July 5, 2011
by Sarah Askari

Green living is about making connections. Connecting the way your food is grown to the conditions of nearby waterways. Connecting the way your community uses energy to the quality of the air. And connecting your means of transportation with the footprint you leave behind. Now, a new website created by a local entrepreneur connects travelers with rental bikes in faraway cities. It’s called Velolet, and it could be the tool you need to get out and explore the countryside around an unfamiliar city with minimal inconvenience and maximum enjoyment.

Longtime cyclist Dan Cleary got the idea for the company he founded after “dealing with frustration when I travel.” It’s possible to bring a bike on a plane…but the extra fees will kill you, if the hassle of trying to maneuver a mountain bike as if it’s a suitcase doesn’t get you first. Meanwhile, in areas blessed with plenty of tourist-friendly bike paths, bike shop owners were sitting with an inventory of rental bikes but no simple way to get them into the hands of faraway consumers. Keeping track of inventory, working out the terms and conditions of service, and concerns about liability exposure kept lots of independent shops out of the game.

Enter Velolet.

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