I stupidly thought Lime Bikes were free

[likelysuspect]

Its ok, you can laugh.

And? I mean yes it’s a bit daft but if you’ve never come across them in the past… no biggie

There is a trick you can do to make them free (I don't know what it is).
You'll need to ask a passing teen as they all seem to know how to do it.
It does mean the bike beeps like a Dalek as you ride.

I’ve never been on a lime bike but there are so many things that I have thought in the past to be true and if you don’t know you don’t know. I wouldn’t give it head space. Im sure that if you wanted to hire one you would have to pay up front , so it’s no biggie is it!

Let’s not start a ‘I was today years old when I learnt thread’.

I know the trick!!!

I dont think a middle aged wobbly rider should do it!!!

Never mind free, you'd have to pay me to ride on one of those again. I thought I was being environmental and trendy getting one across London from work to the station. Cost twice as much as a bus, and the saddle was so uncomfortable - I am fairly ample of arse but this managed to find the bony bit and dig right in.

Yes they're expensive, my eyes have been opened this evening. OH laughed at me!!

He told me they're not free, but this is what the teenagers do......

I'm in Sydney. They are EVERYWHERE. There doesn't seem to be any rules where you can leave them - or if there are people totally ignore them.
I'm so sick of walking around them. I hate them with a passion.

Maybe it's a city thing and we live in the middle of nowhere. What is a lime bike.

do you get charged per mile? I have no idea how they work!

On -street hire bikes. Like the original London Boris bikes (that were actually first suggested by Ken Livingstone, not Boris, but hey ho), but they don't have specific docking stations, they are just left anywhere and everywhere.

They are electric assisted with a big battery on the frame, and apparently there is a specific type of broken leg recognised in A&Es cause by the battery part crushing the leg if you fall off.

How does leaving them
anywhere tie up with them getting charged?

I think you basically log in and log out with your phone and it figures out how much to charge you.
Edit: sorry did you mean being charged up with power? They have a tag or something that says where they are and a maintenance person drives around to change the batteries.

Aha, I have realised Im talking about the wrong bike!!!

They are Santander bikes Im talking about, not free but dirt cheap

I actually did call them Boris bikes earlier as thats what they'll always be

I think it's by time spent on it.

Blimey no wonder they're so expensive

I've thought about using one but I am only five foot tall and they seem massive to me.

@likelysuspect Santander bikes (Boris Bikes) have to be returned to a dock.
Lime bikes, Forest Bikes and various other companies you don't have to dock. You can leave anywhere.
Not all London boroughs allow them though and apparently they will stop working if you attempt to ride over a "forbidden" border. I assume the same concept happens in towns that have the schemes - you can't just ride off forever with one.

Thanks @Needmorelego! I’d love a go on one in London. But then I’d have to ride a bike in London.

I thought about going around one of the parks.
I would be going no where near an actual road 😂

I had to google it as well as we don't have them round here.

I also live somewhere far too small to have anything like this; but to be fair, it would make perfect sense to me for them to be free in big cities.

As long as you can track and protect them to make sure they don't get stolen or vandalised, free-use (council-funded) public bikes would represent excellent wise joined-up thinking in not only reducing traffic congestion and pollution, but also promoting a healthier lifestyle for residents across the city.

This is exactly why I don’t understand the purpose of these bikes or why they are so popular.
Wherever you are going in London, you can get there cheaper and more comfortably on a bus or tube. So why do people want these zesty uncomfortable expensive bikes?!

Yes thats what I envisaged, the dock, I got muddled and thought the Lime Bikes were these, but this is what I meant when I refered to them and made OH laugh.