I've been lurking a lot here the past few weeks (especially the vintage forum) so figured I'd sign up. I might post. I might not. I might forget about the forum after a while. It happens

So anyway, I'm a 6'5 ginger, mid 20s, living near Amsterdam. Being Dutch I've cycled all my life though not much longer distances. 10km rides to school/work, the occasional 50-ish km trips on holidays and whatnot. Rode a lot with my parents when I was in my early teens (85km from Amsterdam to Texel, rides like that). Always rode simple bikes, no single speed Dutchies but Gazelle, Batavus etc 5/7/8 speeds, drum brakes and all.

I rode the Coast 2 Coast and Walney to Wear (from Newcastle to Whitehaven and back) on a 10yr old Trek w/ Nexus 7 and drum brakes last summer. My 6'8 brother rode a 70cm frame 7-speed Gazelle. The C2C being mostly a road bike/sportsy people route, we got some weird looks... Both from locals and fellow cyclists.

Now my Trek is starting to act up and I'm in the market for a new bike, preferably one I can use for both my daily commute (15/15km trip across ever-windy flat grasslands) and the occasional 50-80km ride. Mostly looking for a sturdy yet sportsy 5-8 speed bike. Derailleurs don't last long with me for some reason. I test rode a Roetz Vigour today which was pretty nice and I hope to try an Achielle Sam sometime next week. Because well, apart from wanting a sturdy bike, I also like being hip (I already have a Kraftwerk cycling jersey ).

I'll be around!