Rental bike from Boulder B-Cycle

Downtown Boulder just got a whole lot cooler, in my estimation!

Bike rental stations are prevalent in Europe, and I have long wished to walk up to the kiosk, swipe my credit card, and roll away on a bike to explore the back streets and alleys of Paris, Midnight in Paris style. However, I don’t have a special chip on my credit card which European card readers rely on, so the dream of riding a bike while on vacation has been just that, a dream.

All that changed with my last trip to Boulder, Colorado. Launched in May 2011, Boulder now features the Boulder B-Cycle, a community non-profit bike share program. And boy is it easy to use.

The nearest Boulder B-cycle bike stand was right across the street from my hotel at 13th and Spruce, and the control panel on the kiosk accepted my credit card swipe for a 24 hour membership. You can also sign up online before you arrive, and the system offers 24-hour ($5), 7-day ($15) and annual memberships ($50). Priced to encourage many small trips, the first 60 minutes are free. After that, usage fees are added.

Day 1 I rode the bike down 13th to the Boulder Creek Path and along the path to Eben G. Fine Park, and dropped the bike back off at the same kiosk. Day 2, after picking up coffee from Atlas Purveyors on Pearl Street, I checked out a bike from the rack across the street and rode to my class at 11th and Pearl and returned the bike to the station across from the Kitchen Cafe. Very easy and convenient.

B-cycles are popping up in many urban cities, including Des Moines, San Antonio and Chicago. Feeling like a local just became a whole lot easier!