Wheel Fun Rentals

Decent value and speedy service. Great area to ride bikes and get a view of the scenery.

Actually lost track of this bookmark from a couple weeks ago. Swung by on July 3^rd when we both had a day off from our hectic schedules.
Long line, but, it went relatively fast, so, can’t beat that.
Price to amount of fun? That’s your call, we loved paddleboarding and would do it again in a heart beat. Was happy they give you a 15 minute buffer in order to get in after that hour is up.
What I don’t care for is the lack of any sort of rules or guidelines. They have a few staff members that hand out the waivers, but, they’re useless when it comes to getting information from.
«Do we need 1 ID or 2 on file?» Ummm let me check. Son, you have maybe 3 job duties for this role, and you need to check? Come on now.
I didn’t care that the line to the hut was back onto the bike and walking tracks. Talk about funny when you see people head down, buried in their phone almost get smoked by a biker!
Here’s a thought, buy a queue line and wrap that bitch into the grass and parallel with the walking path. I should patent that and sell it to them, I know. Or save money on the queue line/​velvet rope deally and have your employees line control people to wrap a bit to the left or right. Just stupid.
All in all, the line and lack of coordination don’t get it top notches, but, it serves the purpose if you don’t have a kayak or paddleboard.

Why the bad reviews? Of course there is a wait on nice days and I definitely didn’t expect a locker. They are organized. I waited 30 minutes in line, but I expected it. No complaints. The people were nice and reasonably efficient. They said a life jacket is required but we can’t see you so… I took mine off. Rented double kayaks and had a blast. The water looks gross and has lots of vegetation. So I personal wouldn’t paddleboard, but that didn’t stop most people. Lake of the isles was fun to explore on kayak. Very reasonably priced. (I rented paddleboards in Florida for $ 40/​hr.) I’d go again, and I recommend it.

My first paddle board adventure was an exciting, beautiful success on Lake Calhoun.
The paddle boards here are not like the slippery surfboards I was expecting. They were like mini boats. They were thick plastic and not solid. There were non slip pads that showed where to place your feet for the best balance. The perfect board for noobs! I went from being nervous to try it (I am a chicken about water sports…) to confident I wouldn’t fall off.
Calhoun seemed intimidating as it was full of sailboats and a little wavy, so we paddled to the right and went through the canal. There are two bridges to go under before you pop out into Lake of the Isles. We didn’t bring anything with us on the paddleboards. We even left our phones in the car as we were afraid to get them wet. Next time I would bring them so we could take photos. People had everything on their paddle boards from toddlers to coolers. What a neat floating picnic lunch idea!

Lake Calhoun is one of my favorite spots to visit in the summer. Wheel Fun Rentals offers up a lot of options from canoes to bikes for your to scope out one of the great landmarks of Minneapolis. I got a Groupon deal and rented out a stand up paddle board with a friend, and we ended up padding though Lake of the Isles and getting all the way to Hidden Beach before heading back. It was a really great way to see the city from a new angle and get a great workout at the same time.

If you go on a holiday weekend be prepared to wait a bit. We went on the Monday of Labor day and had to wait ~30−45 minutes. The equipment was all available once we got to the font but they are slow and disorganized so the process to actually pay and get on the water takes a bit.
The equipment was in good shape and the actual kayaking experience was great but the staff left something to be desired. I do understand that it was quite busy and chaotic but both groups of people we dealt with (going out and coming in) were unpleasant, seems like they could use a better manager to help with coordination and moral.
The biggest negative of this place is that there is no storage available, I wish they had those lockers you find at water parks but they don’t. Leave everything in your car except your ID, you will need that.

I had an amazing Labor day with my girlfriend paddle boarding on Lake Calhoun! It is a great local activity around the Minneapolis area, you can even see downtown Minneapolis from the lake. We went on a very busy day being a holiday but did not have to wait in line long. Wheel Fun Rentals had a great variety of different things to rent including kayaks, paddle boards, paddle boats, canoes, and I believe sailboats.
As fun as the activities are themselves, the company seemed terribly unorganized. We rented two paddle boards for one hour which came to a little under $ 40 which seemed a bit expensive, but I guess they do have the monopoly when it comes to rentals on that lake. RIght after our purchase the attendant said someone would help us right around the corner of the building, then quickly moved onto the next customer. We walked around the corner and saw nobody, and had no clue where to go. Nobody informed us what to do with our clothes/​personal belongings. We went back to the attendant and asked her again what to do, and she led us around the corner and gave us two life jackets. We ended up buying a plastic bag for $ 1 to put our money and phones in so i suggest to leave yours in the car. After, another employee came up and asked us what we rented. I feel like we could have just went up to him originally and told him a paddle board without ever paying, no one was keeping tabs on anything. He led us to two paddle boards floating in the water and let us be on our way with no further instruction.
After paddle boarding for 20 min or so, we took off our life jackets because we noticed we were the only ones wearing ours. When we were returning to the main lake the same guy was screaming at us at the top of his lungs telling us to put our life jackets on. Probably something he should have told us before sending us off. All in all I had an awesome time, they had good equipment but they could have a lot of improvements with organization, and helping, and informing customers on their policies.

Rented a canoe here yesterday ($ 18). It was an 80 degree Saturday, so there were a buttload of people there, but I thought the staff did a great job of keeping everything moving along. Note that there was a wait (not sure how long) for standing paddle boards, but there were plenty of canoes for us, because they seem to be deeply uncool now.
Life jackets were wet :-(and my husband’s was stinky :-(and the equipment seemed kind of beat up… the paddle made my hands a little black from the paint rubbing off.
We live like 400 feet from this place, so we bought an annual pass for $ 10. This gets you an extra half hour on your rental the day you buy the pass and then you get 50% off the first hour of every rental for the next year, good for just one rental. So it pays for itself in 1 – 2 visits. It works at 60 locations nationwide, including 5 or 6 others in MN (Duluth is one).

I came to Lake Calhoun to kayak with my friends last weekend, mainly to get rid of my recently acquired farmers tan and ‘exercise’. I got a tandem kayak which was $ 21 while my friends got single kayaks. The wait to pay was not bad and my friends forgot their IDs which they require, but they were nice to just use mine for all of ours. The life jackets are smelly, like old gym clothes left in your locker for a year smelly, so don’t plan to go on a hot date right after. They offer 15 minute grace period which is helpful because the wait to get my ID back was painfully slow. They had no actual method of checking and there were lines for life jackets next to lines for identification cards next to line to pay etc. Basically at some point it was a shit show and people waited in wrong line. They need to figure out how to organize this better given some people in front of us came back well before their grace period and the lines were just so confusing that they end up going over trying to figure out how to check out.
Also, one of the workers passing out life vests told us we didn’t need to them the whole time. When kayaking back, another worker at the shore decide to then yell at us while we were kayaking back that we have to wear them, despite we were about 200 feet from shore. I normally have pretty thick skin and little shame but really?! Anyways…
Remember to bring your drivers license or IDs!

Wheel Fun Rentals is a laid back aquatic recreational rental company run by young adults. They are professional, friendly, and efficient.
We saw that they consistently had the paying individual complete a one page waiver, pay (using cash or plastic), and then leave their state ID or Driver’s License as security.
They have canoes, one and two person kayaks, paddle boards, and other water transportation devices. They had a lot of bicycles and tandem bikes too. Some of the rentals required helmets and (I think) all of them (except the bikes) required life vests. We chose to rent two paddle boards at $ 18/​hour/​person.
An employee hooked us up with life vests and then adjusted paddles according to our height. Another employee got our paddle boards out for us and held them steady as they showed us how to step on. She also showed us how to hold the paddle and which direction to face the blade as we pushed it through the water.
We observed that most renters removed their life vests and secured them to their equipment as soon as they were away from the shore. One woman brought her small dog and balanced it on the end of her paddle board as she maneuvered around the lake.
The lake was divided into two sections, separated by two consecutive bridges. The first section (where the rentals begin) seems to be heavily populated with small sail boats. The second section is mostly smaller things like kayaks and paddle boards. That section has an island in the middle.
We had our paddle boards for about 1.25 hours but nobody seemed to notice or care. Our clothes and purses were on the ground where we left them as lockers were not provided. In fact, everyone seemed to leave their belongings on the ground near the rental bikes and canoes. The employees explained that they’ve never had a problem with theft.
There was a structure near the rental place that had a café, bathrooms, and bike racks. It was not affiliated with Wheel Fun Rentals but it’s proximity was convenient and provided reciprocal value.

I have rented paddle boards from Wheel Fun twice now, and thoroughly enjoyed both times.
Ups
— Arm workout without the gym
— Awesome way to experience Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles
— Free rental for your birthday if you sign up for their club
Downs
— They require one ID as a deposit and I forgot mine both times. Entirely my fault but it caused my blood to boil a little bit having to drive back down Hennepin in rush hour.
— Can be busy/​unpredictable; I didn’t experience this first-​hand, but some of my friends mentioned they thought the staff were a little disorganized when they had rented from Wheel Fun.

What a difference a weekday makes! Not surprisingly, this place goes from lines that never end on weekends to totally manageable on a weekday.
I decided I was taking my summer days and flexible work schedule for granted, so today I joined some teacher friends at the lake for a quick jaunt on the paddle boards. It was the first time I’d rented anything from this place since I went on a canoeing date with my high school boyfriend.
It’s $ 18/​hour (you’re charged up front) and they take one ID per group as a deposit. There’s a 15 minute grace period so if you’re just over an hour it’s OK. If you decide to stay out longer, you basically pay in 15 minute increments for the amount of time you have the board. I like that they don’t just charge you for a whole second hour. It just seems more fair this way. They also have paddleboats, kayaks, canoes, bikes, etc.
You’re «on the clock» from the moment you pay. So that time it takes you to jog back to your car and stow your wallet and phone is «on the clock.» Kind of annoying, but in the checkout process they weren’t sticklers (even though we were maybe a tiny bit over our grace period) so it all worked out. If I were to do it again though, I’d just leave everything in the car from the get-​go except cash and the one ID to maximize water time.
The staff sets you up with oars and boards and they were all really nice people. I think they probably had more time to be nice today than they would’ve on a crazy weekend though. It’s a totally different scene from what I’ve noticed. Also, the required life jackets are kinda ripe, so I took mine off as quickly as possible (shhh).
The boards seem decent enough and it’s a really fun way to spend an afternoon. It’s not really a hard workout (it’s surprisingly easy!), but it’s 100% better than being inside a gym on a beautiful day.
GOOD ROUTE: Make your way across Lake of the Isles and through the lagoon that connects to Cedar Lake.
BAD ROUTE: Roaming among the youth sailing lessons on Lake Calhoun. You (probably) don’t know what you’re doing. They (probably) don’t know what they’re doing. It’s the recipe for a shipwreck. YOUTHS.

Why buy when you can rent?!
Kayaks, double kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, stand up paddle boards and bikes! Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake are all at your fingertips via Wheel Fun Rentals. Simply pay for the first hour and you’ve got a transportation vehicle to explore the lakes. Rent for as long as you like, you pay by the hour. It’s a fun fitness activity for singles, those dating and small/​large families. They provide life jackets, paddles and instructions (if you need it!).
A few tips:
— Sign up for an annual membership. It’s only $ 10 and affords you half price rentals for a whole year! If you’re planning on coming back more than once this will pay for itself!
— Expect lines — while the long lines can be overwhelming, don’t worry — they go quick! They have more than enough to rent so you usually don’t have to wait too long.
— Skip Lake Calhoun and head over the Lake of the Isles/​Cedar Lake — a much calmer and relaxing experience. You’ll be amazed at the channel between Isles and Cedar — it’s awfully scenic and romantic.
— Leave some time at the end to enjoy fish or ice cream at Tin Fish located right next store after your expedition on the lakes!

My 8 yr old son and I were looking forward to a morning on the water using our Groupon. We arrived at 9:30am and decided to rent a double kayak, which costs $ 18 for an hour rental. I presented my groupon– a $ 34 value — and was told that we wouldn’t get any value back. I was bummed and said so politely. Attendant agreed and blamed «corporate.» Son and I had a blast paddling around Lake of the Isles and Calhoun but were done after about 45 minutes. Arriving back at the beach and knowing I still had groupon credit, I asked to rent a paddleboat and use up the remaining value. We took out the paddleboat for about 30 minutes and felt like we got our money’s worth from the groupon. It’s a shame that the language on the groupon doesn’t explain how it will work — I understand «no cash refunds» but was not too thrilled to initially think we would save all of $ 3 by using the groupon. Worked out in the end, though, so that was good!

Don’t be intimidated by the long line when you show up on a weekend. We almost ditched out on renting kayaks after seeing a line snake back into the restaurant. We decided to give it a shot anyway, and were in the water less than 20 minutes later. Kayaks are not the nicest but totally sufficient. Skip Lake Calhoun where the water is choppy and head to Lake of the Isles and beyond. Much calmer and more scenic.

I visited the Wheel Fun Rentals location on Lake Calhoun last weekend to rent a paddleboard. Renting out water sports equipment is a great idea. In this case, it’s an idea not very well implemented.
Kayaking, canoeing, paddle boating, or paddle boarding: take your pick. The paddleboarding itself was fun and a worthy venture on a perfect summer day. The rental process was not well organized. There was a long line, a long wait (I recognize they can’t predict how long people are going to be out), and the process of signing up, signing legal docs, paying, getting lifejacket, getting your water craft is disorganized to say the least. A more streamlined process would make this a more pleasant experience.
Really, I can’t complain since I spent the time waiting by swimming in the lake and drinking a smoothie down the street. Next time, I’ll come prepared to wait a while.

Went to the Wheel Fun location at Lake Harriet with a groupon. This cut the price in half and made it much more reasonably priced. We went out for a day of family paddling. When we arrived there was a teen guy working there and he told us we had to be back in an hour for this particular groupon.
When we arrived, 2 of the single paddleboats were flooded and partially submerged. There were 2 other working single boats (2 passengers) available. There were only 2 double paddleboats (seating 4) and 1 of them was broken. We took out the only working double paddler. Unfortunately, no one had bothered to clean it and it was full of macaroni and cheese spilled all over the back and in one of the seats. We washed it off as best we could ourseleves with lake water but it was still slimy and gross. You would think the staff would keep the boats clean. All of the lifevests were soaked and old.
We had fun paddling but the boat was not in good repair. To keep it tracking straight we had to keep the steering handle pushed to one side. It was out of adjustment and this left us unable to turn left since the lever wouldn’t go any farther.
When we came back in there was a girl working and the guy had left. She told us we actually could have stayed out for two hours, but since we didn’t use the full value of the groupon she couldn’t refund us the difference. We offered to pay and keep the groupon for a later time but she wouldn’t go for that either. She did give us a 20% off coupon for future visits but it would have been nice to know upfront the actual amount of time we could use the boat, and she even mentioned we could have gotten 2 single boats if we weren’t happy with the condition of the double we took out. No one suggested or mentioned this up front.
Overall, we had fun in spite of Wheel Fun, not because of them. We had a really good time paddling the lake and hanging out. The actual activity is really fun. The company though wasn’t impressive. The staff was inattentive and contradictory, the equipment was in disrepair and dirty, and we didn’t get the full value of our purchase.

I’m «on board» (sorry) with what the other reviewers said, however, next time I’ll bring my own life vest (their life vests are are old and smelly) I’ll wear a swimsuit (even the paddle boats will leave you with a wet butt sometimes) and next time I’ll try paddle boarding instead. Everyone who was paddle boarding had a huge smile on their face and looked like they were having an awesome time and getting a great workout! Also, Do Not leave without getting a fish taco at Tin Fish right next door.

I agree, totally worth it. Go! Rent a canoe or paddle boat, paddle your way out into the middle of the lake, look around at the city and think-​DAMN! This is one of the only cities where I can be in the middle of it yet on a gorgeous lake with my honey. They’ve got punch cards for frequent boaters, and the rates aren’t really expensive, considering. Keep your eye on the clock tho, it’s easy to rack up charges by being late returning the boat!

Gone are the days of rolling down to your local beach to rent a canoe/​kayak for less than a mortgage payment. Wheel Fun Rentals on the East side of Lake Calhoun obviously knows its worth. If you have a pulse and enjoy outdoor activity, you need to experience this. This is the perfect option for families, singletons, couples, hardcore athletes or your casual boater. Rentals aren’t cheap but the experience is worth it. Take in a view of the city from the lake. Adventure seekers can explore Calhoun, Isles, Cedar, and Brownie Lake. The novice boater may want to stay closer to «marina». All equipment/​gear required for a fun day is available including life jackets. If you live in the city or are just visiting and you haven’t experienced this, you’re missing out on a great time. Once you’ve tried it, you’re hooked.
(Warning) First time boaters or people uncomfortable around water do not attempt this alone. This is a boat at your own risk adventure!