I have to wonder if some of you (including the OP) have been to Europe. Have you had a look at the bicycles there ... the common every-day use bicycles? The old ones and the new ones in the shops? Have you had a look at the cobblestone pavement?
Based on the OP's pictures in post #8, he seems to think that the photo on the right shows what all European-style bicycles look like, and yes, some of them do look like that. But there was, and is still, a large collection of heavier, more solid, often step-through bicycles which many Europeans use to go to the shops and other places across the cobblestone streets.
More streets are smoothly paved now in Europe (thank goodness!), but there are still sections of cobblestone. And from my experience riding cobblestone and a variety of gravel roads, I don't like riding gravel, but I prefer it to cobblestones. Gravel packs down a bit! But then I ride a bicycle with narrow tires and would probably handle both better with wider tires.