What’s the best bike for CaBi lovers?

Capital Bikeshare has been a huge hit, with red bikes everywhere and massive membership numbers. One of its many benefits has been to introduce people to city cycling who might not have otherwise become regular riders.

The only real drawback has been stations which are full or empty at busy times. Those who’ve been using CaBi but getting “dockblocked” may want to consider buying a bike that’s similar to CaBi cycles.

I’m considering this very decision right now. While I owned a bike, I rode very infrequently until CaBi came along. Now, I’m investigating what bike to buy that’s a lot like a CaBi, if perhaps a bit lighter.

There are many reasons someone might not ride in DC besides a lack of interest:

A not-so-comfortable bike. I have an old mountain bike I bought in 1998. Its posture is much more hunched over than CaBi. Other than taking a ride in a beach town once on a “cruiser” with extremely wide handlebars, I hadn’t experienced the more upright style of CaBi beforehand.

It’s much more comfortable and much more enjoyable. People can write endless articles about European bicycle styles, but there’s no substitute for taking some rides on such a bike, like CaBi. Suddenly the light dawns: biking doesn’t have to be so uncomfortable!

The hassle of equipment. If you’re going to ride most safely, you should have lights and a bell. But many people’s bikes don’t have them. Maybe you need a rack to carry a bag. You’ll need a lock, and a mounting bracket unless you can carry the lock in a bag. Maybe the bike is out of tune, needs more air in the tires, or a little realignment.

None of this is so difficult, but it takes some money and some time to maintain a bike. If someone hasn’t ridden much in a city before but has a bike, it might not have all of this stuff. That’s an obstacle to really getting going, and feeling comfortable riding around.

CaBi requires none of this. The light and rack is built in. The docking system serves as a lock. Alta keeps the bikes inflated, oiled and aligned. There’s never a need to go to a bike shop except to buy a helmet, which is one of the most maintenance-free pieces of equipment and someone who already has a bike from non-city use probably has a helmet, too.

The need to plan ahead. To bike commute, you not only need to think about the trip there, but also the trip back. Will it be dark? Maybe you’re not really comfortable in the dark. There might be a chance of rain later. Or one way is uphill and you’re not yet confident you’re fit enough. Metro enables biking one way and riding back, but Metrorail prohibits taking a bike at rush hours, and even at other times it can be awkward.

By allowing one-way trips, CaBi takes the stress away. If you feel like riding CaBi and a bike is available, take it. If it’s dark, cold, raining or you’re too tired on the way back, take Metro or a bus. After a while, riding in the slightly less optimal conditions becomes less daunting, you accumulate some gloves or a rain jacket, and you build leg muscles.

Lack of familiarity. Riding in the city can be intimidating — mostly at first, but less so over time. If some high-quality bike infrastructure is available, like the 15th Street cycle track, it lets less experienced riders ride a long distance, to somewhere you actually want to go, and get used to urban cycling.

CaBi lets people dip their toes in the water and try biking a few times to get used to the infrastructure. This is one area DC can still do much more: DDOT should push forward with promised cycle tracks on L and M and 7th and/or 9th Streets downtown.

After riding CaBi a lot, I’ve taken my own bike out a few times and found it to be remarkably less comfortable. Therefore, I’m going to buy a new bike. Which ones should I consider? I’ll research these and post a summary.

Meanwhile, maybe DDOT and Arlington could partner with some local bike shops to stock bikes that are ideal for regular CaBi riders who want to get a similar personal bike. Until they’ve sold all that ad space which the DC Council just authorized, put up a few ads showing off the bikes and listing the addresses of participating shops.

This won’t hurt CaBi: there will always be value in having a CaBi membership for one-way trips, and right now CaBi is overwhelmed. If the program is successful, the bike shops could buy some of that ad space long-term.