Obike review

you happen to live in Singapore, you may have noticed that there has been a spike of bicycles in the city, some anyhow place at the roadside.. Right now it seems that obike is still giving free rides on weekends which is great! As a female with small physique, I really disliked oBike the first time I tried it. It was horribly heavy, difficult to cycle and then my cycling skills also quite bad. Summore have to pay a SGD49 deposit upon sign up. I thought I would NEVER use oBike again after that.

But I was wrong.. well, my subsequent experience with these bikes actually improved, maybe it was the first unit's fault. I cycled around the Yishun, and the next time I even cycled all the way from Bedok to Marina Bay Sands! It was great fun cycling along East Coast Park, and stopping by the East Coast Park Food Village for some yummy satay, seafood and noodles. Can't imagine how badly the business of bike rentals at ECP will be affected as time goes by as many people are using the cheaper bike sharing alternatives. $0.50/15 minutes ie. $2/hour.. it's really much cheaper than what those shops offer. Plus I can drop it in the middle of the road at any bicycle parking area when I've finished using it. Super convenient!

And recently oBike launched a lighter/smaller version, which is perfect for someone like me!

So if you haven't given it a try, remember to download the app first.

Don't forget to download Ofo app as well. Personally I think Ofo bikes suit me more as they are very light and smaller in size. Plus, no deposit is required! But because of their lax controls in terms of locking and unlocking the bikes, people are just abusing it. It seems flimsier and more prone to damage as well.

A quick comparison from my perspective:

1. Price - Ofo is cheaper (pay per ride - $0.50 per trip), plus no deposit required!

2. Bike stability - oBike is more solid whereas Ofo feels cheaper (just like its price)

3. Availability - much easier to spot an oBike compared to Ofo at the moment

4. App - both apps were fine to me. Obike provides stats on how long you have travelled etc. but so far it seemed inaccurate and figures made no sense at all!

As this service is still in its infant stage in Singapore, I'm keen to see how it develops and whether it would work in the long run. Users should take better care of the bikes and not leave them lying around otherwise it would be damage very quickly and this whole model may not sustain. What do you think, which is your favourite bike?

p/s: I have not tried Mobike as I don't want to pay another $49 deposit..