What are your thoughts on public bicycle programs?
Have you used them before?
>>946928
Heavy as fuck but kinda cool to use as an option when people are in town and you want to drink and not park.
>>946928
People on those things do the craziest shit. It's usually some dumb bitch with a purse dog hanging from one handlebar and her helmet hanging from the other, trying to text and do her nails at the same time while riding the wrong way on a one-way street and swerving all over the place.
The only thing I like about them is that they serve as a traffic calming tool to keep the cagers under control.
>>946928
Used them when I spent 3 months in Paris, promptly decided they were awesome.
Why? Because I come from a city where cycling is thought of as a low-speed, family-friendly leisure activity that takes place in congested parks on weekends, and all cycling 'infrastructure' and policy was designed with that in mind.
As a vaguely interesting aside, a friend of mine is friends with the sort of highly-educated folk that run policy thinktanks here. Their big idea for getting people to adopt bicycle commuting? Tax and register bicycles
The ride quality is obviously not awesome, but convenience is pretty.
In my city a years membership costs less than the wear and tear (casette, brakes, chain, tires) on my nice bike. So for commuting it kicks ass. Plus do not need to worry about theft and I can easily change plans and take subway and just get a bike at another stop.
When the weather is nice it can be a bit of a gamble trying to get a bike at peak times and I have been stuck walking around station to station trying to find a ride.
Net positive in my opinion
Interestingly, I noticed in my city they are buying some new bikes and they have gone from Shimano Nexus to Sturmey Archer drive trains
I use them all the time in Nice. Great when you can't be arsed to carry the road bike down from the 2nd floor and just want to go to the beach or shops.
What do you guys think about this?
looks like a pretty smooth lock
http://www.grasplock.com/
>>947076
shit sorry, missposted a bit
Would be useful if it were electrified. Batteries could be small cause of frequent recharge.
If it was widespread in my city, I'd use it.
Like, tonight...
>gotta work at night in a theatre
>it's in the historical center of the city
>which is always either impossible to park in or just forbidden to drive into without the proper pass
>I could ride my MTB there but this is a big city and anything nicer than a rotten rusted out frame will get stolen in a couple of hours (there's a rusted out frame sitting under my home and someone actually stole the wheels off, old stainless 26"s, because they looked clean enough.)
So I'll have to use the public transport to get there, or risk losing 1 hour to find decent parking, then wrestle my way around the limited traffic areas. (there's just a small sign, miss that and a camera records your plate - then you're fucked.). I'll probably opt for public transport then pray to the gods of car sharing I can find a parked car nearby, as when I finish working there will be just the reduced night transport.
>>947120
If you're too weak to push pedals hard enough to move at a useful speed, you have no business being on a 2-wheeled vehicle. It's too dangerous because you lack the basic level of strength to control it. Not trying to be a douche but you could injure yourself or others. Just get a motorized wheelchair.
>>947125
Why don't you look into a folder? They're very popular in my city for that kind of thing.
>>947127
Wow, what a fag. City bikes are for people to go out either for work or to a date.
Do you want to sweat in your date clothes or you want to show up in lycra, fag?
>>947128
I want to have only one bike (I keep it in my bedroom...) and in any case I couldn't bring a folding bike inside the theatre, they'd just steal the folder lol.
>>946949
>As a vaguely interesting aside, a friend of mine is friends with the sort of highly-educated folk that run policy thinktanks here. Their big idea for getting people to adopt bicycle commuting? Tax and register bicycles
underrated post
>>947129
Hell yeah I do!
>>947130
Depends how tight it folds. Bike Friday ticket folds pretty tight.
>>947129
Anyone going out to work or a date probably has more leg strength than a toddler, guy.
>>947129
I think maybe you should get the lap band surgery before fantasizing about what it will be like to go on dates
>>947129
I wear mountain biking shorts and jerseys most of the time when I'm on my road bike. It's significantly less noticable and you still have the ass pad
We have them in my city, But I have only used a few times. The problem i have with them is
1. There aren't enough stations and they are all located in one part of the city.
2. Bikes are small, heavy and uncomfortable.
3. Honestly feels embarrassing to ride one. pic relate
They seem to attract the worst of riders. Almost every time I see someone riding on the sidewalk or against traffic, it's someone on a city bike.
Still better than a car I guess.
![pavasaris-vilniuje-66020670[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/BM5pzmN.jpg "pavasaris-vilniuje-66020670[1].jpg")
>>947992
>>946928
Why they all have same hideous design?
>>948038
So nobody wants to steal them / they are recognizable and therefore unable to be sold.
The new program is going to open at May 2nd. I am interested to see if it's going to get popular.
>>948050
Pretty much this.
There's the same in my city (Buenos Aires). Heavy, not in a good condition bikes, but practical nonetheless.
Used it only once.
Get on my (shaft-driven) level
>>947076
What a shit website.
>>947992
Yeah the distribution of checkout/return stations is usually what makes these suck. If they're more spread out with more locations I'd consider using em.
Me and my friend ride the NYC bikes around drunk sometimes
