It's been eight months since Citi Bike expanded its services to Long Island City. NY1's Clodagh McGowan caught up with some cyclists to check in on the bike sharing program.

​Even on a chilly day, only one Citi Bike can be found at the station on 21st Street in Long Island City.

And the racks near Court Square are almost empty, too.

But if you ask cycling advocate Juan Restrepo that's not necessarily a bad thing because it means people are using the bikes.

"It gives them a new incentive to find this great way of going outside, going from place to place in New York City and exploring not only Queens, but Manhattan, Brooklyn. So many new places that have Citi Bike," said Restrepo, a member of Transportation Alternatives, a biking, walking and public transportation advocacy group.

According to Citi Bike, since its services launched in Long Island City back in August, there have been more than 43,000 trips starting at stations in Queens and an additional 44,000 trips ending in the borough.

Long Island City residents say it’s been very popular in the neighborhood, which has limited transportation options.

"There's not a lot of subway access, there's one or two stops. And so, having Citi Bike to get back and forth not having to do longer walks has been very beneficial to us in the neighborhood here," said Patrick Thompson, who lives in Long Island City.

Citi Bike statistics show there are almost three thousand active members with shipping or billing zip codes in Queens. Some cyclists use the bikes to help supplement their commute times.

"I noticed this winter, they went very fast. People were wanting them very quickly in the mornings just to shorten their commute, especially in the cold," said Thompson.

A Citi Bike spokesperson tells NY1, they've increased their bike distribution efforts which help move bikes from stations that are too full to empty racks.

"This is something they can always pay attention to," said Restrepo.

Going forward, plans are already in motion to extend Citi Bike services into Astoria by the end of 2017.