The BBC (and anyone walking round the back of City Hall this morning) got an exclusive glimpse of the new hire bicycles coming to a street near you next summer. 'Robust, sturdy and safe,' marks transport advisor Kulveer Ranger. 'A retro, groovy blue, thick-boned armadillo of a bike,' thinks Londonist. 6000 of the bulksome velocipedes will be rolled out to 400 docking stations in Zone 1 next year. The distinctive bikes boast three gears, antler-like handlebars and a simple, front-mounted storage rack. We're rather taken with the design - as lovably cumbersome as a Routemaster in its own way. Now folks, we have to give them a nickname. Suggestions in the comments, please. Image taken, without permission, from the BBC, just so we can tenuously claim to be the first to nick one of these bikes.
