Citi Bike Pop Quiz: How Well Do You Know NYC’s Bike Share Program?

by Sarah Grossbart | June 23, 2023

What a wild ride the last 10 years have been. 

Weeks before the launch of the Citi Bike bike share program on May 27, 2013, with hundreds of stations across Manhattan and Brooklyn, 5,000 eager cyclists signed on as founding members, filling every available slot in just 30 hours.

In the decade since, New Yorkers have kept it moving, continuing to whoosh past milestones, and even celebrating the 100 millionth trip in July 2020. To mark the 10th anniversary, we’re recognizing both the journey and the many, many destinations NYC-area residents and visitors have reached on those instantly recognizable blue bikes.

Want to test your knowledge of the bike share program? Give this quick quiz a spin.

A woman adjusts her Citi Bike seat at the dock

1. What’s the number-one busiest Citi Bike station in NYC?

A. Wythe Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn

B. West Street and Chambers Street in Manhattan

C. West 21st Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan

ANSWER: C

Steps from a grocery store, several workout studios and the F line, West 21st and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan is currently the most happening station, with a total of 149,464 trips from May 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023. A close second is West Street and Chambers Street; the Battery Park City station saw a total of 135,768 trips during this same period. Meanwhile, within this time frame, some 73,002 riders have docked at Wythe Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue, making it Brooklyn’s most-frequented spot.

A couple on a Citi Bike bicycle ride stops for a picnic

2. How many minutes does the average Citi Bike ride last in New York?

A. 5

B. 9

C. 13

ANSWER: C

New Yorkers may have a reputation for walking fast, but even the most powerful pedalers aren’t getting crosstown in a New York minute. Still, the average 13-minute ride clocks in well under the allotted 30 minutes for a single ride.

A man rides his Citi Bike ebike along a path

3. In 2013, New Yorkers pedaling stationary Citi Bike bicycles helped power which of these things?

A. Parade float

B. New Year’s Eve ball drop

C. Union Square metronome clock

 

ANSWER: B

Rather than spend all day freezing in Times Square, savvy cyclists participated in the holiday tradition by hopping on one of six stationary bikes set up at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue. Each two-minute session helped generate the required 50,000 watts the city’s energy grid needed to drop the famed ball.

A woman enjoys a brisk Citi Bike ride

4. The New York City area is home to how many Citi Bike bicycles in total?

A. 100,000

B. 70,000

C. 25,000

ANSWER: C

Twenty-five thousand bikes are spread among 1,500 stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Jersey City and Hoboken. That’s approximately 1.6 million less than the number of people that pack themselves into the borough of Manhattan alone.

A closeup of a woman pedaling a Citi Bike bicycle

5. Bike Angels complete what important task?

A. Delivering newspapers

B. Helping new members sign up for the Citi Bike program

C. Transporting bikes from crowded stations to emptier docks

ANSWER: C

The answer to your transportation prayers, Bike Angels are one of the reasons you’re able to easily find a Citi Bike bicycle at your go-to station and a spot to dock when you reach the office. They, in turn, earn points that can be redeemed for cool swag. So, basically, it’s a two-way street.

A man pauses while on a Citi Bike bicycle ride

6. The record for the most Citi Bike rides in one week is a whopping 631,314. This took place in which month in 2021?

A. July

B. May

C. September

ANSWER: B

As the pandemic waned, New Yorkers swapped the quarantine for sunny springtime skies, taking to the streets in May 2021. On Friday, May 14, riders broke the previous single day ridership record only to blow past it once again the very next day.

A man puts his backpack in his basket sets off on a Citi Bike ride

7. Citi Bike ebikes can reach what speed?

A. 10 mph

B. 14 mph

C. 18 mph

ANSWER: C

Hitting up to 18 mph, Citi Bike custom pedal-assist ebikes help riders shave precious minutes off their daily commute and outpace anyone sitting in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.
 

A woman rides a Citi Bike bicycle down a cobblestone street

8. What does the term “everesting” mean? 

A. Riding a bike up and down a hill until you’ve covered the distance of Mt. Everest

B. Completing multiple loops around the entirety of Manhattan

C. Biking to the top of Brooklyn’s Battle Hill

ANSWER: A

Not for the casual cyclist, the "everesting” practice gained traction among bikers prepping for races with high elevation by slogging up and down steep terrain. New Yorker Don Wilcox took the idea and, well, rode with it, biking up and down Central Park’s Great Hill 315 times.
 

A man about to set off on his Citi Bike bicycle

9. Which of these New Yorkers has been recognized as a top Citi Bike rider?

A. Dog walker who logged 12,596 trips

B. University professor who logged 13,201 trips

C. Chef who logged 12,234 trips

ANSWER: A

Though he started riding in the spring of 2014, it wasn’t until he joined Citi Bike’s Bike Angels a few years later that East Village resident Joe Miller really got into the spirit. In his quest to become a top point earner, he averaged 43 rides per day.
 

 

A woman adjusts the seat of her Citi Bike ebike

10. On average, how many Citi Bike bicycles were unlocked from a dock each day in 2022?

A. 80,000

B. 30,000

C. 55,000

ANSWER: A

The city that never sleeps also never stops moving. A blue bike is unlocked from a waiting dock some 80,000 times a day — more than 55 times each minute.

If you got 8 to 10 correct…

Congrats, you’re a whiz on wheels! We bet you know all the best stations and you’d never ever be a dock blocker. Ride on.
 

If you got 4 to 7 correct…

A bit middle-of-the-road, but no sweat. Every journey has to start somewhere, and you know what they say about riding a bike… it’s like riding a bike.

If you got 0 to 3 correct…

While it may feel as though you’re spinning your wheels, there’s no reason you can’t get into the groove. We predict smoother streets ahead.

Citi Bike New York City Eco-Friendly
Sarah Grossbart

is a writer and editor covering pop culture and lifestyle. She is the deputy editor at E! Online and has previously been a senior editor at Us Weekly. She has also written for Real Simple, Buy Side from WSJ, HGTV Magazine, Glamour, ElleDecor.com, Airbnb Magazine and Woman's Day.

The content reflects the view of the author of the article and does not necessarily reflect the views of Citi or its employees, and we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented in the article.