Spokies

[BBatesokc]

I have owned the same Huffy mountain bike for 18 years and I have spent a grand total $0 on maintenance - and it rides fine. Of course, I do know how to use a screwdriver to adjust my own breaks and gears and can air up my own tires.

on edit - i take that back. I ran over a thorn about 2 months ago and had to buy some patches - 5 for $4. Since I used one that is $0.80.

And? Unless they plan on having people tune the bikes themselves, it is going to cost money and I think $50/yr may be low. Also depends on the style of bikes. If we're talking cruiser types with few or no gears then those are easier to maintain.

Regardless, if you're asserting the typical maintenance cost should be $0 then you're being completely unrealistic. People will not treat these bikes as well as they would their own and they will be outside 24/7. I bet if you walk into any bike shop and tell them I plan to ride my bike several times a day, most of the year, and leave it outside and ask what the yearly maintenance will be - they would laugh at only $50/yr.

[Just the facts]

Sorry - I posted before I finished. I agree that the cost will be more than $50

[NoOkie]

And? Unless they plan on having people tune the bikes themselves, it is going to cost money and I think $50/yr may be low. Also depends on the style of bikes. If we're talking cruiser types with few or no gears then those are easier to maintain.

Regardless, if you're asserting the typical maintenance cost should be $0 then you're being completely unrealistic. People will not treat these bikes as well as they would their own and they will be outside 24/7. I bet if you walk into any bike shop and tell them I plan to ride my bike several times a day, most of the year, and leave it outside and ask what the yearly maintenance will be - they would laugh at only $50/yr.

I do most of my own maintenance on my bike and I can see costs being that low-and I do 6 to 10 miles a day in all weather. Remember that you're helping pay for the shop, not just the mechanic and the parts when you take it in to Al's or wherever. I'm a rank amateur and can clean and lube my drivetrain, replace and adjust brakes and adjust cable tension in a couple hours. A professional bike mechanic can turn it all around in little to no time.

Plus, from what I understand the Bixi bikes use a lot of low maintenance parts-Interally Geared Hubs and Hub brakes, cables are routed through the frame to avoid wear, etc. All that makes for a somewhat more expensive bike up front, but cheaper to maintain.

Personally, I hope this succeeds. It seems very similar to the Capitol Bike Share program in pricing, and that's proven to be quite successful. This is a self-interested hope, though. If this takes off, maybe there will be some impetus to improve our cycling infrastructure outside of the CBD. I'd love a bike lane or bridge somewhere over 235 near Britton.

[BBatesokc]

I may have missed it, do we know the style of the bikes that will be used?

[NoOkie]

I may have missed it, do we know the style of the bikes that will be used?

You know, I thought I'd heard it was going to be a Bixi system. But now that I'm looking, I can't find anything on it and may have just made that up in my head.

[OKCTalker]

http://road.cc/content/news/31222-th...otally-trashed

The link is to a story 13 months ago about London's rental bike program. London & OKC are apples & oranges - I get that - but it clearly demonstrates that the bikes will be subjected to a lot of hard use. Bikes in the Paris program were mentioned as even more harshly treated, with their entire fleet replaced in 18 months. Transport for London states that their maintenance costs have been "much less than feared," but neither the actual or budget figures were disclosed. Be sure to watch the YouTube video at the bottom for examples of kids popping wheelies, riding bikes down stairs, doing aerials, and crashing in half pipes.

We're not London or Paris, but $50.00 per bike for maintenance is too low.

[Spartan]

That wasn't a number that I got from Jennifer Gooden, so don't blame the City (blame me I guess). $50/year/bike has been discussed for other systems. Also keep in mind that in many cases, these bikes are manufactured specifically for these Bikeshare programs (they're not using typical TREK or Worksman bikes, but a special model that those companies have perfected for the public systems) and they're usually sort of like third-generation road bikes. That's why they run $400/bike in bulks of hundreds and hundreds.

[kevinpate]

I can readily agree it'll take more than 50 a bike, even if none of them get ridden hard down at the bowl at Wiley Post park or swishing between trees and off steps at SR or MBG.

[Spartan]

I don't think any of us disagree. $50/year might almost just be "too much" of a steal.

I was just making the point that, while this is the industry's standard amount supposedly for maintenance (and perhaps it is a major low-ball), clearly the fee structure is going waaay above and beyond just covering program maintenance.

[metro]

Spartan, considering its a grant, we can't complain. It's a step in the right direction.

[Spartan]

I'm not complaining about costs. I wish we were spending more on this. Boise is dropping $700,000 in their starter system, and they're not expecting it to be a stand-alone cash cow either.

[OKCTalker]

^^^ That's great news. Always good to base a decision on the experiences of others (although our deal is pretty much set in stone at this point).

[ljbab728]

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-to-c...rticle/3658323

[CCOKC]

I'm not complaining about costs. I wish we were spending more on this. Boise is dropping $700,000 in their starter system, and they're not expecting it to be a stand-alone cash cow either.

I lived in Boise for a short time and can tell you that the bike culture there is much more entrenched than it is here. Every city street has a dedicated bike lane and as a driver of a car I had to be especially careful to look for bikers. I think the difference here is that we are trying to build that culture by starting this program and hope it works and in a town like Boise they already have the culture and are pretty sure that the program will be successful if not long overdue.

[OKCTalker]

Rode a windy 30 miles this morning with a small group and we didn't get honked at by a single motorist. It's not a trend, but it's a nice sign.

[Snowman]

I lived in Boise for a short time and can tell you that the bike culture there is much more entrenched than it is here. Every city street has a dedicated bike lane and as a driver of a car I had to be especially careful to look for bikers. I think the difference here is that we are trying to build that culture by starting this program and hope it works and in a town like Boise they already have the culture and are pretty sure that the program will be successful if not long overdue.

I was surprised how much a recreational bike culture we have now, not sure how many would be traveling to work by one since most I know live about 20 miles from downtown.

[metro]

I was surprised how much a recreational bike culture we have now, not sure how many would be traveling to work by one since most I know live about 20 miles from downtown.

There are people from Edmond and Norman that bike to work DT daily.

[NoOkie]

There are people from Edmond and Norman that bike to work DT daily.

Those people make me and my 6 mile round trip feel wussy.

Then again, it's nice that riding a bike only adds about 5 or 10 minutes to my commute.

[Frustratedoptimist]

I think I read somewhere that nearly 20 people a day hitch their bikes on an Edmond bus and ride it to work in or near downtown OKC.

[metro]

I think I read somewhere that nearly 20 people a day hitch their bikes on an Edmond bus and ride it to work in or near downtown OKC.

I know some that ride the whole way, weather permitting.

[ljbab728]

Starting on May 18th.

http://newsok.com/spokies-set-for-gr...rticle/3659452

[BoulderSooner]

Starting on May 18th.

http://newsok.com/spokies-set-for-gr...rticle/3659452

i think it will start the beginning of may ... the 18th will just be the "official" launch

[Spartan]

Hey Sid, do you have a link to where you got that?

[Pete]

Here are some of the exact locations of the bike racks to be installed. For some reason, there will be two at the library. The last image is of Level.

In addition to these, there will be one on the SE corner of 6th & Harvey and another near the Bricktown Ballpark.

[Spartan]

7th and Walnut?