Originally Posted by
Doug5150
I would suspect it's more of a fashion thing.
In the US, these sorts of bikes are HORRIBLY overpriced.
Anyone who could afford one could probably just as well be driving their car.
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Batavus runs $400 and up here in Madison. $400 will get you some kind of rack equipped 3 speed with good gearing for use within Madison. Biria seems to run about the same, tho they're a special order item. Breezer is a standard item. The Schwinn, Electra, Bianchi, Masi and Dahon internal gear models are all pretty easy to get here. Even the fanciest models probably aren't more than $1500 right now. Just try finding a new car for that much
The average Madison commuter is on vintage steel or a cheap hybrid. The average Madison commuter isn't car free tho, so they don't ride in winter. They also don't ride much at night or do lots of cargo. The ones who *do* seem to ride more European style bikes with as many features built in as possible.
You could make the same argument about trailers, but I don't think anyone could call them fashionable with a straight face
.