Summer is here and temps are blazin'. That means a certain amount of uncomfortable... dampness. You may even, perhaps, suffer some embarrassing drippage. Don't let that stop you from hopping on a CaBi! Here are some tips to keep you riding all summer long while staying comfortable and (reasonably) presentable:

Hydrate or die!  

We wish that statement was mere hyperbole because "hyperbole" is fun to do and fun to say. But the reality is that dehydration is dangerous enough to quickly land you in the hospital and can have disastrous consequences for your body. Fluid intake keeps you cool from the inside out and replaces what you lose in perspiration and breathing. Sip throughout the day and take in extra fluids during and after your ride. If your ride is short, water is best; but if you ride longer than 30 minutes, include sports drinks with electrolytes.

Dress light.  

Wearing shorts, short sleeves and light wicking clothing will help. If you happen to be wearing long pants, try rolling up the pant leg a few inches. For button down shirts, roll up the sleeves and unfasten a top button or two.

Take a load off.  

Get that bag off your back and put it in the CaBi basket. Your ride will be easier and your back and shoulder area will catch more breeze. 

Take your time.  

Slow down and keep your exertion level low, especially on uphills, where there are fewer breezes. You will reach your destination in almost the same amount of time - only drier.

Allow time for cooling off.  

Perspiration continues even after you finish your bike trip. In fact, it can be even worse without the natural breeze of riding. After you dock, find a cool place and take it easy for a few minutes until the sweating subsides.

Pat down.  

Use paper towels in the bathroom or take a small towel with you to pat yourself down and dry off with after your ride.     

Capital Bikeshare is thrilled to announce exciting new features that will be available to our members. Starting soon, members will be able to see miles traveled, calories burned and CO2 offset for their last 200 trips on the rental history page of our website. In addition, members will be able to see a running total of these trips. We hope these features spur competition amongst friends, colleagues and members, and provide even greater incentive to continue using the system. We will send an email to members once these features are finalized and ready to use. We look forward to receiving your comments and happy riding!

This month, we chose Minneapolis' Nice Ride as our featured bikesharing system of the month, and we couldn't have done so at a better time. Minneapolis recently celebrated the one year anniversary of Nice Ride, which launched in June of 2010 (and from the looks of the models on their website, the entire city celebrated by picking up some jaunty new duds at the Gap!). The popularity of Nice Ride is just one of the many reasons that Minneapolis was selected by Bicycle Magazine as America's most bike-friendly city. Since launching the system with 1,000 bikes and 60 stations across the city, Nice Ride is currently in the process of adding 500 more bikes and 43 new stations and have already crossed the bridge into neighboring St. Paul as of June 20, 2011. It's little wonder that Nice Ride has been welcomed so warmly by Minneapolitans since they rank as the 2^nd highest bike commuting population in the US.

The system works in a way that is nearly identical with Capital Bikeshare. Likewise, their trademark sassy, lime-green bicycles are built by Bixi, the same company that manufactures our equally sassy red bikes.  Weird! It's like we're cousins! But not really!

Here's one reason we love them: downloadable brochures of "themed tours" that members can use to explore the city on a Nice Ride bicycle. Members can choose from themes such as the "Graffiti" tour, "Urban Wildlife" tour (disclaimer: "there are no guarantees that you will see actual wildlife on this tour") or the "I See Dead People" tour. Our personal favorite is the "Prince for a Day" tour, which reads, "Remember in the movie 'Purple Rain' when Prince cruised around on his motorcycle, stopping at his favorite hangouts? You can do that too, but with a cooler bike!" You bet we remember!

Congratulations to Nice Ride and to all the people and organizations that made this nonprofit bikeshare system such a success!