One of my photos used in a DCist piece on Capital Bikeshare… it’s a confluence of some of my favorite things!
(via Capital Bikeshare Had Its Biggest Day Ever Yesterday: DCist)
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You know you’re a Capital Bikeshare pusher when three or more friends send you this Slate article, just in case you hadn’t seen it!
(I had. Of course).
If you had been handed, a decade ago, a map of the U.S. and asked to predict where the novel idea of bike sharing—then limited to a few small-scale projects in a handful of European cities, might first find its firmest footing, you probably would have laid your money on a progressive hub like Portland or Seattle or the regional poles of walkable urbanism, New York or San Francisco—all of which were scoring higher, those days, in surveys like Bicycling magazine’s list of most bikeable cities. But today, the nation’s largest, most successful bike-share program—in terms of size, ridership, and financial viability—is in Washington, D.C. How did D.C. accomplish this unlikely task?
While I didn’t ride Capital @bikeshare this week to celebrate its 2-year anniversary, it was fun trying out San Antonio @bcycle
It makes me sad to grab the last bike from a bikeshare station, but not as sad as when someone else grabs it first!
On my morning commute, I ran into the newest Capital Bikeshare station being installed on the Mall next to Smithsonian Metro station.
chriszee asked: Hi Jacques! I always enjoy your posts about your morning commute and you've gotten my thinking about switching up how I get to work. Recently, I tried out Capital Bikeshare for three days and I'm absolutely enamored of cycling. As someone who started out with a CaBi bike membership, what are your thoughts are on buying a monthly vs. annual membership vs. getting my own bike from the get-go. Thanks for any thoughts and all the beautiful pictures of my favorite city!
I’m glad you enjoy the commute posts. (They help me stay alert and look for things to observe)!
And thanks for asking me about one of my favorite topics — Capital Bikeshare (the “gateway drug” of biking).
My biking journey (18 months in):
Personally, I jumped in with an annual CaBi membership, and slowly accumulated some gear (helmet, gloves, and comfortable clothes to ride in — though I didn’t, and don’t feel the need for any type of “biker-chic” or Lycra-brigade attire, with the exception of a bright yellow jacket for visibility in the early morning or evening hours).
I started riding in the fall 2010 with CaBi—after not having ridden a bike in DC for over 5 years, and my riding tailed off (but didn’t stop) during the winter. After I’d been riding for a few months, I had a good sense of the kind of riding that I did and what kind of bike I was interested in. In my case, I decided that I wanted to commute to work on a bike most days. I ended up getting a used Trek Hybrid for $240 in Bike&Roll’s semi-annual inventory sale, and it has served me well. To be honest, I could have spent $500 or more on a new bike, and it would still be a worthwhile investment in terms of savings on bus/metro fare. But it was best to get used to biking in the city before deciding what type of bike to buy.
Membership types: definitely go annual
In terms of whether to go with a monthly versus annual membership, I would definitely suggest the annual (at $75, its the same cost as three monthly memberships). Even though I have my own bike now, I still find myself taking a bikeshare across the city for a mid-day dentist appointment, a one-way trip to a happy hour, or, like today, a ride home when I didn’t take my bike in. And if you use CaBi twice a week, it comes out to less than a dollar per ride.
Many people who use CaBi as their main method of commuting eventually get frustrated that it’s not particularly well set-up to guarantee a personal bike for commuting each day (and it’s also a really heavy bike to ride). Some people just get jaded, but others find that it works best as a complement to a personal bike.
When it does come to buying your own bike, there are a lot of great bike shops in town. I have had repair work done or bought accessories from both Revolution Cycles and BicycleSpace, and they both have awesome customer service and don’t look down on people who aren’t super experienced cyclists. BicycleSpace in particular, runs several social rides per week, and they’ll let you try out one of their bikes on the rides, as you’re trying to figure out what to buy.
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Thursday Morning Commute Tidbits:
Bikeshare ride #255, as I left my bike in the office garage last night before heading to happy hour and dinner. It’s so awesome to have the option, and I’m guessing yesterday may have broken the single-day rides record…
I saw 39 other bicyclists on my ride in this morning, a definite uptick, even compared to earlier this week. 31 were wearing helmets, including the majority of those on CaBi’s. seems like the reality is different from what’s portrayed in the news, or that the reality is changing.
I took the 15th Street cycle track for part of my ride, and while it’s nice to have protected lanes, that track really, really needs to be repaved.
I’m ready for the pollen to be done, but I fear that is weeks, if not months away.
Have I mentioned how excited I am that the best 36 hours in sports starts at noon today? Time to finish my brackets!
Tidbits from the morning bike commute: Union Jacks and bike lanes
- This week has definitely seen an uptick in the number of bicyclists I’ve seen on my morning (and yesterday’s evening) commutes. Well over 30 this morning, and almost 100 last night. As I passed the Wisconsin Avenue Exxon featuring $4.39/gal regular unleaded, I only expect those numbers to climb.
- The British, American, and DC flags lined the posts on Pennsylvania Avenue today, as Prime Minister Cameron arrives, and before he and POTUS head to Dayton for some March Madness action.
- Tried out the new bike lanes on NY Avenue, east of the White House from 15th to 13th (at least, that’s how far I rode, though I think they run longer). They’re a smooth-riding great addition, but I would put a continuation of the lanes onto H Street NW into my personal bike infrastructure wish list.
- This weekend marked my 250th Capital Bikeshare ride. It’s hard to quantify how much my quality of life has improved by becoming a regular cyclist, first on bikeshare and now primarily with my own bike. But one easy number is that I weigh almost 20 pounds less now than I did when I began riding in October 2010. That counts for a lot in my book.
Took full advantage of having a flex Friday here in DC, riding Capital Bikeshare bikes down to Shaw, to grab (incredibly delicious) sandwiches at Sundevich and enjoy them in the circle. The weather was a bit chilly, but the sun was spectacular.
(Kind of a yupster day).
Happy 1st Birthday, Capital Bikeshare
Though I’ve moved on to my own bicycle for most commutes these days, I’m thankful to Bikeshare for giving me the opportunity to get used to riding in DC traffic, and inspiring me to buy my own bike. (Also, for helping Liz get used to riding around the city).
In honor of the birthday, I rode a CaBi bike into the office this morning, to do my part in the helping the system reach its 1 millionth ride. Seeing the number of people that I passed doing the same thing, I was amazed at how much it has further enlivened the bike lanes in the District.
Want to celebrate? Capital Bikeshare will be throwing a Birthday Bash at Yards Park, this Thursday (9/22), from 6-9, with giveaways, live music, moonbounces, and more.
My new pair of free(!) boots just ordered from KEEN, after getting a free shoe voucher at Keen’s “Recess” at Union Station on Wednesday, a pair of Targhee Mid II hiking boots.
The deal was for the first 50 Capital Bikeshare members who dropped by, and it included a free pair of shoes (and free shipping) for anything on their website in your size. Pretty sweet…thanks KEEN and Bikeshare!
(For more free stuff from Capital Bikeshare, check out their First Anniversary Birthday Bash next Thursday at Yards Park, featuring free t-shirts, Sprinkles cupcakes, live music, moon bounces and more).
(Photo: onlineshoes.com)
Some Capital @Bikeshare riders R doin’ it wrong, and racking up some usage fees.
(Especially since this is about one block away from a station that wasn’t close to full).
Hey DC-area readers: tired of hearing me prattle on about the wonders of Capital Bikeshare (the best way to get around DC, especially on a nice day)? Here’s your chance to get in on the fun.
Through Living Social, CaBi is offering a deal of $37 for an annual membership (1/2 off the regular $75 price) or $12 for a one-month membership (1/2 off the $25 price). And once your a member, all rides under 30 minutes are free!
The system has over 100 stations in DC, Pentagon City, and Crystal City, and will be expanding this year to include 16 stations along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor (first ones going in this month) and at least 20 new stations in the District.
The deal is only good for three days, though, so get it by Sunday! But don’t just take my word for it… ask Kevin Spacey.
Today was a gorgeous day for a Capital Bikeshare ride on the homebound commute. It doesn’t hurt that it takes almost exactly the same amount of time as my bus/metro regular commute.
