Then you are free, and not locked into their beautiful crystal prison.

I have an Android, so I have at least one foot outside the walled garden (root, root, root!). And therefore an iPlan is superfluous.

LOL. It was a typo. icorrected it. I mean I corrected it.

Just to be clear, I had my Citibike key BEFORE I got my first smartphone. I did have an iPad though, which is marginally less convenient when on the bike looking for a station. And I'm in the tech business. It was actually a badge of honor that I could hold off for so long. Now I have an iPhone 6, but I still use my iPad more than that for everything but texting and calls.

Agree it's a badge of honor .

What kind of front light is the Citi bike using? Is it a dynamo? From what I see most flash with a row of 5 LEDs, while on some other Citi bikes it looks like a single bright LED, pretty bright actually, slightly blueish. Does the light automatically switch between the 5 LED and single LED, or the user made it so? Although far not as bright as the "to see" headlights many of use use, Citi bike's front light is actually very visible in the dark.

There are 2 variations of Citibikes out there, with the newer ones designed by Ben Serrota. The easiest way to differentiate the two is by the seat post as the new bikes have a black carbon post. The gearing is slightly different as well. So the lighting design might be different between the two as well,

Serotta, really? I'm impressed. The new model weighs only a little less than the old one, but it is so much better in so many ways. It feels lighter and nimbler, the rider position is improved in a way I can't figure out, the gearing is appropriately higher, the bike seems to bounce over bumps much more comfortably. The easies telltale sign for me is that the new model has one tail light on the fender, whereas the old model has two tail lights very low, one on each chain stay. Whenever I pick up a bike, I look for a new model since I like it so much. Oh, it also has Sturmey Archer hubs rather than Shimano hubs, and the braking effort from the hand is much lower. The brakes inspire a lot more confidence.

The new batch of bikes is a slightly different design. The Cargo Carrier/Protective shield was perforated steel on the original, now the new ones are plastic... the new bikes have a single light front, and a single red light rear, on the fender... the old ones had the tail lights molded into the seat stays...

Citi Bike by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
Old style, mostly, above
Citi Bike by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
Old style, with LED in the Chain Stay, above
IMG_1680 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
NEW STYLE, with flanged dropouts (reminds me of a cat-trike), without the tail lights, above

IMG_0666 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
Lady on the new style, followed by a man on the old style (Herald Square)...

OLD STYLE:IMG_0564 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr

IMG_0565 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
NEW STYLE, above

New Style:IMG_0566 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr

IMG_0562 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
OLD STYLE, above

So, if you look closely, you will see differences...

I'd probably be upset if I had Frank's personal stake in this, but as a disinterested observer my guess is that it won't hurt his business and actually could help.

The new bikes do ride better, and I ride them when I have a choice. However, they don't seem as durable as the old ones. They haven't been on the road that long, but they seem to have more problems. One problem is the gears. I've run into a bunch that either skip, or they simply lose the third gear; witching from second to third does nothing. I've pressed pressed the wrench button on them a number of times (I debated doing it at first, since a bike stuck in second is not unridable, but after I started running into the problem regularly, I thought they really ought to be fixed, even if it takes them out of service for a while). I've also run in to a bunch that just rattle and squeak more than they ought to. The old bikes seem to be built like tanks, they've been on the road longer but have fewer mechanical problems, the new ones less so.

As much as I like Citi Bike and local bike shops, the reality is harsh. Citi Bike has hurt the bike industry in the city. The business lost varies from one shop to the next, depending on location and the customer base.

[MENTION=314122]wilfried[/MENTION], I hope they can figure out how to keep the new bikes running, perhaps with some extra man power. It would be a shame to lose these bikes. I did have one that didn't go into third gear, but I wasn't sure if I should report it, and I didn't know how. I'll look for the wrench button. It might be better just to email the company and tell them the bike number and what malady it has.

Push the button, it's easy. It locks to bike, so it can't be used, so they can retrieve it. They'll send you an email survey asking you what's wrong with the bike.

Yes, that's easy, but as you point out, it's overkill. The bike was useful to me and was likely to be useful to the next person.

The only problem I've encountered so far with the new model is sometimes the seat won't lock well. I've hit bumps and had the seat post go to the bottom.

I'm surprised - here the bike shop clientele is almost exclusively fitness/road bikers, MTB, and Triathlon. People including me do commute, but it doesn't seem to be much % of the business in bike stores.
Dangerous to guess for there based on here, I see.

I think they will only hurt shops that have a rental business, and then only until the tourists realize that for less than they just paid citibike they could have rented a better bike from the LBS or rental company like Bike and Roll. FWIW they installed a rack around the corner from Toga on the UWS. Toga installed signs that they rent helmets to citibike riders.

Does the "IN" in your name mean Indiana? Yes, in NYC, many people use bikes as transportation. It is the most sensible way to get around for many of us, whether we're bike nuts or not.

Does the "IN" in your name mean Indiana? Yes, in NYC, many people use bikes as transportation. It is the most sensible way to get around for many of us, whether we're bike nuts or not.

Where are you? A great many sales of bikes and accessories are for transportation cyclists. Or they were. Now a lot of people ride Citi Bike instead. The loss is real.

Yes, Indiana.

There are some commuters here, but it's not very widespread yet. The city is improving the infrastructure so it will likely pick up. There is a bike rental system in downtown Indianapolis, and also downtown Carmel (a North suburb). The Carmel one has bikes similar to the Citibikes but also big trikes with huge cargo baskets, which looked pretty handy to me (I use a trailer when I need to carry a lot).

Of course we commuters stop in to LBS for generic consumables like tubes, but the bikes and accessories they sell are pretty light on commuter gear and very heavy on performance/fitness biking.

Sounds like the hobby/utility ratio is higher here than there.

PS edited to add - just saw your blog about the greenway and passing hundreds of commuters. We have a pretty nice greenway that goes straight from my home to my work; I'm also about 12-14 miles depending on which of 2 work locations I go to. In peak Summer season I'll pass maybe 50 commuters on the way in am. Home in the evening, about the same number of commuters but a lot more people on training rides, riding with their kids, etc. In chilly or wet weather, that number drops under 10; last time I rode to work I saw two other cyclists. It was 38 degrees but no precip.
You do have a very scenic commute.

I'm on the UWS and own both a road and a mtb. I didn't bike commute until citibike became available here due to lack of safe parking for the bike. I now have a citibike key and use it for the occasional bike commute and errands, neither of which I would have done on one of my own bikes. I still buy bike clothing and accessories at my LBS.