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Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

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Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#21

Post by rocky1138 »

spadros wrote: post #12
staplers wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd imagine they will need to classify them as "motor vehicles" which will require users to provide proof of a driver's license with motorcycle endorsement to use them. Not really ideal for most casual users. EDIT: http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/docs/equipmt/elect_bicycle.pd... It appears by staying under 20 MPH they can avoid this.

E-bikes in Canada don't require a license and are not classified as "motor vehicles". Only real requirement for the rider is to be 16+. More info over here: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/driver/electric-bicycles.sh...

The rider must also wear a helmet.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#22

Post by AndrewWarner »

staplers wrote: post #6
moonka wrote: post #3

Interesting. In Seattle we now have 3 dockless bike shares (Spin, Lime and Ofo). I think Lime is about to roll out electric bikes, but so far none are. It makes riding up hills pretty rough, especially since they aren't geared very well.

I'd imagine they will need to classify them as "motor vehicles" which will require users to provide proof of a driver's license with motorcycle endorsement to use them. Not really ideal for most casual users. EDIT: http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/docs/equipmt/elect_bicycle.pd... It appears by staying under 20 MPH they can avoid this.

I rode a Jump a few hours ago. The electric part of the ride is minimal.

It's there to help with hills and similarly harder parts of a ride, but they won't enable you to ride faster than an experienced rider on a light road bike.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#23

Post by et-al »

petagonoral wrote: post #2

hitting that page from europe just shows "Sorry, we couldn’t find that page We’ve moved a lot of stuff over the years, and it must’ve gotten lost in the mix. Please try retyping the address or just head back to our home page."

It's a partnership with Jump bikes (ebikes). If you're still curious, here's a mirror:

http://archive.is/c2Cws

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#24

Post by stonebro »

AndrewWarner wrote: post #16

I rode a Jump bike to work today. It's a magical experience. Just as I struggle a bit to get up a hill, the bike's pedal assist kicks in and helps me out. Ditto for when I'm stopped at a red light and need to get riding fast. The best part of these bikes are the fact that when I get to my destination, I can lock them up to the closest pole or bike rack and just go.

This comment reads like an advertisement from a bot

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#25

Post by closeparen »

AndrewWarner wrote: post #16

I rode a Jump bike to work today. It's a magical experience. Just as I struggle a bit to get up a hill, the bike's pedal assist kicks in and helps me out. Ditto for when I'm stopped at a red light and need to get riding fast. The best part of these bikes are the fact that when I get to my destination, I can lock them up to the closest pole or bike rack and just go.

How did you get an invite? I applied months ago.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#26

Post by spadros »

rocky1138 wrote: post #21
spadros wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E-bikes in Canada don't require a license and are not classified as "motor vehicles". Only real requirement for the rider is to be 16+. More info over here: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/driver/electric-bicycles.sh...

The rider must also wear a helmet.

Well, yeah. You should always wear a helmet, though!

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#27

Post by fizx »

stonebro wrote: post #24
AndrewWarner wrote: post #16

I rode a Jump bike to work today. It's a magical experience. Just as I struggle a bit to get up a hill, the bike's pedal assist kicks in and helps me out. Ditto for when I'm stopped at a red light and need to get riding fast. The best part of these bikes are the fact that when I get to my destination, I can lock them up to the closest pole or bike rack and just go.

This comment reads like an advertisement from a bot

8k karma and a known account. He might do too much marketing tho ;)

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#28

Post by closeparen »

lpghatguy wrote: post #14
staplers wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd imagine they will need to classify them as "motor vehicles" which will require users to provide proof of a driver's license with motorcycle endorsement to use them. Not really ideal for most casual users. EDIT: http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/docs/equipmt/elect_bicycle.pd... It appears by staying under 20 MPH they can avoid this.

In California at least, a pedal-assisted electric bike that can reach 28 MPH (a type 3 bike) doesn't require a license.

But type 3s can’t use cycling infrastructure.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#29

Post by bkohlmann »

devit wrote: post #17
bkohlmann wrote: post #10

I love the idea of integrating the lock so that it needs to be attached to an existing bike rack. Lime bike and Ofo have infiltrated Dallas, and their bikes are somewhat of an eyesore, especially as they are strewn everywhere. It'll be interesting to see how they enforce the location requirement. i.e. will you be charged if it's stolen because you didnt lock it on a rack? Will they have a known database of every "sui…

Ofo and Mobike bikes use locks that block the wheel's rotation and can thus be parked anywhere. Seems like forcing to use an existing bike rack would be a non-starter, since the whole point of dockless bike sharing is that you can just leave the bike in front of your destination regardless of what is there. The "eyesore" factor is a trivial downside compared to the massive convenience of just being able to park the b…

You may be right. And SF will be a natural experiment to see which model wins out.

This seems a perfect example of concentrated benefits (riders being able to park wherever) vs. diffuse costs (eyesore to most of the population).

An extremely ironic possible outcome is that given the example of uber, cities may legislate away dockless bikes as non-riders lobby their representatives to minimize eyesores.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#30

Post by andrei_says_ »

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #20

I would use this. I'm just concerned how they will deal with all the homeless people and thieves stealing the body parts. On that note, if this can succeed in SF it can succeed anywhere else. I once left my bike in Tenderloin overnight (Of course I had the common sense to use the U-lock) and the next morning I went back and found only the remains.

Insurance? Varying cost of rides depending on part of town? Custom-made components unusable on other bikes?

When deploying things at scale a lot of possibilities open up.

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