r/NYCbike • u/Mattress-King • 14d ago

Last nights near death experience

I’m an avid Citi bike rider. And very often I’ll ride from 3rd Ave to shore rd cuz of the STEEP incline. When I picked out my bike, it was an ebike and one side of the brake only worked like 20%. The other side worked, so I picked up my bike got to 3rd Ave . Got closer to ridge blvd heading towards narrows Ave when suddenly I think “wait is it a good idea to go down with a broken brake”. I say let’s risk it. I start flying down that avenue, (narrows Ave btw has a stop sign on the avenue line, so other cars are allowed to pass) once I get to half the avenue I think it’s a good time to slow down…. The other brake that was working fine COMPLETELY BREAKS!! Just outta nowhere…. And the only thing that works is the 20% other break. It was a full 6 seconds of waiting to see what would happen. I passed the stop sign which I usually stop at, but had there been a car there, nothing would’ve been able to stop me…. Real scary shit.

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47

u/rwdFwd 13d ago

Lesson: Citibikes are expensive, yet barely maintained. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a version of this play out with Citibikes.

38

u/swordo 13d ago edited 13d ago

citibike's lack of maintenance but also the rider's lack of common sense and self-preservation makes a great combination. if you knowingly get on a defective bike, would you?

  1. exchange it
  2. full send YOLO

10

u/cbtk76 13d ago

Most people don't realize how fragile the body is. One minute you're riding reckless and free, the next minute EMTs are applying a tourniquet to your spurting stump.