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100 Mile Biki Ride
10/11/2018Biki is intended for quick trips around town. With the average member ride being just over 20 minutes, riders typically use bikeshare to commute to work, run errands and travel to appointments. We've learned, however, that some residents push the envelop and get creative with the use of their memberships. One of these individuals is Ina Chang, Free Spirit Member, mother of 3, and recent finisher of the Honolulu Century Ride....on a Biki!
The Honolulu Century Ride, hosted annually by the Hawaii Bicycling League, is the largest cycling event in Hawaii, attracting thousands of riders from around the world. Those who participate in the full 100-mile course ride from Kapiolani Park to Swanzy Beach Park in Kaaawa and back. According to Daniel Alexander of HBL, most cyclists take between 6 and 10 hours to complete the course.
Therefore, Ina opted for the Free Spirit Plan membership which provides a bank of 300-minutes or 5 hours of riding time for $20. And, she made sure to sign up for the auto-reload feature to avoid overage fees and score a bonus 30 minutes once her first bank depleted. Ina clocked approximately 8 hours of riding time (not including time for breaks and bubble tea), successfully finishing the ride in slippers, a sarong, a make-shift water bottle holder and, of course, her Biki Pass.
Although we definitely do not recommend our members attempt similar feats on Biki bikes, we were excited to sit down with Ina, learn more about her 100 mile Biki adventure and share a little bit about her story.
Q & A with Ina Chang
What made you decide to ride a Biki in the Honolulu Century Ride?
Cycling can be very hard-core and competitive; I want to bring some fun into biking especially in an iconic event such as the Honolulu Century Ride! I love how Biki is transforming Honolulu to a bike-friendly city. With more bike lanes created within Honolulu, it has also increased bike safety awareness.
By using Biki for the 100-mile Century Ride, I wanted to realize the possibility of seeing Biki in all parts of the island (also showing my kids their mom is pretty tough in completing the ride)!
Stay hydrated! Zip-ties and a plastic cup made for one creative water-bottle holder.
Was it what you expected? How did the bike handle it?
The ride was much smoother than I had expected! I had prepared my bike pants and sneakers to change, but I didn’t experience any saddle burns or sore arch. So I got to keep my sarong and rubber slippers the whole ride through! The best thing about Biki is that I didn’t have to worry about a flat tire! It was a very enjoyable ride.
Any memorable moments from the ride?
Biki was like a magnet; people gravitated towards me during the ride. There were riders giving me their “ganbatte”; riders who were inspired to do Century Ride on Biki next year; and riders complimenting my improvised water bottle holder!
There was even a rider asking me if my Biki is battery powered (in which my response was, “no, it would’ve been cheating to complete the 100-mile with an electric bike!”). I think this experience reminded me of why I started biking; biking really brings people together.
What's it like riding 100 miles? Have you been cycling for a long time?
I did my first 100-mile Century Ride in 2017 with my road bike. I remember the adrenaline rush with 2,000 other riders on that day. It was the same excitement this year, but with a completely different mind-set; I wanted to have fun riding Biki this year! I visited Coffee or Tea while in Kailua, and Tea Home in Kaneohe to get my bubble drink fix!
I am so fortunate to have been introduced to cycling by my dear friend Tony Tsang in November 2016, and made so many friends for life. Hitoshi Sasaki (who came up with the idea of completing Century Ride with a BIKI!) and Jeff Huang who ride longer distance with me on Saturdays; and the Sunday Tantalus Warriors Charles Dang, Tom Weber, Lex Smith, Rudy De Vre, Susan Gall, Mark Berthold, Owen Lee and David Wu!
How long have you been a Biki member?
I’ve been a Biki member since November 2017 when Lori McCarney did a presentation to the Chinese Chamber in which I’m a board member.
How do you use Biki/ where do you ride (when not Century riding)?
My logic of getting a Biki membership (even though I have a road bike and a hybrid bike) is to have the flexibility to reach a certain destination when a car is not an option. My office is downtown, and I am also a busy mom of three active children. So riding a Biki makes perfect sense to my meetings in Kakaako, or grabbing something last minute from Foodland Ala Moana while BBQing at the Magic Island.
Why do you use Biki/what do you like about Biki?
I like Biki’s user-friendliness and its comfy seat! I especially like the App; it allows you to find any Biki station right away.
Have an interesting Biki story you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email info@bikesharehawaii.org.
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