Divvy bike-share bicycles were on display at yesterday’s Bike the Drive post-ride festival in Grant Park, giving the public its first peek at the blue bikes which just arrived in town on Saturday. I took a spin around the block with Scott Kubly, deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Transportation. This was my first time riding a bike manufactured by the BIXI company. They’re available in Toronto (where Anne Alt reviewed her experience), Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Montreal, and Boston. The bikes are good-looking, sturdy, and comfortable. They weigh about 45 pounds, which is 20 pounds less than my daily Dutch cargo cycle.

Registration for annual memberships opens this week. The cost for unlimited 30-minute trips is $75 per year or $7 a day. Founding memberships, which will include perks-to-be-named-later, will be $125. Divvy staff were giving away $10 off coupons for the annual pass. Let us know how you plan to use Divvy in the comments section – the most interesting response will win a coupon.

Here’s a tip for local bicycle shop owners: start advertising bikes you sell with similar features as the Divvy cycles. These bikes are very user-friendly since they’re equipped with all the necessary accessories for urban riding: lights, fenders, chain guard, and gears and brakes located within the hubs. Bike-share systems have been shown to influence their members to start using their own bikes more, or to buy a bike if they don’t already own one. After using Divvy, people will be coming to your shop looking to purchase a similar ride.