Boulder B-cycle FAQs

Boulder B-cycle is Boulder's nonprofit bike-sharing program. B-cycles are ready to ride whenever you want them, making it easy to pedal to lunch, carry food home from the market, add a one-way bike trip to your commute, and show friends around town. Pick up a bike at any B-station, and return it to any station when you’re done. See system access and membership prices at http://boulder.bcycle.com/pricing.aspx.

Bikes are perfect for the short trips we all need to take, and B-cycles are always waiting and ready for both round-trip and one-way rides. Bike-sharing systems help relieve road and parking congestion, minimize pollution and carbon emissions, enhance personal mobility, make public transit more convenient, and promote health and wellness.

Bike sharing provides Boulderites and visitors to the city with a large fleet of bicycles that are always well-maintained and ready to ride. This form of transportation is available at a low cost because each bike is shared by many people every day. B-cycles are available when you need them and gone when you don’t, and they are a perfect compliment to your feet, your car, your bus stop, and even your personal bicycle!

The first phase of Boulder B-cycle is focused on our downtown corridor, and the system intends to spread south, north, and east in 2012 and beyond. As a nonprofit, Boulder B-cycle will invest its net proceeds in continual expansion of the system, until B-stations can be found throughout Boulder, including the CU campus.

Imagine a bike that is always ready to ride, where and when you want to ride it. The tires are always inflated, the chain is never rusty, and your pants will never get a grease smudge. The bike has a basket to carry your goods, and front and rear lights that are internally powered. It fits people of all sizes, and best of all, it’s there when you need it, and gone when you don’t. That’s a B-cycle. And it’s powered by the ultimate alternative fuel: You!

Boulder B-cycle relies on the integration of hardware and software to keep track of members and bikes, and all the interactions between users and bikes. Proprietary GPS and RFID technologies are employed to make the system smart and simple for users. All your ride data, such as distance, duration, calories burned, and carbon offset, will be captured and uploaded to your personal page at boulderbcycle.com.

Vandalism and theft have not been a significant problem in other American cities. The bikes are secured in docks when parked at a B-station. Our system uses GPS technology to track the bikes and we use RFID technology to make sure we know which user has which bike at all times.

Bike sharing is already a major success in dozens of European and Asian cities, and is rapidly being adopted in North America. Montreal was first in 2009; Denver, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Miami launched pioneering programs in 2010. In 2011, bike-sharing programs popped up all over, including Boulder, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, San Antonio, Louisville, Des Moines, Chattanooga, Nashville, Honolulu, Madison, Omaha, Toronto, and Ottawa. Dozens more cities, including New York, L.A., and Chicago, are planning to launch bike-sharing systems in 2013 and beyond.

B-connected is an exclusive B-cycle feature that enables annual members from B-cycle cities to use B-cycles in all cities that have joined program. Currently available in Boulder, Denver, and Madison, check "How do I check out B-cycles in other cities using my Boulder B-cycle annual membership?" in the Using Boulder B-cycle FAQs category for details!

Boulder B-cycle requires that all accounts be associated with a credit card, or a debit card that does not require a PIN for use.

Boulder B-cycle is for everyone: residents, students, workers and visitors. Annual membership is Boulder B-cycle's best value, although 7-day and 24-hour access is also available. All access passes entitle users to an unlimited number of trips during their access period, and the first 60 minutes of every ride are free. Please see our current prices and access passes on our Rates page.

Boulder B-cycle does provide a $40 discounted rate on annual memberships for students and active military personnel. Students must sign up with a valid .edu email address, and we request that military personnel send a photograph or scanned copy of a valid military ID to info@boulderbcycle.com.

Because we're a bike-share system, not a bike-rental business, Boulder B-cycle charges a usage fee for rides that exceed 60 minutes. See the Boulder B-cycle Rates section of this website for details. We encourage folks who'd like to have a bike for the day, or explore Boulder's roads or trails by bike, to visit one of our town's great bike shops for a rental bike.

Access periods begin the first time a bike is checked out after purchasing a pass or annual membership, and expire at the end of the access period (24 hours, 7 days, or one year from the moment you check out your first Boulder B-cycle).

To purchase Boulder B-cycle access or annual membership as a gift for someone else, contact Customer Service at 303-532-4412. After processing payment for the pass, we will provide you with a promotion code that the gift recipient can use to register online at no cost. Your gift recipient will be required to enter their credit card information to cover potential Usage or Other Fees. 

A B-card is a plastic card distributed to Boulder B-cycle annual members. The cards contain an RFID chip uniquely associated with each member’s account. When the B-card is presented at a B-cycle dock, the B-cycle system is queried to confirm that the member is in good standing and to associate the member with the bicycle they are checking out. When a bicycle is returned, the B-cycle system updates the member’s account.

B-cards are issued to all annual members. B-cards are sent in the mail following online registration.

24-hour access, 7-day access, and annual membership fees are charged when registration occurs.

Usage fees, if any, are charged monthly for annual members, and 24 hours after the end of the access period for 24-hour and 7-day passes.

Yes! Plus, if you purchased your 24-hour access online or have a 7-day access pass, you can even apply the cost of these passes toward your annual membership. Log in to your account at boulderbcycle.com and select "upgrade." In order to be eligible for this upgrade option, you must upgrade within one week of your initial access period's expiration.

Annual members also have the option of automatically renewing their annual memberships by selecting Auto-Renewal in the Account Preferences section of their personal B-cycle account.

Personal web pages remain “live” for three years after the lapse of membership. 

Call Customer Service at 303-532-4412 immediately so that we can suspend the card and prevent anyone else from using your card to gain access to a bicycle for which you are financially responsible.

A replacement card will be provided for a $5 fee.

While waiting for your replacement B-card to arrive, you can check out bikes by presenting the credit card associated with your membership account at B-cycle station kiosks. 

Please call Boulder B-cycle at 303-532-4412 or use our Contact Us form to discuss the charge.

Access and annual membership fees are non-refundable, but if you wish to suspend your account to prevent any new usage fees, call Customer Service at 303-532-4412 or use our Contact Us form to write.

B-cards are designed to be used only at B-cycle docks; they will not function in the credit card reader at B-station kiosks. In order to check out bikes using a B-card, touch the silver disc mounted on top of each dock, and then momentarily place your B-card on top of this silver disc to check out the bike in that dock.

If you experience difficulty using your B-card, please call Customer Service at 303-532-4412 or use our Contact Us form to troubleshoot the cause of the problem.

When registering, users can choose whether they want to receive text notifications about overdue bikes, charges, and membership expiration. If you purchased your pass online, you may change that preference at any time by logging into your personal B-cycle web page and managing your account settings. Please call Customer Service at 303-532-4412 or use our Contact Us form if you don't recall your Boulder B-cycle username.

Annual members and users who purchased 24-hour or 7-day access online can change their credit card information by logging into their personal B-cycle web page and managing their account settings. Please call us at 303-532-4412 or use our Contact Us form to write if you don't recall your Boulder B-cycle username.

Return a damaged bike to a B-station, if possible, or if that is not possible, securely lock it and contact Customer Service at 303-532-4412. Do not ride a bike with damage that affects its safety features.

Users are financially liable for damages to bikes while they have the bike checked out.

Contact Customer Service at 303-532-4412. There is a $10 charge for a lost key. 

According to the User Agreement each user accepts, users are liable for a $1,200 fee for bicycles lost or stolen during the time a user has the bike checked out.

Your access or annual membership period begins the first time you check out a bike.

Detailed trip information is available in the personal user account of every B-cycle user who registered online. Users must log in to view information such information as the date and duration of each trip, the stations where the bikes were checked out and returned, the distance pedaled, the usage fee (if any), the associated calories burned, and carbon offset.

B-cycles are equipped with an internal GPS device that tracks the bike’s trips, uploading this information each time the bike is docked. Once this trip data is uploaded to the B-cycle database, algorithms estimate of the number of calories burned and carbon emissions avoided (as compared to the use of an average automobile for the same trip). If there are technical errors with the GPS data collection or transfer, an estimate will be used instead.

When signing up online, only one access pass or annual membership can be associated with a credit card. When purchasing 24-hour access at a kiosk, up to four one-day access passes can be associated with a credit card, but the same card must be presented each time a bike is checked out during the access period.

While it's legal to ride a bike without a helmet, Boulder B-cycle strongly recommends wearing a helmet whenever you're on a bike. You can purchase a helmet at any of Boulder's great bike shops, and helmets are available for rent at University Bicycles (at 9th and Pearl), Full Cycle (at 18th and Pearl) and Bicycle Village (at 28th & Pearl).

We do not provide helmets, but encourage riders to wear their own. All of Boulder's great bike shops sell a variety of helmets, and University Bicycles (at 9th and Pearl), Full Cycle (at 18th and Pearl), and Bicycle Village (28th & Pearl) offer rental helmets for our out-of-town guests. 

There is no wait period required between B-cycle returns and checkouts. However, Boulder B-cycle reserves the right to impose a rule that requires a short waiting period between returning a bike and checking out another, if it becomes necessary.

B-connected is a B-cycle exclusive feature that gives annual members access to other B-cycle cities that have joined the program. In order for Boulder B-cycle annual members to activate B-connected in Denver or Madison, use the credit card with which you purchased your Boulder B-cycle membership and choose "No" when asked if you would like to purchase 24-hour system access at a B-station in the guest city. Follow the screen prompts to activate B-connected. This feauture is free, although please note that free trip periods and usage fees from the system where you ride apply to all B-cycle trips there.

Each B-cycle is equipped with a cable lock, which lies coiled in the bike's basket. In order to secure the bike away from a B-station, insert the end of this lock into the hole underneath the right-pedal side of the basket. This action will cause a black plastic circle (marked with a "B") on the side of the basket to turn, allowing you to remove the cable lock's key. Take this key with you and use it to unlock the bike when you return. The key will remain in the lock after unlocking the bike.

Boulder B-cycle riders must be at least 18 years old, or 16 years of age with a valid U.S. Driver's License.

Bikes may be checked out  from 5 am to midnight, seven days a week. Bikes may be returned 24 hours a day. We maintain standard office hours on weekdays, and retain an Answering Service for after-hours calls.

The system may from time to time be temporarily closed due to bad weather and other circumstances.

We are open year-round, but we reserve the right to temporarily close the system if bad weather or road conditions might impact rider safety or negatively affect the bike sharing equipment.

Bikes can be returned any time, regardless of whether the system is open or closed. 

Flat tires on a B-cycle occur infrequently. Please return a bike with a flat tire to the nearest B-station. If that is impossible, you must properly secure the bike with the built-in cable lock and contact Customer Service at 303-532-4412.

If there has been an injury, please dial 911 first. If you are qualified to administer first aid and there is a need, please help out to the limit of your abilities. If appropriate, contact the police, as well. As in any accident, exchange information with any other affected party and collect contact information from witnesses. Contact Customer Service (303-532-4412) at the earliest appropriate time.

If you have a bike you wish to return, but there are no available docks at a station, you must locate a station with available docks and return the bike there. The kiosk located at each station will provide real-time information about which nearby stations have available docks. Maps are located at each station to help locate other nearby stations.

The kiosks at full stations will also add 15 free minutes to your ride so that you can take the bike to an open station without financial penalty. To take advantage of this feature, you will have to slide the credit card associated with your membership at the kiosk. Just follow the touch screen prompts.

The boulderbcycle.com website and B-cycle mobile apps for iPhone and Android provide real-time information about the status of Boulder B-cycle docks and bikes. You may also call Boulder B-cycle Customer Service at 303-532-4412.

The boulderbcycle.com website and B-cycle mobile apps for iPhone and Android provide real-time information about the status of Boulder B-cycle docks and bikes. You may also call Boulder B-cycle Customer Service at 303-532-4412.

B-cycle does not allow users to reserve a bike.

Boulder B-cycle recommends you rent a bike from a bike-rental store if you wish to keep a bike all day or longer.  B-cycle is a bike-sharing system designed to promote the constant use and turnover of bikes for short journeys. B-cycle system operators will seek to recover bikes that have not been returned after a specified period of time, and bikes not returned within a three-day limit will be considered lost and members will be liable for a replacement fee.

System maps are displayed at all B-stations. The Boulder B-cycle website and associated mobile applications also provide a map of all B-stations. 

To make the kiosk sign-up process as simple and quick as possible, only 24-hour access is available at the kiosks.

A B-cycle dock beeps when a bike has been unlocked or when the bike has been returned.

When the bike is unlocked, the dock beeps continuously until the bike is removed (or 30 seconds, whichever comes first). If you do not remove the bike before the beep ends, return to the kiosk and present your credit card to access your existing membership.

When a bike is returned and properly inserted into the dock, the dock will beep three times very quickly, and the green light will flash three times.

If the red “X” on the dock is illuminated, there is a problem with either the bike or the dock itself. Try a different dock!

If the orange “bad card” sign is illuminated, please call Customer Service at 303-532-4412 to resolve an issue with you membership or card.