Originally Posted by
hotbike
okay, I took 2 hours 31 minutes, but I stopped at every light, and stopped a few times for water.
But I wasn’t asking you to compare rides, I asked if you could compare unlocking a CitiBike with a smartphone app, versus the old rfid fob.
This was the first time using the app , for me.
I see the advantages already, I don’t think I’ll go back to the fob, unless my phone breaks, gets stolen, or the battery goes dead.
I have an appointment with a cardiologist later this week, and I’ll be sure to tell him about this ride before I get on the treadmill!
I wasn't trying to compare rides, but suggesting the best way to go even farther beyond the farthest station is to reset the timer at the that station, ride as far away from it for 20 min or so, then turn back.
I've used the app a few times, mainly during times when I left my key behind, or when the key just doesn't work in the dock. But the disadvantage of it is that the app needs to know your exact location for you to be able to unlock a bike. I've had situation where I came out of a train station and my gps location was off and the error range was quite large. The app did not allow me to unlock a bike, so I had to move to an area away from all the skyscrapers and wait for the my location to become more accurate. I wasted a bit of time there.
But in general, when I am preparing other things between getting off the train and arriving the bike dock, getting the key to unlock is only a few seconds vs maybe 1 minute or more to use the app (especially if wearing thick gloves). Same goes for extending the time of a ride.