My first journey

[BorisKeymaster]

Well I made it to work in once piece and in a knick of time! Trafalgar Sq to Shoreditch in 27m10s. I had figured it should take me less than 30 minutes so I would not need to pay any extra. Boy was it close. It’s been at least 10 years since I rode a bike and my fitness is pretty rubbish so with some effort I hope to improve my times in the coming weeks.

How was your first journey? Please share your experiences.

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[davidq100Participant]

I also made it in to work (eventually) on day 1 of the scheme. Vauxhall Cross to Holborn. Only one bike left in the dock this morning by 8:25am. I suspect it will be a popular spot due to its proximity to Vauxhall Rail/Tube/Bus stations. Hope they increase capacity.

The journey itself was great – nice trundle along the river past the Eye and Boris doing his press conference on the green next to it. Much nicer than the tube. A little daunting going over Waterloo Bridge, but was in plenty of company with other (non-hire) cyclists. Btw there’s a slightly out-of-the-way dock underneath Waterloo Bridge that was full of bikes for those looking for availability near Waterloo Station.

Eventually arrived at my ‘target’ dock in Southampton Place after about 20 mins cycling. And then it all went a bit wrong. Turned out it was one of the only docks in Central London that is not switched-on. My first “couldn’t dock” drama! Wasn’t able to use the console to find an alternative either, so had to go roaming! Eventually found one by Russell Square tube, 2 mins over the 30. That’ll be a £1 ‘fine’ for a 1st day school boy error.

Key lesson learned – study the dock locations before setting-off and have a plan B if the target dock is not available for some reason.

[BorisKeymaster]

Nice work David. Shame about the dock not working. The dock I finished at on Shoreditch High St had some TFL people handing out bike information so I had a chat. They showed me how to print my journey using the docking station terminal. Just stick your key in it and press the journey details button then select the journey button that corresponds to the one you just made.  Pretty amazing technology.

I just found on the TFL site some information Cycle Hire helpers:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/16410.aspx

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[davidq100Participant]

Thanks for the intel – was wondering how you got that print-out. Next-up = download an iPhone app with the docking locations. There’s a few already on app store, but a TFL one with dock availability would be handy … surely it’s on the cards/

[JulienParticipant]

Hi,

First journey to work for me too by bike, first journey ever on the “right” side of the road. Made it in 29 min this morning and 41 min this evening (Wind + got lost).

My journey start at the Trebovir Road, Earl’s Court docking station and ends at Hinde Street, Marylebone. It was really nice this morning with the beautiful weather. Part of my journey goes thru Hide Park.

There was plenty of bikes where I picked the bike up and plenty where I brought it back (and some free slots luckily). Tonight there was no free slot at Hinde Street but loads at Trebovir road. I had plenty of comments along the route, people saying it was the first Boris Bike they saw and it seemed like everybody was looking at me. On my way back home I had a chat with a cab driver at a red light. He asked me what would happen if I had a puncture. I told him that this was special tires and it was unlikely to happened but that you had then to bring the bike back to a docking station and signal it as defective. I then told him that you may want, in this case, to hell a black cab and put your bike in to bring it to the next station. He told me it should not be a problem but before that I would have to load it and we joked about the weight of the bike. Obviously the black cabs look this new scheme with interest but he told me they are not too worried.

The bike is what you could expect from its description, it feels very solid, the Basket with the elastic cord is very convenient and my bag (packed with my laptop) did not move at all during the journey. The bike is good on flats feels heavy on climbs and the 3 speeds are limited especially on slopes. Saddle is comfy but need to be adjusted to the right height before taking the bike out (every minute is precious). 

I find it very difficult to follow a route while in the traffic. And with so many one-way I made a lot of detour. Even studying carefully the map sometime when I spot the street I have to take, it’s too late. I need to get use to it. It’s also strange how it is a reflex to start my journey on the right side but straight away realise I have to be on the left and then not have to think about it at all.

Riding in Hide Park: http://tweetphoto.com/35721681

[JulienParticipant]

Correct link for the picture: http://tweetphoto.com/35721681

[newmoParticipant]

The first of a series of journeys yesterday resulted in me going over my thirty minutes – the Tower Bridge docking station simply didn’t exist (well the assistants at the next nearest one didn’t know about it) despite being on the map they sent.

Many great moments though and really enjoyed the day. I write about it here http://erik-fuller.blogspot.com/2010/07/barclays-cycle-scheme-needs-bit-of-puff.html

[bizzywhizzyParticipant]

The map on the leaflet shows all 400 stations – as there are only about 320 – theres 80 phantom stations.

[Author]

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