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SERZEDO, Portugal – Recently the biggest bike facility in Europe started its production. That facility is located in Portugal; is operated by a company called RTE and is to produce one million bikes in 2009.

RTE’s assembly lines have an average output of 3000 bikes per day, depending on the season and the model. When a new collection is being launched or there is an urgent need for big quantities, RTE can produce 3400 units per day. Otherwise the assembly line only needs to work one 8-hour shift per day. Normally, the total daily production is shipped on the same day to a Decathlon centre of distribution.

In addition to Paris' Velib bike rental program, Barcelona, Seville and Stockholm all have bike rentals available.

In Barcelona, the scheme is called Bicing and will cost you €1 for a weekly subscription and about $1 an hour after your first, free 30 minutes. You'll have to register for the rentals before arriving in Spain, unless you're planning to be there awhile and don't mind waiting for your rental card to show up. Seville's program is Sevici, and it's €5 for a weekly subscription with small charges added for riding time. Its burly bikes are more reminiscent of Paris', while the Barcelona bikes are a bit lighter duty. That same style of bike is also in play in Stockholm, where the rental season is set to wrap up this Wednesday.

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Photos courtesy of Lourdes Segade / The New York Times, Jaunted, and Bike Europe

Original Source: Bike Europe and Jaunted