I love Dutch bikes, but they would be pretty ill suited here in Pittsburgh with our terrain. That said, fixies seem like they would be ill suited here too and tons of people ride them and even race them in brutal alley cats like the Pittsburgh-Roubaix... So maybe Dutch bikes will take off here afterall.
None of those can take me up Herron. Do not want.
One advantage most fixed gear bikes have over the Dutch-style city bikes is they are significantly lighter.
My old Novara Fusion was kinda Dutch-like. It was fine for my commute (Morningside to South Side) but if I had to do any real climbing, it was horrible.
The Netherlands is downhill everywhere. But with a headwind.
Edit: wow. five seconds into the video and I'm shouting already. It's like a PSA for "take me out of the gene pool, please."
Well, while not the same thing I am considering setting up my Long Haul Trucker frame something like this at some point.
(okay, to be honest, I wasn't really shouting. I was sitting at my mother's dining room table very quietly. I was just shouting on the inside, pocketa pocketa pocketa)
Well, while not the same thing I am considering setting up my Long Haul Trucker frame something like this at some point.
Me want.
I want his photography skillz.
Well, while not the same thing I am considering setting up my Long Haul Trucker frame something like this at some point.
I've been tempted for a long time to put albatross/north road bars on my 520.
Well, while not the same thing I am considering setting up my Long Haul Trucker frame something like this at some point.
Niiiiiiiiiice. I'd love a bike like that. If I could replace the handlebars on my current bike without fussing with the gears, I'd so do it b/c it's already a hybrid deal. Although honestly, that getup on the Surly is just.....beautiful.
Yeah, it's pretty nice setup. I am starting to enjoy riding in an upright, slower, less aggressive position on my commutes. For now I have to strip down my Trek hybrid and put everything on the used LHT frame.
If I were a Slate editor, as a policy I would try to have bike review articles written by someone who knows something about bicycles. Then again, I'd also want my "tech" articles to be written by someone who understands technology, but then Farhad Manjoo would starve to death.
Maybe he could review the bikes.
@ kramhorse - bikesnob wrote a pretty on point critique of this article.
nice quote, could not have said it better. even the lamest automotive journalist can tell a manual transmission from an automatic, and even the worst political analyst knows the difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives. Bicycles should be treated like computers by the media, in that both were once the domain of nerds and children but are now totally commonplace and thus can be written about with more sophistication.
lol
or road bikes (with super-skinny tires and ram's-horn handlebars designed for miles-long stretches of smooth suburban pavement
the link to the bikesnob article erok referenced:
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/08/rectilinear-or-obtuse-cycling-in-media.html
I highly recommend the blog.
i really didn't like that slate article.
they should let me review golf clubs for them. i went to a driving range a few times as a kid. i'm qualified.
Hmm.. I have been wanting to go to the driving range lately.. I should see about building a trailer for my clubs.
i like how the article's subtitle is "The best city bikes on the market"
I don't disagree with the critiques of the article, but consider, at least, that many people now know that there are honest-to-goodness practical commuting bikes out there. It's better than Slate reviewing the typical "commuter" that doesn't even have mudguards....
My takeaway from the Slate article is that all the commonly available bikes in the US are ridiculously impractical, that to ride a bike for transportation you need something different, and that in order to get it you have to somehow import one of these exotic "unattainable" critters from Canadia.
Not "swing down to your local independent bike store (okay, maybe not), REI, or Trek". But at 0.10/word, that doesn't put dinner on the table.
I think I'll keep climbing Squirrel Hill on my road bike and leave those glycogen powered panzers to the wingtip set.
Sometimes I think that's why people shy away from riding. They get on some handmedown steel mountain bike totally out of shape and realize they can't pedal up a hill. I suspect on decent, lighter bikes more people might stick with it. Why set yourself up for punishment when all you want to do is get to work? Maybe these bikes would be good in Iowa city or somewhere flat. Wouldn't want to carry it up to my 4th floor apartment.
Ryan, that's pretty much exactly how i have my cross check set up! same tubus rear rack, brooks saddle (sans springs), albatross bars, cork grips, metallic fenders, but I went the extra step and put a front basket on it too.
but brian, the dude straight up said that "typical American bike shops" only have full suspension mtn bikes and racing road bikes. he lives in DC. i don't think he's ever set foot in a bike shop in DC. there are plenty of good urban bikes on the market (that come with fender thingys) that you can get in "typical American bike shops" (whatever that means).
which shop in pittsburgh is a "typical American bike shop?"
my biggest gripe is that 1. he doesn't know what he's talking about and straight tells falsehoods (the best urban bikes??) and 2. he comes at it from a position of authority and knowledge, neither of which he has on the subject.
according to this guy, to ride in an urban environment, you have to be like him, and enjoy slow rides on your dutch bike, or you have to "approach cycling as a vicious blood sport." no middle ground. thanks guy.
Scott, have you ever had an issue with numb hands? I will bug you about it when I come pick up my silent auction win.
Oh, don't worry, Erok, I think the author is a bit of a tool, but again, better these bikes than something supremely impractical.
In my bike shop perusing recently, the only bikes I've seen with fenders are Konas and the new Gary Fishers. Most other "urban" bikes would require some upgrades to actually be useful for commuting.
But, why I am defending this guy again?
ha ha. iron city bikes carries some khs bikes with fenders.
i think rei's got some too.
well interbike is in a few weeks, i'm sure the choices will be even greater for next year's models. the major companies seem to be a couple of years behind actual demand, and i keep hearing grumblings of more "commuter bikes" on the way. the main problem is still a price point. if adding standard fenders makes your bike even $25 more than a comparable bike from a competitor, guess who sells more bikes?
I agree that we're going to see more next model year.
Oh, and for the record, REI had three different bikes with fenders: two of their house brand models, and another from Marin. Those were very clearly in the minority, with roadies, MTBs and "comfort" bikes taking center stage.
When I was in Boulder, the (a?) Trek store had the new Gary Fisher townie bikes front and center, which was very cool to see.
My housemate just picked up a Trek Soho, which is ridiculously weatherproof: fenders, belt drive, 8-speed internal hub, and drum brakes.
That's the one! I had asked somebody at the Trek store to call me when they got one in but I don't remember who it was... That bike sounds great on paper, but I want to see how it rides.
I just bought a Dutch bike from a friend. It has a 5 speed and does alright on hills; the generator taillight doesn't work but I'm going to try to fix it.
The only thing I don't like about the Soho are the drum brakes. They work quite well, but are a royal pain in the rear to disconnect. They are also spectacularly heavy.
They are also spectacularly heavy.
That's for better traction.
It's also an anti-theft tactic. If the wheels are locked, you need a friend to help you carry it away. Plus, it helps you get up the hills in Amsterdam. You just have to get up speed on the flat and then -- whoosh -- you can coast right up to the top.
Trek just launched the Belleville.
Steel frame, chain guard, full fenders, lower top tube, generator lights. Lots of neat stuff.
Gimme.
wow trek. nice.
But can you carry a passenger side-saddle on that rack?
But can you carry a passenger side-saddle on that rack?
Probably at least once.
"ha ha. iron city bikes carries some khs bikes with fenders.
i think rei's got some too."
Chris also has a few over at Thick...
