Why Dutch Bikes are Better

[Kayakguy]

I used to do a little mental exercise of speed vs distance, time involved in practicality, time plays a big part of the equation depending o what amount of time you can reasonably expend to make the rounds so to speak, time increases as radius increases vs speed of vehicle.I usually start at 100 meters as a practical walking distance, a few kilometers on bike after about 5 klicks I look for a motor vehicle because of the time factor.If I lived in the "low countries you can bet bike would be my preferred mode of travel( especially since I no longer have to punch the clock) It always seemed to me that Europeans have a great sense of practicality. A ICE vehicle is an expensive master.

Have to wonder whether the listed commute times for autos include the time wandering around looking for parking (which of course has to be as close to your destination as possible). And as for expense, parking fees are often high and climbing. My modest sized city of Bellingham recently made parking almost everywhere in town $1.50 per hour. One reason I like to bike to every venue that doesn't have its own (free) parking lot.

 

[PedalUma]

commute times for auto

@Kayakguy, On Friday June 2nd I am racing a race car across my town with a bike. The race car will encounter gridlock then need to park. Then we will all do a group ride. Some advocates and political types will say a few words while we wait for the race car to arrive.

 

[Rexlion]

@Kayakguy, On Friday June 2nd I am racing a race car across my town with a bike. The race car will encounter gridlock then need to park. Then we will all do a group ride. Some advocates and political types will say a few words while we wait for the race car to arrive.

It would be a really bad day to have a flat on the bike, wouldn't it! Have a great day.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

It would be a really bad day to have a flat on the bike, wouldn't it! Have a great day.

Tubeless tires and a small portable compressor do the job just fine, thank you.

 

[None]

Pretty good description of how the Dutch got it with cycling:

I went to the Netherlands with Gazelle to see a biking paradise, but found something more surprising

When it comes to design legacy, it’s hard to beat Gazelle Bikes. They’ve been building bicycles for over 130 years,...

electrek.co

 

[hegenious]

because everyone is riding omafiets

...and everyone is wearing clogs.

 

[Viking1]

...and everyone is wearing clogs.

I guess that may be true for me. I wear Crocs which ARE considered clogs. My wife is so proud of my Crocotosis spots too!!

 

[hegenious]

I guess that may be true for me. I wear Crocs which ARE considered clogs. My wife is so proud of my Crocotosis spots too!!

lol

 

[Rexlion]

Spot on!

 

[AvalancheRun]

Can't speak for all chapters in that video, but for city use I love the upright position of my Dutch ebike. I have a better view of what's going on around me. Turning to look backwards is easier. I still ride other bikes around town, but tend to feel a little more vulnerable to traffic.

Also can't vouch for these Omafiets. My Gazelle or R&M Homage handle great at speed. People say the same about various cargo bikes such as Tern.

The video could have been better. My general takeaway is that we should consider non-sport focused bikes here in the US.

 

[Scramjett]

I am in Northern California in a town that is becoming more and more bike friendly. When you have power wind resistance is less of a problem. Clothing for the destination, not the ride, is more practical and comfortable. An upright position gives a better view and is nicer on the back and neck, no stupid stooping. Here are a few of my builds in homage to the practical Dutch style of transportation bikes. Where I live an eBike is three times faster than a car. Cars just can get to a red light gridlocked traffic jam faster. Douche attachments are for those who post distance as is the spandex.
View attachment 143856

Nice looking bike! I saw a used Jorg & Olif at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen a few months ago and was very tempted. But I discovered they went out of business a few years ago so I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get replacement parts since it was a used bike. Plus, it was an “opafiets” rather than a “omafiets.”

 

[PedalUma]

I recently made this one. It is a 14 year old Specialized Globe. I took it down to the frame and rebuilt everything before making it electric. It has Dutch features such an integrated lock and internal gears plus the upright position.

 

[Dewey]

Recently there was a Reddit e-bikes thread about upright Dutch style city bikes. I note the Amsterdam Bicycle Company in Delaware is now importing the Azor Zandvoort with a Shimano EP6 Cargo mid-drive motor (85nm) and wide choice of drivetrains and colors.