WaPo – We had triathletes race all 6 of D.C.’s bike-share bikes

[Tania]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2017/11/16/we-had-triathletes-race-all-6-of-d-c-s-bikeshare-bikes-the-results-surprised-even-us/

Quote:

You may have noticed brightly colored bicycles all over D.C. lately. These cruisers are part of a dockless bike-share pilot program that began Sept. 20 and will continue through April. The District Department of Transportation is trying to determine if, and how, dockless bike-share companies should operate in the city. Meanwhile, the five participating companies — Jump, LimeBike, Mobike, Ofo and Spin — are vying for a share of the potentially lucrative D.C. market while working the kinks out of their systems, which require people to locate and unlock bikes using mobile apps.

The results of that experiment won’t be known for quite some time, so we decided to stage another sort of trial: a crosstown bike-share race. To avoid giving any of the companies an unfair advantage, we recruited six triathletes with comparable race times and randomly assigned them to the five bike-share systems plus the long-running (and docked) Capital Bikeshare program.

Our Great Bike-Share Race turned out to be much more dramatic than expected. Blood was lost, tears were shed. Then, there was an eleventh-hour upset that no one could have predicted. Let’s just say we’re glad we had everyone sign liability waivers.

And then the most interesting part:

Quote:

All told, it took between 17 and 34 minutes for our athletes to get from Georgetown to Adams Morgan — a fact that surprised race volunteer Keith Parsons, 35, who was stationed at the finish line. An occasional bike commuter, Parsons told the racers they should have taken city streets instead of the park trail. The triathletes disagreed, so Parsons set out to prove his point. He followed the same rules as the racers, pedaling a Capital Bikeshare bike from Georgetown to 18th and Columbia. He completed the race in 15 minutes and 15 seconds — a full two minutes faster than the fastest of our elite athletes. “I know my way around the city,” said Parsons, who selected a route that was about a mile shorter and less hilly than the one taken by most of the triathletes.

“It just goes to show that pathing is the most important part of city navigation.”

Topic

[Harry Meatmotor]

Actually, I thought this was the most interesting:

Washington Post wrote:

6th: Jump
$2 per 30-minute trip, 100 available
“I liked the assistance the bike provided. I topped out at 26 miles per hour! Also, it had good brakes,” Jolene Milot says of the electric bike.
Bike weight: 70 pounds
Racer’s Top speed: 26 mph
Time: 33:47

“I immediately could start to feel the powered assistance and it was amazing how much you could fly on it — and a little terrifying,” she said afterward. Luckily, Milot was going only about 10 mph when a car pulled out in front of her. She skidded out on wet leaves to avoid a collision.

Other than a scuff mark on its metal basket, the Jump bike appeared unscathed. Milot, on the other hand, hit the ground hard. When she stood up, she saw that her left elbow and knee were streaming blood. Still, “nothing seemed to be broken,” so she got back on and continued the race.

Awesome! 26mph!

[huskerdont]

@Harry Meatmotor 168201 wrote:

Awesome! 26mph!

Another word problem: If a 70-lb (!) ebike hits you at 26 mph, how many ouchies result?

[Harry Meatmotor]

@huskerdont 168205 wrote:

Another word problem: If a 70-lb (!) ebike hits you at 26 mph, how many ouchies result?

You almost got me. That’s a trick question!

Jolene Milot wrote:

“…it had good brakes”

[ian74]

@Harry Meatmotor 168201 wrote:

Actually, I thought this was the most interesting:

Awesome! 26mph!

We should start a thread about e-bikes!

[Harry Meatmotor]

@ian74 168214 wrote:

We should start a thread about e-bikes!

I was going to go with, “lets start a thread about triathletes with poor bike handling skills,” but that would’ve been too snarky.

[bentbike33]

@Harry Meatmotor 168220 wrote:

I was going to go with, “lets start a thread about triathletes with poor bike handling skills,” but that would’ve been too snarky.

The problem is, as triathletes, they were trying to use the handlebar baskets as aero bars.

[Judd]

@Harry Meatmotor 168220 wrote:

I was going to go with, “lets start a thread about triathletes with poor bike handling skills,” but that would’ve been too snarky.

From the article:

“Getting up that hill was impossible.” After joggers passed her by, she got off her bike and pushed it up the hill.

Slight inclines: Defeating triathletes since 1974.

[closebr]

@Harry Meatmotor 168220 wrote:

I was going to go with, “lets start a thread about triathletes with poor bike handling skills,” but that would’ve been too snarky.

Let’s admit it, how many of us would have been able to pass all the cupcakes, pastries, and macaroons on M-Street without stopping? These are highly trained, focused triathletes we’re talking about, not undisciplined, hungry commuters that can’t go three blocks without a coffee, beer or pastry.

[Brett L.]

@closebr 168271 wrote:

Let’s admit it, how many of us would have been able to pass all the cupcakes, pastries, and macaroons on M-Street without stopping? These are highly trained, focused triathletes we’re talking about, not undisciplined, hungry commuters that can’t go three blocks without a coffee, beer or pastry.

Beer? There’s beer? Where’s the beer?

[skins_brew]

I would have liked to have seen how tall the rider of the ofo is. Ofo seems to be one of the more available bikes, but the seats are short as hell. I am 5′ 8″, with short legs, and I find the bikes to be uncomfortable due to the short seats.

[SpaceJockey]

@Tania 168193 wrote:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2017/11/16/we-had-triathletes-race-all-6-of-d-c-s-bikeshare-bikes-the-results-surprised-even-us/

And then the most interesting part:

I’m very disappointed with WaPo on this one, the author clearly neglected how well the bikes performed during the run and the swim.

[Judd]

@SpaceJockey 168407 wrote:

I’m very disappointed with WaPo on this one, the author clearly neglected how well the bikes performed during the run and the swim.

Picture of the Lime Bike from the swim portion.

[Author]

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