Dec

21

A Bakfiets in Winter

Filed Under Accessories, Bakfiets, Chicago, commuting, photos, tech, winter | 5 Comments 

Seems over the last few weeks here in Chicago we’ve had a snow storm every few days. Eddie, our property manager, begins his snow shoveling rounds many times before 4:00 AM. Shoveling sidewalks is The Law here in the windy city and property owners are fast (and smart) to mitigate their liabilities. Buried under the covers, as I drift in in and out of dreaming my next tropical vacation, I can hear the shovel scraping.

Now for many cities, this sort of weekly winter onslaught results in municipal paralysis (to the delight of all school-free children).  In Chicago, four or five inches of snow quickly succumbs to battalions of snow plows, running day and night on all the major boulevards, strewing salt behind them as if the roads are salmon fillet and we are curing  gravlax for the holiday.  Due to this saline seasoning, the roads remain wet to well below twenty degrees.  Cars shoosh by as if it just rained.  Truly icy main roads are a rarity, and on the occasion the roads do dry, they just imitate ice like the flats of Bonneville.

I do not ever remember applying the adjective awesome to the cold, but today it applies.  On my morning Bakfiets ride to the gym,  ice formed on my nostril hairs.  My breath escaped into giant steam clouds only to freeze as layers of ice on my sunglasses.  I suppose there is a point where a gob of spit would freeze before it hits the ground, but it’s not quite that cold yet, but seemingly close.  NOAA says it’s -3 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s -19 degrees C for you Swedish astronomy fans.  Did I mention it’s sunny and the wind is blowing 30-40 mph?  That makes the wind chill -30 degrees F.  Santa says wear a hat, eye protection and some good gloves. The ride to the gym is less than two miles, so I savored less than ten minutes each way of the invigorating awesomeness that is today’s blowing cold.

When it’s this cold the accumulated snow, well, it does just that: accumulates.  It has no place to go other than under and around parked cars.  It doesn’t melt, no matter how much salt the DOT Head Chef throws on the pig.  Even the randomly strewn blue salt crystals on my Bakfiets cargo cover were encased in ice.  I passed several motorists digging out their cars, one, stuck in a rocking back and forward, howling tire dance (with a tip of the cap to Sammy Hagar) called “I can’t drive 55″ (like it’s 55 degrees, that is).  No problem for a post-apocalyptic, wool overcoat-clad, studded tire riding Bakfiets pilot.  I just plow my bike into the snow bank, hop off and push the guy out of his predicament.  Subsequently, we both drive off much happier about the state of motorist-cyclist relations.

Because Chicago is really, truly, unbelievably, billiard table flat, it is universally “Bakfiets-able“.  The only hills are bridges and valleys, freeway underpasses.  This makes it easy to carry whatever I like, wherever I like.   About 40 lbs of “stuff” (anything will do, even snow) in the front of the Bakfiets will help the front wheel cut through even the most peanut-buttery snow.  Because Bakfiets and rider are together as aerodynamic as a cathederal, wind can just as easily be an enemy as a friend.  I ride the narrower tree-lined side streets, where the wind is less ferocious and pedal like a liquor store bandit whenever the wind is to my back, because it is just as likely to be blasting me in the face by the next intersection.

Dec

18

The Artwork of Tully Satre

Filed Under Art, Chicago, Events, Shop, Travel, party, tech | Leave a Comment 

line 1 |līn|

We are pleased to exhibit the artworks of Tully Satre (”say-ter”) this month, through January 30th, 2009.  Mr. Satre is a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Are these post-modern tapestry designs, tartans, a painterly algebraic expression or obsession? You decide. The meticulous attention to line will surely tickle you.

Show hours are TU - SA, 11 AM - 6 PM and SU, noon - 5 PM
(closed Mondays)

Nov

28

Practical Chic Drives an Oma

Filed Under Blogs, Media, News, Seattle, Shop, bikes, video | 1 Comment 

Our friend, style & finance blogger and author of the snappy recession guide Don’t Get Caught with Your Skirt Down, Jill Keto takes some time to have a glass of wine and take an Oma for a test ride.  Disclaimer: no animals or children were harmed in the making of this video.

Nov

16

Bike Friday Everyday

Filed Under Folding Bikes, Seattle, Travel, bikes, commuting, tech | 2 Comments 

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.

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