New Citi Bike Design

[johnmdesigner]

http://gothamist.com/2016/05/23/post_168.php

Looks like mixed reviews.

[eBAUMANN]

Oof. Does not sound good to me...

"Like with any innovation we've learned lessons and are making improvements to durability, but all Citi Bikes on the road are extremely safe—with nearly 28 million rides and no fatalities."

Glad to know they are measuring safety based on the number of FATALITIES. Geez.

[bicycletricycle]

Interesting

[happycampyer]

Wonder if they're made of True Temper tubing... déja-vu all over again.

[johnmdesigner]

Very hard to produce overseas. Having done it many times I've seen many a design unravel.
You need a dedicated factory representative who is paid by your client and who is loyal to you. Producers often cut corners to improve their profit line. By the time the containers arrive in the US it's too late.
I once had to have inspectors do 100% quality control on a project in order to be sure I was getting what I asked for.
Probably easier to produce it in the US and it's a shot in the arm for Detroit Mfg.

[sashae]

FWIW, the new Citibikes DO ride dramatically better -- I can't say one way or the other if they're more durable, but I try to seek out the new ones every time I grab a bike..

[fiamme red]

Very hard to produce overseas. Having done it many times I've seen many a design unravel.
You need a dedicated factory representative who is paid by your client and who is loyal to you. Producers often cut corners to improve their profit line. By the time the containers arrive in the US it's too late.
I once had to have inspectors do 100% quality control on a project in order to be sure I was getting what I asked for.
Probably easier to produce it in the US and it's a shot in the arm for Detroit Mfg.They could have given the contract to Worksman in Queens. But Alta decided that it would be cheaper to make the bikes in China. No disrespect to Ben Serotta, but the people at Worksman know more about building utility bikes that last.

[Louis]

No disrespect to Ben Serotta, but the people at Worksman know more about building utility bikes that last.

Maybe for trikes, but how often do they make bicycles?

[fiamme red]

Maybe for trikes, but how often do they make bicycles?They make bicycles as well, and have been since 1898.

http://www.worksmancycles.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/indbikes.html

But they use thin tubing, so there's no place for a big Citi Bike logo.

[pbarry]

There are thousands/tens of thousands of Worksman bicycles on the job in NYC.

[Louis]

I stand corrected. :)

[bart998]

Back when I wrenched at an LBS we had the contract with a local Air Force base. They were always bringing in trikes they used to get around in the warehouses because the airmen were always riding them off the loading docks. I can't tell you how many new wheels I built for those bikes... The point is if the bike isn't yours, you will do anything to it you want. I doubt Ben designed the bikes with this type of "use" in mind.

[false_Aest]

Very hard to produce overseas. Having done it many times I've seen many a design unravel.
You need a dedicated factory representative who is paid by your client and who is loyal to you. Producers often cut corners to improve their profit line. By the time the containers arrive in the US it's too late.

a-effin-men!

[oldpotatoe]

Back when I wrenched at an LBS we had the contract with a local Air Force base. They were always bringing in trikes they used to get around in the warehouses because the airmen were always riding them off the loading docks. I can't tell you how many new wheels I built for those bikes... The point is if the bike isn't yours, you will do anything to it you want. I doubt Ben designed the bikes with this type of "use" in mind.

Gotta expect the worse possible scenario and use for a rental bike(or car).

[fiamme red]

Probably easier to produce it in the US and it's a shot in the arm for Detroit Mfg.One of the comments on Gothamist:

The new bikes are not "made" in Detroit. They are assembled there (that's why the label on the top of the down tube says "Assembled in the USA"). They are made in China in the same place as the first v2.0 bikes and shipped to Detroit, where the nuts and bolts and other components are put together. It's similar to how Toys R Us might get a made-in-China bicycle shipped to it in a box, and then someone assembles the bike by sticking the wheels on, hooking up the brakes, setting up the shifter, and tightening nuts and bolts. They're not actually making anything in the USA.

[johnmdesigner]

One of the comments on Gothamist:

My apologies.
Hopefully they can work things out.

[johnmdesigner]

I wonder who built the prototypes?