BleeperBikes: Ireland’s First Station-Free Bike Sharing Service

We’ve already dived into why BleeperBikes are different to Dublin Bikes, but we wanted to go further and see if they are any good. We sent Martin out to brave the streets of Dublin to review BleeperBikes.

What are BleeperBikes?

BleeperBikes are shared bikes, now available in South Dublin with plans to hit the city in the new year. Unlike Dublin Bikes, BleeperBikes can be parked at any bike stand and don’t require a dedicated station. You can locate the nearest bike to your location using their app and you’ll pay €1 per hour when you have the bike.

What are the bikes like?

I’m more of a car guy, but I’ll admit that these bikes are cool. People were actually turning their heads to look at the bikes because they look unique – either that or my arse was out. The bikes tick almost every box you could hope for:

Security lock

Well, this is the main talking point really isn’t it. Scan the QR code on the bike with your smartphone and the bike unlocks. That’s bloody cool. Beyond that, you have a flexible and secure chord that locks the bike up.

Comfort

The saddle is a nice mix of soft and firm and the seat can be adjusted to a suitable height for you. The bike itself feels incredibly solid and sturdy across a variety of terrains.

Safety

There are no helmets for any of these bike shares, so hopefully, the likes of these paper helmets get an outlet sooner rather than later. The brakes are responsive and the bikes are well lit up with reflectors and lights.

On-board storage

This is the only let down. There’s no basket on the bikes. Instead, there’s a weird area that I could only imagine my bag falling from before knocking me off my bike.

Other features

BleeperBikes also come with a three-speed grip shift gear selector and a bell on your left-hand side.

What’s the service like?

I could have no complaints from my first run with my BleeperBike. It’s early days, so sometimes you’re bound to be a bit annoyed to find someone swiped your bike, but that’s the nature of the beast. The app works really well and provides accurate data on how you can find a bike.

If I was to dig deeper for a criticism, I did leave the bike, locked properly, but still got a notification I didn’t and couldn’t close the app. I could only resolve this by going back to the bike. I’m pretty sure this was my own fault for not reading something properly.

Are BleeperBikes good value?

The long-term best value is to go and buy a bike, especially if you can make use of the Bike to Work Scheme. If you don’t plan to cycle more than 25 times a year, BleeperBikes will likely work out better than Dublin Bikes. Anything more than that, especially if you’ll be enjoying short cycles, Dublin Bikes will probably work out cheaper for you.

Either way, you can sign up to BleeperBikes and get your first ride free. Sure you wouldn’t get that kind of deal in Coppers.

Bonus: Video review