When I first wrote about Divvy, I listed reasons that I anticipated using the bike share system, even though I have three bikes of my own. On Friday, one of those reasons popped up.
- I take the L in the morning due to rain but the sun is shining by the end of the day.
Leaving for work in the morning in the pouring rain, I did not even consider biking. By the early evening, the sun was out and I was itching to ride a bike. Lo and behold, there was a brand new Divvy station right by me.
Using the bike was super easy. I had no problems riding in my trousers, thanks to the covered chain. The fenders protected me from being splashed by leftover rain puddles.
The front rack held my legal file and bag remarkably well. I was worried about the file slipping out, but everything felt perfectly secure.
I rode Divvy as far north as possible, before switching to the L to get all the way to my destination in Lincoln Square, where I was meeting friends for dinner. I can’t wait for the day when Divvy stations cover the city – which should be by the end of the summer!
I look forward to many more rides with Divvy in the future!
Let's Go Ride a Bike 
Just returned from Ottawa and used the Capitale Bixi on a 24 hour membership. Ottawa has to be the best biking city I have experienced. Km’s of off-road paths that skirt along the Rideau and Ottawa River. Also biked over the bridge to Gatineau, Quebec for some loving riding along the River with the stunning Parliament buildings in the background. All the docks are strategically placed so no extra costs were incurred. We simply dock, wait a couple of minutes and ride on. However, met a fellow who thought the $7 membership for 24 hours was all inclusive and he kept the bike for 24 hours without docking…costly error and he will be charged accordingly. People need to understand the system!
Sounds like a lovely experience! I love visiting cities with bikeshare systems, because I’m able to see so much and stop whenever I pass an interesting site or shop.
I think some people in Chicago are confused about the price/time of the Divvy, too. Even the people on the news explained it wrong – saying either $7 for 24 hours or $7 for a 30 minute ride, never putting the two together clearly.
Dottie, you own three very different styles of full sized upright riding type of bikes. How do the Divvy bikes ride compared to your other bikes?
A Bixi representative who was helping to demonstrate this bicycle sharing system to the LA county Metro staff told me that the front rack was designed that way to reduce accumulation of trash at the bottom which would occur with a basket and to keep people from joy riding. Which also explains why there is no back rack installed.
Good question. I plan to write a whole post about this in the near future. The Divvy bike felt perfectly natural and easy to ride. Not really like my Dutch bike or my Rivendell. Probably most like my Velorbis, in that I’m leaned forward a bit and the space from the seat to the handlebars is relatively short.
The rack instead of baseket makes perfect sense, for the reason you mentioned. More than once, I’ve found trash in my basket after a day parked downtown. Bastards.
I have used a legal folder to carry stuff on the divvy also. It’s the perfect size.
Yup, actually much better than a basket would be.
Awesome! I love seeing these bike share schemes popping up.