in a small amount of time, do this tour!

Margo was a fantastic guide that was so sweet to stay after and give out restaurant names. It was a fun tour with lots to see and great information I otherwise would not have learned about the sites in Barcelona.

As an ICU nurse who works in a busy urban trauma hospital, I was a little hesitant in booking this tour. City biking without helmets frightens me. However, our guide Steve made me feel safe right away and I assure you that that is a difficult task. It was obvious that he was able to safely maneuver a group of 13 people through the busy streets of Barcelona. He even would turn around to check on the group. Something that I have rarely experienced in my travels.
Barcelona is a large city to explore and biking is probably the best way to truly take in the many sites. I was impressed by Steve’s knowledge and sense of humor (although unfortunately I think we were a really quiet group who may not have recognized his humor for what it was worth)! He gave us tips on how to easily see the sites further. I also appreciate his helpfulness in suggesting locations to celebrate my upcoming birthday – they were spot-​on and we had a lot of fun last night. (Not my birthday, but fun should be had when possible!).
If you are counting out a bike tour for safety issues, don’t!

Messer aka messa was the best! We got to see the best of Barcelona with a lathe
Group of us and she was the best. We
Loved this tour it made our trip. We loved
Her so much we hung out after!

Excellent tour of Barcelona at an excellent price. We’ll definitely look to Fat Tire when we go to Paris, London, and Berlin.
The nice thing about a bike tour is you can simply cover so much ground in a short period of time. We felt the tour was very informative and our group (though around 14 people) never had issues moving along quickly.
Overall highly recommended. Please remember to tip guides… don’t be stingy.

My 3^rd city for doing Fat Tire. Just as happy as I expected. As you can tell from the moment you get there Barcelona is a bike friendly city which makes the tour even easier than the other cities. The tour guides were knowledgeable about the history as well as the current events. It was also interesting to learn about living in Barcelona.
I highly recommend this as it gives a good overview of the city, which helps to find out where you want to spend the rest of your days in the city.

Canadian dude! Speak slower for non-​native speakers!

My husband and I decided to sign up for the Barcelona Fat Tire Bike Tour after having an absolute blast with the Paris Fat Tire «Night Tour» on the first leg of our France/​Spain honeymoon. We did the 11am tour on a Saturday in late September.
These tours are a great way to explore a new city and have fun doing it. You cover MUCH more ground than you would on foot. The four hours flew by. You might consider taking this tour on your first day in Barcelona and use it to help plan what to see later on your own (ie. Sagrada Familia, beach, Cathedral, Barri Gotic, etc).
Jordan was our expert (and entertaining) guide. He definitely knows his history but pays attention to the group to make sure everyone is still having fun. However, I’m sure all of the guides have their own flair.
PROS: English, laughs, Catalonian history, meeting new people, sightseeing, cover ground quickly, good for most any age and fitness level
CONS: some of the bikes needed tune-​ups (broken seat height adjusters, my husband’s front brake broke off completely half way through), road safety at times (lack of bike lanes in Barcelona made for dodging people on roads/​sidewalks, etc), hard to hear guide if in the back of the group
Although we had a great time, I wish they had a night tour for us younger folks (late 20s) like they do in Paris and newer bikes.

We enjoyed the bike tour so much we did two, one for each side of Barcelona.
The first day Margo was our guide and she was fantastic.
The second day our guide was pretty good but you could tell he was getting burnt out on the tours, we were the only patrons that day and we had a great time though we were paired with a group of guides learning the bikes, a few could have been a bit more professional but otherwise it was enjoyable
I highly recommend these tours. Great way to see the city.

This was my favorite thing that we did on our 7 day, 2 country European Adventure!
The tour guides were great. Very knowledgable and super friendly. They did a great ob giving us a good history lesson without putting us to sleep!
We lucked out and had a picture-​perfect spring day.
This tour is a GREAT way to see the city. They take you just about everywhere… from Segrada Familia to the beach and everywhere in between!
I hadnt been on a bike in years but managed to do ok. Barcelona is a very bike-​friendly city!

For those of you who were aware of the pickpocket and bag snatching problem in Barcelona this is one way to get around it. I would like to see the thief who is willing to run that hard to rob you !
There are 2 Fat Tire locations in town but i prefer to use this one located just off La Rambla in one of those great courtyard areas where you will find the best bars and restaurants that the mass of tourists never get to. Hanging out around here is for locals and the prices are far cheaper, better still the Tapas is as authentic as it gets.
Fat Tire are always my stop Uno in any city where they are located. I first used them in Berlin and have been a fan ever since and although most people go for the guided tour they provide it is also possible to just hire a bike and go off on your jack. We paid € 8 each for the whole afternoon. You can’t even get a ride between bus stops in Barcelona for that! The bike are functional and have 3 gears and an adjustable seat, no bells, no whistles and no safety kit. Just enuff to get you motoring and on your way. We had a great time whizzing past all the pedestrians and traffic and spun our wheels up to Barcelona FC’s stunning Camp Nou stadium to do the tour and then wheelied back down through town and spent the afternoon exploring at Port Olímpic and the main beachfront.
The shop is closed for Siesta until 7PM which is ideal as once you have returned your bike, you can grab a swift beer at Bar Lisa opposite and then head across the square to the tiny lane that is Carrer den Carrabassa and within a few minutes you will be at Restaurant D9 in the Gothic quarter where you can pick from, what is for me, the best menu of Mediterranean food in town.

Está claro que este es un servicio ideal para turistas, para que se puedan mover por la ciudad a su aire sin tener que ir por debajo del suelo o en los insufribles autobuses que tenemos.
Yo quise alquilar varias bicis para un grupo de 12 personas (ingleses, alemanes, rumanos, finlandeses y griegos) que vino coincidiendo con un festival y la verdad es que miré varios precios. Aquí me hacían una oferta para el grupo muy buena.
Los que lo llevan son muy simpáticos y hasta me ofrecían hacer de guías para enseñar Barcelona. Ahora que viene el buen tiempo, hay que dejar el transporte público e ir en una bici, que es descapotable.

Ir en bici por Barcelona ya es una moda. Es normal cruzarse con grupos de turistas bici-​dotados con relativa guía que les enseña lo mejor de la ciudad.
Así han nacido varias tiendas que alquilan bicicletas y organizan tours sobre dos ruedas!
Una de estas es Fat Tire Bike.
Su lema es: ves más con menos esfuerzo y más diversión.
Alquilan bicis y organizan tours solo en inglés. Y en total relax — su nombre lo dice todo!
Utilizan solo bicis tipo playeras: cómodas, fáciles de manejar y de todos colores!
Así que si te apetece ver Barcelona de otra manera, disfrutando de los días de sol y haciéndolo cómodamente, puedes pasarte por su tienda y alquilarte una cómoda playera o, a lo mejor, apuntarte a un tour de grupo!
Barcelona by bikes total!