zacster

I don't even think about riding after a snow. It's all but completely gone now but I probably won't be out again until March. I just did a ten mile ride on Zwift though.

MrEdL

My Citibike membership just auto renewed earlier today. I was charged $194.89. I'm pretty sure that I disable auto renewal. Anyone experience this same issue?
I did call and it was fairly easy to cancel my membership to get my money back. I already gave them my 2020 membership money and only use the service for 2 months. No reason for me to renew now. Maybe later in the summer when I am expected to return to work in the city.

hotbike

Rode the Electric CitiBike Thursday

It only has one speed? Or where is the gear shifter?

arbee

My sketchy memory agrees with you: no user-adjustable shifter on the new Citeeeeebikes. My recollection: both handlebar ends have bells: stereo!

As to "one speed", it depends on how energetically you pedal.

noglider 

I rode a Cit-E-Bike last week, too. I noticed that it seems like a 1-speed, but you get increased resistance AND increased boost as you pedal faster, so it doesn't matter. I truly did not crave any more gears. Overall, I think this new e-bike is good.

hotbike

Yes, two bells on E-bike!

Today I opened an email from CitiBike which is telling me to link my Lyft account with my CitiBike account...
I do NOT have a Lyft account. Nor am I interested in getting one.
Here’s a screenshot:



I should link my CitiBike account to a Lyft account? What if I don’t have a Lyft account?


Well, it’s just fine. I don’t know what demographics Lyft is using. I leave my smog belching van on Long Island and take a swift electric train into Manhattan. If I need a ride, I’d use a bus or subway, and probably resort to a yellow cab or green cab , before usually Lyft (or Über).

arbee

noglider 

Yeah what was going through the head of the person who decided to put two bells on the e-bike? I don't mind, it's just funny.

arbee

I don't know if this is a New Thing or if I'm just tardy noticing it. CitiBike is adding docks at existing stations by placing docks on the sidewalk. First one I saw was early today in Manhattan on Lafayette between 8th & 9th Streets. That's already a block-long station that somehow manages to frequently be all-full or all-empty; this will help. I really wasn't sure whather that was a one-off, but the pic I snapped is on B'way on the block south of Onion Square.


Clearly this can't be done everywhere — sidewalk depth doesn’t permit it — but it's consistent with how Citibike is improving service with little tweaks.

tubesocksFred

Haven't visited this forum in ages, since I have been WFH and am in the outer boroughs with no access to citibike. Glad it is taking off. Not sure how the bike lanes are being maintained, but the one near me is in such horrendous condition that I ride down the hill with the cars.


Anyway, I saw this article on some kid riding a CitiBike to Bear Mountain. Oddly, I ride as far from where there are docking stations, but I always time it so that I can get back to it in the allotted 45 minutes, even taking into account for headwinds. The farthest north I've ridden is on the Hudson River Greenway, to near the very end of the road in Inwood Hill Park, close to the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge. It was pretty close to 45min from and back to the 125th St dock.


https://nypost.com/2021/05/08/ues-te...n-a-citi-bike/

hotbike

61st and Lafayette

Lafayette needs a bike lane. We need to make more progress on Lafayette.
(edit: the photo seems to show Madison, but I rode a few blocks on Lafayette during the ride)

hotbike

61st and Madison
61&Mad, my bad.

arbee

Once again, Citibike continues to surprise in small but pleasant ways, essentially doubling dock capacity.



This is so ... suitable ... for NYC, where every square inch of real estate is in contention.

noglider 

I've been riding Citi Bike for quite a few years, and while I think the bikes are the right bikes for the job, I found them to be unpleasant to ride.

Well recently, taking Citi Bike has started to make more sense for me than to ride my own bike. This summer, I did a mixed-mode commute: Ride less than a mile to the subway, take a long subway ride, then ride less than a mile to work. This way I got four micro-workouts a day, and it's a heck of a lot better than none. And with my extra time on these bikes, I think my body finally adjusted to the weird fit and saddles. I'm not even sure what I've done. I suspect I tilt my hips at a different angle than before.

Anyway, I appreciate Citi Bike more than ever now. I also use it for errands and social reasons.

zacster

Hey Tom, you're still around! Anyway, I completely stopped using Citibike about 3-4 years ago when I found that I was riding my own bike to and from work on a more regular basis, and then I retired. It didn't extend quite out to where I live in Brooklyn so I wasn't going to use it from home. I never did get to try one of the e-bikes as they were withdrawn from service and then I quit before they were put back on. I used to be able to pedal my bike faster than the e-bikes anyway, but no more. Something about getting older...

Funny how the longest running thread I've started doesn't even apply to me anymore.

dendawg

My yearly just eneded and I'm not going to bother renewing. There are lots of racks in my neighborhood, and they are empty usually by 9:30 am when I would be in need of a bike. And if I walk to a nearby rack that shows a bike available it will be gone by the time I get there. Since most of my trips are less than 2 miles I can walk if the weather is good, or take transit if things are nasty.

hotbike

Seen today



CitiBike 05003 seen in Floral Park

hotbike

Abandoned CitiBike in Glen Cove


The nex-Gen cit-e-bike

Next Gen electric CitiBike, from a screenshot

Another abandoned CitiBike on Long Island, near the 7-Eleven on Glen Cove Avenue.

In Manhattan yesterday the new CitiBike made an appearance.

zacster

It finally happened! I'm the OP of this thread, the longest running of mine by a long shot, and Citibike has finally come to MY neighborhood in Brooklyn. Since Citibike started and I became a member I became a regular commuter on my own bike, so I didn't have much of a need for Citi anymore, and then I retired and had no need whatsoever. But it's here!

declan99

The biggest benefits from the bike share program for us who have already been cycling on our own bikes will be the increased driver awareness of bikes on the streets, and probably more bike paths and bike lanes.

tubesocksFred

I was riding citibike 30+ miles a day as part of my commute to and from work (I technically didn't even need to use the citibike as part of my commute, but I just decided to use it to get some exercise in). Once the pandemic hit, I could not use the bike and my membership lapsed. I also had 2 more annual membership whose use by date passed before the had a firm date on when we had to head back to the office. Now that going to the office is a semi-regular thing, I just get on the bike that I got for exercise at the beginning of the pandemic and do my 40 mile round trip commute with it, bypassing almost all the mass transit I use to take.

I did notice that citibikes are expanding farther and farther out into the outer boroughs, but still not far enough for me to be able to commute with it. My 80min commute might also turn into a 2 hour one if I rode a citibike instead.

I do appreciate the bike lanes (at least the ones that completely separated, without cars anywhere nearby, as opposed to ones that's just a place for trucks to stand), they allow me to just ride without having to look out for cars, their doors, etc. But I do miss the days when I could draft off cars or trucks, saving me tremendous amount of energy.

arbee

Citi Bike Is For Sale

A friend forwarded the link to me; first I'd seen the news.

(Perhaps this belongs in the 'For Sale' forum?)

IMHO, the single most salient thought begins the last paragraph: Above comment posted late Wed 25 July 2023. Below is an update / addition:

When I received the 'Verge' link from my friend, my cursory web search for related stories was contemporaneous. The story broke Monday and I now see it did receive earlier coverage elsewhere. If you're looking to read more, I think Aaron Gordon's perspective adds value:

Lyft, the Largest Bikeshare Operator in North America, Wants Out of the Business

Quick summary: Lyft's new CEO perceives bike share as being insufficiently supportive of the company's main product: ride share (you know - cars).

tubesocksFred

That is the problem with these privatised transportation infrastructure. If they don't view it as profitable, they will abandon it. Its a big problem for smaller setups that has no public investment and assumed they will be saved by private ventures. They also can raise the rate w/o any public debate or input.

I also was weary of companies like Uber and Lyft getting into the bike share business. They might have thought it was a way to get more people to use their ride-share, but this is not just writing an app connecting riders with drivers. There are actual infrstructure and hardwares to maintain.