Divvy First Ride Reports

As many of us take our first Divvy rides over the next few days, jot down your experiences, impressions or any tips you may have for using Divvy.

I'll start:

I got to Daley Plaza a little past five this evening, for the Pre-Launch Divvy Ride.  My first impression was: man, that's a lot of bikes sitting there!  I checked in at the Divvy tent--and was pleased to find out I didn't need to activate my key fob yet: my paper invitation was all I needed.  Each bike was tagged with one of our names; there was literally a bike with my name on it on the plaza.

Many recognizable faces on the plaza.  I caught up briefly with Anne Alt & Julie Hochstadter, saw John Greenfield scoping things out, chatted with Elliot Greenberger (Divvy's PR guy) and Eddie Imlow (Divvy's General Manager) who was managing to be everywhere even while being hobbled by crutches.

It began to drizzle.  Then it began to rain.  Then it began to REALLY RAIN.  My free cup of gelato from the nearby gelato truck began to melt in the warm raindrops.  An amazing number of people squeezed under the three little tents.  And lots of folks plastered themselves up against the front of the Daley Center, against the windows, trying to stay dry.  I didn't hear much of Gabe Klein's speech, as the windy storm was howling at its height right about then.

Only a few Divvy cyclists had left the plaza when I found my Divvy bike and headed north, first on Dearborn, then up Clark to Fullerton, then up Orchard to Diversey and finally to Wilton.  Diversey & Wilton was the furthest north operational station tonight, which is why I picked it.

Locking up was a little tricky.  I tried several times, but couldn't make the green light come on or the lock activate. Shortly after, four more Divvy riders arrived to lock up.  One had used the Washington, DC bike share, and slammed--really slammed--the front wheel into the lock tower and the green light came right on.  I tested the lock by lifting the rear wheel and tugging the bike backwards, but the lock held.  We all tried the same thing and successfully locked all five bikes.  **TIP** Don't be gentle when locking up, it seems you need to really slam the front wheel forward into the slot. And don't walk away from the bike until you're sure it's locked--you're re$pon$ible for it until it's secured.

Oddly, even now, after three hours, the Diversey/Wilton station still reports zero bikes and fifteen open docks on the CycleFinder app, even though I know at least five bikes are locked there, possibly more.  Perhaps that station isn't communicating properly with the mainframe computer?

Other impressions from my ride: the bike is big, heavy, comfy & cushy.  It absorbed potholes and bumps beautifully, but you had to really work at moving off the line at a green light.  The three speeds seemed kind of close together, and didn't really provide much difference from first to third.  The front rack with integrated bungee cord held my bag and water bottle securely.

Be prepared to be the center of attention during the next week, while Divvy is still new.  I had other cyclists stop to ask me how I liked the Divvy.  Pedestrians and motorists gawked and stared at the bike.  I got one "Whohoo!  You got the first ride!  I chickened out in the rain..." from a pedestrian I passed.

**Tip** Spend a little time experimenting with the saddle height.  The post is helpfully marked off in inches, so you can replicate the height quickly each time.  I stopped and changed it three times during my ride: I've decided 4-and-a-half-inches height seems right for me.

I have no experience checking out a bike yet.  One of the guys who was locking alongside me had an activated key fob, but it didn't release the bike.  That may have to wait until the system is officially open tomorrow.

Have fun!  I look forward to hearing about your first Divvy rides.


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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 1, 2013 at 9:47am

agree 

Duppie 13.5185km said:

My appointment ends a little after 5, and I meet Mrs. Duppie outside. She looks gorgeous in her 40's vintage dress and matching hair style. 

Overall a great night. It allowed Mrs. Duppie to ride downtown, something she doesn't do very often, and it allowed us to go to places that normally would have been a good walk or a bus ride away.

And for the ladies, Mrs. Duppie points out that if you wear a dress that comes to you knees or higher, be prepared to wear some underlayer, allowing you to stay decent on a Divvy bike

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 1, 2013 at 9:55am

Robin is familiar to The Chainlink, and happy to see she's now a full fledged member.  She wrote about The Chainlink a few years back when I spoke on a panel about Cycling and Politics on a panel about Cycling and Politics at the Humanities Festival in 2011 with CMAP's John O'Neal, Greg Borzo, Randy Neufeld and Harry Wray.

On a separate yet related note: The four men mentioned above were amazing at helping calm my nerves before our panel discussion.  It was my first public speaking engagement related to cycling and they all gave me good tips and made me feel a less young and inexperienced than I felt sitting on a panel with the four of them.  

Duppie 13.5185km said:

Hi Robin, Welcome to the Chainlink! Hope you come back to read about events and issues that keep the biking community occupied.

It was actually fun, but I did not yet have my morning coffee when you approached me. Hence my post :)

Robin Amer said:

Heh -- I'm the reporter who "accosted" you. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me! It actually does make a difference, and I appreciate it. :) 

Duppie 13.5185km said:

Before I can jump on the bike I get accosted by a reported from WBEZ. She asks a few questions and thanks me and I am finally on my way. 

Permalink Reply by WillG on July 1, 2013 at 10:08am

Hey so, what happens when you are riding Divvy and you get a flat tire? Are these bikes equipped with ultra durable tires or anything?

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 1, 2013 at 10:39am

My understanding is that they're equipped with tough tires to minimize the risk of flats.

Will G - 10mi said:

Hey so, what happens when you are riding Divvy and you get a flat tire? Are these bikes equipped with ultra durable tires or anything?

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 1, 2013 at 10:40am

I needed to run an errand in the South Loop this morning. Grabbed a Divvy bike at the Federal Plaza, rode to State/Harrison, took care of the errand and came back. Everything worked perfectly.  :)

Permalink Reply by terryg on July 2, 2013 at 7:45am

Let's see... meeting a friend across the loop, grabbed a bike and rode over, dropped it off, no problem.  Same for the return trip.  Really convenient, and weirdly liberating to simply dock a bike and walk away (I ride my own bike year-round).

I see the online station map and the phone app are not very reliable, hopefully that will improve.


I'll prefer to ride my own bike, but it's really nice to just hop & go for quick errands, vs unlocking/locking my own etc.  Now if only those yellow dots on the map would turn blue....

Thanks Gabe Klein, CDOT, ATA & everyone involved - this is really pretty cool.  

Permalink Reply by Bez on July 2, 2013 at 8:27am

I grabbed one for the first time this morning at Jackson and Franklin.  After some initial confusion (on my part) with the lights after I put my code in, I got the bike out of the rack and adjusted the seat to where I thought it should go.  Jumped on Franklin and took off down Franklin to go to the Thompson Center dock.  Completely uneventful ride, other than the Pepsi truck parked and delivering in the bike lane.  I turned right on Washington and crossed Wells, fully expecting a jolt when I hit the resurfacing at Wells.  The Divvy bike handled it like a champ, much smoother than I expected.  When I got to the dock at the Thompson Center, I slammed it in (as noted by other users here) and another bike fell out of the rack.  Since I scrambled to pick that one up, I did not see if the green light went on or not, but I also wan unable to remove my bike from the rack.

I am undecided if this will be a useful way for me to get from Metra to my office.  Since the closest dock in the direction that I go is like 2 blocks away, it may not be.  However, the ride was nice, and another rider (on a road bike) pointed out how funny I looked in my standard riding getup on the little blue bike.

Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on July 2, 2013 at 8:41am

I need a divvy kit to wear while doing errands around the loop!

Permalink Reply by Duppie on July 3, 2013 at 3:00am

Saw my first Divvy commuter today. He was going down Wells from Lincoln Park to Michigan and Lake. Caught up with him and chatted for a bit. His bike was in the shop.

Seems like an excellent use for a Divvy.

Permalink Reply by RyanG on July 3, 2013 at 3:35am

My wife and I tried it out on Saturday. We have a dock a block from our apartment, which is extremely convenient. We rode about 6 miles each way and I was really hoping for more mechanical advantage. See if your employer will compensate you for all or some of the annual fee. I will most likely get one for myself, even though I've lost my commuter card by working in the burbs. They will be great for bar hopping and quick trips. It also kills the sometimes long search for a cab. The only issue is bringing a helmet, we rode without one and I felt like a tourist in another city.

My two cents:

  • adjust seat height before unlocking to maximize time
  • Unload/reload at an interim dock along the way to your destination if you're approaching 30 minutes
Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on July 3, 2013 at 5:32am

Last night was my first "real" Divvy ride. I rode a Divvy bike last week at the rally, which other than the rain was fun. But that was totally planned, even a bike waiting for me.

Last night I went to the Divvy stations on Dearborn/Monroe to grab a bike but they were all gone. I walked up a block to Daley Plaza and there were a few there. I'd presume as Divvy figures out the trends and gets more data they'll "shift" bikes to/from locations with more accuracy. It was 6:15 and I'm guessing there will always be a mass exodus after 5pm from the Loop so some of it is unavoidable.

Anyways, cruised down Madison to the OTC where I dropped it off on Clinton. Cut my "commute" to the Metra station in half. Overall went really well (except for almost getting doored on Madison by a passenger getting out literally in the middle of the street).

 

This morning I grabbed the same Divvy bike on Clinton so I didn't even have to adjust the seat height. Rode down Washington and dropped it off on Dearborn. Divvy truck was there picking up some bikes. Very smooth. Bike is great, has the same shifter as I have on my Fisher commuter.

Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on July 3, 2013 at 6:58am

I've been on two Divvy rides this week - both from Lake/Clinton to Daley Plaza. Both times I was trying to dock at Randolph/State, but couldn't find the station. (it's there, but hidden behind construction. Along state outside of Wagreens).

First day was great - everyone wanted to chat about the new blue bike. One the second day, I was on Randolph and signaled to change lanes. After realizing traffic was coming up behind me, I stayed put. A cab (5916) tried to run me off the road as we approached the intersection, then yelled at me that "Rahm gave you 100 miles of bike lane, you can't be on Randolph." He continued yelling, calling Rahm an asshole and telling me that I had to get off the street."

Other than that one cabbie, docking and undocking has been a breeze. Divvy fits great for the days when I don't ride my bike to the office, but still want to zip somewhere after work.

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