ISOCYCLE's first product is a folding bicycle with a new internationally patented folding concept. This bike has been designed to combine comfort, simplicity, compactness and design.
So far, only 5 % of the French are cycling every day. They travel an average of 87km/year (compared with 900 km in Denmark and the Netherlands) and mostly use their cars. But the problems of pollution and fuel costs make the situation untenable.
Imagine: a simple and light folding bicycle, used as a complement to other modes of transport, which would allow the user to cover the last few kilometres to his final destination (work, home, bus stop...), and which would be available in the boot of a car.
C’is the product designed by Dominique Bied and Paul Doublet, Isocycle's general and technical director.
The objective of the Isocycle folding bicycle is to democratize the use of the bicycle as a clean, efficient and fast means of transportation. And to allow access to restricted spaces, where the classic bicycle is limited: the staircase, the elevator, the company or the apartment, for example.
"Our bike is light and folds quickly, explains Paul Doublet, a young mechanical engineer. It's compact, but still has the feel of a classic city bike. We wanted to avoid the unstable mini bike. » Isocycle has thought of its bicycle as a link in a chain of movements, to be used in connection with a car, bus or train, for example.
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This product is aimed at active urban dwellers who live in areas saturated with cars but have little storage space. Automotive professionals, who have been looking for several years to integrate a bicycle into vehicles. Companies and communities wishing to offer alternative transport to their employees. To public transport organising authorities, such as the TER or peri-urban buses.
The Isocycle bike has been labelled by Rennes - La Novosphère because the project has strong local ties. It was born in the city and is directed by an engineer who graduated in 2010 from the INSA of Rennes. It offers innovative solutions in terms of mobility and responds effectively to issues of urban traffic, the environment, energy consumption, sedentary lifestyle and health.
"We are currently at the stage of moving from a model to a functional bike.explains Yann Besnard, marketing and sales director of Isocycle. A prototype was manufactured by a company specialising in the field in Holland. "A prototype that will undergo a whole battery of tests in order to pass the validation and approval stages. "We are also working on the production aspects of the folding bicycle. We are currently choosing an assembler, which will be located in France. »
The creators
Yann Besnard is the latest arrival in the Isocycle adventure, designed by Paul Doublet and supported by Dominique Bied, partner and president of Isocycle, production engineer at Safran and owner of the patent for the company's first product.
"This first Isocycle product is interesting because it has an attractive design and it stands out from its competitors by an innovative folding system, which won an award at the Geneva Invention Fair in 2010".Yann Besnard, who previously worked as a chargé d'affaires and project manager in a company in the metallurgy sector. "In 2010, I began a retraining to work in the special cycles industry: I worked in a manufacturing workshop, a "3 wheels and more" company, in Quimperlé, following a training at the AFPA in manufacturing and metal work. I worked in parallel on a design and manufacturing project of an innovative product, and am therefore highly aware of the innovation environment. This is what led me, through the Crysalide book, to meet Paul Doublet. »
The bicycle is expected to be on the market in 2014.
"We particularly appreciate the local support of Rennes-La Novosphère, underline Paul Doublet and Yann Besnard. As the Rennes area is a pioneer in many fields, it is a place for experimentation. This allows us not only to put forward a new product, but above all to develop our idea of synergy between different modes of transport. Here, we will be able to bring together around the bicycle players in the fields of interior furnishings, cars and public transport in order to promote the prospects offered by this folding bicycle. »
(Source : Rennes - La Novosphère – 2013)
For more information : contact@isocycle.fr or yann.besnard@gmail.com / 06 64 86 43 83
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