Mobike is not worth worshipping too early

Recently, a well-known current affairs observation account published an article titled "Every city has a bicycle project, but why is only Mobike popular?" After riding a Mobike for one kilometer, the author Xipo said that it "has real vitality." The article believes that Mobike "successfully cultivated a temperament - cool." Compared with public bicycles, it not only meets the needs of practicality, but also meets the needs of style. It "endows users with a value attribute, such as environmental protection, green, and health." "These are what the current middle class strives to pursue or pretends to pursue."

I believe that many young people in Shanghai, Beijing and other places have already noticed Mobike. The biggest difference between Mobike and most public bicycles is that you don’t need to apply for a card to use it, nor do you need to park it at a fixed location. Instead, you can scan the code and ride away, and park it freely (but you cannot go out of the designated area or enter the community, etc.). There is no doubt that this is an important advantage of Mobike, which has also attracted public attention and attracted some people to try it out.

However, Mobike, a new "sharing economy" and "smart hardware" product, certainly has its own unique creativity and characteristics, but there is no need to worship it too early. Although the above article also left room for maneuver and did not assert that Mobike would definitely succeed, it is obvious that the article is full of praise for Mobike. But is the situation really that simple?

We must admit that Mobike is a bit "cool". Why is it cool? The article said that in front of cars, high-speed trains, electric cars, and balance bikes, bicycles are no longer cool, and have even become a symbol of "old-fashioned", unable to show identity, without technological content, and have become the background sound of life. But, is Mobike the only one that has technological content and is environmentally friendly? The public bicycles that accept credit cards are just slightly less technological than Mobike. In fact, public bicycles in many places can already be used by swiping cards. In Hangzhou, you can pick up a bike by scanning the code with Alipay. If your Sesame Credit score is over 600, you don't need to pay a deposit to rent a bike, and it's free to return it within half an hour.

The author of that article said, "Public bicycles in cities are generally old and worn out, and they squeak when you ride them." This is a complete stereotype and makes no sense. When public bicycles were first put into use, they were all new, and of course they will become old after a period of use. Go and take a look at the new public bicycles put into use in Shangdi, Beijing. Are they brand new? Mobike has just been put into use, and it is indeed not worn out. Wait a year (it claims to last for four years) and then you will see. In addition to being more convenient to return the bike, the coolness of Mobike may be mainly its bright orange color. But no matter how bright the color is, the novelty will not last long. Mobike is not a racing bike, and it does not have any special functions. Riding it occasionally can add some convenience, but who would ride it often to "show off"? Or, by spending one dollar to ride a Mobike for a while, will you become like a middle-class person?

Although the riding experience of Mobike is not "squeaky when riding", it has major shortcomings. Because it uses solid tires, it is very difficult to ride. Some friends reported that Mobike is too heavy. It took a colleague 60 minutes to ride 10 kilometers, and he is a colleague who runs marathons all year round. The reason why Mobike is designed in this way is undoubtedly to reduce the return rate. This is indeed a way to control costs, but it seriously sacrifices the user experience. It is precisely because solid tire bicycles are difficult to ride that they cannot outweigh the advantage of not needing to be inflated, which has prevented solid tire bicycles from becoming mainstream for many years. An article in Huxiu even joked that after experiencing the "Internet celebrity bicycle" Mobike this morning, it seemed that walking was faster. The advantage of the bicycle's agility is gone. Is it still a normal bicycle?

After the launch of Mobike, some situations reported by the media are also worthy of attention. For example, some "upstream buyers" "secretly hide" or lock the bikes, making it difficult for "downstream buyers" to find the bikes. A friend who is an executive of an Internet media believes that with the development of the economic level, the low-end business of large-scale bicycle theft is basically not worth the attention of the losers. Little did they know that last year, the Beijing police launched a special campaign to combat bicycle theft. Mobike, which is mainly used by white-collar workers, is not easy to park illegally, according to Shanghai's "Morning News". Some people even throw the bikes into the river, drive them to the company, and take them home. As for the QR code, in addition to implementing the "tearing and scratching method", some people cruelly use lighters. All these situations make the management of Mobike want to cry without tears. Moreover, the lack of parking piles seems to be convenient for users, but in fact it is very difficult to find a bike. You will know it after trying it.

Some people who are not optimistic about Mobike have pointed out that the shared bike project is popular, but starting a business is not a charity, and they believe that Mobike and its peers may not make money for a long time. In response, Hu Weiwei, the founder of Mobike, retorted, "If no one in this market can see the possibility of making money, why come in and fight to the death?" I'm afraid I can only laugh at her words. Of course, if Mobike can become popular, at least the founder can improve his status in the industry, and this unique project can also obtain financing and obtain user deposits as cash flow. However, the launch of Mobike is obviously not to "satisfy the need for coolness" or for people to be cool or pretend to be middle-class. At least I won't often spend one or a few dollars to ride it to satisfy these needs.

Author Li Qing's phone number and WeChat: 13520508091

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.