The episode in detail
From the industrial world to the company bike
Emmanuel Vitrai spent twenty years in heavy industry, at Alstom then General Electric, negotiating maintenance contracts for power plants around the world. Throughout those years, he never stopped riding his bike to work. In January 2019, he handed in his resignation to found Cycl’emouv, a company dedicated to company bikes and bike services for businesses.
The trigger was a double frustration: the wish to start up a business that matched his values, and the realisation that bike services in the city were not meeting the needs of everyday bike commuters.
“When I handed in my resignation, a lot of colleagues thought I was a nice dreamer, because a guy who leaves a job that wasn’t so bad to go and sell company bikes, three years ago, a lot of people didn’t understand it.”
The company bike: convincing businesses
The core of Cycl’emouv’s B2B business is the company bike. Emmanuel offers businesses bikes made in France, with full support: advice, provision of the bikes, and maintenance. The scheme fits within the sustainable mobility allowance and employer pro-bike programmes.
The offer does not end there. Cycl’emouv also runs a concierge service: a workshop trailer towed by a cargo bike goes directly to company premises to repair employees’ bikes. On top of that, there are bike commuting introduction sessions, self-repair workshops and soft mobility advice.
“We come with our little workshop, our trailer, our cargo bike, a trailer workshop that repairs bikes. And then also, another activity for businesses is everything to do with advice, for example advice on getting started with bike commuting.”
Two repair workshops in Paris
Alongside its B2B business, Cycl’emouv runs two repair workshops open to the public, in the 13th and 16th arrondissements of Paris. The team has five people: two workshop managers, one apprentice, one woman on a work-study placement in business development, and soon a sixth team member.
Emmanuel stresses that this complements the local community-run collaborative workshops. The profiles are different: a student with no budget will be directed to the nearby collaborative workshop, while the bike commuter in a hurry who needs an immediate repair will find the solution at Cycl’emouv.
Service as a lever for bike commuting
Emmanuel’s personal experience shaped his conviction: the lack of reliable service is a major barrier to the growth of bike commuting. When his own bike shop asked him to come back in three weeks for a routine repair, he understood there was a real need.
“If we draw an analogy with a car garage, you will never see a mechanic tell their customer, come back in three weeks. And in the meantime, sort yourself out.”
His philosophy: treat the bike as an everyday vehicle. That means fixing a puncture within half an hour, offering a loan bike when the bike has to be taken out of service, and letting the customer wait on site and work remotely if needed. A real service comes at a cost, but it has to exist so that people do not give up on the bike.
Bike commuting training in the workplace
The bike commuting introduction sessions last about an hour and a half. Emmanuel runs them directly at companies with a structured programme: road safety rules, choosing a bike to suit the person, suitable clothing, anti-theft strategy, and finding the best route.
“I usually say that you shouldn’t hesitate to take a route that’s 30% longer if it’s a safe route. It’s a lot of common sense. Still, it’s better when it’s said out loud.”
The theory session is followed by a hands-on repair workshop on the participants’ own bikes. Emmanuel can also bring four electrically assisted bikes on his trailer for employees to try out. The aim is to create a snowball effect: a colleague talking about their daily 15 km ride makes others want to take the plunge.
Bike theft, barrier number one
Asked how bike commuting could grow further, Emmanuel points to a persistent obstacle: theft. The median price of an electrically assisted bike is €1,800, and the impunity surrounding bike theft remains a structural problem.
“Every day, we meet customers who say, I’d love to buy a bike, but I can’t park it on the street.”
Solutions exist: secure municipal bike parking, connected locks, platforms like Vél’home for shared parking. But Emmanuel dreams of a city where you can just lock up your bike and go home, as in Amsterdam, without securing the bike turning into an ordeal that adds five minutes to every trip. The Géo Vélo app completes his daily kit for finding safe routes, alongside the poncho and rain gaiters he always keeps in his bag.
