Thanks to good folks at Seattle Bike Supply, for the past several months I’ve been the lucky caretaker of a Batavus “Old Dutch”. I hoped the Portland sales rep who loaned it to me would have forgotten about it, but unfortunately, last Friday it was time to give it back.
It’s a beautiful bike, and a clear symbol of the Dutch Bike Invasion that is sweeping North America.
Even though it wasn’t my ideal day-to-day bike, I relished every opportunity to take it for a spin. There’s something about the Dutch position (expertly explained here by Todd Fahrner) and the angles of this classic bike that just feels right.
The skirt guard also makes a great
kids feet guard. |
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But beyond how it felt to ride, one reason I enjoyed this bike was because it always attracted attention. That’s not just because I’m some egotist who likes attention (although I don’t usually mind it), it’s because if we’re ever going to get non-bikers to start pedaling, we’ve got to first inspire them with functional, and more importantly, beautiful bikes.
Riding this thing around town, I was amazed at the type of people who would stop, stare, and ask me about it: The mail carrier ducking out of his truck; the elderly women crossing the street in front of me; not the usual suspects to have bike-envy.
And it’s not about rocket science or huge R&D budgets, the Dutch have built bikes like this forever. It comes stock with a full chain-guard, ample front and rear fenders, integrated front and rear lights, an upright position, a skirt guard (also handy for keeping kids’ feet out of the the wheel), and a comfy saddle.
As I rode around on this thing, usually grinning ear-to-ear, I often wondered how much better off our great country would be if bikes like this could be purchased at at Toys R ‘Us or Wal-Mart.
Maybe the bike industry’s current fascination with commuter and utility bikes will trickle down to big-box retailers someday. But first, they’ll have to sell through their stock of $189.00 full-suspension mountain bikes.
In Portland, you can check out this “Old Dutch” at Revolver bike shop in North Portland, or see our local Batavus dealer Clever Cycles on SE Hawthorne.