21–30 of 152 posts
This is the first I've heard of people tampering with the brake systems - it's incredibly malicious. I understand some people might be frustrated by the scooters, but is manslaughter really the right way to go about it?
Yeah, having ridden Birds around Paris at 25 km/h without ever considering this (I think they had lever brakes with cables too), this is terrifying. People are crazy.
This is the first I've heard of people tampering with the brake systems - it's incredibly malicious. I understand some people might be frustrated by the scooters, but is manslaughter really the right way to go about it?
Someone detached my brake cables on my bike locked right next to a hill that lead to the busiest road in the area. I noticed before I even got on the bike, but come on people.
> We’ve restricted our entrants to scooter-type vehicles (as opposed to e-assist bicycles) And then the conclusion is that the most bicycle-like one is best because it's more bicycle-like. Seems like a category arbitrage rather than a fair analysis of mobility options.
There were multiple fair metrics given for it being the best. Maybe it means scooters aren't the ideal form-factor for this service.
The unfair part is that they included one bike-like service, but didn't compare it to other bike-like services.
> We’ve restricted our entrants to scooter-type vehicles (as opposed to e-assist bicycles) And then the conclusion is that the most bicycle-like one is best because it's more bicycle-like. Seems like a category arbitrage rather than a fair analysis of mobility options.
I regularly ride my e-bike in SF but have also dabbled with the rental scooters. I have a hard time understanding the scooters' popularity, compared to a rentable e-bike like the Jump or Lime bikes. In my experience e-bikes have the advantage in top speed, stability, comfort and safety. Other than taking up marginally more space when parked, I can't think of any downsides. This matches the article author's conclusion…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, having ridden Birds around Paris at 25 km/h without ever considering this (I think they had lever brakes with cables too), this is terrifying. People are crazy.
I hope you weren't on the sidewalk at this speed
Does anyone know who the manufacturer of the “Wheels” scooter/bike is? That design appeals to me much more than the standing scooters.
[1] http://i-walk.co.uk/product/urban-2-foldable-electric-scoote...
During the single day of this test, I found three Wheels with intentionally cut brake lines WTF is wrong with people? I understand these things are annoying and litter sidewalks, but intentionally cutting brakes to harm someone? Jeez, this is just shitty behavior
When I was in Venice on business, I used all of these scooters (except the 'Wheels', which to me looked silly; I could pick up an electric bike, which were also everywhere, if I wanted to sit down). All of the scooters I used (the same ones in the article) worked fantastically well, I never hit a geofence or had a problem finding one when I needed one, and they are all amazingly cheap.
I never got in or witnessed a crash; the scooters don't go fast enough that falling off is a big deal anyway, based on my experience having to hop off one when I got myself into a pickle.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I regularly ride my e-bike in SF but have also dabbled with the rental scooters. I have a hard time understanding the scooters' popularity, compared to a rentable e-bike like the Jump or Lime bikes. In my experience e-bikes have the advantage in top speed, stability, comfort and safety. Other than taking up marginally more space when parked, I can't think of any downsides. This matches the article author's conclusion…
Space? Scooters are smaller, which means they can be more plentiful, which as a transit solution means more reliable.
edit: Sorry, I think I misread your comment. But he does mentions space as a minor downside of e-bikes.