La Petite Rennes a Rennes - Vive la velorution !

This week we visited Rennes and La Petite Rennes a beautiful little bicycle recycling and auto reparation project. We met Simon and Nicolas who are there running the project and have both been invovled in workshops in the U.K., Simon in London and Nicolas in Bath.

We performed our emmisarial duties as Bicycle Ambassadors from the Bristol Bike Project and bought all the mechanics biscuits from the amazing bakery in Rue Vasselot (the yellow one). I could have spent all day in there, but went back to the workshop to meet yet another interesting couple...

.... Jean Baptiste et Evan, two Velotaxi cab drivers. We crancked up the soundsystem on Raymundo and went for a little spin round the streets of Rennes with them, in search for tourists to take a ride in the taxi, but picked up J.B's girl friend Berengere and found a nice beer garden instead.

Jean Baptiste and Berengere are preparing for a life on bicycles and will be setting of in a months time themselves. we whish them a velo happiness!

  This is the most amazing chain link remover (derive-chaine) we have ever seen. It's a real 'VAR-bon' as opposed to the modern 'VAR-shit'. It's lasted many years and looks like it will last many more. 

Come to La Petite Rennes and try it out for youtself!

If you do go and visit, they are looking for a Raleigh Chopper gear shifter and will shower you with biscuits if you bring them one from England.

Malheureusement we didn't get to meet the Bears on cargo bikes who are Toutenvelo and do removals up to 300kg by bicycle! 

We would love them to deliver 300 litres of cidre for the Mr.Berridge Challenge.

Pourquoui La Petite Rennes ???

  La Reine Bicyclette

The phrase "la petite reine" has passed into the French language as a term for a bicycle. The origins are in 1891, when Giffard wrote a history of bicycle development, La Reine Bicyclette.The expression was made more emblematic by the picture on the cover, of a young woman wearing a modern bicycle as a crown. The title was intended to describe the spirit that the bicycle had brought to her life. Cycling enthusiasts adopted the name, calling their machine "la petite reine".