April 16th, 2009
NYT: Dutch Bikes in NYC
There’s an article in the New York Times Fashion & Style section on Dutch bikes, cycling culture, bike commuting, and the pros and cons of riding in street clothes. Here’s an excerpt:
The civilized pedigree of the Dutch bike is matched by its old-fashioned design: it comes with fenders, chain guard, generator and rack—standard, as they say in Detroit. With a bike kitted out like that, a man can wear almost anything he likes to work and not worry about getting grimy—no kamikaze messenger-wear required. Luckily, the new look of men’s wear, with its slimmed-down, sporty shapes (even in suits), is tailor-made for a bicycle commute. And since Dutch bikes are ridden upright, not hunched over, and you move at a safe, slow gait, sweating is not the issue it is when you’re careening on a road bike.
Related posts:
9 Responses to “NYT: Dutch Bikes in NYC”
Yay!
Don’t miss Bike Snob NYC’s response to the Times article!
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/04/backlash-conspiracy-divide-and-conquer.html
Ride upright! See the world!
Lol … that looks like what we tend to call a ‘granny bike’
It is the one favoured by students as it can take anything you throw at it …
of course … most students also tend to paint them in the most awful colours imaginable in order to make them less attractive to thieves.
i see people ride these in seattle and always wonder, “why would you put yourself through that?” my own bike, a sporty road bike that is also useful, practical, and comfortable, is hard enough to peddle up hills. these things are twice as heavy and their riding position is not meant for athletic riding.
those beasts are not meant for the hills of this city. i want to go up to those people and tell them, “get a real bike for riding in seattle, not some expensive, trendy import.” each to his own, i suppose.
If you practice you can ride hills with these things.
Heck … kids use these things to ride 10 – 15 Kilometers to school …
and I’d argue that hills are easier by comparison, when compared to our weather.
Of course there’s a difference between a ‘trendy’ granny-bike and a cheap Sparta granny bike (which sells for 350 – 450 Euro over here). It need not be a Gazelle …
Alan, I think you’ll be happy to hear that EcoVelo was way ahead of the NYT…as that little rag was desperate for genuine Dutch cycling photos :)
I love Dutch bikes. Did a search and found these guys, Gazelle bicycles. They have some beautiful Dutch Gazelle bikes. I never forget the first time I rode a Dutch bike in Holland….ah the Dutch know what’s going on! :)
Hi
i am an absolute fan of dutch bicycles .They have a style are very original and beautiful.
My favourite make is gazelle ,the best dutch bike manufacturer;)
Submit a Comment
All comments are reviewed by our moderators before being approved for publication. Please take a moment to read our discussion guidelines before submitting a comment.
You can also follow the discussion by subscribing to the Comments RSS Feed.