With hubs located all over Portland, Nike's bright orange bikes are available to rent by the hour or day. For those frequent users, there is even a monthly subscription. Download their app and you can search for the closest bike hub and even reserve one. That's the easy part! Getting the bike out of the locked rack is often challenging until you get the knack. The bikes are heavy but they have E-assist for people like me who need it. There's a basket up front for convenience if you use the bike to run errands. You can pick up and drop the bike off at any hub. For those needing sporadic access around Portland and don't want to take their car or don't own one, it's definitely a good an affordable option. But I'm definitely a car person and prefer my tiny Smart car which is inexpensive to operate and can find parking pretty much anywhere. For me, this is an option for those times I want to ride a bike and go places my car can't take me, and since I don't own one, Biketown makes it easy. read more

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This is specifically about the biketown scooters not the bikes. First off they could maybe try creating a scooter of their own instead of rebranding a ninebot scooter. But specifically replace half your staff. What incredibly incompetent, rude and petty people they are. If you feel like supporting a business with zero ethics and a crappy vehicle. Be my guest. Otherwise seek an alternative scooter provider. read more

Hi Yelp. It's me again back with first-hand experience so you can't take my reviews down anymore. That's right, I paid $2.50 just to see why the hell these hideous orange monstrosities are taking over Portland. It was an exasperating endeavor especially after having a cocktail or two. First getting the fucking bike unlocked takes a village. Once unlocked, the bike is extremely heavy, next the seat was so high I felt like a tiny tot on a big girl bike. Totally fucking worthless. Quite frankly, I resent the self-righteous pedal peddlers trying to get me off the road, out of my car and on to a God damned bike. See, some folks like me, that work odd hours and have to travel long distances to get to work and earn a living actually need our cars and shouldn't be forced out of the city because of it. But I thank you for your judgement. I realize this is a nifty option for a handful of folks that can't see beyond their own needs but you won't find me at the pay station again, and I most certainly won't "booty up" again. Slathering highly populated areas of Portland with limited parking and where most people already have bikes anyway is just a bad idea. 2017 - Review # 22 read more

Biketown - Me barely riding this horrible monstrosity of a bike - Bike Sharing Near Me

When I got to Portland I wondered why someone would rate BIKETOWN on yelp. Then after using the service just three times, my bike would not lock and I had to keep the bike in my apartment for over 24 hours. When you call their support line, you speak to an offshore agent who can barely speak English. Also, I was charged hundreds of dollars the next day because the bike was "missing" even though I reported it. But hey, "at least they gave me a refund" is the reply I got. What if I was a tourist that had to get on a plane? What would I do with the bike then... PRO TIP: use any of the scooters as these bikes are in terrible condition. read more

DO NOT USE LYFT/NIKE BIKESHARE IN PORTLAND. I have used shared bike services all over the world and everyday in Lisboa. Just came from one week in Toronto using their shared bikes everyday . Only one day in Portland and I have been robbed by Lyft / NIKE bike share. Reserved and paid for 2 bikes and when we got there, one had a flat tyre and another was not possible to unblock, Lyft still charged fees of $8! Had to go to another station. There we put the destiny of the Japanese Gardens and it said it would only take 15 mins. Instead it took us 43 mins and ended up paying more than a cab. I felt robbed with so many schemes with Bikeshare. Took the time to present it to Costumer Support, and after them requesting info that was in the app, dismissed the complaint. Never using the app again. read more

Come on Portland. Park your steel and glass bubble, gas guzzlers, at the curb. Time to go-by 2 wheels. Shake out the hips, grab the grips, get ya booty up on the saddle and pedal pedal pedal that booty all around the town! Pick up a bike almost anywhere in the city. Rent that bike. Drop that bike somewhere else. Have fun seeing the city. Don't worry about parking. Luv it PDX! read more

Biketown - By fields park - Bike Sharing Near Me

I love the idea of bike town but anytime I use the bikes they run out of batteries and I'm left cycling in a very heavy bike. There is no way to provide a complaint to bike town or get a refund. I won't be using the system again because I've had multiple bad experiences. read more

I downloaded the app so I could be ready when I needed a bike. My car wasn't available so I decided to run a short errand on a bike instead. Pulled up the app and as I was walking tried to find a bike. I could see a rack of bikes at NE 15th and Fremont but the app was not showing any! So I rebooted my phone and tried again. No luck. So I cancelled by account and removed the app. Customer support is through Lyft and they were NOT helpful. Wouldn't even offer to waive a $1 parking fee if I tried again. Better off buying your own bike. read more

Overpriced and uncomfortable ride! Nearly the same price as taking an Uber (I mapped it). Breaks were so poor they couldn't stop the bike on a hill and the seat was brutal. And it barely assists up hills so that was fun getting home again. $20 bucks for 6 miles!! 2 Stars for the app and because in an emergency it's better than nothing. Otherwise, not a repeat. read more

I gained 5 lbs over 3.5 days eating through Portland...it would've been 10lbs if it wasn't for Biketown! These aren't road bikes, and this isn't the Tour de France. These are heavy duty cruisers, but I think there were 8 or 9 gears, so you can definitely get by on some of these hills. If you have a smartphone, its easy to setup an account and get moving. If not, the little machine on the bike is annoying. $2.50 for 30min rentals, 10 cents each minute after. Not too shabby! I took few bike trips along the river and through downtown, which can be kinda scary! Careful! No helmets, but those are only for wimps anyway. Just kidding. I always wear a helmet when cycling in San Diego. $12/monthly subscription fee sounds pretty amazing. If I was a local Portlandian, I'd give this a try. Maybe... read more

They're fun to ride, but I feel like they need to be way more accessible to be incentivized to use. We want to encourage biking instead of driving, but tell me why it cost me $20 to bike somewhere and back that would take me 10 total minutes by car. Also if you're searching for bikes in the evening or mid afternoon, most of them are low battery or dead anyway. At the cost they are, they should be charging and releasing bikes throughout the day. I probably wont use these again, and wouldn't recommend unless you are really in a crunch. read more

Wow are the reviews bad for Bike Town! Personally we have used them a couple times during my trip to visit my son at college and they were great! Absolutely no complaints from me. We went along the rivers edge and saw some amazing views and biked to some really good food! They easily helped us getting around this packed city without a care in the world. Also the best thing about this bikes is we didn't need to worry about parking! We could easily lock them up nearly any where. read more

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Fantastic riding experience but WAY over price. I could have taken an Uber for less. Only seems to make sense if you can buy the year membership. I love biking and it was great to see some of Portland's city streets. However, ended up paying $10. Really? read more

JUST DO IT. If you are thinking about checking it out & trying this program, follow's Nike's famous slogan and Just Do It. (Just don't call this new bikeshare program, Bikey-Town. Much to the chagrin of all the handwork that the administers and everyone who has planned this program, it has it's own Bicycle-based identity, not just a coat-tail program from Nike.) This program is very well thought-out, and the app is very useful. You can see where the closest bike hub is to you, and how many bikes there are left. (if you are within 10 minutes, you can even virtually-reserve a bike and put a hold on it, just to make sure you have one when you get to the hub!) My husband and I live out in Hillsboro, but took the plunge and committed to a year-long membership for $12/month. WE figured we would pilot this, and if we have it, we would be more likely to use it. Otherwise there are other options like $2.50/30 min trip or $12/day, for those not willing to make the yearly commitment. It worked really well for us on Wednesday evening (7/20/2016) we were able to grab one when we got off the max, and then bike across the river. And, then we found a hub to turn it in, and walk 4 blocks and grab food & drinks, and then walk 2 more blocks west and got another bike to head back to the max stop. This bikeshare program does a good job of making the east side more approachable from the Max. And, just as inexpensive as a lyft or uber ride would be! I love the bikes, they are bright ORANGE, so very, very visible, and that increases safety. They are little bit heavy, so when you are cruising up-hill, you will definitely feel the weight! The gearing is very approachable and intuitive, since you can just twist the hand grip on the handlebar, and rotate it to what gear you want to be in. The downside to that, is I noticed, I tend to have a little wider/broader arm stance, so my hands would inadvertantly shift gears while I was riding, without intending to. But, I figured that out pretty quickly within the ride, and was able to self-correct my behavior. I also noticed that they had a FULL fleet of bikes at the bike hub on the corner of Belmont near Green Dragon, Cascade Brewing, and other alcohol establishments very close; which is very smart, to promote people to not get into motor vehicles. As well, it is pretty well designed to be able to do a fun beer-Bike-Tour and just use the BIkeTown bikes to different spots. I'm so happy this program is up and running, Portland was definitely ready or it. My hubby and I used this program last night, and have plans to use the bikes again tonight, and definitely next week as well. So, we are already getting our "$12" worth for the month of July! (We will re-evaluate and see how eager we are to use this program in the winter, but you never know!) Check out biketownpdx.com for more info about this great bikeshare program that I didn't include. Also, I was lucky enough to ride with my husband, who has well over a decade of Portland-Bike-Commuting experience. So, he knows all the bike corridors and good streets to ride on, in his head. So, my experience is riding in bike lanes and riding along traffic, and felt safe the whole time (despite not wearing a bike helmet). I can't speak to riding these on sidewalks or in pedestrian-heavy-areas. We were actually riding in bike lanes and on the street from SW Portland across the river to SE Portland and back. If that is something, a reader is interested in, and you aren't sure of good safe places to ride definitely check out Portland's Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) website: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/39402 it is a great reference, with a plethora of info! read more

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We set up an account in a few seconds from a Biketown kiosk, which was great. So we paid the $5 account set-up fee. However, when we attempted to "check out" two bikes, it was a disaster. The keypads on 10-12 bikes simply didn't work well enough to complete the process. (We actually got the first bike unlocked without too much difficulty, but we couldn't get any of the other bikes' electronics to work.) There were 6-7 other customers experiencing the same problems. Perhaps the keypads on the electronics simply aren't robust enough to stand up to rain/sun 24 hours per day. Some of the bikes had screens that could not be read at all due to scratches; we couldn't even attempt to use the keypads on these. It looks like other Yelp reviewers have encounters identical problems. Right now we're out the $5, but didn't get to ride. Getting this refunded does not appear to be a straightforward process, either. Do yourself a favor - rent a much higher quality bike from an actual bike shop in the Portland area. Skip the glitchy Biketown process. read more

These things are badass! They are the perfect way to see Portland in a few short days. They're cheap, easy to pickup, and fun to ride. Compared to other cities, these are probably the best and most usable bikes out there. Make sure you read the instructions so you don't think someone stole your bike the first time you lock it to a post and not a station! Also realize that you are charged extra for not leaving the bike at a listed station. I would improve these by adding a feature to keep the bike on hold, instead of having it available for any customer to take as soon as you lock it. read more

Biketown - Nike bikes right outside the main store! - Bike Sharing Near Me

Be careful, Nike BIKETOWN and lift are the biggest scam artist you could ever imagine. I am on Social Security, and I had a membership with the Nike BIKETOWN to where I would get free rides every day if I wanted I had the membership for so long I had no clue that they were just suddenly gonna drop my membership without telling me and the next thing I know I have a bill for $34 for may be riding the bike for no more than an hour and the workers for Lyft and the Nike BIKETOWN are no help at all they act like they're out for blood they got these secret ways of racking your bill up and not offering you any way out of it I don't want this to happen to anybody, but it's happened to me. I will never use their services again. read more

Extremely unreliable. I have used Biketown numerous times to ride to work in the morning. I've been late to work twice due to malfunctions with their locking system. This is enough to make me stop using Biketown and buy my own bike. The first time I had an issue with locking the bike, I called the support number. The support agent was extremely condescending and a complete moron. I explained my issue and she told me that it was actually my inability to lock the bike and not that the locking mechanism was malfunctioning. She then attempted to explain to me how to lock a bike. I told her to please look at my account and realize I know how to lock a bike given that I've done it 50+ times. She then threatened me with the $1500 charge for a bike being stolen/lost. I hung up on her and then went out to the bike. It had successfully locked, but took about 30 minutes. Guess I wasn't the reason it wasn't locking! read more

The new E-Bikes in Portland Oregon are great! I hadn't used the service since the switched out all the bikes. The old ones were not great and were pretty haggard out. The new E-Bikes are great. Easier to check out, just scan the QR code, easier to end the ride just lock it and go. The bikes themselves are really tight, nice amount of E-assist so you can zoom around. Nice disc brakes and a functional basket up front. Love them and will be using them more. I also own a $4000 E-bike that I love but the new Bike Town bikes are a close second. read more

BIKETOWN USED to be awesome. Now Lyft runs it and all the locals that used this a ways to get around and run errands (such as groceries) or to get to a doctor appointment are being priced out of it. The bikes die halfway through the ride and it's extremely hard to pedal as a regular bicycle- bring the regular bikes back! read more

The worst bike I'd ever ridden. This town needs lime bikes. The bikes are old and very heavy. read more

We've used biking sharing in other cities and it's always been easy and hassle free. Not the case with Portland's Biketown - which was a series of frustrations. We created an account on line, paid the $5...and spent 15 minutes trying to get the key pads on the bikes to accept our code. The key pads didn't work on any of the bikes (this was at Hawthorne and 40th) . So, we walked a bit to find another rack of BikeTown bikes. This time we were able to unlock one bike....but couldn't figure out how to release a second bike on the same account (only one of us had a smart phone). We tried calling customer service but after 10 minutes on hold, said "forget it....this sucks" and re-locked the one bike. So, after 30 minutes (and about $6), we headed out on foot. Worst bike share experience in any city we've visited. Never again. read more

Downloading the app and registering is a breeze. Finding a bike using the app is easy. Unlocking the bike can be a very frustrating experience because some of the buttons don't work perfectly, and the LCD screen can be difficult to see and navigate if there is bright sunlight. Once you get the bike unlocked, (be patient because it may take a while) it's pretty nice unless your particular bike needs some minor maintenance. My seat kept sliding down even though I made sure to tighten it multiple times...made the riding experience a bit annoying. Portland is a great city to ride a bike! read more

I complained to Biketown for the major issues I experienced with their keypads. They quickly replied, apologized, credited my account and offered the following explanation: "Two years of regular use and exposure to the elements has taken its toll. We are currently replacing the keypads on all 1,000+ of our bikes so a better rental experience is coming soon!" I give them 5 stars for customer service, and will be happy to give their bikes another chance when I am back in Portland, assuming these keypads will have been replaced by then. read more

I enjoy riding these bikes whenever I'm in town because it's available on popular corners and the app is very easy to read. Benefits in using these bikes: 1) The bike is heavy so you have a good workout. Another reason: thieves will think twice in stealing a huge paper weight. 2) They are meant for slow pace rides. If you want a good workout pedal fast! Your pulling your weight plus a 100 lb bike!! 3) Easy access and location 4) Option to park the bike anywhere in Portland for a small fee. No fee when parking the bike at the orange bike rack. 5) The app shows a map where all the orange Nike bikes are parked. Plus the app will show your location to those bike racks. 6) They are equipped with a head light and a rear tail light. Unfortunately the head light has no headlight beam. It's meant for illumination to show you to other bikes/vehicles only. 6) The app gives 2 options to rent the bike. Daily use or an annual membership. See app for details. 7) Easy pay by credit card right on the app. 8) Look for promotion seat covers on the bike seat inviting you to sight up for one free ride. 9) Once you unlock a bike and something is wrong just lock the bike back up. On the key pad hit repair. You'll get an email asking to give detail of bike issues. The bike maintenance crew will drive out to pickup that bike and fix the issue. 10) The bike seat post is adjustable to fit your height which makes your ride more comfortable 11) There one year membership cannot be place on vacation mode if your going to be away for a month or two. Your credit card will be charge each month. 12) Annual membership has an option to auto renew. I believe once you sign up the auto renew is automatic. read more

Meh at least the bikes are generally in a good state of repair (inflated tires). I've been an occasional "single ride" member of Biketown since the controversial orange bikes have hit the streets of our beloved Rose City. I'm very comfortable riding any bicycle, and Portland is where I learned to ride as a child, but drivers seem to still have a mild hostile attitude towards cyclists. We do have plenty of neighborhood streets and "greenways" to stay away from the major roads. The bikes are on the heavy side but the seat has a sufficient range of adjustment (i'm 1.86m) and aren't that hard to get rolling. The u-lock's holster is kinda close to your left heel and if you pedal on the balls of your feet, you may get your shoe heel caught once or twice on the dangling lock. Biggest gripe is the slow keypads and slow connections to the network before you're allowed to punch in member number and pin. No failures to rent a bike so far, the bikes are just slow so know your numbers and give yourself 5 minutes to unlock and get ready to ride (adjust the seat, check the tires). Grab the app to make it easier to have the member number and see bikes and stations around your area. Hints: * If you're gonna make a quick stop outside the "service area" use the HOLD feature to hold the bike and not finish your ride, so you don't incur the $20 service fee for out of area lock up. Similarly, if you are making a round trip out&back to service area, stopping outside the area and can keep your bike unlocked/with you while stopped, it won't charge the $20 fee, ultimately you should know your route and how long you'll need the bike for. * Start a ride with a bike that's not locked to a station or "affiliated orange sticker" bike rack, when you lock it back up at a station they give you $1 in account credit! I appreciate being able to park (my car) once in the city and then hop around the inner city by bike, saves lots of parking and driving headaches. read more

Once you figure out how to use the account (SIGN UP FOR SINGLE RIDE), then it's a great experience (come prepared with patience and brain power because it is not easy to figure this out). It's super convenient just to pop in your account and borrow a bike for a ride downtown. HOWEVER, the billing is extremely convoluted and you'll want to keep an eye on your credit card because you could get charged fees that are not correct. And the website is confusing, too. I've had to email them twice, once my issue was resolved (thank you), and once I just stopped hearing from them. In all, 5 stars for the bikes themselves, 1 star for billing and admin stuff. read more

Initially, my boyfriend and I were fairly content with the bike sharing system. We thought the $2 fee for locking up at a non-Biketown rack was annoying but fair, and we checked out bikes on numerous occasions this year. Our opinion changed drastically after our experience today, during which I was charged $24.50 for a 1-1.5 hour trip. We planned to go to Pip's this morning. I checked out a Biketown bike and rode over ( BF now has his own bike). I locked up the bike at a non-certified rack prepared to stomach the $2 fee as I have on several occasions prior. My boyfriend and I then ordered our donuts and chai and sat down at a table invigorated from our ride and eagerly awaiting our food. Next thing I know, I received an email from Biketown stating that I am being charged a $20 fee for locking up "out of bounds." I was stunned. Alas, I tried to maintain my composure and thought that maybe the fee would be rescinded once I returned to the bike to a Biketown rack. I found out the hard way, that that is not the case. This fee is appalling and senseless considering I had every intention of returning the bike to the station I rented it from. I have no intention to ever use this service again and am on my way to purchase a bike for myself at this very moment. Good riddance, Biketown! read more

UPDATE: After many emails back and forth I was actually able to get a partial refund so I have increased the rating. While I appreciate the refund I still would not recommend renting a bike from them without clearly understanding what the rules are. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bikes themselves are okay but the terms of service are shady and the customer service is not very good. Just know that if you rent these things you have to watch where you are locking them up. Make sure you read all the information and look at the map on your phone. The first thing is... a "Day Pass" is really not a day pass at all. It is a 3-hour pass. That's right, when you pay for a day pass you get 180 minutes of use of the bike. They really should rename it a 3-hour pass. It gets worse.... I was on Hawthorne street, in one of the more popular neighborhoods in Portland, and I locked the bike up outside of Por Que No Tacos and a minute later my girl and I got the "your bike has been locked outside of the system area" email telling us that we each were being charged a $20 fee. That's $40 for parking at one of the hottest taco places in Portland. It's almost as if they set up the territory to intentionally have people lock the bikes up outside of it and incur the $20 fee. On top of that, you can only put the bike on "hold" for 30 minutes so if you are planning on going to eat somewhere, or shopping, or really doing anything that could potentially take more than 30 minutes you shouldn't bother using these bikes unless there is a Biketown rack within a couple blocks of your destination. I will not be renting these bikes again and I told my friends who live in Portland to make sure they tell any future visitors to stay clear of them as well. What a racket! read more

AVOID! Not worth it for the hidden charges, clunky equipment, and miserable customer service. -- Last year, I excitedly signed up for Biketown as soon as the service became available to Portland. Being a former resident of Minneapolis, I was a huge fan of their bike sharing program and anxious to participate in one here. Although, once winter rolled around though I cancelled my account as I knew I wouldn't use the service over the cold and icy months. At the time of cancellation I was unexpectedly charged $96 for the remaining balance with no notice or option to authorize the payment. A $96 unauthorized charge is BOGUS. If I had known prior to cancelling that I would be charged the remaining balance of a membership, I would not have cancelled and would have continued to buck up $12 a month and forced myself to ride a few times a month. Additionally, I reached out in October to have this remedied but was given a very unhelpful "we'll send this to our local management" response and didn't hear anything back, even after reaching out to them again. I'm now engaged in an unresponsive game of email tag with their incredibly unhelpful customer service team. I was tempted to sign up again once the weather got nice this year, but given the fact that I paid for 8 months of the service without being able to use it, I laughed at my naivety and continue to avoid those bikes like the plague. read more

For non electric bikes, these are incredibly heavy. Tried to bike Mt Tabor and had to turn around after getting 30 mins into our ride because it was so tough to crank it up the hills. Make these babies electric PLEASE! read more

I absolutely love this concept. It is so convenient to basically stop, grab a bike, go where you want, and the park it. Our only issues were: We were confused on where we could and count lock the bike for free. You can ONLY lock the bike at the "bike town" areas for free. If you want to lock it anywhere you want, you'll pay $2. It's not a big deal because there are biketown racks everywhere. Other than that snag, it was easy and totally worth the $12 a day. Hint, it's also $12 a month, so if you're there for more than one day, just get the month! read more

Biketown is wonderful if you follow instructions! My girlfriend and I signed up in May 2018 during free ride month. We took our first ride on May 30th from OMSI area to Sellwood Riverfront Park and back. Great ride to get back on a bike again. The bikes have 8-9 gears and are chainless. The bikes are not light, although I did ride over Tilikum Crossing today in second gear. Speaking of light, they are equipped with automatic LED headlights and taillights. The interface screen buttons can be irritating on some of the older bikes. Lag and double button presses happened on more than one occasion. I found reserving a bike on the app makes it so you only need enter your PIN which can reduce time spent. Read the fine print and make sure you know all the rules. Most of the bad reviews are from people locking up outside the service area ($20 charge) or not locking up to a biketown rack ($2 charge). There are ways around some fees and you can even earn credit for future rides. Stay safe! Edit: Biketown has expanded the service area! Also, they now have a couple "Super Hubs" on East/West side. These are zones you can lock up to any public bike rack without incurring the $2 fee. read more

I contacted customer service which was helpful. I still think terms of the bike share are not great but I understand that its a relatively new system and I am glad its there. Old review- I traveled to Portland a couple of weeks ago to visit some friends and family. So I paid for the all day pass and rode the bike around town. Unfortunately in addition to the $12 all day pass Biketown charged me $20 dollars for parking outside of the network for about 40 minutes even though I returned the bike to a proper stand in downtown Portland at the end of the day. The bike knew i was outside of the network but didnt inform me except by sending me an email I saw after the fact. Seems like an unnecessary and excessive charge to me and unfriendly terms to travelers. Next time I will probably just rent a bike from a bikeshop. read more

Once you download the app and start using the bike, you see how convenient and easy it is to use! It does look intimidating to start at first. However, there are so many locations in Portland and it is so easy to pick up and drop off whatever you need one. It is also fairly inexpensive! read more

If you're an out of towner this is a no-brainer. You sign up on the app, pay $12 for the day and get an account number and PIN. You simply walk up to the bikes, enter your acct # and PIN and the bike unlocks. You take the bike to the next rack on your journey and lock it up. It's that simple. Just don't lock it up anywhere that isn't a Biketown rack. If you do you'll experience high charges. Also, make sure the bike says it's locked before leaving. You'll get a notification on your phone that it's locked up when it's done correctly. There are racks all over town and near most brewery's and tourist spots which is perfect. The bikes themselves ride smooth and have lots of gears. They're no picnic riding uphill or over a bridge but it's fine. You're riding a bike...it's supposed to be a bit of a workout. read more

So, the Nike funded bikeshare is now live. Bright orange Dutch bikes, with the underlying technology being driven by SoBi. Bikes are interesting, with shaft drives instead of chain (reduces potential for getting grease on you), internally hubbed, etc. I'd gotten an annual membership ($12/month for 90 minutes a day) so I had a card I just swiped over the bike and entered my PIN. If you don't have a card, you can enter your 6-digit account number (set up online or at one of the stations that has a kiosk), and then your PIN. I rode from near the office to Pok Pok (a little over 2 miles). I'd never ridden a Dutch bike before, so the posture to me felt super upright at first and I haven't had a bike with grip shift for a while, but after a minute or two, I'd gotten use to the posture and the shifting. Riding it made me feel sort of like a kid again as opposed to when I'm riding my commuter (basically a cross bike) or my single-speed - very stable, heavy, a little slow, and a total tank when you've got some momentum (e.g. going down hill), but solid brakes. The 8 gears seemed to cover a decent range - though heading up Harrison was definitely a bit of a push. Being able to ride the bike one way is great. We ended up walking down to Double Barrel from Pok Pok, and from there, it was a short walk home for me. Not having to worry about moving my bike while we meandered was super convenient. For smart phone users, the app is pretty slick, keeping a trip history that shows the time/route/fare/etc. read more

The hubby and I hopped on Biketown yesterday for its inaugural day, and gotta say it's an impressive, well thought out system. After seeing so many bike stations installed throughout the city center, we bit the bullet and signed up for the annual membership the night before the bikeshare's launch, which costs $12/month, with a maximum of 90 minutes of use per day. For those who don't want to commit to the annual fee, it costs $2.50 for 60 minutes of riding time. So far, we've used it to jettison around downtown, the Pearl, the waterfront area , and SE PDX. We love the actual bikes, the internal hub 8 speed shifters are awesome and the bikes seem very durable, albeit heavy. They are "smart bikes" which means the entire check-in/check-out process takes place on the solar powered device on the back end of the bike rather than on the bike station, and the bike keeps track of exactly where you've taken it (you can see a map of your entire day's bikeshare use on the Biketown app). The front basket is a nice touch, sometimes I wonder why I don't have one on my personal bike instead of a rear pannier. But I digress. Biketown should be a boon for PDX, particularly for people who live in or around the city's core: the sheer number of bike stations makes it so easy to pick up and drop off a rental. For those who already own a bike, I think it's still of value as you now don't have to worry as much about getting your bike stolen. The only downside may be that tourists may now go for Biketown instead of renting from bike shops, making a dent in bike rental businesses. But overall, bikeshare is long overdue for Portland, but being long overdue means the city had time to get it right and learn from other city's mistakes and issues. Props to the team that made this expansive system happen. read more

Rented bikes like this in other cities and this is by far the most difficult. They make you download the app or go online and asked for so much information. Then it's difficult to unlock and lock the bikes whereas other places just use a credit card to unlock the bike automatically. Want to continue but the struggle to just unlock on the key pads (where the numbers stick) and the manual locking is such a struggle read more

Biketown - Bike Sharing Near Me

Full disclosure: I lived in PDX for the last decade, but recently moved away for work. I still come back at least three times a year. I got a membership because I was a bike commuter when I lived in PDX, and missed being able to travel by bike whenever I came to visit. I thought that Biketown would be the perfect solution. In general, I love the whole bike sharing idea. The stations are also well located throughout the city, and well-designed (well, barring this: http://katu.com/news/local/bicycles-on-new-biketown-rack-flipped-into-traffic-lane). The stands are shaped so that you basically don't hit the bike pedals against the stand when you take it out/lock it up, which is pretty awesome. The app is also decent. The bikes themselves are just a little hard to get around with. They're incredibly heavy, to the point of being detrimental to your journey. Climbing up a minor hill like the SE Salmon artillery will take twice as long, because the bike is such a freaking beast to move. The gears range from incredibly easy to really difficult. Oh and they are LOUD. Creaky pedals, and if you have something in the basket, be prepared to rattle loudly all the way to your destination. The pricing scheme is really confusing -- I basically plan my journeys around stations, since the $2 fee to lock it up outside one is a little ridiculous and kinda confusing. Luckily most of the stations are in great locations, but it's definitely still a pain in the butt. I think if I still lived in the city, I probably would not have gotten a membership and just use my own bicycle. However, for out-of-towners and occasional bike riders, this is a pretty good program. read more