By bicycle Paulette easily electrifies old bicycles

The fashion is electric bicycles. The phenomenon was accentuated this winter with the strikes at the SNCF and since the deconfinement with the fear of public transport. Even Jean Castex praised a "clean and excellent means of transport for health" in his statement of general policy. A start-up, À bicyclette Paulette (in reference to the song by Yves Montand), offers to electrify his bike with a kit (electric wheel, removable battery, sensors, LCD screen, etc.) to assemble oneself .

Read also: Rise of the electric bicycle: a quarter of bicycles are "Made in France"

Its originality? The simplicity of the device and the support, via a well-designed site and an efficient chatbot. “We wanted to offer something different from what existed: simple and educational,” explains Guillaume Arthuis, the co-founder of the start-up, a cycling enthusiast who worked for ten years in the Decathlon cycle departments.

And in fact, the operation is extremely simple for a non-handyman. Today, À bicyclette Paulette offers 2 adaptable kits on 90% of bicycles, priced at 699 euros (urban mode) and 990 euros (sport mode), the first being eligible for certain municipal aid, such as in Paris or Bordeaux. “It's an investment ,” admits Guillaume Arthuis, who claims to provide after-sales service for his kits. As soon as we can fix it, we do it. "

And this, he points out, unlike many bikes with integrated systems that are difficult to repair on the market. In less than a year, the start-up has already sold a hundred kits and has as many on order.