Regaining the Freedom of Dublin on two wheels.

As anyone who knows me will know I have been slightly overexcited about the new Dublin bikes scheme. I moved from Dublin just over 3 years ago and really have missed cycling around the city so I signed up for the scheme at the first available opportunity. Last week I had several meetings scheduled across the city and was really looking forward to trying them out. It was the day after the Luas/Bus crash so my tram in from the Red Cow park and ride was only running as far as Smithfield. Luckily there is a bike station right next to the Luas station there.

So I picked up a bike and was able to complete my journey to Connolly Station on two wheels. The bikes themselves are quite bulky and heavy, there is a largish basket on the front which is handy, it also has some sort of security lock on it that you can thread through the handles of your bags so that no one can snatch it when you're stopped at the lights. The handlebars seemed strangely thin, in fact they surprised me with their thinness every time I got on one. I felt steadier on this bike than my own, possibly due to it's sturdiness and weight, this is not a bike you would want to cycle long distances on but is perfect for short city trips. There are only three gears and they are all pretty easy to pedal in. During my whole day I only felt a need to change down to second one time. This also means that you can't go that fast and you will need to get used to other cyclists overtaking you.

My second journey between Baggot Street and the IFSC was great, usually you would either need to get a bus into town and a Luas out to the IFSC or walk which takes quite a while. I was at the IFSC in about 15 minutes and had plenty of time for coffee before my meeting. It was dark for my return journey, the bikes have built in lights which come on automatically as soon as you pick them up but I did feel that as I was wearing dark clothes my visibility wasn't the best. Next time I'll be sure to remember my fluorescent vest. I was quite chuffed to hear some pedestrians making comment on the bike as I cycled past, apparently they are 'quite cool' I like to think that I looked pretty cool cycling it as well!

My last journey of the day was back to the Luas. The Internet told me that trams were still only running from Smithfield so I cycled up there only to find the bike station full. I checked their computer which gave me another 20 minutes of free cycling time but I must have read it wrong as when I arrived at the next station it too was full. Third time I was lucky and finally managed to get a spot at Jervis Street. Luckily the Internet had been lying and trams were running the full route again so I was able to hop on a Luas almost immediately.

I was pretty happy with the experience and I'll definitely be using them a lot more. There are a few disadvantages that are worth a mention.

1. Bring your own safety equipment. As I mentioned fluorescent vests and cycle helmets aren't provided. It would also be a good idea to bring a quality bike lock if you need to stop your journey at any point. Cycle clips are not required, as I discovered after cycling around with my trousers rolled up for half a day, there is a very good chain guard provided so there is no chance of getting your boot cuts caught up.

2. Check the availability of parking space at your destination before leaving. The bike stations have a display of what spaces are available at what stations across the city. If I hadn't found a space at Jervis centre I could have had to face a cycle back up the very steep hill next to Christchurch so checking where to park in advance of my journey would have been a good idea. The council moves the bikes during the day to ensure maximum availability but by 9.30pm they had obviously stopped this service, there were only two bikes to hire at Wilton Terrace and as I mentioned the stations at my destination were full. If you have an iPhone or similar there is a handy app which allows you to access information whilst on the road. Find it here.

3. One way systems. Bring a city street guide with you so you can make sense of how to get around the one ways. I'm used to navigating the city by foot so I found myself scuppered by one way streets a number of times.

You can buy a one year subscription to Dublin bikes online for €10 or, if you are in Dublin and fancy giving it a go right now you can get a three day subscription for €2. For full information check out the DublinBikes.ie website.