Breeze Bike Share #3800

Bicycle Bio

Breeze Bike Share launched in November of 2015 with a fleet of SoBi 3.0s, later supplemented in 2016 with the addition of “e-bike ready” SoBi 4.5s. The service was one of four different SoBi-based “lock-to” bike share systems in the Los Angeles area, including UCLA’s Bruin Bike Share, WeHo (West Hollywood) Pedals, and Beverly Hills Bike Share, all of which operated a mix of SoBi 3.0’s, 3.5’s, and 4.5’s.

All four were operated by bikeshare operator CycleHop (a.k.a HOPR) out of a single warehouse, formally joined as a one-subscription service in 2018 under the moniker “Bike Share Connect.”

#3800, however, is not your ordinary Breeze, nor an ordinary SoBi 3.0. In service since 2015, it was pulled from the fleet two years later to become a demo bike for the system – the only one actually owned by the City of Santa Monica instead of CycleHop, and the reason the Museum has this one today.

As explained by the mechanic who prepared it:

When they decided to do the marketing program, one bike from each system (Breeze, WeHo, Beverly Hills, UCLA) was prepared. The UCLA bike was new, and had never been deployed.

The other three were taken completely apart, cleaned, and put back together with the best parts we had.

As such, #3800 has been spruced up at least once. In the process, it gained something no other Breeze has: A later SoBi 3.5 basket + handlebar assembly from the WeHo/Beverly Hills/UCLA spare parts bin, conveniently available to the CycleHop warehouse mechanics.

Given the elevation changes in the Brentwood and North of Montana neighborhoods covered by the system, the Breeze bikes are also equipped with the Shimano Nexus Inter 8 hub (an SG-C6000-8R) in place of the usual Nexus 3, and matching Nexus-branded roller brakes and Nexus-branded dynamo (the SH-C600-3R-H).

Even on flat terrain, the 8-speed makes a massive difference in the overall experience behind the handlebar. While shared bikes are – by necessity – on the heavy side, the closely-spaced gear ratios across the Nexus 8’s range allow riders of any ability to find a comfortable cadence regardless of the bike’s heft – even in a headwind or tailwind.

Such was our experience when we rode #3800 to a new location for it’s photo shoot, further than we usually go for photographs. The Nexus 8 – despite its penchant for iffy engagement in 3rd and 4th gear – is nevertheless a favorite hub here at the Museum on our personal bikes, and its inclusion on the Breeze-spec 3.0 definitely contributed to the enthuthuiasm of taking #3800 for an actual ride, rather than a quick out-and-back for photos.

#3800 also wears wider fenders than the earlier 3.0s (as on Boise GreenBike #001 and Topeka Metro Bike #097) though these were as-fitted components, not a case of parts-bin happenstance. The optional advertising skirts require the extra clearance for their mounting hardware.

Speaking of advertisers, if there was ever a bike share system to have a perfectly color-coordinated sponsor, this is it. Hulu’s slightly darker shade of green complements the brighter green of the Breeze frames exceptionally well, especially on an example with matching black backgrounds, as on #3800.

Sticker panels for the 3.0s were also produced in pink, a blue-to-green fade, solid green, and – for the fender skirts only – white. 4.5’s came in either black or green.

Despite strong ridership over the years, the earlier closures of WeHo (2018) and Bruin (June 2020), combined with the pandemic, reduced the feasibility of Bike Share Connect. Breeze ended its own five year run in November 2020, citing rough equipment and issues with the original Social Bicycle GPS controllers, something shared with many other operators between 2020 and 2021. Beverly Hills Bike Share was the last to leave the region in July 2021.

Breeze was still there when the e-bikes and scooters came along…Lyft was one of 4 operators selected for the city’s shared mobility program (along with JUMP, Lime, and Bird).

Lime left Santa Monica by April [2020], then a month later, JUMP and Lime [now one], also left, leaving the Lyft and Bird scooters as well as Breeze.

Though Breeze’s days were numbered,, the announcement did result in Lyft accelerating its program to bring dockless e-bikes to the region, debuting September 29th 2020. The result was a short, one-month period where Breeze and Lyft bikes could be seen in one place.

The CycleHop equipment from Breeze and the other operators were ultimately redistributed to Long Beach Bike Share, also a CycleHop operation, and repainted to match the existing fleet. Long Beach Bike Share also became one of the few SoBi fleets to survive long enough to acquire the second-generation SoBi GPS rental units, now supplied and maintained by Mobility Cloud:

Special thanks are in order to Los Angeles bike collector Miguel Alcala who picked up the bike for us from the City of Santa Monica, and packed both this Breeze and the bike that started it all: The Museum’s Social Bicycles 1.0 – soon to have its own page here at the museum.

Of course, this massive effort to ship bikes all across the US wouldn’t be possible without the aid of our shipping partner, BikeFlights.com, who provides us affordable shipping for these big, heavy behemoths that take not one, but two boxes to ship across the country. Those baskets are big!