Do bikeshare bicycles have to be so heavy?
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Someone's making a bundle. They are not worth that even with the GPS tracking.
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Twice while traveling last year I used bike share program bikes. In Austin, TX, and in Venice Beach, CA. I didn't want to spend the nearly $1000 to rent a road bike, so I figured riding a heavy bike share bike for 20-25 miles is "pedaling" and good enough for a workout. But in each case I got interesting comments from pedestrians that I encountered. In Austin...several miles away from downtown...while waiting at a traffic light...someone said to me "Wow, I've never seen one of those bikes so far away from downtown." In California...I was riding along the Oceanfront path. A group of teenage girls waved me down and asked "Where did you rent that electric bike?"
Dan
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They just started bikeshare in Lincoln Ne. I lifted one, and must weight more than my 1950 Roadmaster Rocket.
Last edited by rydabent; 04-20-18 at 10:50 AM.
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Remember, all these stand have power and communications run to them. Many have terminals for credit card processing. All that adds up in a hurry, that is why many companies are trying to migrate to a dockless setup.
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Do they have bikes out yet in them? I've seen the racks downtown by work--but no bikes in them. As far as bike weight....Look at your typical rider....those things need overbuilt in the extreme for how overweight people are.
#33
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So you want durability?
Raleigh 3 speeds were advertised as "the hundred year bicycle" and from what I have seen that claim is entirely justified. I recently took a 1969 model home to rehab. The paint on the frame was like new. The 3 speed Sturmey Archer worked like new. It still had the original Dunlop tires on it. The wheels are double walled and look like they could be run over by a truck and be unhurt. And it weighed a little over 40 lbs ready to ride. The 3 speed transmission also has replaceable cogs. you can substitute anything from 14 to 24 teeth. With a 24 tooth cog you can go up hill and down with relative ease.
Raleigh 3 speeds were advertised as "the hundred year bicycle" and from what I have seen that claim is entirely justified. I recently took a 1969 model home to rehab. The paint on the frame was like new. The 3 speed Sturmey Archer worked like new. It still had the original Dunlop tires on it. The wheels are double walled and look like they could be run over by a truck and be unhurt. And it weighed a little over 40 lbs ready to ride. The 3 speed transmission also has replaceable cogs. you can substitute anything from 14 to 24 teeth. With a 24 tooth cog you can go up hill and down with relative ease.
#35
don't try this at home.
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(And try lifting one of the $100 Target bikes, too!)
#36
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#37
Rhapsodic Laviathan
If you look at the bikes typically used for bike sharing systems, you'll see that these things resemble the kinds of bikes you and I would consider viable bikes only superficially. These are purpose-made to a very different set of criteria and usually include things like built-in locks, radio tracking device and associated battery/charger, a dropped down-tube (i.e. a girly-style) frame, wide sprung seat, and large flat-proof tires. They often also have racks and all sorts of reflectors. Remember that they market these things at city planners not individual bike buyers. Planners are looking for longevity, low-upkeep, long-term reliability, etc. I think they also seem to prefer bizarre looking design vs. traditional bike styles.
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#39
☢
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I can't recall exactly, but it was well over $100 for just a few hours. That didn't include the $1500 damage/security deposit on my credit card. Obviously the $1500 would be reimbursed to my card (baring any damages). The bikes the shop rented were higher quality, and I understand they have to protect their investment. This particular shop's rental program was aimed more at long-term rental for events such as multi-day rides. The fee they quoted me was actually for one day, but I really only needed the bike for a few hours. Unfortunately they didn't have an hourly fee. And so the idea of laying down more than $1500 just to ride for a few hours didn't sit well with me.
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That's the key - the bike share bikes are not designed for hilly areas. Most stay in the flat, downtown sections of their metro areas. Even in San Francisco they're generally used along Market Street or the Embarcadero - not up and over the hilly parts of town. On flat ground the weight is far less important. I sometimes tow my 100 lb. boat behind my bike and it only slows me down a little on flat ground (I tow it back after paddling downstream with the current - but riverfront roads are usually pretty flat). But it was a real struggle towing it to a local reservoir with a 1200' climb in the way.
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A friend is the chief mechanic for our city bike program. The bikes take a lot of abuse, despite the seemingly overbuilt construction. If you watch enough folks riding city bikes around town you realize many are inexperienced cyclists and bash across potholes and curbs, wobbling around and falling quite a bit.
My Globe Carmel, the bike I resumed cycling with in 2015, seems massively overbuilt but at 30-35 lbs it's a lightweight compared with city bikes.
Most folks who work in the docked city bike programs oppose the Lime Bikes and similar dockless bike programs. While dockless is fine in theory, as with all things along the lines of libertarian and anarchic they fail in actual practice due to fallible humans.
While Dallas hasn't yet been overrun like China with dockless bikes, it's already been noted several times on social media that Lime Bikes have been scattered across public egress, blocking ramps for disabled folks, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street around the scattered bikes.
To be pragmatic dockless bikes would work only if deposits, fees and penalties were increased to discourage irresponsible users, and to encourage more responsible usage. Unless that is adopted the dockless system is doomed to fail in the U.S.
Too bad because it's great in theory. I declined to participate in our local city bike program because the 30 minute time limit and lack of docks on my end of town made it infeasible. The city bike system is geared toward the affluent redevelopment of the downtown and near-downtown. It's not intended to supplement public transportation for the folks who live on the outskirts. So I bought my own city bike type of beast of burden. Great for errands and casual rides, but I mostly ride my lighter hybrid and road bikes now.
My Globe Carmel, the bike I resumed cycling with in 2015, seems massively overbuilt but at 30-35 lbs it's a lightweight compared with city bikes.
Most folks who work in the docked city bike programs oppose the Lime Bikes and similar dockless bike programs. While dockless is fine in theory, as with all things along the lines of libertarian and anarchic they fail in actual practice due to fallible humans.
While Dallas hasn't yet been overrun like China with dockless bikes, it's already been noted several times on social media that Lime Bikes have been scattered across public egress, blocking ramps for disabled folks, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street around the scattered bikes.
To be pragmatic dockless bikes would work only if deposits, fees and penalties were increased to discourage irresponsible users, and to encourage more responsible usage. Unless that is adopted the dockless system is doomed to fail in the U.S.
Too bad because it's great in theory. I declined to participate in our local city bike program because the 30 minute time limit and lack of docks on my end of town made it infeasible. The city bike system is geared toward the affluent redevelopment of the downtown and near-downtown. It's not intended to supplement public transportation for the folks who live on the outskirts. So I bought my own city bike type of beast of burden. Great for errands and casual rides, but I mostly ride my lighter hybrid and road bikes now.
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I rented a bike in Paris and it was very likely the heaviest bike I have ridden (seatpost looked like galvanized steel pipe) but it wasn't horrible to ride or anything even with just a 2 speed hub. I put quite a few miles riding all over the city at a comfortable pace.
I just assumed it was heavy to take the abuse that rentals get. Riding up curbs, etc...
I just assumed it was heavy to take the abuse that rentals get. Riding up curbs, etc...
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If you look at the bikes typically used for bike sharing systems, you'll see that these things resemble the kinds of bikes you and I would consider viable bikes only superficially. These are purpose-made to a very different set of criteria and usually include things like built-in locks, radio tracking device and associated battery/charger, a dropped down-tube (i.e. a girly-style) frame, wide sprung seat, and large flat-proof tires. They often also have racks and all sorts of reflectors. Remember that they market these things at city planners not individual bike buyers. Planners are looking for longevity, low-upkeep, long-term reliability, etc. I think they also seem to prefer bizarre looking design vs. traditional bike styles.
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I’ve never got inside why the things are so darn heavy though. Maybe the bicycle planners just don’t ride and don’t know the difference. Like the transportation planners putting valley curbs (deep) across each trail (MUP) crossing😳
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A friend is the chief mechanic for our city bike program. The bikes take a lot of abuse, despite the seemingly overbuilt construction. If you watch enough folks riding city bikes around town you realize many are inexperienced cyclists and bash across potholes and curbs, wobbling around and falling quite a bit.
My Globe Carmel, the bike I resumed cycling with in 2015, seems massively overbuilt but at 30-35 lbs it's a lightweight compared with city bikes.
Most folks who work in the docked city bike programs oppose the Lime Bikes and similar dockless bike programs. While dockless is fine in theory, as with all things along the lines of libertarian and anarchic they fail in actual practice due to fallible humans.
While Dallas hasn't yet been overrun like China with dockless bikes, it's already been noted several times on social media that Lime Bikes have been scattered across public egress, blocking ramps for disabled folks, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street around the scattered bikes.
To be pragmatic dockless bikes would work only if deposits, fees and penalties were increased to discourage irresponsible users, and to encourage more responsible usage. Unless that is adopted the dockless system is doomed to fail in the U.S.
Too bad because it's great in theory. I declined to participate in our local city bike program because the 30 minute time limit and lack of docks on my end of town made it infeasible. The city bike system is geared toward the affluent redevelopment of the downtown and near-downtown. It's not intended to supplement public transportation for the folks who live on the outskirts. So I bought my own city bike type of beast of burden. Great for errands and casual rides, but I mostly ride my lighter hybrid and road bikes now.
My Globe Carmel, the bike I resumed cycling with in 2015, seems massively overbuilt but at 30-35 lbs it's a lightweight compared with city bikes.
Most folks who work in the docked city bike programs oppose the Lime Bikes and similar dockless bike programs. While dockless is fine in theory, as with all things along the lines of libertarian and anarchic they fail in actual practice due to fallible humans.
While Dallas hasn't yet been overrun like China with dockless bikes, it's already been noted several times on social media that Lime Bikes have been scattered across public egress, blocking ramps for disabled folks, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street around the scattered bikes.
To be pragmatic dockless bikes would work only if deposits, fees and penalties were increased to discourage irresponsible users, and to encourage more responsible usage. Unless that is adopted the dockless system is doomed to fail in the U.S.
Too bad because it's great in theory. I declined to participate in our local city bike program because the 30 minute time limit and lack of docks on my end of town made it infeasible. The city bike system is geared toward the affluent redevelopment of the downtown and near-downtown. It's not intended to supplement public transportation for the folks who live on the outskirts. So I bought my own city bike type of beast of burden. Great for errands and casual rides, but I mostly ride my lighter hybrid and road bikes now.
I would say Dallas is overrun. Although supposedly changes are coming. Humans are going to human though. I don't know how you charge for irresponsibility as nothing is stopping anyone from damaging the bikes or placing them in inappropriate places other than their weight.
Highland Park an affluent part of Dallas put a stop to it pretty quick. They'll scoop up any left overnight and charge a fine to the companies to get them back.