I want to purchase a Batavus Fryslan. The only cycle outlets seem to be in Canada or California, and they all seem to have been active around 2010 to 2012. This is 2017. Who carries Dutch city bikes around here?

Doesn't look like they sell in North America.
Batavus - Choose a country // Home

I looked into an international oriented Dutch sites, but there seems to be a problem with shipping to the US. They suggest it's possible for some batavus bikes, but once in the shopping cart they charge 1100 dollars shipping costs, and say it's impossible to ship it there. The model 'Fryslan' also seem to be discontinued, but is probably renamed as the name Fryslan is only suited for export.

What's so special about this Batavus Fryslan anyway?

I've seen ONE of these bikes in NYC--it's always at 115th and Riverside near Columbia. I can understand why you're trying to track one down--they're gorgeous and I don't see many classic looking Dutch bikes that don't seem overly modernized; ie. a Dutch bike with that same geometry, chain guard, and that wonky/awesome rear fender. Ugh, gorgeous. Maybe a good follow up question is if there are similar looking frames out there from a different maker.

[MENTION=466333]dalcgal[/MENTION], George Bliss sells Dutch bikes and may be able to get this for you. Send me an email at the address below, and I'll give you his phone number. I'm not sure if he has a shop currently. He closed the one a block away from me and was talking about opening one in Brooklyn.

Thanks for the screenshot, BobbyG. I saw that image, too, before I decided to query you all. I was mystified, 'cuz the British bike enthusiasts seem to love Batavus and the California and Oregon bikehounds did, too. And then, the screen goes dark.

Aaronrob222, you're right. That's my inspiration. That bicycle and one which was even niftier (till it was stolen I heard) used to be parked @ the corner of 119th and Morningside Drive all the time; later, @ 120th, in front of Barnard College. I'm just starting to get back into riding after a v. long hiatus (car accident) and that bike has stayed in my mind.
Why this? Steel, sturdy, comfortable, tires that can take NYC potholes, ease for carrying books, etc. Issue of welded joints instead of lug doesn't seem overwhelming.

Yeah, Dutch people are tall. A 6'0" man is short.

But you super glued your seatpost? Seriously?

And the Frysians, from Fryslan, are about an inch above the average Dutch, so it would be ironic to call a small bike the Fryslan. By definition the 'oma' is an adult bike, but there are smaller versions produced, 26" wheels, 51 cm seat tubes, but not in great numbers. The regular 57 cm oma will suit a wide variety in people's sizes and boys nor girls like to ride to high school on a child's bike, and prefer a bike that is too tall. Smaller bikes for younger kids are often of a different frame type.

[MENTION=442029]Stadjer[/MENTION], where can we see pictures of the bikes you're describing? I know what an omafiets looks like.

A regular smaller oma? Here's an example:
Highlander omafiets 26 Inch Zwart
Hollandia Royal Dutch omafiets wit 26 inch

But they tend to combine the classic frame shape with wider aluminium tubing, fat tyres and often more colour for the smaller sizes:
https://en.hollandbikeshop.com/child...-3s-matt-gray/

The taller frames can be found in the women's bike section of the website above, but is often with 28" wheels. But I think a lot of seat tubes have gotten shorter relative to overall frame size compared to the classic oma, so the 'frame size' might be a bit misleading at first sight and I doubt the seat will go down in the seat tube fully. Would be nice though, a big height difference between saddle and handle bars is what makes omas nice, that gives them a leisurely king of the road feel. Extremely tall headtubes are also very popular among olditmer collectors.

Workcycles ships Omafiets & Opafiets throughout the world.

More: City Bikes | LocalMile

US bike shops think that people here wouldn't want Dutch bikes nor want to pay the cost for them (IGH and stuff is more expensive than cheap derailleurs and caliper brakes) so most shops won't carry them.

A great slightly smaller bike is a Workcycles Gr8. My wife got one about 7 or 8 years ago and loves it. The geometry is one-size-fits-all and works really well for people of all sizes. I've ridden her Gr8 quite a bit and really love it.

[MENTION=442029]Stadjer[/MENTION], Hollandia? Really? My experience with them was quite poor.

I just gave an example, not an advice to purchase that particular one. Hollandia seems quite low end to me, both in price and build quality but I've no personal experience with them. With shipping costs and customs, getting a low end oma is probably not worth the money and effort.

Depending on bulk though. There are a lot of people in North America looking for good but inexpensive bikes for daily riding. Every once in a while I think that I should load up a small cargo container with a gob of bikes and ship them to the US. This would bring the shipping costs per bike down to about US $30 rather than the $120 per bike I've been paying. That'd be 192 bikes though.

BTW, I think one US chain store did start to import and sell Hollandia.

Yes, and the numbers sold in the Netherlands also means the bikes aren't that expensive to begin with. But if you take a look a the prices in the US for a Gazelle tour populair or an Azor, there's about 1000 dollars that appears to have disappeared in the Atltantic. The 120 dollars can't be the main issue.

By now, I've contacted well-known former bicycle salesmen and a variety of bike shops on the UWS of NYC, not to mention scouring the 'Net. No go.

Noglider and mtb_addict,
I am tall (6'), so the height of a Dutch bike is a non-issue, but thanks for the warning.

What mystifies me is that everything seems to be for sale in the U.S. But not these bikes. Nor does there seem to be any kind of "go between" store/purveyor for European bikes, so, CrankyOne, I think you may have a great idea there.
Still, what's to be done right now? I keep thinking that I've missed an obvious clue, but what? The Fryslan is sold across Great Britain, so, I thought it might be available in Canada. Nope. The answer may just be to put this notion aside for now, though I hate to give up so easily...

Just fly over and buy one.

I see trans-Atlantic flights quite cheaply now from NYC to AMS for less than 300 GBP. That way you can get it fit properly and ride it around the countryside before shipping it back (shouldn't be more than a few hundred USD).

Also, Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles ship to the USA from the UK here ...

Wiggle Cycle | Commuter & Urban Bikes

Are there other Dutch bikes that are close and available here?

A friend of mine says he has George's contact info, and it might be something other than that email address I sent. I'll check with my friend.

I assume you've talked to US bike shops that specialize in Dutch bikes like www.mydutchbike.com/, or Chicago's https://jclindbikes.com/? They might have a handle on something similar to the Fryslan.

Hi - I found this post only two years too late. Does anyone know where/how I might be able to sell a Batavus Fryslan and a Gazelle Basic in NYC? They're in storage and have been since 2009.

Thanks. Jaime

Dear Jaime,

I wrote that post and I am still interested . . . in either the Batavus Fryslan or the Gazelle Basic. I have now forgotten the background research I did on the Gazelle, so that may be an "if,"until I know more. Just recall that it's meant to be a good "city" bike and that bike stores in San Francisco carried them.

How much are you selling them for, and where are you? I am in NYC.

Look forward tohearing from you,
Dallas

Honestly, just fly over to AMS. It's cheap to stay and just bring a bike back in a box.

My last flight from Boston to London Gatwick was $99 on a Norwegian 787. Transatlantic flights are very cheap right now.

Also, use kiwi.com to connect up flights from different carriers.

The Amsterdam bike shop prices are about the same as I’ve seen in Europe. I don’t see a 1000 dollar difference.

Yeah, with the EU it's pretty standard (CH notwithstanding).

US to EU prices differ significantly. US is usually quite cheap on anything found in both location. However, EU-specific things like boxbikes are much cheaper over here, especially when a real second-hand market exists.

Why cite a $1000 difference?

Someone posted something about 1000 and the Atlantic Ocean. Maybe I miss read but I took it to mean that prices were 1000 more in the USA.

No.

28" in Dutch or 28er in German is just a 622 wheel (or what Americans/French call a 700c). That's why ETRTO should be used.

No one is going to throw a boxed up bicycle on an international flight. They're heavy (probably 30 kg boxed up). They're super durable. I had one in Copenhagen that lived on a square in front of flat and it was lying on it's side every morning. Nothing will happen to it.

I would get a USED bike in Holland (VERY decent ones will run €3-400 include a nice Batavus).

If it's used, there's no duty involved, but you should get like $800 duty free (last time I entered the US).

You're making this much harder than it needs to be and flights are cheap even this late in the season.