In article ,
John Hearns writes:

I disagree. Bikes are pretty personal.
You adjust them to fit yourself, and people don't generally swap them
around. Ever had one stolen?

Ever been to a city that makes "city" bikes available to whover needs them?

I counter you by proposing that its a misconception among
non-cyclists that its common for people to borrow bikes, and that they
are interchangeable.

In some more cycle-friendly countries, they may be much more so than here.

You certainly can borrow a bike, but would be
uncomfortable till it gets adjusted to suit you. And they come in
different sizes.

I don't see borrowing a bike as any different in principle to borrowing
a car (I expect to do the latter two weeks hence, as it'll be the one
week in the year when I'm doing more than ample physical exercise
without cycling and travelling every day at times when no public
transport is available).

--
Nick Kew

Nick's manifesto: http://www.htmlhelp.com/~nick/