i spent about a week this summer in paris on the bikes - its an awesome idea and was the highlight of my summer europe experience.  i wish they would try it here in seattle, but i fear that, with the liability culture in the usa, it might not be feasible to implement.

The Velib has indeed transformed Paris streets. In a few short months, it appears to have doubled if not trebled the number of bicycles in use at any given time. What I am hoping is that, by increasing the use of the city's fledgling bicycle lanes, it may make it politically easier to expand that network, which in turn should make more people willing to get on their bikes.

One of the coolest aspects of Velib is the fact that the magnetic pass for the Velib and the Navigo pass for the metro are linked. People keep them inside their wallets and zap the Velib post in one swift gesture to liberate their bike - the very same pass that provides access to the entire Paris public transportation network - metro, bus and tram. So Velib is not just a great bike-sharing scheme, it is also a symbolically significant upgrade of the bicycle into the mainstream of the public tranport network.

Margie, I can almost taste the wonderful Parisian bread from your writing. Hope you can give us a mid-winter update as to how the program evolves.

I wonder if this plan could work in the U.S. (or are there any successful programs already?). I suspect the bikes would be vandalized at night. And the bikes look a tad unmanly for the American Male. Maybe a selection of bikes would be better?

The bikes are still new, so most I see are still in good shape. Naturally, maintenance comes as part of the deal. The brakes are disc brakes, which is one reason why the bikes are heavy. The seats are adjustable, the handle bars are not. I haven't heard that theft has been a big problem, nor vandalism.

They are not meant for touring (except on a small scale, by tourists), but for transport.

All I can add is that nothing succeeds like success. The results of Velib' have been nothing short of phenomenal. Below I wrote that they have doubled or trebled the number of bikes on Paris streets. This weekend (with glorious autumn summer days), I'd have to re-estimate that ratio to five-fold.

I agree, the number of bikes in Paris has taken a quantum leap.  What I find fascinating about this, among other things, is that this program has managed to get people to change their behavior, without scolding or threatening--a real challenge when it comes to preserving the environment.  I'd wager that most people riding the bikes are Parisians who usually take the Metro...judging from the number of people in suits you see on them at rush hour, it looks like a lot take them to work.  They are really useful when you want to take a short trip and either you can't deal with taking the metro, and/or there is no line that is convenient to your destination.  In fact, I'm not 100% sure that the bikes will actually decrease pollution (if most users are already public transportation users), but if they can get people to think differently about using bikes, its still a very worthwhile investment.  

Actually, it's not clear tourists can use them because in theory, your credit card has to have a chip in order to use the machine that unlocks the bike.  Rumor has it that the city is trying to come up with a solution for tourists.

The bikes seem to be sturdy as tanks.  I've encountered some broken ones, but they are regularly maintained so so far, it's not a problem.  You have to put a 150 euro deposit on your credit card to use the bikes, so if you steal it, you pay.

I also heard a rumor that there are vague plans for a similar system in Chicago and New York.  Anyone else heard about this?

There's also been a similar and highly successful program going on for a while in Lyon that was the prototype for Velib' in Paris.

Thanks Colin!  Yes, it's true, French men tend to be a little less worried about the macho-ness of their cycling steeds (and their clothes, for that matter), but I think with a few slight adjustments they could attract the American Male.  I think they are futuristic enough to overcome any girly-ness concerns...

There is a three-speed gearbox built into the hub of the axle. First gear is about walking speed flat out. So good for climbing hills but not much else. Even third gear doesn't get you very fast. I think as much as anything that this was a design decision to prevent people from going too fast.

So yes, climbing hills is not difficult at all, although a common complaint is that all the stations are empty at the top of the hills like Butte Chaumont and Montmartre, and they're all full at the bottom -- no bothers to ride them back up.

The brakes are built into the fore and rear drums (another design constraint was to have as few visible moving parts as possible, to minimise damage and vandalism). I have yet to encounter a bike with a brakes problem. I did take one bike with a broken gear cable, which left it stuck in first gear, hence just about useless on the flats.

Spokes and rims seem fine: haven't really felt any bad vibrations. The bikes have white LED headlights and tail lights (the latter behind a red cat's eye) that are always on from the first turn of the pedal, and stay on for about two minutes after you stop.

There is a maintenance barge parked on the Seine. Small LPG-powered vans with trailers run around the city performing manual station-to-station reprovisioning, and picking up the broken bicycles. The latter are dropped off at the barge and repaired. Another crew of maintenance workers on bikes cycle among the stations performing small on-the-spot repairs, like replacing inner tubes.

The bikes are pretty heavy, about 23kg, when regular city bikes tend to come in around 20-21kg. But with the gearing the way it is, the weight doesn't really pose a problem.

Another Parisian checking in here...

I've tried it a couple of times, despite my traffic phobias, and was pleasantly surprised at how easy they are to ride - the weight is not really an issue and there are some nifty features like a lovely front basket and powerful generator powered bicycle light which keeps you pretty visible in all weather conditions.  

The only thing that has kept me from becoming a regular user so far is that I've been caught out twice late at night trying to find a "parking spot" near home, only to find all the bicycle racks full. However more bicycle stands are popping up every week and once the authorities get a better feel for bicycle use patterns, I'm hoping they'll know how to keep some open spaces in some of the more residential areas (many people, like me, seem to like to use the Vélib as an alternative to late-night taxis).
All in all, I really have to hand it to our current mayor, his urban transportation plan has radically changed the face of many parts of Paris; since his arrival there has been a general overhaul of main thoroughfares, the creation of many bus/bike/taxi lanes, widening of pavements to accommodate pedestrian traffic, etc. This city of walkers has become even more liveable.

As for exporting this idea, the mayor of Chicago was over here recently to figure out how to implement the Vélib scheme in the Windy city.

"A saint is a sinner who never stops trying". - Yogananda