On Oct 15, 7:51 am, "
[email protected]" <
[email protected]>
wrote:
> I would like to have some more info about the bicycle that is being used
> as a rental bike in Paris, FR. There is a good photo of this bike in
> the Sunday Oct 14,2007 travel section of the New York Times. Who is the
> manufacturer? It is available for export to the US and approximately
> what is the cost? and , what is the wheel size? Thanks for any information.
I don't know who the manufacturer is but they were made specifically
for Velib according to specifications laid out by the concessionaire,
JC Decaux. They include a small "docking" stub on the down tube and
some minimal electronics so each bike can be tracked, so I'd guess
they're not really for export.
The wheel size is 26". The bikes are very sturdy and are designed to
minimize maintenance even though they sit out uncovered all year
'round. They have no exposed wires, and include an internal 3-speed
hub, internal hub brakes, 36-spoke wheels, front and rear lights,
reflectors everywhere, chain and skirt guards, fenders, yadda yadda
yadda. They weigh around 19 or 20 kg, and reported cost is around 1400
euros. JC Decaux maintenance crews ride around (on bikes) checking the
stations for bikes with flat tires and other problems, and special
trailers are used to re-distribute the bikes when necessary (for
example, people rent the bikes from the top of Montmartre and ride
down the hill but don't ride them back up).
Here are some more photos:
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/misc/velib.jpg
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/misc/velib-rearqtr.jpg
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/misc/velib-front.jpg
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/misc/velib-attach.jpg
