In late 2017, several V-Bike dockless bike share bicycles appeared on Carter Street opposite the commuter rail station in downtown Waltham, Massachusetts. Soon the bicycles were gone from Carter Street, but one sat in front of a house on Pearl Street for several months. I noticed it repeatedly as I rode between my home and downtown Waltham.
Abandoned V-Bike, August 26, 2018
After the bicycle had sat unused for months, the rechargeable battery of its lock would be dead, so the bicycle couldn’t be unlocked and the company couldn’t find it with GPS. I checked with neighbors and brought the bicycle home expecting that I could help the company recover it. I e-mailed the company — which replied that I could keep the bicycle or throw it out. V-Bikes had pulled its business out of the Boston area and had no way to retrieve this bicycle. So, I actually came to own this bicycle legit. I removed the lock. That was laughably easy, and did not involve breaking anything. I tried the bicycle out.
Observations: The headlight worked fine, powered by the generator which also served to charge the battery, but the taillight apparently was powered by a solar cell and never lit up. Fenders were vestigial. The bicycle weighed 50 pounds with the cast aluminum wheels and thick aluminum tubing, and had a bumpy ride with airless tires, but those were minor issues compared with the way-high handlebars, non-adjustable low saddle and single, very high gear. Unlike other bike-share bicycles which I have tried, this one was almost unridable.
Non-adjustable saddle, solar-powered taillight on vestigial rear fender.
The bicycle had some interesting features: a single front fork blade on the left, and single chainstay on the right, enclosing a shaft drive; no seatstay.
Chainstay enclosing driveshaft
Front and rear brakes were band brakes — see article on sheldonbrown.com for a description. A band brake should not be used on a front wheel due to its self-actuation, which can cause it to lock up. The degree of self-actuation is highly sensitive to the friction between brake band and brake drum, which can increase due to rust.
Front wheel of V Bike with band brake
A twist grip on the handlebar usually operates a shifter, but this one rang a bell.
V Bike handlebars with bell
While bike-share bicycles, including this one, use a lot of unconventional parts so they can’t be removed and re-used, this bicycle had conventional quill pedals which could accept toe clips and straps.
The charity organization Bikes Not Bombs was happy to take the bike as a donation — I figured that they could figure out a use for it, modifying it if needed, if anyone could!
All in all, sounds rather useless.
The bike looks alien. I had no idea they mfg something like that for ride share. You find out very quickly why pneumatic tires were revolutionary when invented.
Hi there John. Not all your posts have comments turned on.. So, here’s just a hello. I’m reading your work at Harris Cyclery, and just found you here. I’ve been reading Grant Peterson’s Blog, as well as some Rene Herse.
Crazy but true, a very close friend bought his first Rivendell with settlement money from being hit on his previous not so expensive bike. He’s fastidious about safety, so hitting him was a bad deal for the driver. Long Term he’s ok. But nice bike.
Sorry, we turned off some features of the blog because it was being hit with a denial of service attack. I’m glad thatyour friend is OK — John Allen
Hi.. my friend came out of the accident well. Well enough, but not undamaged, to a period of recovery. I hesitate to talk about trauma. He was good during it, after, and way way after also. Possibly he was not compensated for the length of time, which was unpredicted. For sure I avoid cars. We have canal paths in Jersey. Flat, no cars, no sun, no headwinds, under trees, near historical sights.
Hopefully you are well up in Boston. I’m trying a Shimpagnolo on a Rapid Rise Shimano Derailleur… I have all the parts finally today.. Campy Athena 3×11, the RD-M770, and the little wheel Jtek. Clicking a shifter 11 times was an odd experience for me, who is trapped in 1994. There are words peppered on the internet about the idea. So, why not spend the time>. Very Best.