McDonalds Cycle Center

Nice Ride in Minnesota and McDonalds Cycle Center in Chicago

by: Sam Harshman

Today I am writing about two precedents for my thesis project.

The first precedent is Nice Ride in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Nice Ride is a series of unmanned bike stations where people can rent bikes.  To be able to rent a bike a person has to have a subscription.  Subscriptions range from 24-hours to 1 year.  Costs for subscriptions are as follows:

            24-hr                                        $6.00

            30-day                                     $30.00

            1 year                                       $65.00

            Student 1 year                          $55.00

Subscriptions can be purchased using a credit card at a pay station located at each Nice Ride station.  24-hr subscribers will receive a unlock code, while other users will receive an unlock card.  In addition to the subscriptions, users have to pay a trip fee:

            0-30 min                                  No additional fee

            up to 60 min                             $1.50

            up to 90 min                             $4.50

            Each additional half hour           $6.00

Users can return their bikes to any Nice Ride station as long as there is room for it.  If there is no space to return the bike, users can go to the pay station and get an additional 15 minutes for free to ride to another station.  If the users bike needs repair, they just return it to the station and press the red button.  Nice Ride is open 24/7 from April to November.  The stations are removed from the streets during the winter months.

The second precedent is the McDonalds Cycle Center in Chicago, Illinois.  The McDonalds Cycle Center is located in Chicago's Millennium Park.  It offers 300 secured bike parking spaces for commuters.  The center also has rentals available.  The following is the pricing for the different types of bikes:

           

	Hourly	Half Day (4hrs)	Full Day
Cruiser with Gears	$10	$30	$35
Comfort Bike	$12.50	$35	$39
Mountain Bike	$12.50	$35	$39
Fitness Bike	$15	$40	$45
Road Bike	-	$59	$69
High-End Road Bike	-	-	$99
Electric Bike	$20	$49	$59
Tandem	$20	$59	$69
Inline Skates	$10	$30	$35
Kids Bike	$8	$20	$25
Child Seat	-	$5	$10
Kids Tagalong	-	$10	$15
Kids Wagon	-	$20	$25
Hand Cycle	$10	$30	$35

The center also has lockers, showers and a towel service for those who commute to  work.  From Memorial Day to Labor day the center offers guided bicycle tours.  The tours available are as follows:

            The Amazing Lakefront Bike Tour

            Chicago River and Parks Bike Tour

            Presidential Bike Tour

            Friendly Neighborhoods Electric Bike Tour

            Bikes@Nigh Electric Bike Tour

            Amazing Lakefront Segway Tour

            Segways@Sunset Tour

            Early Bird Segway Glide

            Self Guided Bike Rides