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Manchester Welcomes Mobike Cycle-Sharing Scheme

Expect to see more cycle racks popping up all over Manchester over the coming weeks, as the city has just launched its first cycle-sharing scheme after teaming up with Mobike, the biggest public bike hire operator in China.

These bikes are apparently made to last for four years with no maintenance, with the single-speed transmission tucked away inside the bike to turn the wheels. The tyres are airless so punctures aren’t an issue and the wheels themselves are made from aluminium magnesium alloy so are pretty indestructible, according to Mobike.

Speaking to the Guardian about the new launch, head of international product Richard Huang explained that his team had been warned about the rain issue in Manchester. To combat this perceived problem, bikes were taken to a river in China and the pedals turned in the water so the back wheel spun – to check whether the mudguards in place would block the spray created.

He went on to say that he’s confident the Mobikes won’t be stolen, since all parts are custom designed and only custom tools will be able to dismantle them. An app used to unlock the bikes will track them and they’ve also been fitted with alarms to deter people from breaking the wheel lock.

It’ll be interesting to see if this new cycle scheme is as successful in Manchester as the Santander Cycles scheme is in London. The first quarter of this year saw an increase of 7,141 members to the scheme, with just 70 leaving it. Over six weeks, Waterloo Station saw 174,564 hires and docks made – averaging out at 6,231 hires and docks each weekday!