Features booming on shared bicycles

With competition between China's bike-sharing companies growing even hotter, rivals are rolling out new models to tempt customers.

To do that, companies are using things like flashy paint jobs, high technology and niche features. Notable among these are three companies - Ofo Inc, Coolqi and Bluegogo International Inc - which are racing to produce more of their new models.

Ofo, founded in 2014 and now valued at $1 billion after receiving $450 million in new investments in March, unveiled the Ofo Princess bicycle for women last week. It has a rattan basket on front as well as rounded screws and a better chain guard to keep from snagging dresses. The bike-sharing giant claims to have more than 100 million registered users.