Nov

16

Bike Friday Everyday

Filed Under Folding Bikes, Seattle, Travel, bikes, commuting, tech | 1 Comment 

Time is a luxury, so if your weary of wasting 7-10 seconds per day, 49 seconds a week and an average 3.2 minutes a month folding your bike, the Bike Friday is your time machine.  We’re now pleased to have Bike Friday folding bikes in our shop.
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These bikes have a very loyal customer base all over the U.S. and abroad, made in Eugene Oregon they’re a great compliment to the species of imported city bikes in our stable. While our Dutch and German bikes are meant to be left (or piled) outside the train station, these babies come along for the ride, either just folded or packed into their own Samsonite luggage carrier which doubles as a trailer for touring.
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What we lack for in trains here in the Puget Sound we make up for with an estimated 500,000 boats permanently moored in the area.  The folded Bike Friday is so compact it can be easily stowed on a boat making each port of call an opportunity to continue cruising on land.

Nov

4

Dutch Bike Seattle Fashion Show

Filed Under Accessories, Seattle, commuting, fashion | Leave a Comment 

We know our mantra has always been that you don’t need to wear special clothes to ride our Dutch bikes, but I make exception when it comes to fine wool and oil-skin fashions. For those of you who like to wear fashionable clothes when you cycle, we have something very special.

nan in green dress by bicigirl @ Flickr

Nan in green dress by bicigirl @ Flickr

This coming Sunday November 9th, from 11 AM to 1 PM, we’ll be hosting B.Spoke Tailor at our Seattle shop where you can check out some of the finest cycling clothing around.  Founder and expert tailor Nan Eastep will be on hand to showcase her fabulous line of wool riding knickers, oil-skin coats and backpacks.  The color palette of her clothes are perfect for fall riding and more functional than 90% of what’s out there.

Oct

22

Prep, Open & Party

Filed Under Blogs, Chicago, Events, Shop, Travel, party | 5 Comments 

We had a super weekend of sales and oh so many visitors to the store.  Some from as far away as Missouri and southern Illinois, just to buy bikes. Thank you all for making our opening weekend a success. Thanks also to Millie at Enbeadia, our welcoming new neighbor who also happened to save the day when we realized we had no wine key or beer opener.

Note to self: corkscrews and bottle openers = essential tools for Dutch Bike Company Chicago.

Sorry the rest of our friends and readers couldn’t all be here to hang the sign and party with us until, not quite, the break of day. Next time…

Oh, and Czech us out in today’s Coolhunting post.

Oct

16

Inventory Arrives in Chicago

Filed Under Chicago, Events, Shop, bikes | 3 Comments 

The Seattle staff are all in Chicago this weekend to assist with the grand opening of the Chicago store. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause our customers and visitors to the shop. Just give us a call in Chicago 312-265-0175 if you need any assistance. We all have access to email, so you can still reach us that way as well.

Our inventory has arrived. Thanks to Henry at Workcyles for packing more bikes into a 40 ft ocean-going container than seems humanly possible and seeing to it that they arrived in perfect time for our Grand Opening.  Thanks also to the Chicago area US Customs for making this the smoothest and swiftest clearing process we have experienced. Thanks especially to Gerson Development and Exit Management for making possible and welcoming us into our new home.

Oct

11

Chicago Opening October 18th

Filed Under Blogs, Chicago, Shop, commuting, photos | 2 Comments 

Hey, it’s almost time. More bikes arrive this week. Did you know that Chicago has a 24 hr. Home Depot. Yup, you can buy hand tools and light bulbs at midnight. Sorry I don’t have much time to blather on about how happy we are to be here, but here are some photos from my last days in Seattle and our new home in Chicago. Hope to see you sometime in the shop soon.

Our hours will be 11 AM to 6 PM Saturday the 18th.

Sep

17

Chicago Location Revealed

Filed Under Chicago, News, Shop | 6 Comments 

Dutch Bike Seattle is thriving - thanks to all of our customers, friends and fans in Seattle and all over the USA. Sporty Seattle seems to be warming up to the more relaxed and practical lifestyle Dutch bikes inspire. We’ve even come up with a “Seattle Gearing” package (20 minute swap - rear 20T cog for a 22T cog, and add a few links to the chain) for those who need or want some more hill climbing power with their eight-speed Nexus.

There will be no need for Seattle Gearing packages in Chicago - where the biggest hills are typically bridges over the river or headwinds. We could gear up some of our Secret Service bikes as Chicago Speedsters… It may be handy to have a big downwind gear as you are making your way along a boulevard into the city. And, on your way into the city from the north end with that big fat tailwind pushing you along Lincoln, Clybourn or Halsted, (because you have a little extra time in the bank) why not turn off on Armitage and visit our soon to open Dutch Bike Chicago location at 651 W Armitage #1E.

Gaze through the window and imagine a big shiny black Secret Service or Opa or Oma or Transport waiting for you to take it home. Here the cha-ching of the register as Stephan and staff happily ring up enthusiastic new customers. Giggle at the thought of thousands of Chicagoans in sitting up and parading around town on their Dutch bikes, with perfect postures and bugs collecting in their perpetually grinning teeth.

See you in a few weeks…
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Sep

12

Sweet Home Chicago

Filed Under Chicago, News, Shop, Travel | 20 Comments 

I returned last night from a whirlwind three day trip to Chicago.  My main mission was to secure the lease for our new shop.  Mission accomplished.  Thanks to our friend Alby Van Alyea and broker Diana Rendina for making it a fun and smooth process.  And a special thanks to our new landlord and his enthusiastic wife for taking a liking (from afar) to us.  We look forward to meeting the both of you soon.

I’m not yet ready to reveal the neighborhood or the specific address, but I am willing to play twenty questions over the next few days.  So, if you want to play, just ask me yes or no question here in the blog.  I will answer in a timely manner.   The one who guesses the street and neighborhood will win a Dutch Bike Seattle T-shirt, illustrated by Ed Fotheringham (cartoonist/illustrator whose work can be seen in The New Yorker).  Friends and family are not eligible.  And no, Ed McMahon will not be coming to your door with an million dollar check from Publisher’s Clearinghouse.

Sep

5

Dutch Bike Seattle’s Opa in GQ Magazine

Filed Under Media, News, bikes, fashion | Leave a Comment 

We don’t have any links. You may have to head to the newsstand, barbershop or dentist’s office to get yourself a copy of the September issue of GQ Magazine. If you subscribe, you’re set. Just go to page 197 and feast your eyes on our Opa featured in a full-page editorial. Now I had to explain to my mom the GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) Magazine is the equivalent of Vogue or Cosmopolitan for men, and then she wrote it down, and she’ll get a copy, and she’ll be entertained and proud when she eventually gets to page 197.

Sep

5

Parking Your Bike in Tokyo

Filed Under Advocacy, Media, News, Urban Planning, bikes, tech, video | Leave a Comment 

A recent article in the Washington Post, “For Bicyclists, a Widening Patchwork World: U.S. Lags Behind Two-Wheeled Boom” by Blaine Harden illustrates the growth of cycling worldwide.  In the case of cycling infrastructure, the bottom line is - if you build it they will come.  This has been proven in cities all over the globe.  The article was accompanied by the video below of a sweet bike parking system in Tokyo and an interview with the president of Giant Bicycles.

Aug

18

Care and Feeding of a Brooks Saddle

Filed Under Accessories, Blogs, bikes, commuting, tech | Leave a Comment 

Bicycle saddles exist so that riders aren’t obligated to stand for the duration of a given bicycle ride. They are a source of comfort to some cyclists, and a source of discomfort to other cyclists. Most other things you chose to sit on do not require you to straddle them and rest nearly your full body weight on one of the most sensitive parts of your body. As a result, a saddle is the most personal choice you can make when it comes to a comfortable ride. No other part of a bicycle will make you want to ride it more or less than the saddle, and yet many people who buy a new bicycle never even consider the possibility of upgrading the stock saddle, or even trying a few other saddles with a different size, shape or material before they head home with their new bike.
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