GIANT Store Onomichi - Onomichi, Hiroshima

Paul L.

The good -- They have everything from Chamois cream to pocket tools. They do charge for the slightest fixes on your personal bike, which is fine. I had left a few items in transit and was able to get replacements before my trek to Imabari.

There are also incredible cafes and a bakery next door that make unbelievable baked goods if that is your thing.

The bad -- mostly for the inexperienced cyclists and the Karens of the world -- this is not the place to come unprepared. Book your bike well in advance and prepare as reasonably as possible. As with all things in Japan, preparation and promptness (Be early) is expected. There is a wide selection provided you do not procrastinate and arrange to book your preference in advance.

Scott K.

My wife and I rode the Shimanami Kaido route in 2023 with her parents and sister (who are not as into cycling as we are). Due to time constraints and lackluster bikes, we had to call it quits at the first ferry stop and only went 25 miles. We returned to Japan this year (April 2025) and had reserved bikes at one of the outdoor places near where the ferry takes off. From the pictures on the website, we thought we were getting nice carbon road bikes. When we got there, they were just the same crappy bikes we had last time. Since we intended to do the full route this time, that wasn't acceptable. We knew about the Giant bike shop nearby and hurried over there to see if they had anything better. They had a great aluminum road bike in my wife's size and a carbon bike in my size which was only available because someone else had cancelled their rental that day. We were so pleased that they were able to accomodate us. We brought our own pedals which they put on for us. They made adjustments to the bikes to fit us right. They were fast and very polite. I didn't even ask how much it would cost. We purchased bike gloves for my wife and a couple water bottles. Between the extras we bought and the charge for spare tube and lock, we paid about 21,000 yen (roughly $150 USD) for both bikes. The rental for just the bikes was probably about 8,800 yen each. I feel like that was money well spent to make one of our most anticipated days in Japan go as planned. The bikes were tuned well and rode very smoothly. It felt like I was riding my own bike. The full route to Imabari (and back to the Setoda ferry - approx 72 miles) was amazing. We never would have been able to do that in the time we had if we hadn't had those bikes. If we ever go back again, I'm not messing around with the other rental places. I'll just go straight to the Giant shop.

Connie

If you didn't plan ahead or you're a cycling snob you probably won't find Giant's services all that satisfactory, but if you came prepared & just need a quality roadbike to get the route done, this shop is probably your best bet.

I completed the entire Shimanami Kaido route on a sunny day in late February 2025. I rented a Contend (aluminum roadbike) + helmet for 1 day as a one-way trip (booking made 5 weeks in advance for 10:00 pickup in Onomichi, 18:00 dropoff in Imabari). At pick-up time I paid ¥8250 on my credit card. Service was quick, efficient, and the shop guy gave me maps and explained everything (in Japanese) to me pretty well, including how to use the gears & brake, the route and "bail-out" points along it, and also where to take the ferry to the first island. Please note that the smartphone mount/clamp and the small bike bag (for tools kits & mini-pump) attached to the seat pictured in my photos were brought by myself and did NOT come with the rental.

As for the route itself- definitely a beautiful experience that I certainly would not have been able to complete in 1-day on a heavier bike with no gears. I am absolutely not a cyclist but I do engage in regular aerobic activity (running ~40km per week @ half-marathon fitness level). I was able to complete the 1-way route solo from Onomichi to Imabari in about 6.5hrs, despite headwinds for ~60-70% of the time, with a detour to WAKKA bike cafe for a snack break. Total length of ride was 80km with 700m elevation (~100m for each bridge, other parts of the route all flat & speedy). If you are at all proficient with a roadbike, or riding in a group and can draft each other, I imagine it would take much less time. Witnessed a couple older gentlemen whiz past me on carbon roadbikes - they probably finished the whole thing in <4hrs. I dropped my bike off at the Imabari shop at 17:00 and hopped on an express train for Matsuyama right away as the terminal was located steps from JR Imabari station! That was a great bonus for me. I am knocking off a star in my review for the high-ish price and lack of free add-ons. As others have called out, since there is no other business competition in the area for a decent roadbike, they can run their margins quite high. I also had to bring some of my own gear (as explained above), and it took up so much unnecessary space in my luggage, which annoyed me - they did provide a spare tube and bike lock for no fee, but helmet had a plus-charge, & I believe anything else would have been plus-charge as well. All-in-all, I found this experience enjoyable and Giant's services to be smooth and satisfactory for my needs.

Ruth Y.

Due to last minute decision to do the route we arrived at Giant store Onomichi. We got the last two e-bikes. Well maintained but really expensive for what we needed 26k with two helmets. Crazy price but we were short on time. You pay for last minute decisions. Store is very organized, lots of accessories to buy there. Service was fine . My biggest tip for this fantastic ride is reserve bikes well ahead and check prices elsewhere. Giant are expensive compared to other places. Tip two if busy time there are also other bike shops on nearby island Mukaishima accessible by five minute trip on the little ferry .

Mike T.

Well-stocked bike shop with lots of nice bikes and accessories. Also a trip saver when my bike's Di2 battery died and they were able to give it a charge for a small fee.

Nicholas P.

Decent bikes that got us to imabari. Holy that was a difficult bike ride though. Definitely not for the faint of heart. It will take 7 hours and your legs will feel it. That said, great spots to take pictures along the way. There's very little time to stop at the tourist areas along the way unless you do this over two days.

Graham B.

If you want a premium road bike for the Shimanami Kaido, there are currently no alternatives (although the municipal rental scheme seems to be catching up fast). Giant's prices are exorbitant and a lot of the information on their website is incorrect - for example, one-way rental from Onomichi to Imabari hasn't been possible in years because the two different franchisees have fallen out. The Wakka return service gets around that and works well.

Except for some unreliable information, the online reservation worked well. After booking, a chat function is available for changes or enquiries which worked well; a response was usually received within one day. Even though the trip was during the low season in November, bike availablity became very limited around six weeks in advance.

The team on-site was well prepared and efficient. They'll adjust the bikes to your liking and let you test ride until you're happy. Printed handbooks and laminated one-pagers make up for the extremely limited English spoken. They also sell some gear and essentials if you forget anything.

Danny S.

Unfortunately the staff here are very unhelpful and maybe the least friendly that we met during two weeks in Japan. They had no interest in helping us with our issue and that combined with a poor interface meant our trip had to be completely changed. I would not recommend renting from
here unless everywhere else is fully booked.