My job had a special promotion for joining B Cycle and since im an avid cyclist I decided to give them a try. Heres a lowdown of my thoughts, opinions, and experiences. The Docking stations- The docking stations are about as simple and straight forward as they come. They work seamlessly with the phone app and make a beeping noise when its ok to unlock the bike and after the bike has been relocked. A flashing green light also indicates when this procedure is successful. The App- The app is easy and simple to use. Opening the app provides many functions, it tells you where the nearest docking station is located and it provides unlocking ability, just type in the bike number and a few seconds later the dock will make a beeping sound, it will also confirm when the bike has been returned. The Bike- The bike is an urban cruiser. Big, heavy, clunky and with the same grace, style, and finesse of driving a garbage truck. But Im used to riding road bikes, so my view might be a little skewed on this point. But it does what its meant for, which is provide short jaunts in the inner city as a means of alternate transportation. Its not meant for performing century rides or going up to the top of Flagstaff Road (LOL) . I havent been able to evaluate the customer service aspect yet, which seems to be the focal point of many past reviews, but when/if that comes about I will amend that to this review. Until then I am satisfied with the service that this company provides. read more

Boulder B-Cycle - Bike Sharing Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

We rented two bikes. Many of the bikes were broken or defective, including one of the two bikes we rented, which had a missing bell and reported error messages so we cut the trip short. Now they're complaining that we didn't return one of them! I walked out in the hundred degree heat to go take a picture of the bike, which was exactly where I docked it. I can't believe that they would ask a customer to go take a picture of the bike rather than just finding it themselves. My advice: don't use Boulder B-Cycle. If you do, take a picture of the bike as you leave and don't expect them to get it right. read more

This is one of the most frustrating and unreliable transportation services I've ever used. Half the bikes don't work, as well as half the docks. The bikes don't doc properly and then when you call to have the outrageous fees refunded they are angry and rude on the phone. Every time I have to use this piece of shit service I'm pissed off. read more

B-Cycle is a total rip off. As others have said, they have a scam pricing model that appears you can pay $18 and use the bike all day, but only if you click through does it tell you that all rides are still limited to 30 minutes at a time. The next day, when you check your email, do you see the massive $$$$ in fees that have been deducted from your bank account. The bicycles are also all in terrible condition, and we couldn't find a single E-bike that had any charge on its battery. Everyone do yourself a favor and just use Lime instead. read more

Total rip off, great way to scam you they say $7 for a single ride but hide it is $7 /30 minutes ( so not when you return the bike but later in email you are informed for your 1.5 hour ride you paid $22), appears you can pay $18 and use the bike all day (hidden in that is you have to find a dock for the bike every 30 minutes and dock it!! Total scam and rip off, will never use again. read more

Rented 2 bikes for the 24hr rate. Downloaded the app on the spot and since we wanted to use the bikes and go for a couple hour ride it seemed like the cheaper option than the hourly rate. One of our bikes stopped working 5 minutes into the ride and we had to find a new location to drop off and pick up a new bike. After spending $38 for 2 bikes for a couple hour ride we received an additional $30 usage fee. Apparently, you have to pay an additional $7.63 per 30 min if you don't check the bike back in every 30 minutes. This makes no sense when you're paying for a 24hr rental. I called and expressed my displeasure, they had no interest. I wouldn't do business with them if you can avoid it. read more

Absolute trash of a company. They will penny pinch and steal from you, charge your card ridiculous fees with no notice. If you think you have a free pass, get ready for over $180 in random charges for using the damn service. Never recommend. Will never use. Company is predatory and insanely awful. Use lime scooter. Way more reliable. And you won't get charged thousands of dollars because they don't put a tracker in their bike. Terrible. read more

Cruising on two wheels is THE BEST way to get around town! I had a blast while sightseeing. Not only is the service fantastic but so are the people that power it. After my ride, I had a small issue with the app and Erica helped me figure it out over email. She was prompt and kind, and that goes a long way with me. I highly recommend Boulder B-Cycle! read more

Boulder B-Cycle - Beautiful trails are so bicycle-friendly! - Bike Sharing Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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Haha, I enjoy the delicious frustration of the folks who left one-star reviews because they attend the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good. IGNORE THE HATERS: B-CYCLE IS AMAZING. First of all, I can't believe it is so cheap and you get it for a whole hour of riding before you have to check it back in. At our location back home in Indianapolis, you only get 20-30 min. And yes, if you bring it back after the hour, you are fined. So stay near h here other check in and check out bike racks - all you have to do is pop it in, listen for the beep, then rent it again. With the 24-hour access (if you do the day pass), you have to check it in every hour but you can immediately check it out again and keep riding. Unsure of where the bike racks are? There may be a map on a bike or use the website or the app. The last two show how many bikes are available at each dock and how many open docks there are (because there's nothing worse to getting close to that hour deadline and ending up at a bike rack with no spots). The bikes are in good condition. I like the basket up front to help store my items. There are dozens of stations all over Plan your route, and enjoy. But remember that there are hilly areas and you may get a killer workout. read more

Boulder B-Cycle - Riding the bike! - Bike Sharing Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

I had to report my card stolen to get rid of BCycle. They were charging me up to $60/day without authorisation. I may be back when they get the reliability up and the fees down. read more

Great way to Scam on tourist! We got the "24 hour" pass and failed to read the fine print, so we got slammed with fees because we didn't dock the bikes back at a station every 30 minutes or some ridiculous bike sharing rule... while we had our bikes for a total of 4 hours. Lame ideology! read more

I paid for the b cycle to make a trip to the grocery store. There were no buses which I usually perfer so I decided to test it out. Mind you I'm an 18 year old college student and it is night time. The bike I unlocked was unrideable I thought I was just out of shape but by the time I got a little bit father I realized the bike must be broken. I ended up having to walk it to the next docking station which was far and the bike was like a dead weight. I considered leaving it but realized it was a 1,000 dollar fee. I spent and hour and all of my energy in the dark trying to return this bike.... With all my groceries. Never riding again. read more

If I could do 0 stars, I would. I encountered the SAME problems as all other yelpers on the review thus far and was appalled by their customer service and, what I found out later, this same issue was consistently a problem with their business. I rented bikes from boulder b cycles with some friends on a vacation to boulder. We read over the instructions decided to rent the bikes for 24 hours, popped in our credit card, and we're on our way to enjoy the city. Little did we know we were accruing fees the entire time. As soon as we found out that we were piling up fees on the bikes, we promptly returned them and re-read the instructions. We really didn't understand where we went wrong. We contacted customer service and found out we had been charged about 130 per bike we rented. We explained that their program rules were unclear and explained that we didn't understand this. They said since we were first time users, we would get to do the first time user fee. We were concerned that they had this policy in effect and asked to talk to others in the company. After speaking with several members of the company, they were very rude, unhelpful, and really didn't care about us as the customer or how their program is interpreted by their customers. I would never recommend this company to any visitors to boulder. Look into bike rental shops to provide you with better service in boulder. read more

I did not encounter the same problems as other reviewers. B-cycle uses the same system as other city bikeshare systems; you pay a flat rate for a membership fee and any trips under 30 minutes are free. After 30 minutes, you pay $3 every half hour. Visiting Boulder, we wanted a way to see the city without having to drive around. Boulder is a nice flat city with great bike lane access. We also took the bikes up Boulder creek into the mountains a little bit, until there was no more pavement. The bikes only have 3 gears so uphill was really difficult, but the trip back downhill was fuuuunnnnn!!! All in all we spent $14 each for 3 separate bike trips, and it was much easier and cheaper than renting an actual bike. And can I just say that the app is surprisingly good? It not only shows you where the B-cycle stations are, it also shows how many bikes are in each station and displays the route to get there. You also get stats on the time length and distance of your trips, calories burned, and money saved. It's a great system that doesn't deserve the bad reviews. read more

Ignore the angry reviews from people who did not bother reading the instructions. B Cycle has stations throughout Boulder (there were stations very close to both my hotel and the office I was visiting, neither of which was in the main downtown area), and each station has very clear instructions about the payment structure (I guess it's possible the instructions were less clear in the past?). The system even offers text updates that let you know when your first 30 minutes are up and fees are accruing. The check-out stations are very convenient and easy to use. All the bikes we (I was in a group of six) used were in great condition. They had internal hubs with three gears - keeping it simple while providing just enough flexibility for hills - and baskets. When someone working for the company hosting my group noticed the day before our ride that the station was short a few bikes of what we'd need, the B Cycle staff even went so far as to move bikes to the pick up location nearest our hotel so we could all get started at the same place. Later when I picked up a bike on my own, I had some trouble with the credit card reader (my card has a bad strip), I was just about to call the service number when someone walked out of a nearby building to help me. I was apparently at the station by their office and they'd noticed me having trouble before I even called. read more

Easy to use, 11 bucks a month, and if you know how to read, ( yes you tourist yuppie ) you will see you ride it to the next station and get off. if you need to go further than that grab another bike... read more

I had the same problem that many other tourists and people unfamiliar with the system had. We purchased what is called a "24 hour pass for $8.00." From reading the other reviews, people familiar with bike shares understand that this means you can check out the bikes for 24 hours, but still have to pay fees per 30 minutes. I'm sure this company can understand how tourists trying to use this for the first time get confused that a "24 hour pass" does not mean you can ride the bike for 24 hours. So... like others, I was hit with enormous fees. I called and the customer service was great, but they were only able to reduce my fees to $40 total. You can take an Uber for laps around Boulder for $40. To all the locals making fun of the people who were confused... I'm sorry bike shares are not common in every part of the country. I'm sure there was fine print somewhere that could have explained this, but I don't always read the fine print. Based on the number of reviewers saying the same thing... perhaps the system could make it more clear. read more

I think it was already said here but, its worth repeating. This is Bike Sharing and not Bike Rental. I have used B-Cycle bike sharing in a few different cities and they all work about the same. You can get a pass which gives you unlimited number of short rides (30 min) during that day. So, check out a bike and ride from the parking garage to restaurant for lunch and check the bike back in. After lunch check out another bike and ride to the park in west Boulder, check in the bike and go hang out at the park by Boulder Creek. When your ready to head back to the car, check out a bike again and return it to the station by the parking garage. So, my 24 hour pass got me multiple rides without an overage fees. Their kiosk and bikes all have a pretty clear message about keeping your rides under 30 min so, I am not sure how the other missed that information but, apparently they did. Maybe they should have checked their web site https://boulder.bcycle.com/About/HowItWorks.aspx If your visiting town and need to have bikes with you all day, try one of the many bike shops. They charge a fair amount considering you get the bike the full day. Oh, if buy an annual pass, some of the other B-Cycle system in other City's will work with the same pass. read more

Boulder B-Cycle - Bike Sharing... - Bike Sharing Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Boulder deserves a better bikeshare. Oh, where do I begin. I'm visiting Boulder from Santa Monica which has an amazing bikeshare program with a great app. Boulder's B-Cycle is the extreme opposite and to top off the poor product, Dakota who answered the phone needs to be trained in customer service. What is sad is that you could throw a rock and hit a software developer in Boulder - how come their bikesharing app is horrific and non-functional and you could also throw a rock and hit a consultant on customer-centric design and compassionate customer service - why would Boulder's bikeshare program suck so badly? Boulder deserves a better bikeshare. Please fire whoever is the CEO of this company or give them some funding to fix this mess of a bikeshare program. Here is why this service was horrible: 1.) They screw you on price - On the kiosk they obfuscate the cheapest plan. You know when you walk into a hotel back in the day and they screw you with the highest price - "rack rate". Well, that's what it feel like to pay $8 which is what the kiosk says you must pay when actually you have to only pay $2 (but that plan is only on the website). Lame and bad customer experience. 2.) Two Apps - The app(s) - why are there 2 apps? So confusing!! Which one do you install? I am sitting there installing apps for 10 minutes. There's a B-Cycle and a B-Cycle now?? Huh? One has a map only and is outdated. Just merge these apps. 3.) So i got screwed and paid the $8 and then how do you use the service. YOU CAN'T! At the kiosk supposedly, it should text you. I put my phone number in TWICE, waiting 10 minutes and NO TEXT. IT SIMPLY DOES NOT FUNCTION....so I install the TWO APPS and... 4.) THE APP DOES NOT WORK - I install the first app which is the wrong, outdated app. Then I install the other app and it crashes. I uninstall, install again, then it crashes. I send the error to the company. So now there is simply no way to use the service i just paid too much for. 5.) The customer service is horrible. "Well the app works on my Android", says Dakota. Well that's great Dakota, but it doesn't work on mine and I'm the customer. Would you like me to debug your code for you. Why don't you hire a developer since you are in Boulder and fix the app? 1-star. read more

Was in Boulder for a day and figured the city bike would be a good way to see the town fro $8. I walked to the first bike station from the hotel (~0.5 miles) and it was unable to connect to release a bike. Called them and they said i needed to walk a few more blocks to the next station. There, the console would only work in Spanish even when English was selected. I had to download their app to get a bike. That worked fine but I put in by mobile number and I now receive about 10 spam calls each day. The bikes were OK, but the app didn't always suggest the closest return station (google maps worked better). I returned the two bikes I rented within the 30 minutes time limit but the return was not recorded properly and would have had an extra charge. However, since I had reported issues they waved the fees. Overall, this could have been a much better experience, but did serve its purpose. read more

I rented a bike in a pinch from the N. Boulder Rec location, and Boulder B-Cycle completely ripped me off! The directions for bike rental were quite unclear -- it appeared that if I kept the bike for more than an hour, I would be charged $7 for the day. The bike itself was heavy, around 50 pounds, and old. The gears barely worked, and as I rented it to get to a meeting I was late for and could not even make it up a hill with the bike, I needed to load the bike onto a bus and had to have the driver help me. (I am not particularly weak, but the large size of the bike combined with the weight made it very awkward to maneuver.) Boulder B-Cycle has various locations to return bikes to, which I thought would work out since I could bus the bike back home and then return it to a closer location, saving an extra bus trip with a nearly unrideable bike. However, B-Cycle not only charged me the $7 day rate, but an additional $75 fee for keeping the bike out longer than an hour. When I called to inquire about this charge, the manager informed me that you are supposed to take short rides of less than 60 minutes and if you want the bike for longer without paying a fee you must return it to a kiosk and then check it out again every hour. There was no clear indication of this on the kiosk screen when I checked it out, or when I looked on the website. He then explained that they refund part of the fee for first time users who were confused, so I would only have to pay $27 for my terrible bike experience. When I commented that it must happen often that people are confused and that it seemed like a deceptive way to make money, he responded that they were a small non-profit and had no obligation to return any money, so I should be grateful that they even do that. Take it or leave it. What a horrible rip-off! Had I known the policy, I would have promptly returned the bike and just taken the bus. read more

So, B-Cycle is a nonprofit bike sharing organization. It is not a "bike rental" service. There are plenty of shops in Boulder where you can rent a bike for a day. This isn't that. This is more like public transit. You learn where the stations are, like at the 29th Street Mall, 28th and Arapahoe, 28th and Pearl, Pearl Street Mall, and tons of other places. You say, hey, I want to go from the Pearl Street Mall to Target. So you check out a bike at the Mall, ride it down Pearl to 28th, and check it in by Starbucks, and walk across the street to Target. For annual members like me, any trip less than a half hour is free. After the first half hour, it gets very expensive, because the idea is you only have the bike while you're traveling, not while you're shopping or eating - imagine how expensive a cab would be if you made it wait at each stop! The rules are pretty clear... but then I signed up on the web and read how it works before walking up to the bike station and sticking my card in it. So I love B-Cycle... there's a station near every place in Boulder that I go, and whenever the bus isn't convenient, or if it's too far to walk, I hop on a bike - rarely for more than ten minutes at a time, and it doesn't cost me anything for the trip. Occasionally, you get to a station and it is full... you tell the machine, and it'll tell you the nearest station with a spot (usually pretty close by) and give you extra time to get there. In a real bind, I've called them, and they just let me chain the bike up at the full station, and they came and dealt with it. Fantastic service. So if you use the service the way it's designed, it is pretty great. Read the rules, and get around town. read more

$387 later..... Same problem as other Yelpers. Sadly, I didn't check yelp before renting the bikes, or I would have seen this this is a pattern with Boulder B Cycle. I would think this would be concerning to any business that the only reviews they have are negative - and for the same reason. And that's not even yet getting into the customer support. I checked out three bikes - for me and two friends - on a Monday afternoon from a kiosk near Pearl St. We took a look over the kiosk and the information provided on it, put in the credit card (three times because we had three bikes) and off we went exploring Boulder. We paid the $8 per bike for what we thought was 24 hours of use. Directions were extremely unclear!! Tuesday morning, I received a call that I needed to get the bikes back to the rack as soon as possible. We promptly did just that and then immediately called the customer support number. We obviously would not have kept the bikes as long as we did knowing we would be charged the amount we were charged ($129/per bike). Knowing that there is a refund system in place for first time bikers for this EXACT misunderstanding tells me that this happens frequent enough to need such a "refund policy". As I explained to the Marketing Director, this is a sure sign that the informational pieces on the kiosks and bikes are not clear enough. I gave him my personal recommendation over the phone as to wording that would have helped to clear up the issue but he was not interested and was instead defensive and condescending. Our original charge of $129 per bike (totaling $387) has since been reduced - per the organization's "first time biker" refund policy - to $48 per bike (for a total of $144). Still in communications with the organization at this time. read more

First, I want to say: All the other reviews are because people are just not getting that they need to read everything and that they are liable going into this. I have been a member for almost 2 years and have NEVER had a problem. I have only received authentic, caring help. It says SPECIFICALLY that you have a base fee with thirty minutes, then AFTER you get charged. The reason is this is a bike SHARE, NOT a RENTAL. It is only intended for quick trips "to get from point A to point B". If you are going into something like this. I recommend you read everything and not get mad at your mistake. Anyway, Boulder B-Cycle is a great bike share, and I look forward to using them again without any issues or problems because I actually read all the details and information about charging. read more

B-cycle is Amazing!! $11 dollars a month for unlimited use. People who rated this poorly are inept at reading and following the basic rules! It says right on the handle bars that you must return a given bike every 30 min, or be charged $3 per hour after that. Such a simple rule!! there are bike stations everywhere, easily found on the APP. If you want to ride for hours on end, no problem. Just plug in your bike every 30 min and grab a new one! There are stations almost every 2-4-6 blocks. Cmon people, this is the future and potential of the sharing economy. Without following the rules, there would never be bikes at the stations!!! do not listen to these hacks! What an amazing service!!! read more

Boulder B-Cycle is a great way to get around Boulder cheaply and efficiently - especially if you are a student. The bikes aren't the sleekest and there are various bugs in some docking stations, but for getting from point A to point B on a short daily commute, or for going out with friends on Pearl, etc. they are great. read more

I work in downtown boulder and parking is a pain to put it mildly. So commuter parking garages are far and jumping on BCycle gets me to and from the parking garage quickly. I've used it all around downtown boulder and there are stations everywhere to get a fresh bike. The bikes are 3 speed, maintained and most have a basket too. I use bcycle daily and I'm glad it's available. I suggest it to all my coworkers that commute instead of lugging around their own bikes. read more

My friends and I just ran into the SAME situation as Chris and Aryn did in previous reviews. We rented three bikes and THOUGHT we were paying for an entire day and therefore kept the bike to return within the 24 hours we paid. HOWEVER due to the unclear instructions we were informed the following day by Boulder B-Cycle that we were supposed to dock the bikes EVERY THIRTY MINUTES. We returned right away and called Customer Service - our charges were reduced for a "first time user fee". We spoke to the marketing director who basically said that they are a nonprofit and are not obligated to refund anything and we should feel "lucky". In addition the Marketing Director continued to tell us that the directions were clear and this does not happen often (which is not true because of the 2 reviews I see they had the same issue).. I think the concept is great but the instructions are not clear. They were unwilling to listen - when we gave examples of where we got confused they continued to tell us that it was clear and it was our fault. If you want to rent a bike for a longer period than 30 minutes I recommend going to a bicycle rental store. read more

Same thing as Aryn B. This place is a scam. Avoid it. Their was no clear indication that the bike had to be returned every hour or you would be charged an extra fee. read more

horrible customer service took a great idea and ruined it - they over charge and then refuse to properly refund claiming its because they are a non profit. do not rent here. read more