noglider 

OK so bike commuting didn't work for you until Citi Bike. There are others for whom the same is true, but some people switched from using their bikes to using Citi Bike. It's easy to imagine how that affects business.

hotbike

On the new model, the seat is more difficult to adjust, it wants to drop to it's lowest position, you need to have your other hand free to hold it up, while you tighten the QR lever...
It went from a one hand to a two hand operation...

wilfried

Like I said, I didn't wrench the first couple of times, but then I decided it was a widespread problem they need to address, so I notify them using the method that they provide for flagging problem bikes. I also figure that Since the wrench procedure is automated, and they don't have to hunt down the bike, they're more likely to address the problem.

BTW, since I troll they're webite, just cause I'm like that, I found their Monthly Operating Reports, in which they say:More fun facts:

"In October, there were 3,563 bicycle maintenance issues that were addressed through in-shop maintenance. There were 8 reported cases of vandalism (including graffiti) to the stations and bicycles."

"Every Bicycle in the Bicycle fleet (any Bicycle that appears in a Bicycle Fleet Level recording at least one time during the month) shall receive a Bicycle Maintenance check and cleaning at least once every calendar month."

noglider 

That's a fair point. If I don't duly notify them, they won't fix the problem. If a pattern emerges, they might fix it systemically rather than piecemeal.

vol

Thanks for all the replies. I wasn't aware there are two versions of the Citi bike. So it sounds like the new version is much better. Wonder if they are going to gradually replace all the old ones? The front light of the new model is really nice, so is the rear light on the fender.

The main "con" for me about using Citi bike would be the limit of 30 or 45 minutes before having to switch the bike. That may be a good reason for some tourists to choose to rent a bike from LBS over using the Citi bike, so that they can go anywhere, for any length of time.

wilfried

The old bike manufacturer went bankrupt, so they designed started making the new ones. As the old ones get taken out of service, they'll be replaced with the new.

When they first announced Citi Bike, people didn't get how they were meant for transportation, not recreation. They scoffed at the 45 minute time limit, and there were articles about $132 bike rentals. If you're a tourist going from point to point to see different sights, bike share would be a sensible way to do it. If you want to take an afternoon riding around the park and up the Greenway, you'd be much better off renting a bike.

When Citi Bike was starting, the conventional wisdom from other cities was that bike share hurts business in the short term but helps business in the long run. Certainly, bike rental places will take a hit. But as bike share gets more people onto bikes, some will consider getting their own bikes. Bikes share does have it's limitations, the time limit, you can only go where there are stations, there aren't always bikes or parking when you want them. Some might decide they like riding a bike and want one of their own for weekend jaunts. I don't know if there's any evidence for how bike share has affected bike shop business in New York. I don't think bike share has driven them out of business in droves.

Based on the anecdotal evidence of one, me, bike share inspired me to buy two bikes, the first before Citi Bike even started. When they announced Citi Bike, I was so intrigued by the idea of riding a bike around, and got so impatient waiting for the long delayed launch, that when the opportunity presented itself, I bought a bike. That first one I bought second hand, so it didn't help a bike shop, but it did get me into the bike economy for repairs and accessories. That first bike has it's limitations (though I still love it dearly), so I bought a second one. And I also have a Citi Bike key. In effect I now have three bikes to choose from on any given day.

vol

Now that they are densely stationed, the 30 minutes are more tolerable. When it first came out, one had a hard time finding a nearby station to switch the bike before 30 minutes ran out, so it's like 5 minutes were taken out of the 30 to look for a station.

noglider 

@vol, what kind of membership do you have? I have an annual, and the limit for me is 45 minutes. I know it's 30 minutes for a daily pass. I don't know what it is for the medium length membership.

@wilfried, the bike shop less than a block from my home was done in by citibike. Business there dropped off sharply. The owner confessed to me that part of his business was replacement bikes due to theft. So a given customer would buy a new bike every three years or so. He told me of other shops also suffering drops in business.

The owner of the next closest shop said his business went down. He said either 20% or 40%; I don't remember which. I should ask him if it has rebounded since I last spoke with him about it.

vol

noglider, actually I don't have membership. I've only rented it for 1 day shortly after Citi bike program started, for a visitor. I rode my own bike while visitor rode the Citi bike. I remember during the ride along the East River we were very pressed to keep the timing and detour into the streets to find a station.

But I've always been an enthusiast about the Citi bike and love to see people riding them, and the sight of many new stations

Maybe some day when I get a more valuable bike I'll join the Citi bike membership so I don't have to worry about locking and losing my own bike to theft when going somewhere.

noglider 

Depending on whether you have the space and the money, you could consider having a guest bike. My wife and I own a few for visitors. It's a little extravagant, but it sure is fun!

zacster

I have 5 bikes of my own, and I still use Citibike. It is just convenient when leaving the office as I don't ride in more than once or twice a week on my own bike. In fact, I may just hop on one now.

As for dynamo lighting, I always think I have one of the few dynamo lights on my commuter bike until I realize that Citibike is probably the largest user of dynamo hubs in the country. I never liked the 5 LED front lights, and the new ones are better. The last two new version bikes I used though were really squeaky, and I see a lot of people will select them first.

noglider 

Yeah, the secret is out about the superiority of the new models. And I agree that the lights are much better, too. When you move at low speed, there are two LEDs as the headlight, and they flash. Then when voltage builds up, those go out, and a larger LED (between those two) lights up steady. It's almost an adequate to-see light, and it's a very good be-seen light. The tail light is pretty decent, too. It flashes, and I'm cool with flashing tail lights.

noglider 

The doofus made it to California, and the headline makes it sound like he made it to the coast, but he plans to continue to Santa Monica, another distance of over 200 miles.

[h=1]Guy Managed to Ride a Citi Bike All the Way to California[/h]

dendawg

A link to a more complete version
New Yorker on Extreme Citi Bike Ride Reaches California | NBC New York
But for $1200 he could have bought a better bike and sold it when he got to his destination'

noglider 

But it's a proof of concept.

Still, I think Citi Bike should charge him with theft. He asked for permission and didn't get it.

punkinevil

He did pay his $1,200 guarantee from the rental agreement so it still works out for CitiBike. It is the same as keeping a video tape from a rental place: they bill you the cost and effectively you have purchased it by not returning it – not stolen it.

I would have expected CitiBike to use this as a promotional opportunity to demonstrate how ridable the bike really are. Frankly, I am surprised they denied him permission to do this ride. I suppose they didn't want to deal with the legal waivers for this sort of a ride and the potentially bad press if anything happened to him because of a bike failure. Since he made it, this seems like a good time to promote how well they ride, countering all those "too heavy" complaints. (Of course, I ride a '78 Continental in the city so the weight seems normal to me.)

I am curious about how well the bike held up with that much use. I suspect it did well and that most of the mechanical issues the bikes have here are related to abuse. I have yelled at my fair share of people kicking them in the racks as they walk past.

noglider 

I've read a few articles about his trip as he crosses. In an early one, he said he hoped not to get a flat, because it would end his trip. The tamper-proof nature of the bike would make repairs difficult without specialized tools.

punkinevil

That is what would scare me the most about doing it. I have read very little about the trip, so I am not sure about his preparation for it. Personally, I would have made nice-nice with a mechanic at one of the service depots before starting it to borrow a "toolkit" for the ride.

zacster

I'm happy enough to make it over the Manhattan Bridge on one, never mind cross-country.
'

vol

Did any of you ride Citi bike on December 10 last year? or during that week? According to the article
Citi Bike becomes world bike share leader in 2015, recording over 10 million rides:

"[Citi bike] recorded its highest NYC ridership ever on December 10th, 2015, with over 39,095 rides. The week of December 6th to 12th was also a record-breaker, with 239,048 rides."

noglider 

They should give an award to the person who made the most trips in the year.

While I'm very glad it's been successful beyond anyone's hopes or predictions, I have a vision of expansion to many times its current size. The city is huge, and for every trip by bike, there are perhaps a hundred trips by car. Can we envision changing that balance radically? What would it take? A docking station on every block? This is a great example of "if you build it, they will come." Why not expand it to the far reaches of the outer boroughs? It seems to be heavily used everywhere so far.

hotbike

YES! I rode the Hudson River Greenway on the 9th of December, and I took a picture to prove it:
IMG_2649 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr

wilfried

For the record, bike share systems in China dwarf cities in Europe and the US:

The world leader in bike-sharing is? China - Quartz

They don't show number of rides, but Hangzhou, with 78,000 bikes in 2013 and growing, probably tops New York by several-fold on that count too.

vol

I rode my own bike on either the 12th or the 13th on the Greenway. That's when I noticed the different types of front light on Citi bikes and came here to post about it.
[/QUOTE]

flattie

I logged 10 trips the week of December 7 to December 11. Each trip averaged around 3.75 miles and ranged between 18 and 24 minutes.

For perspective - since I became a citibike member in May 2013 I have 630 trips covering just over 200 hours total time, covering they estimate 1525 miles.

Their mileage estimate is based on an average speed of 7.456 mph. That's a little slow. Using gps my trips average 9 to 11 mph depending on the number of stops for traffic and the like.