B Cycle Bike Share

This place is the worst! The idea of bike sharing is fun but the lady who is in charge is very rude and acknoledges that they do not clearly post there fee structure but refuses to change it! She said they deal with it all the time but if they posted it clearly, no one would use it! Are you kidding me? This is a very slimy way to run a business. I will never use this service again and warn everyone else to avoid it!

Bike was in good working order, and the kiosks were user friendly. Of course, a bike share is never perfect! It was good enough for a day trip to NoDa and Dilworth.

I used Charlotte B-​Cycle for the first time this weekend. We had a friend visiting and the weather was just too gorgeous to stay inside. A bike ride was in order but our guest had no cycle. A quick stop at the B-​Cycle dock and all 3 of us had rides. No muss, no fuss. Points for convenience for sure. The dock we used was right next tot he Little Sugar Creek Greenway, so it was just a quick ride down the creek to Freedom Park, where we docked our rides easily until we were ready to re-​sign them out and return to the car.
The bikes themselves are pretty perfect for rental cycles. They have large baskets, comfortable seats, and bells (a necessity for going through the tunnels under bridges). They were all in good repair/​maintenance and switch smoothly between the 3 gears.
When I turned in my bike I was very pleased with the whole B-​Cycle experience. However, in checking out the website, I found out I was lucky. The pricing at the terminals makes it seem like a 24 hr rental is $ 8. Good deal. I learned online that that only covers the first 30 minutes after you leave the dock each time. Because we redocked and it took less than 30 minutes to get from there to CPCC where we started we were only charged $ 8 each. After the first 30 minutes out of dock you are charged $ 4 per half hour up to a whopping $ 75 a day. Not so good a deal.
The pricing itself is part of my gripe with B-​Cycles but I am more irritated that this is not made more clear at the terminals. Three of us rented bikes at the terminal and we were all under the impression $ 8 was the total 24 hr rental.
Even understanding the pricing I like B-​Cycle. It is convenient and once you know how the system works is a great way to hop from point to point, particularly if you have out-​of-​towners with you.

I tried B Bikes for the firsts time a couple months ago and loved it! From my understanding of the fee schedule posted, it was $ 8 to rent the bike for the day. I only used the bike for 30 min so my credit card statement didn’t show any other charges besides the $ 8, this makes sense after reading the above review.
Fast forward to last week, I had people in town and was raving about B-​bikes so we decided to rent them for the day and bike the city, under the impression that it was $ 8. Come to find out my credit card was charged $ 28 and my friends from out of town were charged upwards of that. We all called the B Bike people for an explanation and they said that we weren’t the only people to complain about their confusing fee schedule, but it would be too much work to change it and there was nothing they could do. I was floored. I tried to explain to them that I wasn’t upset about the money but more about the ethics of it. I felt cheated. They woman I talked to went on about how they were a nonprofit organization (which is really only a tax loophole) and that they couldn’t charge less than other bike stores because that would put the other bike stores out of business. I tried to explain to her that that is practicing collusion and price setting and is illegal. This was of no concern to her.
I wouldn’t be so mad if they had been more understanding and willing to help. Also, if I had been the only one confused by the fee schedule then I would have accepted the fact that I read it wrong and called it a day. But, the fact that she admitted that this was a constant complaint and wasn’t willing to do anything about it, was disconcerting.
I would not recommend B-​Bikes to anyone and I feel that a company with those values has no business being in business, especially in the great city of Charlotte.

After seeing all of the stations being constructed throughout Uptown and hearing buzz about the B Cycles, I finally had a chance to check them out. We were at 7^th St Public Market for most of a Saturday morning and before leaving, we decided to take a short ride through the city.
The cycles are lined up and locked up at a station with a computer kiosk. Pretty straightforward UI. Language, selection of pass, insert card, select cycle number, and you’re off. $ 8 for a 24hour pass. Not too bad, if you’re going to be in Uptown for the day. Here’s the trick: You have unlimited 30 minute rides. If you go from station to station without exceeding 30 minutes, you don’t get charged. Take the bike, ride to the nearest station, get out and explore, and then make your way to the next station. It’s fun if you look at the map and create different checkpoints. You could probably even turn this into a game of sorts… or a really bad drinking game, haha.
The cycles themselves are rather nice. Only 3 gears, a generously sized basket, free hub and a plushy seat. They handle really well and are perfect for street cruising. If you’re not comfortable cruising with traffic, you can stick to the less trafficked roads in Uptown. Easy thing is that Uptown is a grid setup. Follow one street and you should be just fine and you’ll most likely run into several B Cycle stations on the way.
Overall, I would definitely buy a year membership if I lived in Uptown. The novelty wears off after your first ride, but for practicality’s sake, I would definitely use these if I lived in the city. Try em out!