I don't think we have it "all wrong" , but instead don't have a complete picture of cycling, especially utility cycling. Every thread giving advice to new commuters inlcudes the advice to buy fenders, racks, lights, etc. that are all included on the Breezer bikes, the closest we have to 'Dutch style bikes'. IMO

Ok, maybe not "all wrong" but is sure isn't right in that in order to have a utility bike you have to
spend $$ to build your own. That alone is a puts off to many who sense that the bike they need isn't
available "ready built". Kinda reminds me of making a silk purse from a sows ear.....it'll work but
never be "just right". We used to have really nice utility bikes in America.

So, today was my first day biking to work, ever, while living in the U.S. I was just cruising around the interwebs to see what I could see about commuter biking and got all sucked into this thread. I thought I might offer some perspective, as I am in fact the Average Joe (or Jane as the case may be) that y'all have been talking about. I haven't owned a bike since college and I was never a bicycle enthusiast. I'm relatively fit and I work out, but only because I have to, not because I like it. I do not own spandex of any kind.

What I do have going for me is the fact that I live 2 miles from where I work. I was able to pick up a used 1997 Huffy hybrid bike for $20 yesterday and away I go. I know next to nothing about maintaining bikes. On top of that, I'm poor (hence the bike for $20) and can't afford to trick out a bike with all sorts of add-ons. This bike is pure utility for me and that is all I want it for. I'm going to have to get hooked up with Free Ride to keep it maintained.

When I was living in the UK and in China, it was easy as pie to find a used utility commuting bike with basket, lights, and all the little things that I don't really know the names for that make it practical to bike in street clothes and to run errands. Here? Not so much. I am going to have to spend some precious dough to get fenders and a basket at the very least. I will wear my work clothes, come hell or high water. We have showers here, but frankly I just can't be bothered. I just ride slow and will get fenders.

I live in a town (Pittsburgh) where bicycling is a little bit of a cult. It's a hard town to bike in because of the hills, and automobile drivers are generally unfriendly. And I have to say, the 'tude of some of the bikers is way off-putting to someone who just wants to get from point A to point B without wasting gas. It's all about fixies and being bad-ass and mail-ordering superdeluxe gizmos for one of your, like, five bikes. And that is not how regular folks, if all they want to do is commute, see themselves.

Just because I commute on my bike doesn't mean that I'm at all interested in doing anything else with it. I'm really not. It's not my hobby, it is a car substitute. It save me gas money, and gives me a mild daily workout. The end.

Anyway, please try not to rip me a new one. I know that when you get really into something, you loose a little perspective on what it was like to not really know or care much about it. I'd love to have one of those dutch/uk style bikes for under $100. I do see them in use a bit because this is a university town with a lot of foriegn students and some bring their bikes. I'll have to keep my eyes open.

Pittsburgh roads are difficult: narrow with frequently no berm, deep sidewashes, sometimes outright streams, and lots of hills. You should have a mountain bike gear train unless your riding is confined to the lake road at North Park.

momacress--

Keep your eyes open to garage and rummage sales. Many times they try to sell older but very functional bikes for $5 or $10. There are a lot of utility bikes with fenders and all in the backs of people's garages.

I say that because I've had bad luck with Huffy. If you see an old Raliegh or Schwinn--consider it.

I know exactly what you mean about your desire for decent yet cheap transportation. Good for you and God bless.

Thank You!! You are a sterling example of the folk's who will need to ride bikes in America that are
not now. As you pointed out..you'd prefer to just buy a utility bike "ready made" because to you a
bike is just a bike......a way to transport yourself instead of walking or a car. Hopefully, some
bike company will have an "ahaa" moment to see this market soon. Again, thank you for a perspective
seldom seen here on the fourms.

https://www.communitycyclingcenter.or...-commuter.html

Awesome , mate!! Now we need to get more than just Oregon involved. That leaves 49 states to go!

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasnt Joe Breeze one of the original designer of the MTB? The fact that he's focusing on bicycles as transportation might be one of the many the signs of the times.

Yes, he was. If I remember the history here Joe "invented" the MTB and changed bike history. However,
Joe is visionary enough to see the trend towards utility bikes that will now be needed which is reflected
in his product line now.

Joe , to me , is on the forefront of the needs for tomorrows cyclist. The rest of America just needs to
catch up.

What bicycle advertising? There is no bicycle advertising.

You mean remove all the FUN from cycling, which is the whole point of cycling in the first place!

People didn't want those bikes. Byebye! We have better utility bikes now, but most people don't want a bicycle for utility only.

People's idea of "fun" varies....

Hmm garage sales utility bikes, raleigh (and it's million other brand names, hercules etc.) are pretty good, and so is schwinn. Sears, Atala, and Rollfast also sold some really good utility bikes. Columbia is a notch above the Huffy/AMF types, but definately below the others I listed. But if you see anything that rolls for $5 you really can't go wrong.

That's why its great that we have so many choices.

Rollfast...heh, my first bike was a Rollfast...at least, the frame was. Haven't seen one of those since. It had the swoopy/curvy frame. Can't remember much more about it, unfortunately. Hmmm...it was kind of like this frame, except stripped of the chrome stuff, with a normal seat and handlebars, and it was singlespeed with kickback brakes. I didn't know what a second gear was until I was 24.

except for the millions of dollars spent in cycling and outdoor magazines and by LBSs in local media.

and the ads on every page here, and on every other cycling site.

oh, the ads printed on most frames and clothes.

sponsorship of professional cycling.



but other than that, you're right - there is no bicycle advertising.

Like the vast majority of Americans, I don't read cycling and outdoor magazines. (More time to spend actually cycling and outdoor recreating.)

ZachS, for $25 you can become a contributing bikeforums member for life, and stop being brainwashed by all that advertising that worries you so much.

somebody's reading them, otherwise marketers wouldn't be spending all that money on the ads, would they? you're already a mountain biker anyway, blessed with what sound like wonderful trails in close proximity to where you live. you are also not a newbie who will easily fall prey to initial impressions and wild claims of advertising. nobody's accusing you (or at least i'm not) of being a drooling ad-driven zombie. but that doesn't mean that the desires and opinions of the public at large aren't shaped through marketing - the fact that they are is the basis for our entire economic and political system, after all.


and i do have to admit that i can be brainwashed by marketing: the second i saw the redline 925 on sheldon's site, i simply had to have one.

Yep! Some of our competitive/performance obsessed comrades have a very peculiar way of getting their jollies. For those in perpetual training mode for "Fun" purposes, the idea seems to be that Pain IS Gain.

Nice bike, mate. It suits you.

Thank you!

Below is a comment on a cure for Hand Numbness. As can be
seen the lack of upright utility "Dutch" type bikes can , and is,
causing a lot of rider pain due to being forced to ride an incorrect
bike for the job.

Originally Posted by jcm
Hand numbness is one of the reasons I switched to North Road bars. Since changing from drops and risers I never get restless hands - ever. Restless hands result from pressure. That's why folks who use drops insist that they can move their hands around to get comfortable. They have to. I no longer feel the need to hand-dance. Not even on very long day trips out to 100 miles.

It's a paradigm shift and somewhat radical in today's race concious market. Using North Roads requires a more weight-bearing saddle. I use Brooks B-67's on both my main bikes. You need not ride bolt upright. My bars are equal in height to the saddles with the grips level with the ground. There is quite a bit of forward lean.

Also, you would need to change to mtb levers like I did on my 520.

There are probably over a billion of these bars out there. Not the most fashionable, but I think they are the most comfortable for the greatest cross section of people of any type. They will start conversations among riders who are wondering why they have comfort problems and I don't.

Try losing the gloves all together. For me, 'bike' gloves made the problem worse until I went down to the workwear store and bought some cheap flaggers gloves. Tighties may be good for aerodynamics but not the hands. Loose is better. There is still a tad bit of numbness, but it goes away at about 3-5 miles.

Here's my Trek 520 (it now has SPD's, not platforms) It looks a little like those old 3-speeds that alot of people dismiss, but that's the beauty of it. The supreme comfort of a 3-speed but lighter and with more gears. What could be finah!
https://i3.tinypic.com/ziq3bb.jpg
Here's my Trek 830 mtb morphed for city use and long day trips:
https://i1.tinypic.com/ziqa34.jpg
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My response.......
VERY nice conversions to "Dutch" type bikes, mate. The fact that you had to convert the bikes to
get comfortable ony verifies your statement "It's a paradigm shift and somewhat radical in today's race concious market". If only decent bikes that are really built for the masses and not the racer wanna be's
would become the norm in the U.S. a lot of these "I gotta a pain in my....." would disappear.

Not the most fashionable???

Thats where jcm is wrong, for once.

Cool Bikes Tightwad.