Chinese Dockless Bike Share in Chicago? Tight.

While Divvy and its parent company Motivate currently enjoy a tax-payer subsidized monopoly on bike share in Chicago, Chinese bike share/tech giant Spin.pm might take a bite out of the blue beast.

I've written about the Chinese bike share system elsewhere on this blog. So check that out to learn more.

We had a couple Spin.pm bikes come into the shop, so below I'll do a quick run-down on how they're different from the Divvy Dudes, and from regular store-bought bikes.

First thing you might notice: nothing really stand out about this bike. It looks like a normal bike, except with some QR codes and an ad on the seat. But look closer....

Like the Divvy, Spin.pm makes use of a 3-speed Shimano hub. But unlike Divvy, Spin explicitly tells its riders, "No Trampling!" (exclamation point mine) which makes me really want to trample something.

Also, take a look at the rims in each of these shots. If you notice something strange, keep it to yourself until the end, where I'll tell everybody what it is.

For comparison, here's a Divvy at dock:

Neat.

Spin uses the same Shimano dyno-hub to power the front and rear lights, but their wire routing is a little less slick and less tough looking. The lights are add-on parts rather than built into the frame. 

You can see the front end of the Spin is different than the Divvy. Overall, these Spin.pm bikes use far fewer proprietary parts than the Divvy, but the parts are also very cheap and unstylish. Since the bikes are pretty low-cost to ride, I guess Spin figures most theft-inclined individuals won't bother; there isn't much of a resale market for bright orange fenders and upright quill stems. 

I do like that big front basket though. Divvy might want to take that tip. 

Spin uses a dutch-style rear wheel lock to keep the bike from wandering off. A rider can use their own lock to keep someone else from taking their Spin while they're at work. An app on the rider's phone releases the lock and charges by the hour, presumably.

The main way Spin.pm bikes keep from being picked apart is by using freaky Torx fasteners instead of Allen bolts – except on the cranks. But like I said, once there's 30,000 of these guys roaming the streets, theft probably won't be a big deal – and if it is, the sheer volume of bikes will mitigate the occasional loss.


So, have you figured out what's weird about the tires yet????
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No valve stems. These tires are solid rubber, baby. They might ride harshly, but they never go flat. 1880's technology making a comeback!

UPDATE: The deal fell through. I don't know the deets, but these little orange guys won't be rolling down Chicago's street. 

In other bikeshare news, Lime Scooters are making a go for Chicago (without much luck) and Jump e-bikes just finished a trial run in Chicago. So, this report is ongoing.