Aug
3
… and They are Gorgeous
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Jul
27
Retrovelo in the House…
Filed Under bikes, inventory | Leave a Comment
Soon.
We know that our Retrovelo shipment is here in Seattle. Will it get inspected and released by customs on Monday? Or, will it get released on Tuesday? Or, will customs decide to make us wait… ? I’ll keep you posted.
Jul
20
Dutch Bike Co. Seattle in the News
Filed Under Chicago, Media, News, Shop | 7 Comments
Last month I was interviewed by Crai Bower for a Forbes Traveler article entitled North America’s Most Bike Friendly Cities where I had a chance to hint at the need for a shift in the way we view bicycles - from sporting goods to transportation appliances. I also had another chance to kiss Portland’s ass as one of the great cycling cities. I do love Portland, certainly as a cycling mecca and hope America’s ass-kissing of Portland as a great cycling city will stir the envy of sport-cycling-centric Seattle (and other cities with elitist cycling egos) to invest more in cycling infrastructure for the everyday rider. One of the other top cycling cities mentioned in the article is Chicago and from what I recently observed it’s true. There are seemingly more everyday people, in everyday clothes, riding ordinary bikes at casual velocities than in any other US city I have recently visited. Chicago is big and it’s flat and there are a lot of old Schwinns piloted by the children of the original owners. There are bike lanes along many of the main boulevards. Mayor Daley is committed to making Chicago the best cycling city in the USA. His plan calls for a 500 mile network of bikeways so no Chicagoan is more than on-half mile from a bikeway. This may explain why our biggest and most fervent customer base is in Chicago. Chicago takes its working class viewpoint and applies it to cycling with superb effect.
Today we were featured on the front page of the Seattle Post Intelligencer’s business section in the article Small Retail: A practical ride with the subtitle reading “Biking upright, Dutch-style, is catching on”. And, it is catching on. This makes us happy. More and more people locally are finding us and tickled that they need no special uniform, athletic qualifications or technical knowledge to operate our bikes. They are meant to be ridden in the manner we used to ride and love bikes as children. This explains the grins and exhuberance which usually accompany test rides.
For those of you who read the PI article, you already know we let the cat out of the bag. Some of you may have already put two and two together. For everyone else, I’d like to tell you, we are opening a second retail shop in Chicago sometime this fall. Thanks to our fervent cutomers there, including the incomperable aLex, we already feel welcome.
Jul
11
Rocky’s Nemesis Rides a Bakfiets
Filed Under Bakfiets, Media, News, video | Leave a Comment
For those of you who grew up enjoying Sylvester Stallone as Rocky - and you know who you are - you’ll be pleased to know that his arch-rival Apollo Creed, the smooth-voiced actor Carl Weathers is fit and busy. He’s riding a Bakfiets around Seattle and sharing a zen-like stream of non-sequiteurs, musings about change and encouragements to a variety of speechless individuals in a series of ads for the Washington State Credit Unions. Titled “Change is Beautiful” the ads take you around town, from Gasworks to the bike trail along the the canal in Fremont, all the while with Carl making his way in our Dutch Bike Seattle Bakfiets with a bucket full of flowers. The subtext to the ads is “change is calling” and when you watch them you will agree, change IS calling. We just don’t yet know to what it is calling us. Stay tuned as Carl leads the way…
In other media related news the Bakfiets has become the recent focus of the comic series at Yehuda Moon.
Jul
7
We get asked this question in the shop and over the phone quite often. Shoppers examine all the extra features and ask, “what’s that for… why’s this special… how does this work… ?”
Before I present my litany of features, I’d like to make clear that “Dutch Bike” in many contexts is really a generic term being used to describe a style of bike, typically a two-wheeled, utilitarian bicycle, with fenders, a rack, relaxed frame geometry, an upright seating position and generally an “old-timey” look harking back to the turn of the 20th century. It is a style of bike you find all over norther Europe, from Amsterdam, to Hamburg, to Copenhagen, to Trondheim. They can be manufactured in Holland, many are not. As reported in the Seattle Times today: nine in 10 bikes bought by Americans are made in China. Europeans also suffer from a high consumption of Chinese goods. Our Azor bikes are built in Holland from frames made in Belgium, Holland and China (this is particular to the Oma, which is in such high demand, Dutch production cannot keep up). Regardless the frame origin our warrantee (10 years frame / 1 year parts) reamains the same for all our Azor bikes.
So what does a Dutch bike get you? Here’s a list of features, standard to our line of Azor Dutch bikes:
- fenders, mud flap, skirt guards — keeps your suit, skirt or kilt clean on the way to work in all weather conditions
- sealed chain case — keeps you clean and keeps chain clean, reduces long-term maintenance
- sealed 8-speed rear hub — provides effortless shifting, reduces long-term maintenance
- sealed “roller” drum style brakes — eliminates brakes and attendant dust on rim, consistent stopping in dry or wet conditions, long lasting performance
- dynamo front hub — generates electricity for…
- halogen headlamp — continuous beam, bright for all night time antics and safety
- LED tail lamp — stores electricity from dyno-hub to stay lit at stops (no flashing, no batteries required - ever)
- bell — gets pedestrians out of the way (mostly only works in Europe) and makes cute-happy-friendly sound (this works in USA) before you run into unaware pedestrians
- heavy-duty rear rack — carry cargo and friends (colloquially known as “girlfriend rack”)
- center stand — allows stable loading and independent parking
- steering return/centering spring — centers front wheel so bike stays upright when parked with a loaded front basket
- integrated lock — legally required (in Holland) and convenient for cafe hopping or errands (not for overnight use)
- integrated bungee straps — convenient for securing anything unruly to the rack
- relaxed frame geometry — makes for a smoother ride
- big 1.75″ wide x 28″ Schwalbe Marathon tires — smooths ride and highly puncture resistant
- long stem and swept-back handlebars — allows you to sit completely upright with a straight spine and little or no pressure on your hands
- stainless steel fasteners, stem and handlebars — makes your bike highly rust resistant
- powder-coated frame — a thick baked-on finish, highly rust and scratch resistant and more environmentally friendly than paint
Though any of these features when weighed alone are not that special, when integrated into a complete bike they make for a very special and functional machine, high on comfort, safety and utility, as well as good looks. Many other Dutch and Dutch-styled bikes may come with all or some of the above. The list is a fine starting point for comparison.
Jul
4
Cruising
Filed Under Amanda's Musings, Blogs, Seattle, commuting, photos | 2 Comments
My commute is 13 miles one way. I prefer to bike, but I must admit that when it rains, I opt for comfort and drive. Despite the fact that two days ago I rode for an uncomfortable hour under thick rain wearing shorts and a tank top because a thunderstorm rolled in from the blue, despite the fact that it is common knowledge that summer does not actually arrive in Seattle until July 5th, despite the fact that this morning the weather remained true to Pacific Northwest Fourth of July tradition–gray, drizzly, cool–I chose optimism today and hopped on my bike anyway.
On the trail I got behind a family of three. They weren’t going fast. I could have passed them easily, but I didn’t. I liked their vibes. And I liked the red-orange pants of the girl in the back. So I tagged on the end. We cruised along in the cool.
The trail was packed with people. It’s not usually so busy on my way to the shop, because I arrive at Noon when most commuters are long since settled into their desks. But today was holiday and the trail hummed with leisure. I seemed to be the only one with work on my face, but I didn’t mind. A customer was driving from Portland to pick up her Bakfiets. I had adored the times that this customer and I talked on the phone, and I was excited to meet her in person. Connecting with lively, intelligent, passionate, quirky characters is my favorite part of being at The Dutch Bike Company.
In the end optimism prevailed. The sun said, “Cheese!” and smiled on us as we rode through the trees.
Peace out, my peeps.
–Amanda.
Jun
12
It’s Christmas!
Filed Under News, Shop, bikes | 2 Comments
Since we’ve nary a June day where the temperature has broken sixty degrees, it’s easy to imagine that it’s still winter here in Seattle. Save for the fact that the gray days now last from 5:00 AM to near 10:00 PM, we are just cold and damp like any day in December. So, what better way to celebrate that holiday spirit than unpacking a 40′ container of shiny new bikes from Holland? Donde esta Santa Claus?
We’d like to thank the US Customs inspectors for their thoughtful and efficient inspection of our longed-for cargo and releasing it to Ivan our charming and exuberant truck driver.
We’d like to thank Henry and his crew at Workcycles in Amsterdam for his impeccable packing job. All of the bikes arrived in perfect condition.
We’d also like to thank all of our patient customers who will soon have their own longed-for bikes. We could have run to sunny Mexico with your money — and you trusted us not to. Thanks.
May
28
Appliances vs. Sporting Goods
Filed Under bikes, commuting | 6 Comments
Here at Dutch Bike Seattle we sell appliances. Most bike shops sell sporting goods. This partially explains our curious look and lack of precise answer when you ask one of us “how much does this bike weigh?”
In the world of appliances weight isn’t so important. Durability, utility, ease of use and comfort are important. In the world of sporting goods, weight, speed and technology are important. If you are shopping for a city bike, we imagine you are not racing (or racing others) to get to where you’re going. I venture to say you wouldn’t buy a five pack of beer to save twelve ounces in your panniers to make the ride home faster.
It is precisely this “sporting” point of view that keeps many from entering or re-entering the ranks of the everyday cyclists. Many may feel daunted (especially if they are out of shape or practice) by the special uniforms, shoes, computers and technical knowledge which accompany the bicycle sporting goods industry and practice.
Now in the appliance world, I don’t care much about your uniform, training or technical knowledge. I do care about how the bike fits and feels to you. I want to know that it’s going to be useful for its intended purpose, comfortable to ride every day and enjoyable for a long (long) time. Appliances can last a lifetime. Sporting goods sometimes only last as long as the next wave of technology or fad.
How many expensive mountain bikes and road bikes sit dusty in peoples’ garages and closets because they are seemingly no longer comfortable to ride, or their owners no longer feel like they want to get in shape to ride? The hunched-over, neck craned up, arms extended, position on a sporting bike is not a natural position for the human body. You must adapt to the posture. So, through training and/or habituation the position can feel “normal,” but this position was designed to go fast and improve control in competitive circumstances. It was not designed for everyday comfort and utility, yet in the USA it has become the de facto posture for recreational and sporting cyclists alike.
In the USA, for those who are “utility” cyclists, those who cycle to simply get around, there have been few alternatives to the “sporting” bikes. Cross bikes and city cruisers are just more upright adaptations of sporting bikes or cheap knock-offs of the Schwinn and Huffy cruisers (which were cheap back then already) of our youth. In Europe the majority of cyclists have been riding bikes designed for utility. There are many reasons we love “utility”, European city bikes, from being able to ride upright, spine perfectly straight, with our head at SUV driver-level, to the ability to carry friends, family and groceries, to the ability to ride comfortably all day, running all manner of errands and commuting. These are the bikes we choose to sell — appliances — and it is the reason we may pause before attempting to answer, “how much do they weigh?”
May
28
Now we get a lot of inquiries about the differences between the Azor (Dutch - made in Holland) and Velorbis (Danish - frames made in Germany, bike finished in Denmark) bikes. Let’s start with the most common question — weight. How much do they weigh? Well, the Velorbis bikes are heavy and the Azor bikes heavier. If you need to know the exact weight, then I may suggest you are shopping for sportier bikes than we sell, or you are lifting your bike way too much, or you may have a latent Lycra addiction. Regardless of weight, they both roll quite nicely and with the eight speed you can get most anywhere in any city. On our bikes you will never be the fastest person on the road, though many times you may be the most stylish, relaxed and comfortable rider on the road. If you count your wealth as free time, you can afford the extra five minutes your comfy bike takes to get you and your groceries (how much do they weigh?) home. The substance (weight) of the bike is a major component of the ride comfort.
Michael “Drunk and in Charge” in Brooklyn was sorting out the differences between the Velorbis Churchill baloon and the Azor Opa. I thought I’d share my response:
“There are some distinct functional differences between the Velorbis and the Azor Opa, as well as some huge subjective differences in the way they ride and handle. They are two very different bikes that have a similar look.
The Velorbis has 26″ tires, a chrome moly frame and steep[er] frame angles, which translates into faster acceleration, quicker steering and overall a “springier” ride. The Velorbis rear rack is a light duty rack on which you will not be able to carry your friends (for very long) or (Alex’s proverbial) 50 lb bag of dog food. Everything about the Velorbis is lighter and sportier (you are leaned forward a bit) and feels more like the performance of most of the bikes we are used to buying in the USA.
The Azor Opa and all the Azor bikes are equipped with 28″ tires, a high tensile steel (less springy than chrome moly) frame and relaxed frame angles. They are slow to accelerate, ride like a Cadillac (you are sitting absolutely upright) are extremely stable and can easily haul a boyfriend or girlfriend or dog food and beer on the burly welded steel rack.
I love both bikes, because they are so different. One feels [more] like a sports car the other like a luxury car. The Velorbis (with balloon tires) inspires me to want to race people on skinny tired bikes and careen down stairwells. The Opa (or Transport) inspires me to want to cruise and slow my life down (why are all these people on other bikes bent over and in such a hurry?). The Scrap and the Churchill are exactly the same frames (geometry and components) save for cosmetics and tire options. The Azor Secret Service (because it is a bit lighter and sportier) bridges the gap between the Velorbis and other more burly Azor models.
You are choosing between apples and oranges.“
Apr
23
How do I care for a Brooks saddle?
Filed Under Accessories, Blogs, Research, Shop, bikes, commuting, tech | 8 Comments
Even though I have been riding bikes for over two-thirds of my life, I have never owned a Brooks saddle. Since starting at Dutch Bike Seattle, this fact has been weighting on me since nearly every bike we carry has a Brooks. As fate would have it, two saddles of mine have just given up the ghost in what I can only assume is a karmic catalyst to give me no reason not to own one, or two as it were. Last week, I ordered and received a pair of Brooks saddles for myself, and one for my wife.
This week, I will be documenting some suggestions I have on how to care for a Brooks saddle, be it a brand new one, or a long term fixture on your bike. Despite never personally owning one, years of working with them have given me a long view of how you can make a Brooks saddle your best cycling partner. I look forward to answering and including any questions you may have.
Cheers!
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