borris bikes? opinions now they work.
warthog562
Posts: 40
sorry if this excludes those outside of london.
at my work we were discussing the new borris bikes with mixed opinions about them.
most of the negetives come from dedicated motorists who think it just put more in exerienced cyclists on the road (without helmets aswell). who will rlj and gerenally do dumb things.
the others seem to think it is a great idea that is probably a much better alternitive than the tube or a bus.
just wondering since I am the only cyclist on my team at work what some cyclists opinions are and do you get the same sort of opinions with other non-cyclist
P.S I have invited the worst of them to come for a guided ride though london on a borris bike to see the benifets of cycling in london.
at my work we were discussing the new borris bikes with mixed opinions about them.
most of the negetives come from dedicated motorists who think it just put more in exerienced cyclists on the road (without helmets aswell). who will rlj and gerenally do dumb things.
the others seem to think it is a great idea that is probably a much better alternitive than the tube or a bus.
just wondering since I am the only cyclist on my team at work what some cyclists opinions are and do you get the same sort of opinions with other non-cyclist
P.S I have invited the worst of them to come for a guided ride though london on a borris bike to see the benifets of cycling in london.
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I think it's a great idea as its much better than hopping on the tube or bus for short journeys.
The main complaint I have is the bikes themselves. The riding position is really uncomfortable due to being so upright (I'm 6ft). They weigh a tonne so they're difficult to get moving and the gearing is puny so it's difficult to get much speed.
I'd dearly love to see a sportier model introduced for days I have to get the train into town
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the bikes are fine I'm 6'5 and have no problems with the positioning, it needs spinny gears for the weight of the bike and unfit riders it's inclusive...
The seat starts to hurts after a couple of miles though
I'm on 4 scalps so far with them
Purveyor of sonic doom
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I have mixed feelings really. On the one hand I'm all for any initiative that supports cycling and cycling infrastructure. I think it is wonderful that tourists can now explore our amazing capital city by bike. I think it is fantastic that Londoners now have a choice of public transport beyond tube, train or bus. But, the absolutely shocking riding I have witnessed by many Borris Bike riders makes me wonder if the positives of the scheme are perhaps outweighed by the negatives. I regularly see people merrily pootling along the pavements on their Borris Bikes. I see them RLJ without a care in the world. I watch inexperienced riders wobble from left to right without paying any attention to those of us who might be around them, and most importantly, they get in my way when I want to go fast (half kidding).
I can't help thinking that it's only a matter of time before a Borris Bike rider is involved in a serious accident due to inexperience or undue care on what can be rather dangerous roads.0 -
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most of the negetives come from dedicated motorists who think it just put more in exerienced cyclists on the road (without helmets aswell). who will rlj and gerenally do dumb things.
And the dedicated motorists are right to an extent: they will have to increasingly watch out for inexperienced cyclists, a number of whom will do dumb unpredictable things. They'll have to learn to drive under new conditions, just as they might do when they find themselves driving over the moors with sheep wandering about. They may even have to adjust their speed, which will be difficult because with more cyclists around the roads are likely to be less jammed up. Good drivers drive to the conditions.0 -
On the whole I think they are a good idea who's time has come. Nothing is perfect, but its better than not having bikes for hire.
I saw what was almost a really bad collision due to a Boris (note: only one 'r' in Boris) bike RLJ yesterday.
Even the most hardened RLJer with a hint of self preservation wouldn't have jumped that light then. I can only put it down to inexperience and stupidity.
[crystal ball gazing] There will be a serious Boris Bike accident. Barclays will rethink their sponsorship of the whole thing and some up themselves pressure group will push for helmets to be compulsory (even though a helmet wouldn't have helped in any way with that particular accident). [/crystal ball gazing]FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
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I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!0 -
EKE_38BPM wrote:[crystal ball gazing] There will be a serious Boris Bike accident. Barclays will rethink their sponsorship of the whole thing and some up themselves pressure group will push for helmets to be compulsory (even though a helmet wouldn't have helped in any way with that particular accident). [/crystal ball gazing]
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doesn't exclude those outside London, both because we can use them and because the idea will spread
I think they're a wonderful idea and having now used one, much better than the tube.
A few points against:
- I just feel unsafe on a sit up and beg (nothing to do with the BB, just the position)
- they are incredibly spinny on even the slightest downhill
- the front end loading with anything in the basket makes them a bit wobbly
Plus points:
- they're bikes
- I can use them when I pop into London
- Mrs BW is talking about using them
- the alternaive is PT
- easy to use
- no bits for suit to get caught in
Yes you will get some idiots using them but you do in/on/around all forms of transport0 -
Don't worry,they will all be stolen soon0
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not been on one myself as i commute on my own bike but i think they are a good idea.
Anything that gets more cyclists on the road and perhaps more traffic off the road is a good thing.FCN = 40 -
I'm coming to London for the bike show in October. The system is too much of a ker-fuffle for me to want to register etc.. If it was as easy as buying a day pass, I would have spent a couple of hours riding around the big city, but I won't. I think that's a shame.
Is the idea that the bikes are not tourist friendly, so that the bikes are just used by London residents?
From what I've seen it looks a really good idea - I saw a similar scheme in Barcelona and it works well there.0 -
rf6 wrote:Is the idea that the bikes are not tourist friendly, so that the bikes are just used by London residents?
no, I think the idea is that they are primarily for tourist types. The casual use scheme (i.e. you don't have to pre register) is currently not switched on as it were due to some logistical issues (which is surprising considering many cities already had this sorted out).0 -
MTB-Idle wrote:Anything that gets more cyclists on the road and perhaps more traffic off the road is a good thing.
More cyclists good (depsite a lot of moaning from various parts of the London cycling fraternity about all these noobie cyclists), but this scheme is in no way going to remove traffic from the road. I can't imagine there are many people that live in zone one who would've taken the car for a zone one journey that would now use a boris bike, they'll stick to their range rovers and maseratis I'd imagine.
As it is all they are doing is perhaps redirecting some of the load from the rest of the public transport system. All the people on Boris bikes I've chatted to were using it as an alternative to the tube.0 -
rf6 wrote:I'm coming to London for the bike show in October. The system is too much of a ker-fuffle for me to want to register etc.. If it was as easy as buying a day pass, I would have spent a couple of hours riding around the big city, but I won't. I think that's a shame.
To add, you've only yourself to blame! It's not hard to register.0 -
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prj45 wrote:rf6 wrote:I'm coming to London for the bike show in October. The system is too much of a ker-fuffle for me to want to register etc.. If it was as easy as buying a day pass, I would have spent a couple of hours riding around the big city, but I won't. I think that's a shame.
To add, you've only yourself to blame! It's not hard to register.
+1 (on the assumption that you will be coming down to London again)
There will be a casual use scheme as prj said but I'd got the impression they were sorting out the issues first0 -
prj45 wrote:rf6 wrote:I'm coming to London for the bike show in October. The system is too much of a ker-fuffle for me to want to register etc.. If it was as easy as buying a day pass, I would have spent a couple of hours riding around the big city, but I won't. I think that's a shame.
To add, you've only yourself to blame! It's not hard to register.
You're right! I'm too lazy, but I do think it could be somewhat easier! All in all it has to be a good idea, even with teething problems. I'll just wander between pubs looking for RLJs and things in the ASLs that shouldn't be there (no ASLs in my town, see).
EDIT; excluding trips to Twickenham for the egg chasing I've only been to London 3 times in 8 or 9 years, so I wouldn't be a regular user.0 -
I do not use one myself as I have my trusty steed. However, I do really enjoy seeing people on them. I was sat in the Princess Lousie pub in Holborn (Sam Smiths - Two Pound a pint and the strangest urinals in london) and if you sit on the first floor next to the window you have a perfect view of the bike rack. Was happy as larry watching the comings and goings at rush hour. Highlight was two 50 somethiing businessmen jumping on and rushing off.
It is only a matter of time before I am noting down the numbers!0 -
I have used the Velobleu system in Nice and I think the bikes themselves are a bit better than the Boris Bikes.
They're a tad lighter (presumably down to the massive fork/handlebar assembly on the B-Bikes) and more sensibly geared. And the basket is a proper basket with a liner, rather than just a rack, so you can actually put small things in it. And they dock using a retractable cable lock which is easier to use.
The docking stations are in much more scenic locations too
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Again I've not used the BB in London as I have my own stable to choose from, however on hols in Aix en Provence I did use their v'hello bikes, €3 for a week long ticket and the same first 30mins free as the BB's.
I thought this was a great system for nipping around even managed a trip down to the Supermarche with my daughter on the back and several bottles on wine in the basket (wouldn't have managed that on the Scott.)
Learnings from France seem to be that they do not get people out of their cars, there is no hope for some, but it does take people off public transport so whilst good this doesn't really benefit me in anyway.
Sadly I would have to echo previous comments that it is only a matter of time til the first serious BB accident which the press will leap on and blow out of all proportion.0 -
Not used them yet, but:
- They should be Oyster usable - it's crazy to have a completely separate system
- I don't think they are dealing with peak usage well - I cycle past Waterloo in the evenings and there are never any spaces there, and often people on BBs just waiting for a van to come a make some room. Ditto many empty racks in the City at going home time.
Until they seriously increase the number of spaces at key transport hubs it won't be a reliable form of transport.0 -
It seems that they need a credit card for security; Oyster can't guarantee this, but it woulld be great if it could be integrated (and included in the travelcard, maybe).W1 wrote:Not used them yet, but:
- They should be Oyster usable - it's crazy to have a completely separate system
- I don't think they are dealing with peak usage well - I cycle past Waterloo in the evenings and there are never any spaces there, and often people on BBs just waiting for a van to come a make some room. Ditto many empty racks in the City at going home time.
Until they seriously increase the number of spaces at key transport hubs it won't be a reliable form of transport.
The second point you make is all too true. I was on PT last week and coming into Elephant and Castle. Three of the four days the nearest docking point was empty, and the next nearest on my route depleted over the week.
And this is with just those who have signed up for membership. It seems to have got worse. I suppose more people have signed up for membership, and most at the moment seem to be using them during rush hours. The system for redistributing them doesn't seem to have caught up with this yet. Mind, it is only in 'beta' at the moment.0 -
I commute into London each day on my "real" bike and park it somewhere safe. As part of my work I then have to visit other parts of London in Zone One. Rather than use my bike I find it quicker and easier to hop on a Boris bike and all my journeys so far have been under 30 minutes so therefore "free." Yes they are heavy and slow and I wouldn't want to ride one home, but that is not what they are designed for. I like them.0
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Specialized Needs wrote:And this is with just those who have signed up for membership. It seems to have got worse. I suppose more people have signed up for membership, and most at the moment seem to be using them during rush hours. The system for redistributing them doesn't seem to have caught up with this yet. Mind, it is only in 'beta' at the moment.
Thing is the only people likely to be using them at the moment are commuters, who mostly go one way in the morning and then back the other way in the evening.
Casual use going online may well help the distribution situation.0 -
Yes, I agree, I suspect that many of those currently signed up will be commuters, or 'locals' living in or socialising in zone 1.prj45 wrote:Specialized Needs wrote:And this is with just those who have signed up for membership. It seems to have got worse. I suppose more people have signed up for membership, and most at the moment seem to be using them during rush hours. The system for redistributing them doesn't seem to have caught up with this yet. Mind, it is only in 'beta' at the moment.
Thing is the only people likely to be using them at the moment are commuters, who mostly go one way in the morning and then back the other way in the evening.
Casual use going online may well help the distribution situation.
However, I'm not sure that there would ever be much casual use in the morning rush hour - too early for many casual users, I imagine. Maybe a bit more in the evening. So the distribution challenge in the morning is, in my opinion, likely to remain (except in wet or cold weather).0 -
Specialized Needs wrote:However, I'm not sure that there would ever be much casual use in the morning rush hour - too early for many casual users, I imagine. Maybe a bit more in the evening. So the distribution challenge in the morning is, in my opinion, likely to remain (except in wet or cold weather).
Well, quite, or it could make it worse, i.e. all bikes go from train stations to workplaces at morning rush, then tourist sneakily move them all around during the day and commuters looking for a bike to get back to station on at end of day are stumped.
In all it will always be a bit of a chaotic system I figure. Perhaps somebody could think of a way of betting on it like the stock market?
Still, it's great to see blokes in suits on pedal cycles!0 -
prj45 wrote:Specialized Needs wrote:Still, it's great to see blokes in suits on pedal cycles!
Still waiting to see someone in a suit like this on a boris bike
http://www.h-huntsman.com/shooting-suits/FCN 9 || FCN 50 -
It's even better to be the bloke in a suit* on a Boris Bike overtaking 2 flat bars and a drop bar on the drag along Lambeth Road 8)prj45 wrote:Still, it's great to see blokes in suits on pedal cycles!
* well, in shirt sleeves with my jacket in the 'basket; as I sweat a lot :oops:0 -
I seen them around town, admired the sticker defacement, and looked at the tarrif thing.
Said a quid for a 24hr I'm sure, which sounds a deal, was going to get some from soho one but realised you need to have some key/fob
do you have to drop it back to the same rack that you get it out from?
I'm guessing that you do, else you might be stuck with the bike and not having anywhere to return it when done.
Ok for tourists, but it would be nice to get one from one side of town and be able to drop it off at any rack elsewhere in town, not the case though is it?ɹǝʌo llǝɟ noʎ 'sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟI0 -
doublereds wrote:I seen them around town, admired the sticker defacement, and looked at the tarrif thing.
Said a quid for a 24hr I'm sure, which sounds a deal, was going to get some from soho one but realised you need to have some key/fob
do you have to drop it back to the same rack that you get it out from?
I'm guessing that you do, else you might be stuck with the bike and not having anywhere to return it when done.
Ok for tourists, but it would be nice to get one from one side of town and be able to drop it off at any rack elsewhere in town, not the case though is it?
You can drop it to any rack you like.0
