Photo Gallery Pedal Prowess
Shiny red frames of Hamburg's StadtRAD (city bike) program are now part of the urban landscape. Cyclists took more than 500,000 trips in its first year of operation.
Once an aspiring cyclist has registered, he or she can borrow bikes from dozens of rental stations throughout Hamburg. The first half hour is free, then it costs 1.20 ($1.66) per hour.
London has had its own bikes for rent since July. The cost of running the fleet of 5,000 bikes is estimated to be about 24 million ($33.3 million).
Barclays Bank is a sponsor of the London bike project -- ensuring its future, even in times of hefty national cuts.
Whether you are in Copenhagen, Hamburg or Bilbao you can hop on a bike to see the sights. The French city of Rennes was ahead of the pack. In 1998 it launched the first bike-rental network.
The idea of a wide-scale bike rental program took shape just three years ago. Paris' project "Vélib" sparked the interest of locals and tourists alike.
In addition to the cost of the bikes and the rental stations, bike maintenance makes these endeavors expensive to run. The spiraling cost makes rental systems unprofitable for many companies. Instead they turn to advertising and marketing to keep their bike businesses on track.
