#84: Rent a Bike or an 'E-Bike' at Port Side Rentals

Want a totally green way to get around Greenport, Shelter Island and the rest of the North Fork this spring and summer? Then you might want to check out Port Side Rentals, a new business offering dozens of retro-style bicycles and easy-to-operate electric bikes located next to on Front Street in Greenport.

Greenport resident Bruce Garritano runs the rental business and said that it was "definitely something Greenport needed."

"It's a niche," he said. "And this was a great spot to set up the business."

Unlike Block Island in Rhode Island, which for years has had places to rent gas-powered scooters, which can be intimidating for the novice, the North Fork and Shelter Island have not had a centralized place offering alternative methods of transportation.

"These electric bikes are much easier to handle than the scooters on Block Island," Garritano said of the electric "Flyer" bicycles, which can be powered or pedaled.

The electric bikes are $50 for four hours and standard bike rental rates are $35 per day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Helmets are available for both methods of bicycling at no extra charge.

Garritano said that business has been picking up — especially on the weekends — since he opened at the end of April. 

"And we should be picking up on the weekdays," he said.

Port Side Rentals is located at 124 Front Street in Greenport. Call 631-477-6585 or go to portsiderentals.com for more information.