Originally Posted by
Torrilin
My Dutch gaming buddies would disagree
. But then, they know what I call a hill. And yes, both places can get quite cold. They tend to figure if the ride is more than about 20-30km, they should maybe think about riding something other than a city bike. And if they're visiting each other, it's bike on the train time. Telling 'em about bike shopping in the US was good for *lots* of jaw drop moments.
Anyway, I was looking at a variety of Dutch type bikes. I ended up with a Breezer because it fit me the best out of the locally available choices. It is not as upright as a traditional Dutch bike and I haven't put it through anything long yet (literally brought it home yesterday). Since I'm a woman with short legs and I tend to haul lots of cargo, the 26" wheels should work well and be pretty bombproof.
A local friend has a Novara Transfer and is blissfully happy with it. His uses are a lot like mine, but he's comfier on REI geometry than I am. His *only* complaint is the gearing is a bit low for him, but he knows it's a fixable thing and is being lazy about the fixes.
Just goes to show...you need to get what works for you. I rode a undersized Raleigh 3 speed for years as my main source of transportation...worked great. Then a couple of years ago I got a Raleigh that was the next frame size up...amazing. Now I have a Redline R530 that fits even better, plus has more gears! I still love the feel of the Raleigh but the Redline makes a better utility bike for me. And unlike Torillin I can stand to have a larger wheel and love the rolling along on the 700c's on the Redline. My first impression of the Redline when I saw it; "Dayum that thing is huge!" it is parked next to my Raleigh Superbe, but the critical measurements are very similar (pedal to saddle) and (saddle to handle bars)
Aaron
