The Chainlink

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 h' Zerocats on July 9, 2013 at 11:17pm

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

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on July 10, 2013 at 7:15am
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?

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 7:44am

Yes, obviously, but before they do...

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

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?

Permalink Reply by Duppie on July 10, 2013 at 7:59am

Why don't you ask Divvy directly?

customerservice@divvybikes.com

h' 1.0 said:

Yes, obviously, but before they do...

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

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?

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on July 10, 2013 at 9:05am

Absolutely, yes.

What happens if someone loses their wallet?  Could whoever found it buy whatever they want with the credit cards inside?

Yes; these are the risks of engaging in the convenience of technology.

When you lose your wallet, the bank (when notified) will usually freeze your account and let you off the hook for unauthorized charges.  I'd hope Divvy would do the same.  A police report might be needed, but I'd hope the overtime fees would be waived, and a lost bike would be covered by insurance and not the account holder.



h' 1.0 said:

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

Permalink Reply by prof.gfr on July 10, 2013 at 11:41am

Rode the divvy bikes 3x yesterday (June 9). 

Bikes: rode well. tire pressure was high and they're relatively slick so I fishtailed in the afternoon rain when a cab cut me off. It was really the cab's fault, not the tires, but I mention it only to remind myself to be more cautious when riding them in the rain.  The bikes are much more sturdy-seeming than the ones in Paris (Velib) and ride really great for what they are (upright city bikes).  The front racks are terrific for a briefcase or small grocery bag. 

Check-in/out: my keyfob worked great the first and last ride, but the second ride it took me several attempts in different corals to get a green light. Perhaps the other two locked bikes were unavailable bc the repair button had been hit and they were out of commission?

Availability: LOTS of available bikes. Way more than the iPhone app indicated.  I wish more people were riding them. I didn't see a single other divvy rider on any of my three short trips through the loop during the morning commute and lunchtime. 

App: the app was WAY off in terms of available bikes and parking spots.  I wonder why it won't update more accurately? I am assuming (hoping) this can be fixed.  

Overall: really awesome. I will use it all the time downtown and can't wait for the new stations to come online. It will definitely change the way I get around and will allow me to still ride for short errands downtown if I decide not to ride the whole way to work during a rainy/snowy commute (9 miles).  I anticipate doing a lot more errands downtown bc I can zip from one place to another very fast and won't have to carry a lock with me, which is frankly a huge advantage of the system. I love the key fobs - much more convenient than the system for discharging in Paris.  

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 12:52pm

Because this is a discussion forum and I chose to ask here.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

Why don't you ask Divvy directly?

customerservice@divvybikes.com

h' 1.0 said:

Yes, obviously, but before they do...

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

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?

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on July 10, 2013 at 12:53pm

I know how credit cards are handled when one loses them, thanks.

BruceBikes said:

Absolutely, yes.

What happens if someone loses their wallet?  Could whoever found it buy whatever they want with the credit cards inside?

Yes; these are the risks of engaging in the convenience of technology.

When you lose your wallet, the bank (when notified) will usually freeze your account and let you off the hook for unauthorized charges.  I'd hope Divvy would do the same.  A police report might be needed, but I'd hope the overtime fees would be waived, and a lost bike would be covered by insurance and not the account holder.



h' 1.0 said:

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

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on July 10, 2013 at 1:35pm

I assumed you did, which is why I used it as an analogy.  You're welcome.

h' 1.0 said:

I know how credit cards are handled when one loses them, thanks.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 10, 2013 at 3:31pm

If the repair button was hit, the red light would be on and stay on.  Is that what happened?

prof.gfr said:

Check-in/out: my keyfob worked great the first and last ride, but the second ride it took me several attempts in different corals to get a green light. Perhaps the other two locked bikes were unavailable bc the repair button had been hit and they were out of commission?

Permalink Reply by Christine (5.0) on July 10, 2013 at 4:21pm

I've now had two opportunities to ride.

-------------------- Ride #1 --------------------

I was in my car over near the Randolph Street Market.  A few friends from college were doing dinner at Rock Bottom.  Was I going to drive home to Logan Square, then bike back downtown?  Hell no.  Was I going to pay for parking?  Never!  So, I managed to find some free parking near a Divvy station.  I couldn't figure out how to use the blasted fob after I activated it; I was waving the RFID over all sorts of promising looking surfaces.  A few minutes into my futile quest, a fellow rides up to return his bike.  I ask if he knows how to use the fob.  He instructs me to insert it.  Ah-ha.  I ride over to the Kinzie and State station, walk the rest of the way, and enjoyed an extremely lovely evening.  Rode back, then drove home (I didn't drink).

Main thoughts: Handles bumpy streets like a champ.  Slow as hell.

-------------------- Ride #2 --------------------

I was on my way to work two days ago, when the bolt holding my seat in place broke.  Eep.  I was only a mile and a half or so away, but that's quite far for walking.  So I headed to the Divvy station at McClurg and Illinois, rode to Kinzie and State, then walked to work.  It probably would have been faster to take the 65 (or is it 66? 64? Whatever) bus, but that wouldn't be "free."

Headed to the nearest bike shop after work (Kozy's), which fortuitously was a two minute or so walk from a Divvy station.  Road back to my real bike, fixed it up, and headed home.

Main thoughts: Why are there no stations closer to Kinzie and Dearborn, two of the nealy iconic more-bike-friendly streets?  Or even more optimal for me, Kinzie and LaSalle?

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on July 11, 2013 at 9:08am

I rode from the Loop to River West yesterday.  Everything worked fine, but when I first selected the bike and went to adjust the seat, I noticed the seat binder bolt was not secured properly.  Someone had opened the release and sorta used it as a wrench to tighten the bolt as much as possible, but didn't close the release again.

It sounds like a little focus on the "quick" in ABC Quick Check might be in order with these.


Christine (5.0) said:

I was on my way to work two days ago, when the bolt holding my seat in place broke.  Eep.   

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