6 ms·

Same story with their scooters IMO. I would rather walk a block or two and find a Bird than settle for a Lime. On at least one occassion my options were Grab a

by 013a 7y ago

Same story with their scooters IMO. I would rather walk a block or two and find a Bird than settle for a Lime. On at least one occassion my options were Grab a Lime or walk 10 blocks; I walked. Though, I feel like the reasoning is opposite for the scooters; they're absolutely huge vehicles that were clearly built to last in the harsh environments they're deployed in, and in doing so gained a ton of weight and volume. They're slow. The brakes are often so strong that they could cause riders to loose balance from the negative acceleration. They manuver so poorly that I feel unsafe while riding them. The big reason why I love the gen-1 Bird scooters, as unreliable as they are, is because they're so damn nimble, I have zero issues taking super-tight turns and weaves, and often that's necessary in urban environments just to protect yourself from the hazards of broken roads or cars. The newest gen Bird scooters strike a decent balance between being lightweight, fast, and (I assume) durable to the extreme environment.

dkarl 7y ago
I have the opposite experience with the Lime scooters; they're my go-to. I've had a few duds, and of course anything on the street is subject to abuse and vandalism, but it's nice that outside of battery and motor issues, a five second inspection will give you a reliable indicator of how it will ride. All the electronic brakes I tried from any company make a very dangerous assumption that stopping time and distance don't matter as long as you come to a stop gently, so I stopped using scooters without mechanical brakes. The number one thing I appreciate about Lime is that they have gone entirely to mechanical brakes, atl least in my market. Bird scooters are okay, too, but I've relegated them to second choice after having some bad experiences with their speed regulators kicking in really hard (similar to the braking experience you describe, but without any warning, much less any action by the user.) Early on I experienced some inconsistency and frustration with their top speed, as well. Aggression from drivers is more likely to kill me than anything else, so when I set out on a one- or two-mile trip on city streets and realized I couldn't top 13mph, it was scary enough to make me stop and look for a different scooter. Most of all, though, I wonder how much of my brand preferences are entirely the result of randomness.
- marrone12 7y ago
  Same, in LA, I much prefer the Lime scooters to Bird

by 013a 7y ago

dkarl 7y ago

I have the opposite experience with the Lime scooters; they're my go-to. I've had a few duds, and of course anything on the street is subject to abuse and vandalism, but it's nice that outside of battery and motor issues, a five second inspection will give you a reliable indicator of how it will ride. All the electronic brakes I tried from any company make a very dangerous assumption that stopping time and distance don't matter as long as you come to a stop gently, so I stopped using scooters without mechanical brakes. The number one thing I appreciate about Lime is that they have gone entirely to mechanical brakes, atl least in my market. Bird scooters are okay, too, but I've relegated them to second choice after having some bad experiences with their speed regulators kicking in really hard (similar to the braking experience you describe, but without any warning, much less any action by the user.) Early on I experienced some inconsistency and frustration with their top speed, as well. Aggression from drivers is more likely to kill me than anything else, so when I set out on a one- or two-mile trip on city streets and realized I couldn't top 13mph, it was scary enough to make me stop and look for a different scooter. Most of all, though, I wonder how much of my brand preferences are entirely the result of randomness.

marrone12 7y ago
Same, in LA, I much prefer the Lime scooters to Bird