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Octimon's avatar
Octimon
Steady Solver
2 years ago

Moral Dilemmas in Bike Angel Land

I often find myself in the following dilemma.  I am moving a bike from one location to another, and the destination is pretty strapped for bikes.  (In fact, sometimes there is a person waiting around for a bike to arrive when I show up.)  The problem is that the bike is in sorry shape (for example, the gearing has a problem, etc.).  I feel bad about flagging a repair issue that will take the bike out of service when bikes are needed; at the same time, repairs are needed.  How do others handle this situation?

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  • Remco's avatar
    Remco
    Bike Angels Team
    2 years ago

    Disclaimer: this is not official guidance

     

    Personally I prefer to be more generous with the wrench button at my start station than at my destination station. If a bike is running badly and I notice right away, I return it immediately and hit that wrench button.

     

    If it just wasn't running very smoothly I will generally let it be, especially if the station is empty, unless I think a bike is not safe to ride.

     

    I also always click the link in the "what was wrong with this bike" email and report the real issue there.

    • Octimon's avatar
      Octimon
      Steady Solver
      2 years ago

      That's good to know.  Minor question: if I return a bike that I just took out from a station that has exit points and then press the wrench button, will the app declare my "streak" to be ended?

  • Remco's avatar
    Remco
    Bike Angels Team
    2 years ago

    A ride where a bike gets returned to the start station gets treated like it neutral ride and won't impact your streak (we added this rule deliberately because we wanted to prevent bad bikes from breaking streaks).

  • topheru's avatar
    topheru
    Casual Commenter
    2 years ago

    I'd just give the other rider a heads up that there's an issue with the bike and let them decide. Sometimes I just really need to get somewhere and, if the issue is manageable, I'll put up with a damaged bike, so I'd appreciate it if an angel gave me that choice.

  • 2WG-4WB's avatar
    2WG-4WB
    Steady Solver
    2 years ago

    If it is in anyway dangerous to ride, I hit the wrench button. If it is just annoying and there are very few bikes available in the area  I leave it in circulation.