hotbike

noglider 

So there are EIGHT e-bikes in service now?

rhm

Right now, 10 AM on a wet Tuesday morning, there are 44 available ebike Citibikes. That doesn't count those that are currently in service (someone is riding them now) or out of service (busted).

noglider 

Aha, I get it. That lists the docked ones.

We have lots of rain today, the type of rain that dissuades people from cycling. I rode on the Hudson River Greenway, and there weren't many there with me. Now that cycling is so big around here, I've gained an appreciation for so-called bad weather.

hotbike

noglider 

I ride one every day, exiting Riverside Park at 116 St. I manage to pedal up every time, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

hotbike

noglider 

Ha yes. This is the elevation profile of my morning commute.

dendawg

Is that a hover bike?

hotbike

rhm

I saw an interesting bike locked up in Midtown Manhattan this morning....

noglider 

^^^ That's not cool. ^^^

Today I needed a Citi Bike, and there was an e-bike in the dock, but the red light was on. Maybe it was charging. Oh well. Maybe I'll get one soon.

wilfried

The first time I tried an ebike, the battery was almost dead, and as I rode, I wondered, is the motor working at all? By the time I arrived the battery was totally dead. When I docked, the light automatically turned red.

The second time, I was like, whoa. It was unmistakable. Stomp on the pedal at a stoplight, and you can feel the kick. It took some getting used to. I didn't the knack on that first (and so far only) ride. It felt like I was lurching all the time. I didn't get hand of controlling the speed.

From what I've read, and I don't remember the sources, so don't quote me on the details, the ebikes have a range of about 35 miles. The docks can't charge them; they themselves are (solar) battery powered. The batteries have to be changed by hand; I don't see how that's viable for a major rollout.

arbee

Yep, in stop-and-go riding, that was my experience too. I was a bit more charitable, calling it "choppy". I think we're on the same page.

Again, being charitable, I don't think this is a design defect; I think there's a learning curve. It's possible the sophistamacated $10 word is "hysteresis". The electric-assist does its stuff based on history -- actual speed and how vigorously you're pedaling. For example (as you experienced), start pedaling energetically from a stop, and there's *LOTS* of assist. But if you coast, the assist cuts off. After all, it is "assist".

Contrasting / comparing my two (count 'em!) experiences on a Cit-eeee-Bike, the first was on the west side pedpath into a stiff headwind. On the pedpath, I could maintain a consistent cadence and the electric assist was similarly consistent. My second ride was pretty much like yours: mix it up in traffic and the assist is choppy.Again, I think you've got the facts right and I agree with your conclusion.

Motivate was vastly superior to Alta (Citibike's initial operator) by just about any measure, but particularly with respect to trying new stuff and then either discarding it, modifying it, or mainstreaming it. I haven't a clue about Lyft's priorities.

tubesocksFred

I rode back on thursday afternoon, when the sudden snow storm came about. Fell into a slush puddle when what looked like a flat surface onto a curb turned out to be a pool of standing slush. The street tires were useless on the slush, so the bike toppled over instead of steering away from the puddle. I usually add an extra 3-5 miles to my roughly 5 mile bike commute, this was the first time I didn't, not because I didn't feel like it, but the hudson river greenway was completely covered in snow and I can't get too much speed on it (or maybe it was because my fingers were freezing off from the ice soaked gloves).

noglider 

@tubesocksFred, Thursday afternoon was a bad time to ride a bike. I expected them to close Citi Bike then, as they do that in bad weather. I took Citi Bike plus the subway in the morning, and I took the subway home that day.

tubesocksFred

noglider, I usually ride every day citibikes are available. But Thursday, my brief glimpse of the weather showed it was suppose to start snowing at 6pm, so didn't wear anything that is weatherproof, let alone bring slush proof.

wilfried

Big news for bike share. Is it possible Lyft will be a good thing?

Citi Bike To Triple Fleet Size And Double Coverage Area in NYC

I think bike share is still the biggest game changer for cycling in the city.

hotbike

wilfried

Sorry, didn't mean to post twice.

arbee

From Citibike's website: "4,000 Electric Bikes and 13 New Citi Bike Stations are Coming" https://www.citibikenyc.com/blog/4-0...ons-are-coming

I've read a mixed bag of comments about this, most, pissing and moaning about the $2 surcharge. The main reason for the surcharge: swapping out dead batteries is labor-intensive. Anticipating the suggestion that docking stations should charge batteries, Citibike's docking stations aren't connected to the grid; they're solar powered with battery backup. A differently designed docking station would be a whole new deal.

IMHO, I think the real news is 4,000 electric-assist bikes, not the surcharge. For anyone whose goal is More Butts On Bikes, electric-assist bikes are a bigger game-changer than protected bike lanes.

tubesocksFred

This must be Lyft's way of milking more money out of citibike members. There was never talk of charging more for the e-bikes in the pre-Lyft days,

They could probably fit a battery 4x the size of the current one and it would cut their swapout cost by 75%.

Personally, when I see an e-bike, I go look for a S/A bike instead.

dendawg

I think the e-assist bikes are meant for people doing longer commutes, like those who will be affected by the L train shutdown. Most of the time I use citibike it's for a 2 mile ride or less. Most times when I want to use one there are none available in my area so I walk or use mass transit.

flattie

I tend to be cynical so keep that in mind. What this looks like is a money grab by Lyft. The ebikes are "free" for annual subscribers until April 27, 2019. After that they get tagged with a $2 surcharge. I imagine there are more than a few annual subscribers who won't pay attention to the announcement and their first indication that something has changed will be when they get their bill for each ebike use post April 27th. Given it's "only" $2 per use, these random charges might not rise to the attention of the user.

Longer term - what's the probability that they replace aging "regular" citibikes with ebikes? Over time will it become harder and harder to find a regular citibike to avoid the $2 surcharge?

Personally I use citibike specifically to avoid the subway, get some exercise, and lastly to save a bit of money. If it becomes harder to find regular citibikes I may have to go down the path of buying a folding bike that I can take on the railroad and cancel my citibike subscription. I've been a subscriber since inception and have @ 450 hours of usage according to their stats.

I hope I'm wrong but only time will tell.

arbee

First (from the linked Citibike announcement), the surcharge for electric-assist bikes is 50¢ for Citibike members eligible for / paying the reduced annual membership; and second (from Citibike's "Electric FAQs" https://www.citibikenyc.com/how-it-works/electric-faqs), "If there are only electric bikes remaining at a station, the additional $2/ride to upgrade is on us."