The cities with bicycles vote for the bicycle of city

By CASANOVA Vanina ARRIGHI

Friday October 29, 2004 (Release - 06:00)

It is what a bicycle of city? To encourage the townsmen to put itself in saddle, the Club of the cycle cities was put at the head to help them to choose the instrument idoine. Thus, Wednesday, with the opening of its 15th congress with Tours, was decreed, for the first time, the Price of the supposed bicycle of city to reward the "town" two-wheeled vehicle more. It is Elops 5, distributed by Décathlon, which gained the palm. And Denis Baupin, assistant green with the mayor of Paris and president of the Club of the cycle cities, which gave it.

Fault of well defined concept on nature of "urban bicycle", the price was decreed without very precise criteria, if not that of the design, its look "bicycle of city", itself rather fuzzy and at the very least subjective.

The jury, composed of professionals of the bicycle and amateurs, among whom some representatives of various ministries, wanted to reward that which approached the most image that its members are made of the town bicycle: its ergonomic position, more raised than that of a VTT, the possibility of putting there its bag, its portable and other accessories essential to the urban life.

And safety? Fault of European standards ­ under development ­ this criterion was not taken into account. The price then? "it was not considered this year. It will be done the next year ", known as a member of the jury which is unaware of besides all the cost of the preceded machine. This contest counted moreover only five candidates, the idea of this price having been launched only in June. If one seeks the bicycle adapted best to his displacements downtown, one can thus only make confidence with the eye, expert or not, of the members of the jury. Not with their legs. None of them indeed tested gaining it in situation. The label "better bicycle of city of the year" which will be affixed with the winner during his marketing will be in very relative nap.