Anyone here have experience with Capital Bikeshare? (Cana: apartments, to rent)

[KnownUnknown]

There is one directly in front of my building, as well as very close to my gym, so I was thinking, since I workout in the mornings in my apartments fitness center which is pretty nice, is the distance which is at a premium before work.

So I was thinking maybe I could shave 10 minutes off each direction by riding a bike. How is the process of checking bikes in and out? Is it quick and easy or labored and time intensive?

[gomason]

If you get a membership, then you get a key fob that goes into a slot that each bike has on the rack. It takes all of 5 seconds.

[KnownUnknown]

Okay. I've read reviews about how the equipment used for CBS is used equipment purchased from a Canadian company which often requires you to manually enter in your account via a slow, unresponsive touch pad.

But I guess that's only if you're not a member and purchase a temporary pass.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by KnownUnknown

Okay. I've read reviews about how the equipment used for CBS is used equipment purchased from a Canadian company which often requires you to manually enter in your account via a slow, unresponsive touch pad.

But I guess that's only if you're not a member and purchase a temporary pass.

Yes.

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by KnownUnknown

Okay. I've read reviews about how the equipment used for CBS is used equipment purchased from a Canadian company

The bikeshare bikes are used by a lot of people so they are built to be durable first and foremost - they're heavy tanks with only three speeds. However, if you don't want to get your own bike I think bikeshare is fine for going around town.

[MedvedActual]

Never rented a bike from them, so just curious what the cost is. Would it make more sense to do a quick break even analysis and see what it'd cost you to rent the bike x times a week vs. buying one? Just a thought.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by MedvedActual

Never rented a bike from them, so just curious what the cost is. Would it make more sense to do a quick break even analysis and see what it'd cost you to rent the bike x times a week vs. buying one? Just a thought.

A subscription for a year is like $120. Then there are still usage costs. If you use them less than 30 minutes it's free. If you use more than 30 minutes, it's $1.50. An easy way around this is just to dock the bike at a station and take it out again.


The advantage of Bikeshare is that you don't have to worry about locking it up/storage. The downside is that it can be hard to get a bike/park it in the summer time when ridership spikes very high.

[KnownUnknown]

Originally Posted by gomason

A subscription for a year is like $120. Then there are still usage costs. If you use them less than 30 minutes it's free. If you use more than 30 minutes, it's $1.50. An easy way around this is just to dock the bike at a station and take it out again.


The advantage of Bikeshare is that you don't have to worry about locking it up/storage. The downside is that it can be hard to get a bike/park it in the summer time when ridership spikes very high.

The website says that it's $85 if you pay all at once, and $96 if you do it in monthly installment of $8.

That's not bad at all. Especially when you consider I'm not doing it so much because I want to ride for recreation on trails, but more to commuting a little easier, and I don't want to have to go back and retrieve my bike.

[slim04]

Before you do it, there is a mobile app. called Spotcycle that provides real time information about which docks have bikes available or open slots to return a bike. You can periodically check at the times you would use those docks to see if there is a supply/opening issue. The dock near my work is always full in the mornings and it is impossible to find a bike in the afternoons after 5pm. I have to walk a 1/4 mile to find the next closest dock if I can't find a bike or an open slot to return.

If you try to return a bike and there are no available slots, you put your keyfob into the machine and then it gives you another 15 min. grace period to find another dock and will give you the address of the next closest machines.

[KnownUnknown]

The main use I'll be getting out of this is the ride to the gym and back, and I've not seen that the stations are full during the times that I'd go, mainly early mornings before work.