A Cycling & bikes forum. CycleBanter.com

Go Back   Home » CycleBanter.com forum » rec.bicycles » Techniques
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Bike Share graveyard



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old November 30th 17, 03:17 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,374
Default Bike Share graveyard

On Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at 4:15:31 PM UTC-7, Tim McNamara wrote:
On Tue, 28 Nov 2017 10:11:09 -0800, sms
wrote:

Two companies want to set up dockless bike sharing in my city. They've
come to City Council meetings with their bicycles to pitch their
company. There's a Limebike in my city hall office. I have my doubts
as to the success of such a venture and I have concerns about the
liability of the City. The bicycles are so incredibly heavy that I
doubt that they would be stolen.


We've had the "Nice Ride" public bikes with docks all over Minneapolis
and St. Paul for several years. one or two "dockless" bike rental
companies want to come into town. The response of the current company
is interesting- they are basically going to fold up shop, go way and
turn over the business to the new companies, stating "mission
accomplished" (the mission having apparetnly been to prove the viablity
of the concept. Almost literally not a day goes by that I don't see
people riding those bikes around town (except in the winter when they
pull the bikes in off the streets). The "Nice Ride" bikes have been
astonishingly successful, to me at least, whereas prior programs failed
miserably- including programs where there was no cost to the user at
all.


goo.gl/cGqX1Z
Ads
  #22  
Old December 1st 17, 01:07 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,477
Default Bike Share graveyard

On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote:

What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant
rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements. A
more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental car.


Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs
$3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes. $9.95
per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45
minute trips. So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90
minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the
bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist
rental places.

The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the
bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or
behind their fence, or dump it in a stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their
bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even
that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to
avoid getting bumped.
  #23  
Old December 1st 17, 10:32 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Bike Share graveyard

On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:
On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote:

What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant
rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements.
A more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental
car.


Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs
$3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes.



Yikes!


... $9.95
per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45
minute trips.



It would not work for me. Most of my trips are 4-5h total riding time.


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90
minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the
bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist
rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who
combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting
and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere
and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100
times. Without having to watch the time.

This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much
value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive
to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along.


The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the
bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or
behind their fence, or dump it in a stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their
bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even
that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to
avoid getting bumped.



Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite
permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are
transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk
of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore,
despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back
home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that
is also a good muscle and endurance exercise.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #24  
Old December 2nd 17, 12:02 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,870
Default Bike Share graveyard

On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:
On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote:

What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant
rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements.
A more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental
car.


Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs
$3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes.



Yikes!


... $9.95
per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45
minute trips.



It would not work for me. Most of my trips are 4-5h total riding time.


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90
minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides)..

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the
bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist
rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who
combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting
and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere
and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100
times. Without having to watch the time.


People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke people.

Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact city. People who want to do gnarly rides for 4-5 hours get rental bikes from bike shops unless, as SMS points out, the particular ride-share system is geared to tourists or long-term users, e.g. https://www.biketownpdx.com/. Nobody in his or her right mind would want to take a Biketown bike on a 4 hour ride. Might as well drag a boat anchor.



This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much
value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive
to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along.


The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the
bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or
behind their fence, or dump it in a stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their
bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even
that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to
avoid getting bumped.



Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite
permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are
transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk
of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore,
despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back
home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that
is also a good muscle and endurance exercise.


I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work.


-- Jay Beattie.
  #25  
Old December 2nd 17, 12:18 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Duane[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,546
Default Bike Share graveyard

jbeattie wrote:

snip

I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work.



You should do like my neighbor. Work from home. He gets a 3-4 hour
commute. Even on days off.



--
duane
  #26  
Old December 2nd 17, 04:30 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Bike Share graveyard

On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:



[...]


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes
of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using
the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle
tourist rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who
combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a
meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop
somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have
cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time.


People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using
ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke
people.


That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about cycling,
"It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't do any
serious stuff with them".

Well, I am different. I have ridden to meetings far away. Can't ride
fast when doing that because I don't want to arrive drenched in sweat
but it sure is a nice relaxing way of travel provided most of it is not
on busy county roads. Try it some time. In your case maybe when an
elderly client needing legal advice can't come to your office and you
can make a deal that not showing up in suit and tie is ok.

Sometimes when the meeting is near singletrack I leave early and take a
nice long detour. Yes, it'll usually include petting some horses, too.


Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact
city.



San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay Area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8


... People who want to do gnarly rides for 4-5 hours get rental
bikes from bike shops unless, as SMS points out, the particular
ride-share system is geared to tourists or long-term users, e.g.
https://www.biketownpdx.com/. Nobody in his or her right mind would
want to take a Biketown bike on a 4 hour ride. Might as well drag a
boat anchor.


If you have to go to several locations it would be the best vehicle if
the pricing structure wouldn't be so messed up. Picking up a rental bike
takes minutes, just like a rental car. Most bike shops aren't geared for
renting plus the ones that do rent are usually far away. For example,
from my place then next LBS with rental options is about 15mi. So you'd
backtrack all that and then return? To boot there is about 1200ft
altitude difference to there with lots of ups and downs. Makes no sense
to me.



This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have
much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have
to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along.


The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock
the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in
their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing
their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80
bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains.
I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped.



Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are
quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes
are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so
the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high.
Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at
low altitude) back home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I
always ride home. OTOH that is also a good muscle and endurance
exercise.


I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work.


How many miles is that and how much higher in altitude do you live?

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #27  
Old December 2nd 17, 07:24 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,870
Default Bike Share graveyard

On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:



[...]


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes
of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using
the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle
tourist rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who
combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a
meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop
somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have
cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time.


People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using
ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke
people.


That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about cycling,
"It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't do any
serious stuff with them".


Are you f******* nuts? Imagine if I had to spend four hours of my day commuting back and forth to a meeting. I do that in real life, but its on a plane to Seattle or San Francisco -- with a trial case, suit, computer, etc. I'm not going to jump on a dopey MTB and ride single-track to Folsom, petting horses along the way. You live in a semi-retirement fantasy world.

Who, by the way, is going to pay for my time riding four hours on a bike to a meeting. Would you? Here is my bill: 4.0 Travel to and from client meeting by bicycle. .1 Pet horses. .3 Drink beer at brewpub in Folsom. .5 Meet with client to discuss huge bill for riding bike, petting horse and drinking beer.

I am self-employed, and my partnership bills based on time and materials. No way I could work a full day and waste 4 hours riding a distance I could cover in a car in 30 minutes. No client would pay.

I will ride through the hills before or after work, and I used to race on weeknights. I've worked full 10-hour work days and still ridden 70 miles (20 commuting and 50 racing) back when I raced at PIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pruxdPS4g&t=74s I could still do that if I wanted to put in the time, which I don't.


Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact
city.



San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay Area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8


It is downtown where people use rideshare bikes. They're not riding to Marin.
  #28  
Old December 3rd 17, 05:03 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Bike Share graveyard

On 2017-12-02 10:24, jbeattie wrote:
On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:



[...]


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90
minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of
Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from
using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles
from bicycle tourist rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people
who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get
to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be
able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on
routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch
the time.

People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using
ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly,
broke people.


That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about
cycling, "It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't
do any serious stuff with them".


Are you f******* nuts? Imagine if I had to spend four hours of my day
commuting back and forth to a meeting.



You'd feel great in the evening. Try it some day.


... I do that in real life, but
its on a plane to Seattle or San Francisco -- with a trial case,
suit, computer, etc. I'm not going to jump on a dopey MTB and ride
single-track to Folsom, petting horses along the way. You live in a
semi-retirement fantasy world.


I am now in semi-retirement but also did so before that. Money is not
all in life, health and stress-reduction are more important IMO.


Who, by the way, is going to pay for my time riding four hours on a
bike to a meeting. Would you? Here is my bill: 4.0 Travel to and
from client meeting by bicycle. .1 Pet horses. .3 Drink beer at
brewpub in Folsom. .5 Meet with client to discuss huge bill for
riding bike, petting horse and drinking beer.


I am not greedy. I charge half my hourly rate for travel time and that
is the time traveled by car. If I go by bike I won't charge more and, in
fact, usually charge no travel time at all because I get a nice exercise
out of it.


I am self-employed, and my partnership bills based on time and
materials. No way I could work a full day and waste 4 hours riding a
distance I could cover in a car in 30 minutes. No client would pay.


I am self-employed as well but not encumbered by a partnership or other
kind of such structure. Also, my clients do not pay for my bike rides
because I usually don't bill at all for those. So they are better of
than via car.


I will ride through the hills before or after work, and I used to
race on weeknights. I've worked full 10-hour work days and still
ridden 70 miles (20 commuting and 50 racing) back when I raced at
PIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pruxdPS4g&t=74s I could still
do that if I wanted to put in the time, which I don't.


Going round and round and round? I've got an MP3 player with me on both
bikes but I'd be bored stiff. I go here instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USLVraV4mU


Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a
compact city.



San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay
Area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8


It is downtown where people use rideshare bikes. They're not riding
to Marin.



See? They are restricted. I do not like to be restricted in radius when
using a bike. Just like I wouldn't be with a rental car.

[...]

This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't
have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means
I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it
along.


The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people
lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have
it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a
stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing
their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80
bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the
trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped.


Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers
are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because
bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack
slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the
evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom
(last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per
ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also
a good muscle and endurance exercise.

I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work.


How many miles is that and how much higher in altitude do you
live?


Depends on how I go home. Shortest is only five miles.



That's considered a warm-up :-)


... I live about
400 feet above downtown, so all routes home require some climbing.
Longer route home is over the West Hills, which is 1,000 feet of
climbing in a few extra miles. Grades may exceed 20%. It's super,
super gnarly.



With 5ft drop-off and stuff, I assume. When I went to Placerville last
week two dirt bikers came from there. Illegal on the trail but, oh well.
When I got to the 3rd drop-off I saw tire tracks and slide marks. One of
them must have slightly misjudged it or had too much speed and gotten to
within a foot or so from sliding off a rock face.


... But it helps build my giant quads and massive lungs.
When the weather is nice, I'll throw in something longer. My long
riding is typically on weekends.

Commuting for me is not some "dig me" single track, horse-petting
adventure. I've been commuting to work by bike for as long as I've
had work -- or school. That's on roads, with cars -- rain, sleet or
snow (to a point).



I used to do that for more than a decade. Did it, but did not enjoy it.


... I work in an urban area, outside my house and have
to be presentable. Nobody stops to tell me "dude, it's raining!"
This is not dopey-ville.



Looks like you don't understand that there are people who can turn even
an errand run into something fun.


... Bikes make up a large part of traffic in
PDX, and nobody is impressed with riding in the rain, riding on trail
or riding anywhere. It's not a novelty act.

Now, on weekends, that's a different matter. We're super gnarly here
in PDX! I do 5-10,000 feet of climbing just to get to the super-cool
brew pubs, coffee shops and Kombucha parlors. I ride out to the
Columbia Gorge
http://media4.trover.com/T/551b00661...w_large_4x.jpg
Or into the mountains.



Nice but I would not enjoy that road if there were a lot of crazy
motorcyclists and sports car driver on it. And on weekends there usually
are.


https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fd/89/64/f...1a09f357f2.jpg
Today . . . into rain! Woohoo . . "dude, it's raining."


Try a MTB instead. More fun.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #29  
Old December 3rd 17, 05:10 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,538
Default Bike Share graveyard

On 12/3/2017 11:03 AM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-02 10:24, jbeattie wrote:
On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:


[...]


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90
minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of
Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from
using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles
from bicycle tourist rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people
who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get
to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be
able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on
routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch
the time.

People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using
ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly,
broke people.


That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about
cycling, "It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't
do any serious stuff with them".


Are you f******* nuts? Imagine if I had to spend four hours of my day
commuting back and forth to a meeting.



You'd feel great in the evening. Try it some day.


Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â*Â*Â* ... I do that in real life, but
its on a plane to Seattle or San Francisco -- with a trial case,
suit, computer, etc. I'm not going to jump on a dopey MTB and ride
single-track to Folsom, petting horses along the way.Â* You live in a
semi-retirement fantasy world.


I am now in semi-retirement but also did so before that. Money is not
all in life, health and stress-reduction are more important IMO.


Who, by the way, is going to pay for my time riding four hours on a
bike to a meeting.Â* Would you?Â* Here is my bill: 4.0Â* Travel to and
from client meeting by bicycle.Â* .1 Pet horses. .3Â* Drink beer at
brewpub in Folsom.Â* .5 Meet with client to discuss huge bill for
riding bike, petting horse and drinking beer.


I am not greedy. I charge half my hourly rate for travel time and that
is the time traveled by car. If I go by bike I won't charge more and, in
fact, usually charge no travel time at all because I get a nice exercise
out of it.


I am self-employed, and my partnership bills based on time and
materials. No way I could work a full day and waste 4 hours riding a
distance I could cover in a car in 30 minutes. No client would pay.


I am self-employed as well but not encumbered by a partnership or other
kind of such structure. Also, my clients do not pay for my bike rides
because I usually don't bill at all for those. So they are better of
than via car.


I will ride through the hills before or after work, and I used to
raceÂ* on weeknights.Â* I've worked full 10-hour work days and still
ridden 70 miles (20 commuting and 50 racing) back when I raced at
PIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pruxdPS4g&t=74sÂ* I could still
do that if I wanted to put in the time, which I don't.


Going round and round and round? I've got an MP3 player with me on both
bikes but I'd be bored stiff. I go here instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USLVraV4mU


Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a
compact city.


San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay
Area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8


It is downtown where people use rideshare bikes. They're not riding
to Marin.



See? They are restricted. I do not like to be restricted in radius when
using a bike. Just like I wouldn't be with a rental car.

[...]

This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't
have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means
I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it
along.


The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people
lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have
it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a
stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing
their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80
bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the
trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped.


Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers
are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because
bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack
slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the
evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom
(last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per
ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also
a good muscle and endurance exercise.

I always ride home, too.Â* Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work.


How many miles is that and how much higher in altitude do you
live?


Depends on how I go home.Â* Shortest is only five miles.



That's considered a warm-up :-)


Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... I live about
400 feet above downtown, so all routes home require some climbing.
Longer route home is over the West Hills, which is 1,000 feet of
climbing in a few extra miles. Grades may exceed 20%.Â* It's super,
super gnarly.



With 5ft drop-off and stuff, I assume. When I went to Placerville last
week two dirt bikers came from there. Illegal on the trail but, oh well.
When I got to the 3rd drop-off I saw tire tracks and slide marks. One of
them must have slightly misjudged it or had too much speed and gotten to
within a foot or so from sliding off a rock face.


Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... But it helps build my giant quads and massive lungs.
When the weather is nice, I'll throw in something longer. My long
riding is typically on weekends.

Commuting for me is not some "dig me" single track, horse-petting
adventure.Â* I've been commuting to work by bike for as long as I've
had work -- or school. That's on roads, with cars -- rain, sleet or
snow (to a point).



I used to do that for more than a decade. Did it, but did not enjoy it.


Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... I work in an urban area, outside my house and have
to be presentable.Â* Nobody stops to tell me "dude, it's raining!"
This is not dopey-ville.



Looks like you don't understand that there are people who can turn even
an errand run into something fun.


Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... Bikes make up a large part of traffic in
PDX, and nobody is impressed with riding in the rain, riding on trail
or riding anywhere. It's not a novelty act.

Now, on weekends, that's a different matter.Â* We're super gnarly here
in PDX! I do 5-10,000 feet of climbing just to get to the super-cool
brew pubs, coffee shops and Kombucha parlors. I ride out to the
Columbia Gorge
http://media4.trover.com/T/551b00661...w_large_4x.jpg
Or into the mountains.



Nice but I would not enjoy that road if there were a lot of crazy
motorcyclists and sports car driver on it. And on weekends there usually
are.


https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fd/89/64/f...1a09f357f2.jpg
Today . . . into rain! Woohoo . . "dude, it's raining."


Try a MTB instead. More fun.


Lou Holtman is probably wondering: What is your problem with Jay's
preference where to live or to ride bike? ;-)

--
- Frank Krygowski
  #30  
Old December 3rd 17, 10:48 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,870
Default Bike Share graveyard

On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 8:03:21 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-02 10:24, jbeattie wrote:
On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:


snip

Depends on how I go home. Shortest is only five miles.



That's considered a warm-up :-)


I prefer to live near work. The furthest I've commuted on a daily basis is 24 miles RT -- which was easy because it was dead flat, and then all my elevation was on the weekends.

Longer mileage to or from work is optional, so if I want to throw in a few thousand feet of climbing after work, I can do that with a couple West Hills climbs on the way home -- or I can go straight home. I can even do a ride on forest road or single track. http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/do...3448&mode=view

... I live about
400 feet above downtown, so all routes home require some climbing.
Longer route home is over the West Hills, which is 1,000 feet of
climbing in a few extra miles. Grades may exceed 20%. It's super,
super gnarly.



With 5ft drop-off and stuff, I assume. When I went to Placerville last
week two dirt bikers came from there. Illegal on the trail but, oh well.
When I got to the 3rd drop-off I saw tire tracks and slide marks. One of
them must have slightly misjudged it or had too much speed and gotten to
within a foot or so from sliding off a rock face.


I'm sure it was super gnarly.


... But it helps build my giant quads and massive lungs.
When the weather is nice, I'll throw in something longer. My long
riding is typically on weekends.

Commuting for me is not some "dig me" single track, horse-petting
adventure. I've been commuting to work by bike for as long as I've
had work -- or school. That's on roads, with cars -- rain, sleet or
snow (to a point).



I used to do that for more than a decade. Did it, but did not enjoy it.


I enjoy it and have been doing it for five decades, if you count commuting to school.

... I work in an urban area, outside my house and have
to be presentable. Nobody stops to tell me "dude, it's raining!"
This is not dopey-ville.



Looks like you don't understand that there are people who can turn even
an errand run into something fun.


Riding four hours to a meeting is not an errand. You story of running through puddles is cute -- and optional. Try it for six months and not as a frolic.


... Bikes make up a large part of traffic in
PDX, and nobody is impressed with riding in the rain, riding on trail
or riding anywhere. It's not a novelty act.

Now, on weekends, that's a different matter. We're super gnarly here
in PDX! I do 5-10,000 feet of climbing just to get to the super-cool
brew pubs, coffee shops and Kombucha parlors. I ride out to the
Columbia Gorge
http://media4.trover.com/T/551b00661...w_large_4x.jpg
Or into the mountains.



Nice but I would not enjoy that road if there were a lot of crazy
motorcyclists and sports car driver on it. And on weekends there usually
are.


I'm quite certain there are no roads that would be acceptable to you, which is too bad, because there are a lot of stunning roads around here.

Try a MTB instead. More fun.


A MTB is more fun for trails. I haven't had a MTB for years, but I'll probably get one, although I don't like lumbering around on roads on a MTB to get to trails. We have some world-class trails fairly close in. My next-door neighbor and best biking buddy is at Sandy Ridge today. https://vimeo.com/69654301

-- Jay Beattie.


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Singapore bike share? Frank Krygowski[_4_] Techniques 4 July 28th 17 02:01 AM
Cincy Bike Share, now Red Bike, getting close Garrison Hilliard Techniques 3 September 6th 14 04:03 AM
Share your gps tracks from bike rides [email protected] Rides 3 September 6th 05 02:09 AM
Share your gps tracks from bike rides - now also supports gpx [email protected] Techniques 0 September 2nd 05 04:26 AM
Haig Concrete Graveyard Film uniryder777 Unicycling 4 January 19th 04 05:14 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:54 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CycleBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.