Would you rather lease/subscribe to a bike than own it?

[Darius_Jedburgh]

This has got to be some form of market survey, or maybe another GCSE project like the portable bike stand rubbish.

No way am I clicking on a link from a new member in their first post.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Stuff and nonsense even for this old lady. I buy a bike that fits me, I modify it - or pay to have it modified - to my own preferences and specifications, then I spend a very few pounds a year on a puncture kit, a spare tube and some lubricant - end of. What if you're off the bike for a month? An 'owned' bike will cost nothing - and will still be ready to ride immediately the month is up - but the leased bike still has to be paid for, even when you can't ride it.
I can totally understand hiring a bike for a short period of time on a purely temporary basis - such as when one is away on one's hols and hasn't, for whatever reason, taken the bike - but having one on a monthly or annual lease arrangement makes no sense at all to me, sorry - unless it's a lease-to-buy subsidised thing like the C2W scheme.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

This has got to be some form of market survey, or maybe another GCSE project like the portable bike stand rubbish.

No way am I clicking on a link from a new member in their first post.

Calling the work of a 14 year old student rubbish?

Well done.

Sometimes I wonder where this forum is going

I've used the link and it's fine for anyone concerned

 

[raleighnut]

"That I don't have to pedal, but can use only a throttle to use the electric aid"

Not on British roads you won't.

Both of mine (well one of em is Maz's) can do that

I think e-bikes are excellent and I shall be getting one myself when I can no longer manage the hills. But if ever they allow you use the motor without pedalling then they will instantly lose my support.

Mine were built by me before the regulations changed* outlawing new bikes with 'throttle only' controls, they have no sensors or handlebar mounted 'assist level doobries' although both have the wiring needed to fit them. Speed is 'governed' by the 3 phase controller only allowing the wheel to spin under power up to a certain RPM and both are fully legal 250w systems.
Note I did fit the brake levers with 'power cutoff' for safety

Both have been extremely reliable in use for 9 years and nearly 8 years respectively which was the reason for having the simplest system possible

* Regulations changed in 2016 I believe.

https://www.cycleassociation.uk/e-bikes/regulations/

Oops 2015 actually but ours were built before that and the reg change only applies to bikes/kits sold or fitted after that date

 

[DRM]

No I wouldn’t consider leasing a bike, it’s the answer to a problem no one has.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

(Non native English speaker) Mod's Note:
Please keep on topic, cheers.
Yes, the thread is a survey - it being in the research and questionnaire forum
Yes, comments on grammar are frowned upon by CC rulz, please desist

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Ho Hum. Pretty dreadful survey.

 

[keithmac]

"That I don't have to pedal, but can use only a throttle to use the electric aid"

Not on British roads you won't.

Yep, you can't supply a new ebike with throttle, has been outlawed since 2016 in UK I believe?.

As a legal ebiker myself it just puts us all in a bad light imho.

 

[raleighnut]

Yep, you can't supply a new ebike with throttle, has been outlawed since 2016 in UK I believe?.

As a legal ebiker myself it just puts us all in a bad light imho.

not as much as the overpowered bikes or the de-restricted ones though.

 

[Drago]

To answer the thread title...no, never.

 

[Andy in Germany]

So me and a friend that also bicycles everyday just came up with the idea of leasing or subscribing monthly to a bicycle. We imagine all the perks of owning a bike, but without any of the hassle. We know there are a few services offering something like this already.

We would love to know what you think about electric bicycles and a model of owning versus leasing/subscribing? It would mean a lot if you could take a few minutes to answer a few questions we have about this in this google survey we made: https://forms.gle/egkuKqFEpfUtACRT6

Thanks

As others have said, we may not be the best audience for this. Apart from being generally grumpy, many of us like to fix our bikes even when they aren't broken. I tend to personalise any bike I own to death because I see it as an extension of my personality, but I'm a bit strange.

I also don't fit into the questions very well: I commute from one small town to another through a rural area so I was already stumped by the second or third question.

People who don't regularly use bikes may be more interested, though. One advantage may be the option of swapping bikes as the need arises, so a subscriber could ride a folder for the week and then take out a Bakfiets at weekends, while the folder gets checked and cleaned. Would probably work better in a city but you never know.

 

[steveindenmark]

The big problem I can see is that the perfect bike has not been made and so I always change stuff over.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Google threw a (UK) article at me a few days ago about bike leasing and the appeal to non-cycling young people familiar with subscription services.

There's at least one very successful, student orientated service in NL.

I could see (perhaps not initially in the UK) a decent market for high quality, powerful E-bike leases for commuters. Lease, use, upgrade every couple of years.

These are for people who see a bike as a mode of transport and not much else.