Melbourne and Brisbane are Australia’s second and third largest cities, with populations of 5 million and 2.3 million people, respectively. Both cities launched bike share programs in 2010, each of which have been characterised as having disappointing usage levels. The development of the Melbourne and Brisbane bike share programs were both initiated by political figures, keen to assert their credentials in sustainable mobility. In an effort to better understand the barriers to CityCycle in Brisbane, a survey was conducted with people who either lived, worked or were studying in Brisbane and had no known connection to bike share. Melbourne’s bike share program in particular is at the global extreme in terms of the size of its bike share catchment relative to the size of the city, both in geographical and population terms. The clear implication from Melbourne’s experience is to launch bike share to coincide with the beginning of the season most likely to bring weather conducive to bicycling.