Following the huge success of Paris' Velib bike sharing program, we've been wondering how long it would take for North American to get in on the action. Leave it to Frenchy Montreal to show everyone up by being the first on the continent to put the pedal to the metal.

Launched last week, the Bixi program (a combo of "bike" and "taxi") puts aluminum Montreal-made bicycles on the streets, available for rental with annual memberships of $75, a daily rate of $5, or per-hour pricing following a free first half-hour. By June 7, the city is aiming to place 3,000 of the bikes at 300 hubs around the city, and your rented Bixi may be picked up at and returned to any of them.

And these babies weren't named one of Time's top 50 top inventions of 2008 for no reason; the bike docks are equipped with wireless RFID technology which can immediately signal if one is defective, and the pay station itself is touch-screen with energy support from solar panels. According to the Vancouver Sun, this model of bike sharing in Montreal is what's being studied for the future in other bike-desperate cities like New York and London. Bring it on!

Related Stories:
· Bixi System [Official Site]
· Part bicycle -- part taxi, meet the Bixi [Vancouver Sun]
· Bike Sharing Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AddictiveDJDesigns]]]> JetSetCD 2009-05-18T12:26:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/7/7522/04911

If cities like Milan, Shanghai, and Mexico City can enjoy successful bike rental programs, then we've been wondering when a South American capital would climb aboard the eco-friendly trend. As it turns out, Rio de Janeiro quietly launched their own bike sharing program last November, which welcomes tourists with open arms (or handlebars).

Appropriately named Samba, which in Portuguese conveniently means "Alternative Mobility Solution though Bike Renting," Samba is using this spring and summer to build up to 42 stations with 500 total bikes by the end of the year; it's a small number compared to Paris' Velib and its 20,600+ bicycles, but nonetheless a great start. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-05-07T09:16:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/22/2950/3751

We don't mind pedaling around town or even between wineries, but there are crazier cyclists out there who want to ride the entire length of Africa. So many, in fact, that the annual Tour d’Afrique race is attracting more entrants every year, along with a bunch of riders who know they're not going to win but want to make the expedition at their own (slower) pace.

The 2009 race kicks off in Cairo on January 10 and the plan says cyclists should arrive in Cape Town--ten countries, 7,375 miles and four months later--on May 9. It includes sections along the Nile, crossing Ethiopia's Simian Mountains and skirting the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. Presumably there will be time for giraffe and zebra spotting.

This time around, the Lonely Planet publishers are entering a team which even includes one of its original founders, Tony Wheeler. We hope they're lugging a few of their increasingly-heavy guidebooks along to give them a thorough road test.

Related Stories:
· Tour d’Afrique [Official Site]
· Lonely Planet coverage [Jaunted]
· Africa Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: birzer]]]> amandak 2008-12-26T15:30:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/23/92222/5183

If you're headed on an extended trip and the destination city has little in the way of public transportation, you may want to pack your own. Next to a skateboard, the MAS Special Signature folding bicycle is probably the smallest, most functional option out there.]]> Dan Gould 2008-09-23T12:00:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/22/73546/7595

Bike Vermont, an outfitter in New England that's been around for more than three decades, still has plenty of availability left in October for you to enjoy one last ride before the leaf-covered trees become covered with snow.

Local guides familiar with the area lead all biking tours and you'll be followed by a support vehicle just in case you can't channel your inner Lance Armstrong. You'll stop over at historic country inns and take time to enjoy local specialties for breakfast and dinner to keep you going along the route.

Rates for a three-night trip through the Champlain Islands start at $745, but if you've got more time they have longer options as well. You'll relax on your arrival day, but after that you're looking at about thirty miles as you get underway and then about twenty miles each additional day. If biking in Vermont in the fall is a little too cliché for you, the guides also offer a weeklong biking adventure in Italy for only $2895.

Related Stories:
· Bike Vermont [Official Site]
· Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: stop.down]]]> kjb 2008-09-22T12:15:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/10/2338/57493

We chuckled when the site Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle poked fun at the Democratic senator's ascribed powers. But fashionistas found the presumptive presidential candidate's choice of attire for riding a bike this weekend downright bizarre. What? No one wants to see a politician in bike shorts.

To avoid the scorn of the beautiful people, make sure you have the correct gear for your next two-wheeled trek. We liked this basic but thorough list from RideThisBike.com.

Related Stories:
· Cheesecake Travel: Obama Skips Philly's Finest [Jaunted]
· Barack Obama Spending The Most On Hotels For His Campaign [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: LAist]]]> egw 2008-06-11T09:00:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/