Where British Specialbike creates unique bicycles by refurbishing old ones with custom components and a colourful flair, Florida-based Republic Bike achieves a similar end with new bikes by allowing customers to design their own in a rainbow of hues. Now, through a partnership with Republic Bike, global retailer Urban Outfitters is bringing design-your-own capabilities to its customers as well at the online Urban Outfitters Bike Shop.

Working with the Aristotle v.1.5, a single-speed bike with a flip-flop hub, Republic Bike begins by asking users to select from among three frame sizes for the bike they'd like built for them. They are then asked to choose the colours they'd like for nine separate components on the bike: frame, saddle, grips, chain, crank, and front and rear tires and rims. Five popular styles are available for those having difficulty choosing among the 500 or so possible colour combinations, as is a random option for alternative ideas. Once the selections are made, Republic Bike builds the bike in its South Florida facility within days of receiving the order. It's then packed for shipment, arriving at the consumer's door 90 percent assembled.

Given the recent renaissance in pedal power, the arrival of personalization capabilities comes not a moment too soon. Republic Bike ships only within North America, however, while Urban Outfitters limits its orders to the continental US. One to bring to two-wheeled enthusiasts on the bike lanes near you...? It's not just the customized rides that interest us here, though—it's the partnership between a large retailer and a smaller firm that focuses on letting customers design the products they want. We've covered dozens of "design-your-own" ventures, so retailers: dig into the archives and find out who you can partner with to add tailor-made products to your virtual shelves. To get you started, customizable lingerie, handbags, socks, duvets, chocolate bars and fabric.

Website: bikes.urbanoutfitters.com
Contact: customerservice@republicbike.com

Spotted by: Miriam Brafman

Regular Springwise readers may remember Vélib‘, the citywide bike-sharing scheme in Paris that we covered back in 2007. Buoyed by the success of that effort, the city is now apparently planning another ambitious initiative—this time involving electric cars.

Paris actually already has a car-sharing scheme in place with some 5,000 members, but it's privately run and uses traditional cars. Autolib', on the other hand—from automobile + liberté—is a large-scale, city-backed effort that will provide only clean, electric vehicles. Planned for launch late next year or in early 2011, Autolib' will place some 4,000 electric cars at 1,400 self-service rental and recharging stations in and around Paris for short-term, temporary use. The USD 14 million initiative will likely be operated as a public-private partnership, according to a BusinessWeek report, with oversight by an intergovernmental council. Drivers will not need to make reservations to use a car through Autolib'. Rather, two- and four-seat cars will be available for rent at stands by simply swiping a card in a reader; users will then be able to return the cars at any stand that's convenient. Prices haven't yet been decided, but they'll likely be in the vicinity of USD 6 to USD 9 per half-hour, with monthly subscription fees of USD 22 to USD 29, BW reported.

French environmentalists are apparently protesting Autolib's potential to encourage driving and worsen urban congestion. Advocates, on the other hand, say it could reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tons a year while improving congestion, since fewer Parisians will feel the need to own a car. Either way, there's no doubt the city-backed approach will give the effort a prominence that would be difficult to achieve otherwise, and its similarity to Vélib‘ could make gaining acceptance considerably easier. One to watch! (Related: Parking operator launches car-sharing service — Hertz launches global car-sharing service.)

Website: www.paris.fr
Contact: service.presse@paris.fr

Spotted by: Rick Elders

With cycling gaining ground as a regular mode of transportation, flat tires and broken chains are on the up, too. Which creates an opportunity for bike-loving entrepreneurs: mobile bike repair shops.

In the Netherlands, for example, we've spotted companies like Fix Fiets and Bikemobiel, both of which do house calls in vans or trucks outfitted as mobile workshops. Service is even more mobile (and emission-free) in Cologne and Berlin, where stranded cyclists can call a 'Radambulanz'—a cycling mechanic with a small trailer containing tools and spare parts for fixing flat tires and performing other common repairs.

While some mobile repair services tack on a small trip charge for coming to a customer's home or workplace, rates are generally comparable to those charged by brick and mortar bike shops. And although they've been popping up in Europe over the past few years, mobile services are far from commonplace. Time to launch a well-branded Geek Squad of bike fixers? (Related: Vending machines for bicycle parts — In the US, the AAA will be offering roadside assistance for cyclists in Oregon and Idaho.)

Website: www.fixfiets.nl — www.bikemobiel.nl — www.fahrradambulanz.com — www.radambulanz.de

Spotted by: Martina Meng — Raymond Kollau — Judy McRae

Citywide bike schemes are popping up all over the world, as we've noted on several occasions already, touting myriad benefits for the environment, urban congestion and human health. As is so often the case when equipment is shared, however, hygiene concerns inevitably follow—particularly during winter months and events such as the current swine flu pandemic. Enter Cyclean, a handlebar cover designed to protect bike users from germs.

Developed by Spanish PersonalBox with Barcelona's Bicing bike scheme in mind, Cyclean covers are hygienic, adjustable and waterproof sheaths that are available in versions tailored both for street bicycles and for the indoor variety used in gyms. Using the bright-red, condomlike covers, bicyclists can avoid contact with all the dirt, dust, pollution, viruses, water, sweat and other potential unsavouries that might be lurking on a shared bike's handlebar grips. Launched in December, Cyclean covers are recyclable and photodegradable, PersonalBox says. They are available online and through retail bike shops in Barcelona and Madrid; pricing is EUR 5 for either a bag of 18 pairs for street bikes or 12 pairs for indoor bicycles. A video on Vimeo demonstrates Cyclean in action.

Of course, whether the world needs yet another disposable item on the streets is far from clear, as TreeHugger points out—particularly when a pair of washable gloves could presumably do just as well. Their safety, meanwhile, would seem to depend on a good, tight fit—something PersonalBox has no doubt already ensured. Nevertheless, consumers will ultimately decide whether disposable handlebar covers offer enough advantages to be compelling—if they do, could make a nice feeder business for gyms and bike sharing programs around the world. One to watch!

Website: www.cyclean.es
Contact: info@cyclean.es

Spotted by: Daniel Rodriguez

Numerous bicycle stations have appeared on our pages before, including Cycle Center in Chicago, Bikestation in California, Bike Central in New Zealand and Cycle2City in Australia. Adding to Australia's bike station innovation comes the Green Pod, a modular facility from Brisbane's Penny Farthings Pushbikes.

About the size of a parking space for one car, the Green Pod comes in two configurations: one with a single shower and changing room along with 10 lockers and parking for as many bicycles, and the other with double those facilities. The pod features a solar hot water system, electronic locking system, LED lighting activated by motion sensors, timed showers and a grey water treatment unit that discharges grey water into green areas. The unit can be integrated into indoor or outdoor applications, and it operates on a 12V DC system that can be powered by solar panels on the roof. Also part of the pod is a self-cleaning mechanism that can detect when no one's inside and lock its doors for some self-cleaning, according to a report in Catapult. Access is via swipe card for registered users.

The first Green Pod is now being used at Queensland University of Technology’s Kelvin Grove campus, and Penny Farthing is also talking with Queensland Rail about tailoring a pod for bicyclist commuters, Catapult reported. Indeed, the modularity of the Green Pod's design and its diminutive stature give it the potential to be more flexible and easily accommodated than many built-in solutions. One to partner with early and bring to the bicycling masses near you...? (Related: Self-serve parking bay for bikes.)

Website: www.pushbikeparking.com/green-pod
Contact: info@pushbikeparking.com

Spotted by: Treehugger via Raymond Kollau