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 Apie (11) on June 28, 2013 at 8:23am

On my profile page, it still says my Membership # is 130, when my envelope said #127.  It doesn't really make a difference, but it is kind of odd

Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on June 28, 2013 at 9:06am

Map says there are 2 bikes available at the closest dock and I am looking out my window and there are at least 6 bikes docked.

Permalink Reply by Robin Amer on June 28, 2013 at 9:12am

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 Julia 3.5/7.5 mi on June 28, 2013 at 10:18am

I tried to pick up a bike there during my lunch break, but a few people had gotten there ahead of me and grabbed the rest. It's on State Street by the entrance to Jones Prep, not the corner. If you exit the red line on the west side of the street, it's just south of there.

Anne Alt said:

This morning I wanted to get a bike from the station shown on the app at State & Harrison but couldn't find a station there.  Has anyone found that one?

Permalink Reply by Shaun Jacobsen on June 28, 2013 at 12:53pm
I wrote my first impressions on my blog (http://transitized.com/2013/06/28/divvy-bike-share-first-impressions/) but ill list a few here:

- Got off the brown line at Chicago and took a bike to Jackson/Canal. Smooth ride, a little difficult with all the parade stuff going on though.
- Tried to take one to get lunch but the dock wasn't recognizing my credit card. I had a 24hr pass since my key was not working (this was an account issue and not one with the bike station, and the attendant at the station gave me a 24hr pass).
- People, including a cab driver, were interested in it but still didn't seem to get the concept of 24 hours of 30 minute rides.
- The bikes are slooooow! I'm just used to a faster bike, and I know that divvy is for shorter trips. I don't really mind but my legs wanted to pedal faster!
- Nice shock absorption with those big tires.

I didn't see a ton of stations and I know they'll keep installing them. I just hope the station density is good enough. It took me a while to find a station going home, when there are more stations it'll be easier.

Finally, the map data was misleading and it seems there are more bikes available at docks than the map says there are.

Overall, enjoyable! I took the CTA the rest of the way home (to uptown) and it was a drag. Glad I'm not using it as much anymore.
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on June 28, 2013 at 6:54pm

I agree with Shaun about the bikes being slow. This has nothing to do with their weight and everything to do with their low gearing. Really low. 

I published my review (and photos) on Steven Can Plan.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on June 28, 2013 at 11:58pm


Christine: A photo of you teaching your Canadian friend to ride is featured prominently in John Greenfield's post on Streetsblog. Congratulations on thinking of another excellent use for Divvy that I bet a lot of the rest of us hadn't even thought of!

John Greenfield writes: "A slow, stable Divvy bike was ideal for teaching a visiting urban planner from Calgary, whose last cycle was a childhood trike, how to ride a two-wheeler. Photo: John Greenfield"


Christine (5.0) said:

Went to the rally last night, with an out of town friend.  I learned to ride without training wheels when I was 3.5 years old... she never learned to ride without them!

I had fun puttering around Daley Plaza, and tried to teach her how to ride.  As steady as they are, they don't seem to be magical enough to teach a person how to ride a bike from scratch in under 30 minutes.  Nevertheless, I think that might actually be an interesting use for them.  As a 6' woman, if I want to teach my other lady friends how to ride, I don't exactly have a suitable bike to teach them on.  Now instead I can check out a Divvy, and use that instead.

Oh, and if anybody happened to have shot pictures of us at the plaza, it would be awesome if you could get those to me :)  I'm wearing a black polo, she is wearing a cream colored dress.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 29, 2013 at 6:02am

I've heard a few similar comments about check-in problems from other folks. Seems like the system has a few bugs and isn't working consistently. The app isn't necessarily showing an accurate count of bikes/docks available at stations.

BTW, last night I had a few extra minutes before my Metra train home and I did find the station location at Clark & Harrison. It's on the west side of the street, south of the subway entrance, up against the front wall of Jones Prep H.S.  I spotted it from across the street.

clp said:

I used my fob to get a bike for my husband at Fullerton and Sheffield, where there were many, many bikes and only two open spots.  At the same time, a woman was trying to return her bike to the station, but neither open spot would register her return, lock the bike, or show a green light.

I used my fob and released a bike.  The woman immediately plunged her bike into our empty spot, which registered the return, showed the green light, and locked her bike.  We biked (me on my own bike) down to Whole Foods on Kingsbury, where we returned the Divvy bike without incident.  We shopped, had a beer, enjoyed the WFM show for an hour.  We came out, released a Divvy bike and returned up to the Fullerton & Sheffield bike rack with the two open spots.  Again it was impossible to return the bike.

So we biked west to another Divvy bike rack at Racine and Sheffield (which was not on the Divvy map in any way), returned the bike, and my husband walked home in the rain.

Conclusion:  It is reasonable for a system of this complexity to have a few bugs upon launch.  I hope the Divvy folks will be able to (1) fix their bike stations so they're more reliable, and (2) update their system map so that it truly reflects available racks and bikes in real time.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on June 29, 2013 at 6:33am

First Day report - part 2.

In the afternoon, I take Divvy to my appointment. I pick up a bike at Jefferson and Adams, andride Monroe over to Dearborn, to get to Kinzie and State. When I get there, the entire station is out of order, despite it showing on the map. The Divvy rep points me to Grand and Fairbanks. I ride over there, park my bike and walk back to Kinzie and State. By now I am sweating and 10 minutes late for my appointment....

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. Since Kinzie and State is closed we walk south of the river to State and Lake, which is about a block south of Lake. I get my bike, while Mrs. Duppie uses a free one-day pass. A whole lot of clicks later she gets a code. Enters the code on the dock and the bike releases. We take Dearborn north to Huron to Franklin to Chicago, were we have dinner reservations at Farmhouse. The Divvy rep there takes a quick picture of us.

We have dinner at Farmhouse (which by the way is good, but not great). In the meantime, it rains a second time. After dinner we decide to go over to Division street. We walk outside, each grab a bike, and go west on Chicago to Milwaukee, to Division. We get caught in a short but heavy shower, and the umbrellas come in handy. We park our bikes in front of Smoke Daddy, and have a few beers at various bars. Since we are dressed vintage-y, we decide to stick with the old standbys. (GoldStar, Maria's and Rainbow Club). When we look at the time, it iss after 10 already and we decide to head home. We hop on the #50 bus, which drops us off next to our house in A'ville at 10:45.

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 Duppie on June 29, 2013 at 6:43am

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 Lisa Curcio on June 29, 2013 at 9:46am

Mr. and Mrs. Duppie are quite the charming couple, don't you think?  And thanks to Mrs. Duppie for the tip.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 29, 2013 at 2:24pm

Thanks!  I found it last night.

Julia C 7.5 mi said:

I tried to pick up a bike there during my lunch break, but a few people had gotten there ahead of me and grabbed the rest. It's on State Street by the entrance to Jones Prep, not the corner. If you exit the red line on the west side of the street, it's just south of there.

Anne Alt said:

This morning I wanted to get a bike from the station shown on the app at State & Harrison but couldn't find a station there.  Has anyone found that one?

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