I never want to drive a car in Montreal ever again.
Montreal is a wonderful biking city. Bixi bike is a great way to see all of it. Clearly marked bike lanes and protected paths mean that you can ride without NYC bike paranoia. All drivers keep plenty of distance from you. The bixi bike is really the perfect system for the perfect city. I wonder why I haven't used this system before. But now that I've found it. It's the only way I would get around in the summer.
Rules to remember.
$5 CAD for 24 hours
$100 deposit
Redock every 30 minutes to avoid extra charges.
Wait 2 minutes between redocking and taking the bike out.
You may take out the same bike. Just wait the 2 min
You'll get your deposit back but it may take up to 10 business days.
With a station every 2-3 blocks. You'll never run out of bixi stations to do a quick swap. All the stations are within any destination you choose so just dock your bike and do whatever you need to do.
The bikes themselves are easy to ride. I have a carbon race bike but i didn't feel held back by these heavy bixis. You have 3 easy gears to choose from. They have the twist shifters.
Brakes are the only thing I can complain about. You have to brake earlier than usual but you get used to it. Some level of competence on a bike is useful.