So, finally we come to it. It can’t have escaped your notice that the London bike hire scheme launched last week. So far it seems to be hailed as a roaring success as people rush to get keys and be “pioneers” in the scheme, fighting with over-tightened back brakes and dodgy software on some docking stations, meaning people are overcharged for their half hour hiring.
Generally the first reports are overwhelmingly positive, however and this is definitely a good thing. FMFT will check it out for our exclusive view at some point in the future. Until then we will be keeping an eye out for any videos of people pulling tricks on the new bikes. We will offer a traditional FMFT prize of our undying respect to the first tailwhip we see on a Borisbike.
In the meantime the hype about the scheme has allowed some publicity on Bikeradar for another, cheaper and more grassroots hire system in London. http://byke.mobi/ lets you hire unused bikes that people have languishing in their homes for a much lower price, and, provided you find one to suit your needs, could be an ideal solution for longer hire periods, where the Borisbike scheme starts to get pricey.
Back to the Official London Bike Hire bikes and it seems not everyone is happy with them, in fact one man has already been arrested for kicking them on the opening night. He claims he was angry for an unrelated reason, but at least the bullet-proof bikes are built to deal with a fair amount of abuse.
We can only hope that the predicted thefts of the bikes won’t happen, and that Londoners will get behind the scheme as they seem to have done at the start, but theft is still a major problem in the capital. The Evening Standard is reporting that some of the thefts are fitting into a pattern of being stolen to order and shipped abroad to be sold on. This makes it a bit of a wider problem, and scarier, prospect if your bike does get taken. The chance of getting it back form Brick Lane market seems to be slimmer if the bike is in Eastern Europe within a week.
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