Everyone knows that the two best ways to see New York City by either walking or biking, right? And now that the weather is thawing out (finally!), it's time to check out Citi Bikes, the most convenient--and cheapest--way for visitors to enjoy our city.

New Yorkers use them, too. In fact, we fell in love with the bike share program when it debuted over twenty ago with fewer than 7,000 bikes. Now its fleet has 30,000 cycles and 2,000 docking stations across the five boroughs.

Here's the scoop:

There are two types of passes that best suit visitors. A single ride pass costs $4.99 and includes one ride for up to 30 minutes. If you keep the bike out longer, it's an extra 38 cents for every minute thereafter.

If you plan a longer trip, the day pass may be your best option. $25 gives you 24 hours of unlimited 30-minute rides. (Honestly, this one's the best bet for someone wanting to explore the city.) E-bikes are also a available, for an added cost of $0.38 per minute.

Remember that the golden rule to be mindful of is that each ride, regardless of the type of pass, should be no longer than 30 minutes. Even with the all-day version, you'll still have to dock once every half hour for two minutes to avoid those extra fees--you'll be charged 38 cents for each extra minute between dockings. (I know, I know. We hate it, too. It's a drag, but we still think it beats renting a bike for a day.) But there are plenty of docking stations around the city so it's pretty easy to find one when the clock is ticking down.

Passes can be purchased at any Citi Bike Station kiosk. But we advise you to download the app because of the extra features it provides. Not only can you buy a pass through the app, but you can also locate docking stations and see if there are currently bikes available at each one. (Cool, huh?)

Data geeks will love that it provides ride stats, i.e. number of rides and total miles ridden. And everyone will love the fact that app users can enable push notifications to get updates on their ride, so they won't go past the 30-minute mark and incur those nasty penalties.

Happy cycling, everyone!

Image via nycshooter/iStock