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Would you consider this an expensive bike share? (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by njordomir@lemmy.world to c/fuck_cars@lemmy.ml
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https://pacersbikeshare.org/ (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Muscle Bike $2 + $0.20/min Electric Bike $5 + $0.25/min

That's $14 for an hour long ride and $26 or even $40 for a long ride and a short ride.

https://www.carmel.in.gov/our-city/experience/attractions/bike-carmel/bike-share-program

Similarly located, more walkable urbanism focused but less urban Carmel, Indiana has a more reasonable rate:

Muscle Bike $1.50 per half hour to rent with a cap of $24 for up to a 24-hour period.

Can anyone explain to me why this difference is so large? Over the years I've come across some expensive bike shares and some very affordable ones. The only other thing worth noting is that residents of Marion County, which Indianapolis is in, can ride a certain amount free and at a discount after that. I thought bike shares were perfect for visitors or travelers who may not have a car at their destination.

Would you consider the Pacers Bike Share in Indianapolis Expensive?

For this price, if I was in Indy for a week, I'd buy a Craigslist bike and donate it to some random kid when I left. $40 of gas would take me across the state.

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[-] WFloyd@lemmy.world 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

As an apples to oranges comparison, here's a fun datapoint.

I just rented a BMW 5 series for a week, for a grand total of ~$300. That's a good deal, sure, but some very rough napkin math tells me a $60,000 car / $300 / week = 200 weeks of rental should pay for the cost of the vehicle (ignoring maintenance for now). So, let's say it's a $5k bike (implausible), that should really only be $25/week, or generously $4/day. The fact even the cheaper option mentioned is 6x this is terrible - bikes really shouldn't be this expensive.

~~I wish bikes were more cost effective :(~~.

Edit: I wish bike rental services were more cost effective/sustainable :(

[-] anothercatgirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 4 days ago

I think the difference is luxury goods. If we compare beaters to beaters, my $5000 car (still works) I'd rent to people for at least $5/hr because it'd need maintenance based on runtime and miles. A $50 beater bike... hmm not sure what the rental price would bee, maybe $0.50/hr so it pays itself off after 100 days?

[-] Nemo@slrpnk.net 9 points 5 days ago

Any bike rental that's not a flat fee is a ripoff.

[-] ProgrammingSocks@pawb.social 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Haha no. I would buy a big box bike and just run it into the ground before paying for pedal bike share. Ebikes are expensive, less so now, but you can get something that functions as a bike for like $120 new. You should know how to do basic mantainance though and assemble it yourself. Second hand bikes are a good option too although you'll likely have to do more work on it.

[-] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

In this case, I'd be visiting for a week or two a few times a year. But Craigslist/FB Marketplace/pawnshop bikes are looking like a good value. Definitely not opposed to big box bikes though as I have destroyed many over the years.

[-] dermanus@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago

In Montreal pedal bikes are $0.18/min and electric are $0.45/min. You can make that much cheaper by buying a plan. I got the summer plan and it works out to $12/month, free for pedal bikes on trips <45 minutes (which all of mine are)

[-] brandon@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 days ago

I do think the Pacers bike share is pretty expensive. As I resident I do use the free rides occasionally.

I don't know how the fees for these things tend to be determined, but I'd be remiss to not point out that basically all the nice things Carmel is able to afford is subsidized by suburban wealth extraction from Indianapolis.

[-] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'm not super familiar with the area, though I've been in Indy and the surrounding cities towns a handful of times always with very little time to actually explore by bike. I've also seen Carmel mentioned in regards to their roundabouts. I'm doing some research on how I can make that happen best without bringing a bike on a plane. I don't want to take Carmel bikes out of their area, so I may use them to explore the Monan further north and figure something else out for going towards Indy.

[-] oo1@lemmings.world 4 points 5 days ago

'Muscle Bike' sounds like some strange gym thing. Or maybe David Cronenburg.

I wouldn't get on one of those even if i were to be paid.

[-] Jojowski@sopuli.xyz 4 points 5 days ago

I'm going to start referring to normal bikes as muscle bikes from now on!

[-] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Its just one of many terms used to differentiate a non-ebike. I like muscle bike because while acoustic/electric bike is funny and clever, acoustic implies something to do with sound.

[-] oo1@lemmings.world 1 points 4 days ago

Meh, bike came first, as far as I'm concerned. It's up to noobs like motorbike , moped, e-bike, light-cycle to differentiate themselves.

Unless it's in a context - like said by an obnoxiously loud bloke in a leather jacket and moustache - bike means bike to me, no disambiguation required. In fact those people should be legally required to use the word "hawg".

Muscle is just an ugly word, when people say 'muscle car', I don't think of Fred Flintstone, I think of something pointlessly loud, fat , ugly, and annoying. In this case i assumed it was some overpowered e-bike with super fat tyres that does like 50mph or something - then I saw it was cheaper and was able to figure out that it just meant 'bike'.

My bike might well be ugly and annoying but, at the very least, it isn't pointlessly loud.

[-] hash@slrpnk.net 2 points 4 days ago

My local bike share is a screaming deal. No upcharge for electric bikes. 3 dollars for a single trip, 20 dollars for a month pass, or 75 for a year. Yet I still see people on those overpriced rental scooters as if they aren't just a tourist attraction at this point.

[-] njordomir@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

That sounds very reasonable. I like to see monthly and weekly ticket options that even a visitor could sign up for. Every city could expand their transit reach by an extra few miles with a good bike share. That could translate to a huge area increase for transit coverage. I'd hate to see the option to bring your own bike be removed from busses and trains though. Bike share bikes can be like Russian Roulette.

this post was submitted on 25 May 2025
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