To Vélo or Not to Vélo

The vélo (bike), is a main source of transportation for many here in Paris, not only for locals but tourists as well. AUP students ride bikes to get to class, meet up with friends at bars, run errands or simply just to take a ride along the river. With a new company in the mix I wanted to ride each privately owned company and see which bike is best.

The three bikes I tested are Lime, Dott, and Voi. To make this test fair I rode each bike from my apartment in the 16th arrondissement to class at 6 Rue du Colonel Combes and back. This route in my opinion is a true test of each bike as there is cobble stone roads, smooth roads, crosswalks, stop lights, and one big hill. The bikes were tested on availability, price, ease of use, basket, and comfort while riding. So without further ado here are my rankings.

Lime

Availability: Through out the week of testing I checked each app to see what bikes were available and where. I found that the company with most availability was Lime. Available in many locations, you can almost always find a lime within a 10 minute walk.

Price: Lime is in the middle when it comes to price, with unlocks starting at one euro the price per minute changes based on where you pick up the bike, for me it is usually between 28 or 30 cents a minute. Making a 15 minute ride cost around €4.75, if you have an UberOne account you are able to rack up points or can get discounts but not always.

Ease of Use: Lime has recently started bringing out their new model of bikes (pictured above) this bike compared to the older model in my opinion has an easier way of changing the seat height, and a better phone holder. As a taller person at five foot nine inches I find the new configuration of having the handle bars at a lower height more challenging for stability.

Basket: I think lime has the best basket in terms of size, they are deep which means they can carry various sizes of bags. But, they are enclosed which means water, and debris can easily get trapped inside making it an area you might not want to put your bag.

Comfort: My biggest issue with limes comfort while riding is the lack of suspension. I will say that the newer models are slightly better but going over curbs on cross walks or cobble stones makes for a pretty sore and bumpy ride.

Overall I would rate Lime 3.5/5

Dott

Like Lime, Dott has also been rolling out newer models of their bikes. To make sure this test stayed true, I rode both the newer and older versions. The newer models seem to have a slightly different frame and a deeper blue color.

Availability: I find that where I live there is always a dott available not far from me. Near school however it can be slightly more challenging to find one, especially one with a basket but I'll touch on that later.

Price: On the higher end for price, Dott also costs one euro for unlocking and price per minute changes based on location, ranging from 30 to 40 cents per minute coming out to €5.47 for a 15 minute ride. Dott however does offer multiple passes to make it roughly €2 per ride and will often have promotions.

Ease of Use: The Dott bikes have always had an easy way of changing the seats, you pull up on the lever, choose your height, and put it back down. This is my prefered way as the lime ones sometimes do not work or are incredibly difficult and painful to adjust. Again as a taller person having the handle bars at a lower height makes me feel unbalanced and can be hard to get used to. I find that the phone holder on the current model is not as good as it only holds from the sides and I feel that securing your phone on the top and bottom is safer.

Basket: My biggest pet-peeve with Dott has been the fact that not all bikes have baskets. As a student I tend to carry a bigger bag that is not easily thrown over my shoulder so having a basket for me is a necessity. The "basket" on the new model isn't much better, I put basket in quotes because as you can see see in the photo above it is more of a shelf with a cord to wrap around your bag. As soon as those cords start to loosen up you can say goodbye to your bag when going over a large bump or cobble stone.

Comfort: In my opinion there isn't much good to say about the comfort of the dott, the suspension is just as bad as the lime and as mentioned above one big bump or cobble stone and your bag is gone. The dott may be good for some but not for me.

I give dott 2/5

Voi

The Voi. bike's bright red frame makes it easy to find from across the street. With a slightly wider frame it has a potential to make it more comfortable while riding.

Availability: Voi. is the new bike available for rent. I have found that as the bikes are being delivered around Paris they don't stay in one place for long. That being said, there are times when there are none around and times when there are many, it all depends on the time of day and the location.

Price: Out of the three Voi. has the best price, there is no unlock free and is always 25 cents per minute making a 15 minute ride €3.50. Like Dott they offer passes to make it even cheaper and so far have one or two promotions running. For students on a budget this makes it the best option for the wallet.

Ease of Use: Like the new versions of Dott and Lime, the seat is easily changeable with the lift of the handle at the base of the seat. While the handlebars are lower they are more even with the seat making the angle better for taller individuals. Voi. also has a good wide phone holder that locks it in at the top and even wirelessly charges your phone while you ride. I will say that the brakes on the Voi. are not as responsive on the other bikes which is good and bad, if you need a harder break you need to use both handles instead of just one on the other bikes.

Basket: While on the smaller side the basket is open which allows for water and debris to freely flow through and not create a mess, for larger bags the edges of the basket seem to help "lock" your bag in place without having to physically tie it down. The basket also seems to be on its own stabilizer which when you first use it can be very trippy when turning but it helps keep the basket level and not bounce around on larger bumps or cobble stones.

Comfort: At the end of the day a bike is a bike and if you stay on it for too long it will not be comfortable, but the thing I like best about the voi. is the suspension. It seems to have a smoother ride over the cobblestone roads making it easier on the back.

Based off price as a student on a budget and the smoother ride I give Voi. 4/5

Honorable-ish? Mention: Velib

Velib gets an honorable mention because while it is a rental bike in Paris, it is not a private company. They are ran by the city of Paris and are not as easy to use for a single ride as the other options. While many locals use them and like them many have also said that they are not always in the best shape, do not work, or force you to buy an expensive pass to ride. So, I did not include them in my rankings but felt they should be mentioned.

Rental bikes are everywhere, each person has their favorite, each person has their horror stories, and each person will go off what is best for them. But this author can say with confidence that I will be continue to bike and choose whichever one is available.