When the city’s bike rental scheme was pulled last year, a gap emerged for a refreshed and updated version to take its place.

Beryl BTN launched in Brighton on April 1, with the Green Party hailing it as “yet another” of its finest achievements.

It seems rather fitting then that attempting to hire one of the new electric bikes was annoying and anything but straightforward. Not too dissimilar to trying to speak with a real person at the city council, then. But I digress.

When The Argus went to “unlock” two of the bikes on April 5, we received a message via the Beryl app that the wireless feature was broken. Instead, we had to unlock the bikes by entering a code.

We then spent ten minutes on the phone to customer support after one of the bikes would not unlock and were told it was faulty. We eventually found another which unlocked in a flash.

The Argus: The wireless unlocking feature was unavailable when we trialled the schemeThe wireless unlocking feature was unavailable when we trialled the scheme (Image: The Argus/Andrew Gardner)

These issues are not really a big deal but visit the Beryl website and you’re met with a catchline saying: “Life’s too short to be stuck in traffic”.

But faffing around on apps and phone calls is fine?

It’s on the road, though, that the e-bikes make up for the technical woes. Effortless to ride along flat or hilly terrain, and comfortable, too.

The Beryl e-bikes are sleek, streamlined and stylish. And despite the huge weight of the three-gear motor, incredibly nimble.

​READ MORE: Beryl e-bike scheme more expensive than Boris bikes

Storage space was another concern, as we were spoiled with a deep front basket on the previous bikes. However, this time around it’s a shallow dish over the front wheel and a similar setup over the rear, with elastic rope to tie down your shopping.

I can’t see the bungee cords lasting very long.

The Argus: The bikes seem to have minimal storage spaceThe bikes seem to have minimal storage space (Image: The Argus)

Above all else though, the bikes are an absolute laugh. Great fun for blasting along the seafront cycle lanes or darting through the city. A proper riot.

But at 15p per minute and with an unlocking fee of £1, for an hour-long ride it works out as around £9. Once all the wrinkles are ironed out, this will be a great product. But at £9 per hour, Beryl needs to ensure its service is spot on, each and every time.