Originally Posted by
daintonj
I really don't understand why you'd buy a bike like this. Why spend more money to get an technically antiquated old fashioned design when a cheap modern rigid mountain bike would be perfect? If you were cycling in the wilds of bornea and needed a bike which could be repaired with only a large rock (and most likely was designed on one) then I could see why, but you're in a city - only metres away from civilisation, coffee and buildings with roofs.
Just because the Dutch use them doesn't mean you should. Have you ever been over there, it's hundreds of people wandering along at 10mph in an environment where you need a cheap bike as there's a good chance you'll forget which giant pile of bikes you left it in.
Totally disagree--there are some junky dutch bikes, but the best of them are incredibly well-refined vehicles. My wife rides a Gazelle commuter that's has a number of really nice technical refinements and is perfect for commuting state-side, too. They're not made to win any races, for sure, but they're not the slowest bikes on the road, either. Her Gazelle is an incredibly stable ride. Here's a picture of hers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shinyvi...n/photostream/
Of the bikes the OP is considering, I've been researching a similar set of bikes for the last few months. I wanted an 8-speed internal hub, fenders/racks/lights or braze-ons to properly add all of the above, and I was leaning toward the Dutch-style extremely upright geometry. I had basically narrowed my choices down to the Electra Amsterdam Royal and the Bianchi Milano...but then I rode an Electra Townie. I bought my Townie 8 700c two weeks ago, and so far I've put about 100 miles on it so far. I got last year's model for relatively cheap, which looks like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shinyville/2458841621/
The Townie actually feels much closer to the "dutch bike" geometry-wise than the Amsterdam, to me. And the Amsterdam feels a little rickety in riding, too, where the Townie feels much more stable. The Townie again probably won't win any races, but I have noticed that its top speed is distinctly faster than my old Breezer Freedom with a 3-speed hub. I'm really happy with it so far, and if you're enjoying that ultra-upright seating position, you'll very much enjoy the feel.
The 8 speed version with the 700c wheels comes with lights/fenders/rear rack, so that covers the rest of the stuff you're looking for, and the street price should be right around $800. So something to consider if you're already out test-riding an Amsterdam by comparison...
The Breezer bikes other people are mentioning are nice, too, but the Breezer concept of "upright" isn't nearly so upright as the Dutch bike designs. I've beat my Breezer into the ground commuting on it over the last three years, and I'm planning to keep it, repair/upgrade some components, and turn it into my winter commuting bike. The Breezers are built on 26 inch wheels, and they are much more "nimble" in terms of handling, cornering, etc. So I'm thinking spiked tires and commuting on snow-packed/icy streets w/the Breezer.