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A comment on ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Francisco Soon. Parent comment

Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by mahyarm on Wednesday August 15, 2012 @02:07PM (#4387271)
I know of so many bike theft stories from my friends in SF, that this program is attractive because of those stories. It won't be your typical $100 bike-shaped-object and for $80/yr you can avoid all the bike theft, ownership and maintenance costs and stress.
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Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by jellicle on Wednesday August 15, 2012 @02:50PM (#4387515)
If you check out a bike, and it disappears, you're responsible for it.

So instead of a $100 headache, you now have a $1500 headache.

You do avoid maintenance costs, of course. Which are $0/year for many bicyclists.

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Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by mahyarm on Wednesday August 15, 2012 @03:27PM (#4387719)
These things are self locking, so you release it as soon as you leave it unattended and are not liable anymore. If you had to look for a docking station, it would be not practical.

How does zipcar handle car theft?

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Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by Evbn on Thursday August 16, 2012 @01:41AM (#4390049)
Zipcar buys insurance and GPS/cellular tracking devices.
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Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by rprasad on Wednesday August 15, 2012 @03:27PM (#4387720)
Nobody who bikes regularly or serious owns a $100 bike. Good bikes start at around $1500, which is why bikes are such frequent targets for theft.
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Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by graue on Wednesday August 15, 2012 @06:22PM (#4388587)
Sounds like a No True Scotsman fallacy to me. I've commuted daily for years, plus occasional longer trips, on a used bike that cost $150 (plus another $100 to add lock, rear rack, fenders and lights). Maintenance may be a little bit more with a used bike, but it rides great.
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Re:ViaCycle (YC S12) Is A Zipcar For Bikes, Coming To San Fr... by neutronicus on Wednesday August 15, 2012 @03:57PM (#4387876)
My $400 bike does me well enough.
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