Originally Posted by
NewATBikeComute
With a goal of minimizing routine maintenance, maybe it's a necessary economic compromise.
The intended audience is people with little if any bike experience, running errands, or perhaps a little sightseeing. If even 1% of the population were to use the service, I'd put up with the initial annoyance of misplaced bikes, knowing that the health benefits would be hugh.
Do they suck? Compared to even a BSO, the ride is poor. But what would be the capital cost of a full suspension carbon downhill bike with a suspension seatpost, and how long would it last?
It's more than annoyance especially for folks with limited mobility or older folks who don't have strength to move a bike...I am not so opposed to Bikesharing but use docks like they have been doing and don't make a big mess. You don't leave trash on the street for someone else to pick up nor do you leave things where they don't belong but unfortunately the dockless bikeshares encourage this heavily.
The idea of the carbon DH bike was not for a bikeshare but the only way to make those hideous airless tires work. I am not at all suggesting we continue using airless tires but just a method to use them because people are going to continue inventing the brand new airless tire that hasn't been tried for well over a hundred years.