Manchester Mobike review – better than London's 'Boris bikes'

A week after the dockless, cashless Chinese bike sharing scheme hit Manchester, the Guardian's North of England editor Helen Pidd is already hooked

I was sceptical about Manchester's new hire bikes, fearing they would all end up at the bottom of the Ship Canal.

Yet just a week after Chinese firm Mobike plonked 1,000 silver and orange two-wheelers on the streets of Manchester and Salford, I'm already a convert. Yes, there have been a few glitches with the app (you're supposed to be able to reserve a bike for 15 minutes but I haven't been able to for a few days), and I've no idea what those messages say that they've sent me in Chinese. But Mobikes are significantly better than London's hire bikes, or any I've tried in other cities across the world. Here's why: