The Boris Bike, its Parisian equivalent, the Vélib, & cardboard ones

[lproven]

I have never tried Boris Bikes yet. Great idea, seems to be popular enough, but the scheme starts roughly ¾ of my way into London, so it's not a lot of use to me. By the time I'm in range, my journey is mostly over, either on a proper bike that I own or on a train. In most of central London the density of public transport is high enough that I see

Comments

[flick]

I've not tried a Boris Bike, but I know a few short-ish ladies who've given up on them because they are too heavy to safely ride.

[lproven]

I can *well* believe it.

[cobrabay]

The Vélib weighs 22.5Kg, a Boris Bike weighs 23Kg, so pretty similar.

[lproven]

Oh, good work that man. A fairly decent guess by me, too, I think.

I sit amazed. My Optima Condor - a /big/ recumbent, steel frame, 26" wheels - is about 15-16kg. I know they must want rental bikes to be tough, but jeez, is it solid mild steel?

[lovingboth]

As well as "we don't want them broken", there's also the "we don't want them stolen" aspect. So they are ridiculously heavy.

The big issue with the London ones is the gearing - three is not enough, and they are not good ratios. I can't remember how many the Paris ones have, but they are easier to ride.

[lostcarpark]

I use the Dublin bikes a lot, and find them great for getting around the city centre. Dublin doesn't have London's well connected transport system, so they are handy for getting around.

They are certainly heavier than normal bikes, but once you're on one and pedalling, you don't really notice.

And I think you are missing the point of them - they come into their own once you get into the city and want to make quick hops around.

[bryangb]

Especially given that once you've bought a ~£45 (IIRC) annual key, rentals shorter than 30 minutes are free.

[lostcarpark]

The Dublin bike system is a bargain at €10 for a yearly pass.

[watervole]

I'm not entirely convinced by the plan to have pensioners running the bike factory...

[jon_a_five]

Cyclist friends tell me the Boris Bike is low geared so noobs can't go too fast. But that helps with the weight I guess.

Although IIRC Ken Livingstone actually initiated the scheme in his last days.

Also Boris fucked up the sponsorship. He asked Barclays if they would like to sponsor and they offered £2milion for 5 years. And he took it. It was never put out for competition and the scheme could have got a LOT more (that two mill for being advertised EVERYWHERE in London for 5 YEARS).

The only people more stupid than Tory politicians is the tit heads who vote for them...