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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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 3, 2013 at 7:15am

I just took one out for a lunchtime spin. No problems. Folks are definitely noticing the bikes.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on July 3, 2013 at 10:46am

Leah, 

You can make 311 reports about cab drivers on line now.  It is very easy.

Leah Jone said:

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.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on July 5, 2013 at 6:05pm

Activated my key late morning yesterday and was looking forward to my first ride today. Tried all of the bikes at the 1st station I planned to use, the key did not work. Called customer service and they advised trying another station. Walked a few blocks to the second station, still no luck. Called customer service, and after a long hold was advised that I had "one of the extremely few" keys that required 24 hours to activate. I was out of town the rest of the day so am hoping that the key works tomorrow when I try...

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on July 7, 2013 at 3:13am

Well no luck with my key yesterday either, I appear to have received a defective one. New one is on its way and in the meantime I was given a code for a 24 hour pass (and can call for another if needed), so I got my ride in. Very enjoyable, and I look forward to using the bikes more often.

I did notice last night that the stations around Ogilvie had a total of 3 bikes between 2 stations. Looks like biking from the train is pretty popular!

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on July 7, 2013 at 2:59pm

One tip for easy undocking, I've found, is to lift the seat and back tire 2 or 3 inches off the ground and pull the bike backwards by the seat.  This works for me better than tugging the handlebars backward. 

My docking skills are still hit-or-miss.  Push the bike forward by the handlebars into the dock and wait for the green light.  Then try lifting the seat and tugging backwards to be sure it's locked.  If the light stays yellow for 30 seconds or so, or you hear a loud grinding noise from the dock, pull the bike out and try again.  Going in absolutely straight, not at any angle, helps a lot.  I have one co-worker who's perfected docking by riding into the docks, docking while still astride the bike, but he has mad skillz, as he's been doing wheelies and curb hops with Divvy bikes as well.  Compared to that, I'm still bush league.

Occasionally, an empty dock will stick with the little locking bar inside at the top extended, so a bike can't be docked there.  (While docking, the bar extends through the hole in the triangular piece attached to the bike's head tube.)  If you see that, just use your key on the empty dock, the bar will retract and then the bike can be successfully docked.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on July 7, 2013 at 7:55pm

No, the locking pin fits through a little metal triangle on the head tube that most bikes lack.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on July 8, 2013 at 4:31am

I've ridden Divvy twice already and after figuring out some nuances, I had zero problems. For one, you need to hold your keyfob in the slot for a few seconds until the light turns green. Previously, I was just trying to swipe it like an ATM card. In addition, when docking, you typically need to insert the bike with a considerable amount of force. After figuring those two items out, I was able to ride with no hitches. The bikes ride like a tank, but it's a decent backup plan and being able to just walk away after docking is nice.

Permalink Reply by Grace Van Moer 8.25 mi on July 9, 2013 at 2:06pm

Took my first ride tonight.  Needed a couple of tries to get my key fob to turn the light green to release the bike (from the station at Dearborn & Monroe).  Adjusted the seat and I was off.  Took the Dearborn PBL up to Huron, then west to the station at Huron & Wells to dock.  No problems docking, rolled the bike straight in and gave it good push.  I counted bikes & docks at both Dearborn & Monroe and Huron & Wells - the counts were exactly opposite of what was shown on the CycleFinder app.  Coincidence or programming/wiring problem?  

All in all a good experience.  As I will mostly use Divvy downtown, I think I will probably get a 2nd helmet to keep at my desk at work. Anyone else considering that?

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on July 9, 2013 at 2:38pm
I just use their website on my phone to check on bike location's status. Granted it doesn't allow you to pinpoint your current location.

Their "Bike Stations" website is: https://divvybikes.com/stations
Permalink Reply by Josh L. on July 9, 2013 at 2:52pm

I'm a biker who talks to Divvy riders.

First one up was a couple on the LFP at Wilson whose pedal had come off. I tried to help them and could see that Divvy hadn't greased the thread so it stripped.  And I think it was screwed on the wrong way. so boo hoo to them. Also divvy wouldn't come pick them up and there was non station at wilson so they were contemplating biking back with one pedal. Otherwise they liked it!

On Hubbard tonight asked a woman at a light how she liked it. She said you have to check in every thirty minutes with the bike as it is designed for short trips. You can't check in via cell phone.

Is this correct?

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on July 9, 2013 at 2:55pm

The bike must be docked within the 30 minutes.  You can take it back out after it is docked.  No, you cannot check in via cell phone.

jolondon30 said:

On Hubbard tonight asked a woman at a light how she liked it. She said you have to check in every thirty minutes with the bike as it is designed for short trips. You can't check in via cell phone.

Is this correct?

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on July 10, 2013 at 1:15am
I'd imagine the user would have to report it as lost/stolen and it would be deactivated.

h' 1.0 said:

What happens when someone loses a Keyfob? Could whoever found it take a bike and ride it off into oblivion?

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