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Re:The birth and death of a bike company: What happened to S... by dagw on Thursday June 20, 2019 @05:42AM (#20231255)
The 'problem' you're looking to solve is not the hassle of bike "ownership" but bike access. If I take the car or bus to work I can't then take my bike to meet a client. If I take my bike into town I can't then take the bus home if the weather turns bad or I have a lot shopping to carry. If I take my bike into a 'bad' part of town to go to a bar I have to worry about the very real chance that it won't be where I left when I want to go home at night. Bike sharing solves all these problems.
Re:The birth and death of a bike company: What happened to S... by rdiddly on Thursday June 20, 2019 @03:42PM (#20236583)
If you take the bus home because of bad weather one day, and leave your bike at work, it's there for you to go meet a client the next day! :P

No but seriously. Sounds like your transit agency doesn't have bike racks on the buses. That's what enables the integration with transit. Around my area you can take a bike on the bus or light rail.

All the other problems have pre-existing solutions though too:

Groceries to carry → Get panniers, and don't buy more than they can hold (you can always get more tomorrow, and it'll be fresher).

Rain → Wear rain gear.

Bad part of town → Own a modest bike and a good lock.

The extreme mode flexibility you mention sounds nice, but I've never found I've needed it. With a little advance planning and the extra bits above, you can just commit to one mode.

Re:The birth and death of a bike company: What happened to S... by usrusr on Thursday June 20, 2019 @07:26AM (#20231705)
> I have to worry about the very real chance that it won't be where I left [it]

On the other hand, a personal bike that is only half as shitty as the typical bikeshare will be extremely loyal and never leave you for another rider.

But I get it, it's the public transport freedom which people who never experienced it rarely understand: if you always return to your personal vehicle having to do so feels perfectly fine. But when you got accustomed to ad-hoc modeswitching itineraries, being confined to returning to your personal vehicle feels strangely limiting, despite all the "wherever, whenever" of your own car/bike/boat.