I rented the Bixi, and was off on a bike within minutes.. I didn't have to read the agreement, I just clicked ok.. printed the ticket (my memory isn't that good), and was off..

Nothing could be easier, more intuitive, or more simple.. It just works. I'm impressed.. Except it cost us $15 to rent three bikes where a cab would have cost $10.. however, it was FUN!!

I hope Toronto gets these as well..

If the station is full, you have to swipe your credit card again, and then you get 15 minutes extra and supposedly instructions to nearby stations that aren't full. That last feature might not work yet, but is advertised on the Bixi website.

What's the point of using teh system if you are going to end up 3 kilometers away from where you wanted to be? and how are you supposed to know where the other stations are?

I hope this isn't going to be another hair brain scheme that was put into affect without someone thinking about this stuff.

Admittedly, this will not be a problem for the bulk of users, since when most most people are renting, spaces will be free. But it's another impediment to people depending on this as a regular way to get around.

I think the issue may be start-up cost: those stands look expensive. But I'm guessing that adding extra slots will be something that's looked at in the coming years.

So maybe they can install a breathalyzer on the check-out machine? I'm not sure I want the usual stumble-home set to easily obtain extra KPHs for their trips home. They're trouble enough without the wheels.

If the information on the Bixi website is not correct and up-to-date, you can’t plan a trip. Without my iPhone, I wouldn’t even have known the locations of the “nearby” stations. Bixi is nice, but you shouldn’t want to use it to go to a destination, like the Jean Talon market, or a cinema downtown or things like that. The bike/stand ratio is just not good, there should be three times more parking spaces than bikes. On the Bixi website they talk about 300 bikes and 300 station. Most stations don't even have 10 places, so when nobody uses a bixi, like at night, all bikes should be parked and everybody should be put them very spread out over the network. Ain't gonna happen.

And those instructions: 50 pages of legalese interspersed with instructions is just a big riot. Quebec user interface designers are either terrible, or those things are designed by the son of the director who is studying graphic design at a Cegep and so is very qualified. The same goes for the STM Opus terminals.

I took out bikes three times today. Twice strangers on the street stopped to ask me how to work it, like I was the expert (a joke in itself). The third time a colleague in a cafe pumped me for info on how it works.

I think it's a bit of a fad right now. I don't know that the Bixi system will be quite as popular after the novelty wears off, but I suppose you can say that about just about everything.

I'll likely never use it again. At 6'4" these bikes are just too small for me, even with the seat post fully extended. My knees were sore after using it. And they're heavy beasts, with fat tires. Also, it's been so long since I rode a three-speed I forgot how nice it was to have 21.

What if you want to rent a Bixi but don't own a credit card? What if you're 16 to 18 years old and can't have a credit card?