2000 Citi Bike Miles Later: I Pass On All My Pro Tips for NYC’s Ride-Share

Over my time in New York City, I have logged nearly 2000 Citi Bike miles.

I’ve done so across many years, many apartments, in many boroughs, from the Bronx to Bushwick to the Lower East Side.

Everywhere I’ve gone and lived, I’ve used Citi Bike as my main form of transportation.

It’s my favorite way to get around New York City.

Yet, I understand the frustrations too. I know what it’s like to have no docks available, for the brakes to be busted, to get an unexpected charge.

Over the years, I’ve figured out how to overcome the frustrations and get the absolute most out of it. For example, thanks to the Bike Angels program, I often ride for free.

In this article, I share all of my Citi Bike pro tips.

Of course, this will be New York-specific. However, much of this will apply to bike-share systems in general, as many of them, naturally, will share features.

Tourist vs Local: I’m Writing for New York City Residents

If you’re visiting New York City for a few days, Citi Bike is not a good deal. The 24-hour day pass, which doesn’t include e-bikes, is $25. A 30-minute ride is now $5.44. An ebike costs an additional 41 cents per minute for non-members. That’s crazy.

NYC Visitors, I’m Sorry It Costs So Much. Here’s One Way Around It.

Yearly pass holders can give out five rides per year. So if you have friends in NYC and want to save the $5.44 charge, ask them to give you a guest ride. But I have other tips for you in my article on how to visit NYC on a budget.

For Those Who Live in NYC, It’s a Great Deal

If you live in New York City, it’s an incredible deal and a hack for reducing your transportation costs to minuscule levels.

A year membership with Lyft Pink All Access is just over $18/month on average. The discrepancy is shocking.

Here’s What I’ll Be Covering:

• What do look for before you get the year pass
• How I ride ebikes for free, always, using Citi Bike’s “Bike Angels” program
• Your own bike vs Citi Bike pros and cons
• Citi Bike year pass vs Lyft Pink All Access
• Tips to use Citi Bike in combination with other transit modes
• Safety tips and how to choose the best bike route

And more. Let’s jump in.

Some Quick Context on Citi Bike

Citi Bike is New York City’s bike share system. A bike share allows you to pick up and drop off bikes at any of the over 1,500 stations.

It’s owned and operated by Lyft (which comes into play as I’ll talk about later). The program includes classic pedal bikes and electric bikes.

I first moved to New York City in 2019. Since then, the system has rapidly expanded. It now covers all of Manhattan and many parts of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and even parts of New Jersey. With its ever-growing reach and frequent upgrades, Citi Bike has become a critical piece of transportation infrastructure.

And it keeps expanding. This summer, Citi Bike broke its record with 170k rides in one day.

The Membership Options: Lyft Pink All Access vs Citi Bike Membership

This is one of the most confusing things about Citi Bike, and Lyft doesn’t exactly make it easy to figure out.

Get Lyft Pink All Access, not the standard Citi Bike annual membership. You get the same bike access for less money, plus extra perks.

But let me break it down properly, because there are a few things worth understanding.

The Three Options (and the One You Can Ignore)

This is where people get tripped up. There are actually three membership options:

• Citi Bike Annual Membership — $239/year ($20/month)
• Lyft Pink — a Lyft subscription that includes 12 free bike rides per year. This is for rideshare users. Ignore this one and don’t get it on accident
• Lyft Pink All Access — $199/year ($16.58/month). This one includes unlimited classic bike rides, just like the Citi Bike annual pass.

Do not confuse Lyft Pink with Lyft Pink All Access. Lyft Pink alone is basically useless for someone who wants to ride Citi Bike regularly. The one you want is Lyft Pink All Access.

Head-to-Head Comparison

	Citi Bike Annual	Lyft Pink All Access
Price	$220/year	$199/year
Unlimited classic bike rides	✓	✓
Discounted e-bike rate	✓ (27¢/min)	✓ (27¢/min)
Bike Angels program access	✓	✓
Use Citi Bike app	✓	✓
Bike shares in other cities	NYC/NJ only	Chicago, SF, and more
Lyft ride discounts	✗	✓
Priority Lyft pickups	✗	✓

(Prices as of early 2026 — always double-check the current rate before purchasing.

When I visited a friend in Oakland, California, I even got to ride those bike for free with my Lyft Pink All Access membership. So, get that one.

Why Is Lyft Pink All Access Cheaper Than the Citi Bike Pass?

This is a fair question, and I’ve thought about it. I think Lyft is betting that once you have a Lyft Pink All Access membership, you’ll feel more inclined to use Lyft for rideshare, too. That occasional rideshare is worth more to Lyft than the $21 price difference. I do find myself using Lyft, in part because I have Bike Angel points to burn, so I guess it’s working for them.

But you don’t have to use Lyft rideshare at all. You can get Lyft Pink All Access purely for the bike access and come out ahead either way.

There’s genuinely no reason to choose the Citi Bike annual pass over Lyft Pink All Access unless the pricing changes. Lyft Pink All Access is cheaper, includes everything the annual pass does, and throws in extra perks on top.

If you’re a New York City resident who bikes regularly, Lyft Pink All Access is the move.

Before Getting The Year Pass, Check Your Nearest Stations and Availability

So we’ve established that the year of Lyft Pink All Access is the best deal. However, it won’t work for everyone, depending on where you live. I’ve used it in many different places where I both lived or was staying mid-long term. The quality of Citi Bike varies depending on where you are, of course.

For example, when I first moved to New York, I lived in an NYU dorm in Greenwich Village. There was a Citi Bike dock literally on the corner of my block. I couldn’t believe how convenient it was. When I moved to the Lower East Side (which at the time didn’t have as many docks as it does now), I had to walk a solid three blocks to get to a bike.

At this point, all of Manhattan is filled with Citi Bike docks. But if you live out in the boroughs, check two things:

1. Whether you have a dock close by to and from your commuting destinations
2. Whether those docks usually have bikes available and empty docks

The first one is obvious. The second one isn’t as obvious, but equally important. For example, if you work in Midtown Manhattan or the Financial District, you won’t be the first to have complained about Citi Bike’s lack of bike supply during commuting hours.

Wwhen the office crowd leaves Midtown, they take nearly all the bikes with them. Sometimes, there are no bikes available in a ten-block radius. This can be extremely frustrating for commuters. So if this is you, either plan ahead to beat the rush, or get your own bike instead of using Citi Bike.

On the flip side, when I commuted from the Lower East Side to NYU (Greenwich Village) on Citi Bike, I had to check ahead of time where there were docks available.

Many of the docks around Washington Square Park are almost always full. Fortunately, just planning my dock ahead of time and seeing where there were at least three parking spaces before I left solved this issue. It did mean that sometimes I had to dock further away.

For Most People, It’s a Reliable Network

This is why more and more people are using it each year. Their network is also expanding fast. To Citi Bike’s credit, they’re trying to solve the office commuter problem and keep adding more bikes to Midtown and FiDi, but then more and more people keep using the system.

It’s showing that when we have better bike infrastructure, more people bike, which is a good problem to have. They still have to fix it, though.

Once You’ve Figured This Out, Buy A Year Pass

If you know the bikes are nearby and available for where you want to go, then just get the year pass. It has saved me so much time and money, and I’ve come to really enjoy riding.

(Don’t buy it just yet, though. Keep reading because there are two different options for a Citi Bike year pass.)

Is Citi Bike Worth It? It is For Me. Here’s Why.

We’ve talked about the memberships, now let’s get into the biking itself.

I Save Lots of Time

In New York, I’ve found there are so many trips that are a bit too far for walking, but close enough that it’s annoying to take the subway. The bus often fulfills the role of this, but many buses in New York only run 20 minutes and are slower than biking.

The Citi Bike is perfect for these trips. In the boroughs, it’s even more useful, because frankly, public transit outside of Manhattan is just not very good, unless you’re going to Manhattan.

I Citi Bike to get groceries, to go to my weekly writing workshop, and even just to go to events around my area of the Bronx. All of this saves me so much time that I would otherwise spend walking or waiting for a bus to show up.

This alone is worth the cost of the year pass.

I Save Money on Subway, Bus, and Ride-Share Trips

The year pass pays for itself fast. When I go to Harlem, instead of taking the bus, I bike. When I go to events on the Upper East Side, I bike instead of taking the train.

Each time I save $3, and this adds up. The savings are even more extreme for the ride-share trips I never take.

I only take transit now when it’s beyond the point where I can’t get there in a 20-25-minute bike ride. (Because at that point it’s a workout, not just a quick casual bike ride.)

This brings me to my next point, though.

Zone 2 Cardio

Even when the distance is longer, sometimes I take the Citi Bike and replace some of my cardio. If I have somewhere to go in Midtown on a nice day, I’ll choose to Citi Bike through Central Park instead of taking the train. It’s a boost for my mental as well as my physical health.

I’ve found Citi Biking to perfectly put me in the “Zone 2 cardio” range — the heart rate zone shown to be crucial for overall health and longevity, yet it’s below the point where you’re huffing and puffing.

It also saves me even more time because I don’t have to spend 30 minutes doing slower-paced cardio that I know is good for my health. Instead, I’ll just bike longer distances when the opportunity presents itself.

So even when it’s further, sometimes I’ll still take a Citi Bike.

Classic Bikes vs E-Bikes

You “kids these days” won’t remember the glory years when there were no ebikes. And the first ones, weren’t great. They weren’t the thick white ones that zip around now. Back in those days, the Citi Bikes barely went to the outer boroughs, let alone had an electric option.

The classic bikes are heavy, but if you’re not in a rush, they’re perfectly fine. And hey, it’s exercise.

That said, the e-bikes have gotten a lot better, and there are a few things worth knowing about how the pricing works before you assume they’re out of reach.

E-Bike Pricing: What Members Actually Pay

Even with an annual membership, e-bike rides cost extra. The per-minute rate adds up faster than you’d expect. However, there is a $5.44 cap on e-bike trips of 45 minutes or less that start or end in Manhattan, so if you’re using an e-bike for a typical commute, you’re not going to get hit with some surprise $15 charge. For a reasonable trip, it’s a manageable add-on to your membership.

Members also don’t pay an unlock fee. Non-members do, so the whole thing gets expensive fast.

Non-Members Are Getting Gouged

I’ll just say it. If you’re a tourist or a casual rider without a membership, e-bikes are eye-wateringly expensive. The unlock fee alone stings, and then the per-minute charges of 41 cents per minute stack on top. It’s not a great deal. Stick to the classic bikes if you don’t have a membership, unless you don’t mind spending.

My Default Is Still the Classic Bike

For regular riding, I stick to the classics. Between the Bike Angels program (which I’ll get into shortly) letting me ride e-bikes for free when I actually want one, and the fact that the classic bikes are fine for most trips, I rarely feel the need to pay for an e-bike out of pocket.

If you want to commute by e-bike every day with a membership, the Manhattan cap makes it a workable deal. Just don’t go in blind thinking it’s included for free.

Citi Bike vs Your Own Bike

I prefer Citi Bike for a few reasons. However, there are also situations when you should get your own bike.

In sum, Citi Bike is better for shorter trips and great for casual riders. If you’re a serious bike commuter, get your own bike.

Commute Distance: Citi Bike is Great for 3 Miles or Less

If you’re commuting over three miles every day, you’re going to want your own bike. The classic Citi Bikes are heavy and relatively slow. There’s no doubt your own bike will be lighter and faster.

Citi Bikes do have gears. The old ones were a three-speed. The current ones shift gradually and are better. However, the gears are limited and the bikes are heavy. So if you’re going over bridges or hills… it’s going to be a quad burner.

So if you have a commute on the longer side, just get your own bike.

I ride a Citi Bike more than three miles all the time. I just wouldn’t want to do it every day in both directions.

Bike Availability

Obviously if you don’t have adequate Citi Bike service near you, then you’ll need your own bike. But you should also consider some of what I talked about earlier. For example, if you work in Midtown and get off at 5pm, getting a bike is often impossible. If this is you, I recommend getting your own bike.

Conveniences of the Citi Bike

But I prefer the Citi Bike for my purposes for several reasons.

First, I don’t have to worry about locking my bike up, getting it stolen, or things like flat tires. Those are just things I don’t want taking up my brain space. If there’s an issue with a Citi Bike, I can grab another one. A flat tire is Lyft’s problem, not mine.

Second, I love that I can bike one way, and take transit back. Citi Bike is great for one-way trips. If I’m headed to Midtown, I can have a nice bike ride through Central Park, and then take the train back.

Your own bike might cost less. Of course, it depends on what bike you get, what lock you get, and if you have to spend money (and time) on maintenance. Personally, I prefer the yearly price, all else equal.

There’s really no right answer. I’ve looked into buying my own bike, because I enjoy longer rides and also then I can ride with my girlfriend more without her buying a membership. In that case, I’d still use Citi Bike on my day-to-day because of the convenience.

Citi Bike Safety Tips

Next I want to talk about safety, because there are lot of places in NYC that are treacherous to bike and steps you can take to make it safer.

Know Your Streets and Ride on Protected Bike Lanes

The #1 way to stay safe on a bike is to choose to ride on streets where you’re separate from car traffic. Cars are giant death machines. Riding with them in traffic means you’re relying on them to pay attention and pass you with care.

The solution to this is to, wherever possible, ride on protected bike lanes so cars never have to go around you and you never have to swerve around them.

Fortunately, New York continues to build safer and safer bike lanes.

Most likely, your neighborhood will have a few main roads with great bike lanes. Ride on those even if it’s a less direct path. For example, in the South Bronx, I know to never bike on Third Avenue, and instead to go a few avenues over to Willis Avenue, because Willis Ave has a two-way protected bike lane.

Downtown, I know that if I’m going across town, I’ll go on 12th or 13th Street (depending on which direction I’m going), because I know they have a protected bike lane.

Spend a few minutes looking up the nearest protected bike lanes for your typical routes. And vote for local politicians who want to make biking safer and put more of these in.

Check Your Bike’s Brakes, Gears, and Bell Before Your Ride

This is a small and easy thing to do. Always check your brakes when you grab a Citi Bike. Sometimes they’ll be worn down and you can feel it right away. Put it back and grab a different one.

I also have a habit of checking the gears and the bell on the left side too. Without the bell, you won’t have an easy way to alert people to your presence.

These exist for a reason, so make sure your bike has all of these and that they’re all working as they should.

As a Default, Use the Classic Bikes

In 2023 in New York City, 30 people died riding a bike. 23 of them were on an ebike. Put simply, ebikes are more dangerous. They go faster. They’re harder to control.

This is one more reason why I use the classic Citi Bikes. It’s easier to brake and harder to lose control. I do occasionally ride an ebike, and I’ll talk about that more below.

But as a default, I would stick to the classic bikes.

Watch Out for Potholes, Closed Bike Lanes, and Cars in Bike Lanes

Finally, stay alert for potholes, closed bike lanes, and the most annoying… cars parked in bike lanes.

Complain about this to your local politicians. Get photos. Unfortunately, the NYPD, who are supposed to keep us safe, are often the biggest offenders. When you have to go into traffic, be extra careful.

Wear a Helmet!

Last year, my dad suffered a life-altering traumatic brain injury while cycling in Vermont. His helmet saved his life. After that, I bought a helmet.

It’s easy to carry in my backpack when I go out.

Wearing helmets also sets a good example for kids around your neighborhood, and it could save your life. Just go buy a helmet. Mine cost $50.

Stop at Red Lights and Follow Rules

I know, I know, so many people run yellows and reds on bikes. It’s just not worth the risk. In general, don’t be in a rush on a Citi Bike. If you’re in a rush, you’ll expose yourself to risk. When it’s a more leisurely, unrushed ride, you’ll rarely feel in any type of danger at all, especially when you choose protected bike lanes.

More Citi Bike Pro Tips!

Next, here are a few little tips that I’ve accumulated over the years.

Using The Citi Bike to Get to Express Subway Stations

This is a savvy move, but it saves me lots of time.

I live seven minutes walking to a 6 local train, and 15 minutes walking to a 4-5 express train. If I want to get downtown to Grand Central or Union Square as fast as possible, I can take the Citi Bike (4 minutes biking) to the 4-5 express train.

This is just an example, but the principle is to take the Citi Bike to and from express stops, that way you don’t have to deal with local service and speed up your subway rides.

I can do this on the other end too. Let’s say I’m going to the East Village. In theory, the Astor Place 6 stop is the closest, but I can get off at Union Square and bike.

This is an advantage of Citi Bike that your personal bike doesn’t provide unless you bring your bike on the train (a headache for you and the people around you.)

Get the Citi Bike Fab. It’s Free.

With your year membership, you can ask Citi Bike to send you a fab that allows you to unlock bikes without going on your phone to do so.

This way, you don’t have to worry about a dead phone keeping you from using Citi Bike. (I’ve been there, and that was the wake-up call to get the fab. So just get it.)

I also prefer to use the fab. Taking out my phone, going to the app, and scanning the QR code takes longer, and I don’t love taking my phone out on NYC streets. Sometimes the QR codes get vandalized too. With the fab, you’re all set.

Making The Most of Citi Bike eBikes

I don’t use them often. But I use them in a few scenarios.

Longer joy rides through parks. For example, I’ve taken an ebike across the Randall’s Island Connector from the Bronx to Astoria, Queens, saving a disastrously long subway ride that would require going into Manhattan and then back out. Since it was through Randall’s Island, there were no cars, so it felt safe. I also take ebikes sometimes if I’m going to Midtown and want to ride through Central Park. (Again, no car traffic, so it’s much safer.)

When I’ve just had enough. I’ll admit, sometimes, I’m just done. My thighs are burning. It’s hot outside. I want to get home. I’ll occasionally just grab the ebike. But when I do, I’ll bike extra carefully.

How I Get All My eBike Rides for Free

Even with a year pass, you still have to pay (in theory) to use ebikes. For non-members, it’s 41 cents per minute. For year pass holders, it’s 27 cents per minute. Updated in 2026.

I only use my Bike Angel points for them, so I don’t pay. I’ll talk about this more next because if you have a year pass, there’s no reason to ever pay for an ebike.

Bike Angels Program: What It Is, and How You Can Get Free Credits

This year, Citi Bike’s Bike Angels program hit mainstream news when the New York Times did a piece on a group of guys who scammed the system to get $6000 per month worth of Lyft gift cards.

First of all, don’t do that. They might ruin what’s really a great program. But definitely participate in the program. You’ll likely get some free stuff with limited (or zero) effort.

How the Bike Angels Program Works

The idea behind the Bike Angels program encourages riders to bring bikes from docks that are close to full to docks that are close to empty. That way, more people have bikes and docks available where and when they want them. It provides a better Citi Bike experience for everyone.

Lyft benefits greatly from this because it reduces the need for staff to manually rebalance bikes.

For them, it’s better to give out gift cards and memberships than to pay staff.

By distributing bikes, you earn points, and you can redeem these points for various perks.

• 10 points: 10-minute ebike credit
• 10 points: $2.00 Lyft credit
• 20 points: 1-week membership extension (up to four per month, so you can get a free membership forever for 80 points per month)
• 100 points: $10 E-gift card
• 300 points: $50 E-gift card
• 1000 points: $150 E-gift card

There’s no “best” way to go about the Bike Angels program. So I’m going to give a few suggestions based on my experience and from what I’ve heard from others.

But there’s no downside to using it, so sign up, and you may just earn points passively.

Different Approaches To Get The Most Bike Angels Points With the Least Effort

Sign Up for It and Earn Points Without Trying

I found out about the program after about a year of using Citi Bike. By not signing up I’d lost out on so much free stuff!

So even if you don’t plan to redistribute bikes, you’ll likely earn points without even trying, because sometimes when you ride, you’ll just happen to go to and from somewhere that earns you points.

Use It, and Check It, But Don’t Let It Consume You

This is the approach I take. I use Bike Angels points all the time. In fact, I’ll even decide where to dock my bike depending on the points. That’s because often, I can earn points by choosing one station over another, even if they’re the same distance from my final destination.

Or, I can earn a lot of points by walking an extra block or two in the end. Usually, I’m not in a rush, so it’s no big deal and I’m happy to get the extra steps in.

However, don’t let it control you, because it can be addictive.

I’m a sucker for well-designed addictive games. The Duolingo streak feature has me stuck doing that thing every damn day.

If you find yourself running from dock to dock just to earn 50 cents worth of ebike credits maybe it’s time to reevaluate if this is a good use of your time and energy.

Bike Angels can be gamified to the point that I was adding stress to my life. Don’t let this happen to you.

Spend a Few Hours Getting Hundreds of Points by Taking Advantage of the Multiplier

I have a friend who loves ebikes, but he doesn’t love paying for them. So he spends a few hours once or twice a year and just goes around collecting the maximum amount of points possible. This works especially well thanks to the multipliers available.

If you do a few point-earning rides in a row within a certain span, you’ll get 2x points. If you take three more positive rides in 24 hours, you’ll get 3x points. Then you can reset your 3x point timer by taking four more rides.

This means that with the 3x point multiplier, you can earn up to 12 points in a single ride! Actually, you can earn 24 points, 12 for the pick-up and 12 for the drop-off. With ten of these rides, going back and forth between stations of need versus abundance, you can earn a lot of points very quickly.

If you stash away a few hundred points, that’ll last you a long time for things like ebike riding.

How to Best Use Bike Angel Points

Again, there’s no best way. If you like riding ebikes, and would regardless of whether you had the points, then Bike Angel points are money in your pocket. penny per penny, ebike rides are the best value.

If you don’t ride ebikes and don’t plan to, obviously, don’t do that. Same for the Lyft credit.

I’ve used a combination of several. If you like Citi Bike and you know you’re going to use it next year, then for 80 points a month you can have basically a free membership. That’s because you can use 20 points on a one-week membership extension, putting off your renewal date indefinitely.

I occasionally like to ebike, and every now and then (like with a group of friends) I’ll call a rideshare. So I do use points here too.

My general philosophy is that if I want something, I spend points on it.

Use The Points When You Need Them

What’s also nice is you can keep them stashed in the bank and redeem them when you need them. So if I’m about to call a Lyft and spend actual money, first I’ll use my Bike Angel points and get it for as cheap as possible, which often means free because I’ve got lots of points stashed away.

There’s no downside to saving points in your bank. Bike Angels points don’t expire.

Why I Root for Citi Bike (and Why You Should Too)

More options to live car-free are crucial for our future world. In the 20th century, the United States built highways through our cities and insisted on spread-out, single-family homes that were the antithesis of vibrant, walkable city life.

Taking back cities for people instead of cars is crucial for…

• Our housing crisis. When people live without a car, it encourages the building of more dense housing. This is crucial to help us address our massive housing shortage, which keeps housing costs high.
• Health. Those who walk, bike, and take transit as statistically healthier than those who drive, even after controlling for other factors. This goes for physical and mental health.
• Lower emissions. Living car-free is one of the top individual actions we can take to limit our carbon footprint. We need to reduce the amount of cars on the roads not only for climate change but also for asthma rates in cities, which are highest around highways and other wide roads.
• Land-use. By prioritizing bikes and pedestrians over cars, we can free up more space for green spaces, housing, and other uses. Cars, from the wide roads to parking, waste an insane amount of city space. This will indirectly reduce emissions by encouraging the preservation of green space. Less concrete = more green space.
• Finances. Both for ourselves and society, we spend an exorbitant amount on cars. Bikes cost us and society less.
• It’s fun! I’ve found that Citi Bike has “shrunk” the city for me. Things that are 25 minutes away walking are just 10 minutes on a Citi Bike. This has allowed me to explore more and more, and improved transportation has been shown to provide huge benefits, from economic benefits to overall quality of life.

Of course, Citi Bike alone won’t cause this shift. However, Citi Bike is an accessible option for anyone that can invite people to go more places without a car.

With more Citi Bike riders, there are more people ready to advocate for safer roads. Ultimately, it’s a piece of the puzzle of fighting for cleaner, safer, more lively cities.

Okay, enough of my philosophical ponderings. For more, you can read this article on the hidden costs of car-dependency.

Let Me Know How Your Citi Bike Adventures Go

Cycling is my favorite way to get around New York City. I get sunlight and movement, and it’s often the fastest way for so many routes. Citi Bike makes it easy and convenient. For the year pass, it’s a great price.

The program has its issues, but its success speaks for itself.

So, I encourage you to check it out, and don’t be intimidated.

And if you have any questions that I didn’t answer in this article, shoot me an email. That’s helpful for me because I want this article to be a living, breathing resource, so I may update it with your question.