Overweight New Yorkers may not be allowed to sign up for the city's new bike-sharing service which is scheduled to launch later in May.
The New York Post reports that the program, Citi Bike Share, includes a stipulation that riders "must not exceed maximum weight limit of 260 pounds" in order to register and use the bikes.
The bikes, which are supplied by a company called Alta Bicycle Share in Oregon, could break under the weight, the Post reported.
"These technical specs are established by the equipment manufacturer and are the same as other bike share cities around the world and standard on commercially available bikes and components," New York City department of transportation spokesman Seth Solomonow told ABC News.
The bicycle company has also placed similar restrictions on their other bike share programs in Boston and Washington, D.C. According to Solomonow, other bike manufacturers like Raleigh and Trek each listed a weight limit of 275 lbs in the user manuals for particular models of bikes. He added that, "We expect people will use the bikes safely," he said.
"Some bikes do have a weight limit depending on the type of components on them," explained Brendon Nicholas of Silk Road Cycles in Brooklyn to ABC News. However, he admitted that his shop doesn't carry any bikes he's aware of that have a listed weight limit.
As stated on the Citi Bike website, the provider of the bikes for the NYC bike-share, the "rugged" bikes offered for the program are three-speed cruisers with "sturdy" aluminum frames and "durable" tires.
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