I think the term " fashionable" is used in place of "normally accepted" in jcm's
post. In Holland the "fashionable" bike is the "grandma" (as the Dutch call it) bike which
is the central topic of this thread. However, in the U.S. the "fashionable" bike(s)
are all the various types of "sport" bikes with the "grandma" Dutch type being rare.

That said, jcm is correct.

Another poster found a web site for an importer of Dutch made bikes.
Up until now these were not available in the U.S.

http://www.dutchbikes.us/

I'm personally sick of the emphasis on "performance" mtn bikes and racing bikes. These are elitist niche markets oriented towards winning races and being "x-treme" not towards getting from A to B. As gas prices go up there's going to be more and more demand for heavy, durable three speed utility bikes. I've been converting a Rat Rod over to a utility bike format. It's big and heavy, but so am I--and so are most Americans :D We're not 170 lb. rail thin guys in spandex.

The Rat doesn't go too fast, but rides like a train. And the best thing is when I was over by Potter Marsh this weekend where all the tour bike fanatics were gearing up to go down Turnagain Arm, they loved my steel frame clunker bike! I'm telling you, for the first time in my life I'm on the cusp of a trend.

There is at least one place in the US for utility bikes like the Dutch's - under my behind! :D

Soo...I just did a 22 mile trip today round trip on my electrified dutch inspired bike, and I didnt use the electric assist much. I did use it extensively to climb at least 5 short hills, and I'm surprised I didnt use much of the battery, using only about 75% of its capacity(my range when I actually do use it moderately is 24 miles, less than 20 miles if I use it alot). And to think, I was pedalling without the electric assist for a good 10 miles with a 75 lb behemoth.

I've been reading this whole thread, and often I wished ot respond with a quote to the postings saying that young people don't like Dutch bikes etc.

Well, I am 22 and I went out of my way to import a Dutch bike after seeing/reading about one in a LJ. I did not bike for years before that, except for one or two trips on a Target cruiser. I had bought that because I was looking for a bike with handlebars that Weren't MT or road. The bike sucked though, so I left it in the basement when the Super locked it there.
It wasn't until I saw the Dutch bike that I realised there *was* a proper bike out there for me. I wear skirts only 95% of the time and was thrilled by the full chain case and skirt guards. The upright posture with the old style handles was thing I'd been searching for when I bought the Target fenderless monstrousity.

Now I haven't used my car in weeks. My first ride to the grocery was in rain, and the second too. I am now a member on this bike forum. I drool over old Raleighs, and love noticing every bike I see. Before March I had very few thoughts about bikes if Any.

So, it it not true that all young people don't like Dutch bikes. I found them to be everything I was looking for, and I don't appreciate the over-encompassing generalisations made by some. I *was* attracted to cycling by the upright bike with chaincase, fenders, rack, and skirt guard... A Dutch bike.

I think upright bikes will become more popular as vendors acknowledge the majority of people purchasing bicycles aren't planning on racing them or careening through forests.

Since I didn't get around to posting on this thread 2 years ago, I'll go ahead and do it now ;)

I think upright bikes will get popular if and when more people start buying them. The vendors will be more than happy to supply the market with whatever it wants. The vast majority of vendors follow trends, they don't set them.

Typically they just drive nails through their feet. :eek::innocent:;):lol:

It's more about the weight.

That and the leverage may not be so great, although the geometry of upright bikes isn't exactly universal.

For myself, I found it hard/nearly impossible to stand up in the saddle. It changed my center of gravity too much when really cranking out of the saddle, and I didn't feel safe. If it's got a low-enough gear, standing isn't an issue. In my case, I modified my bike to drops, and am much happier.

If I can speak a bit more on this topic. dutch-style bikes are very common where I live. I would say that you see older, odd bikes and dutch-style bikes as much as, if not more than mtbs. Although younger people seem to prefer the mountain bikes, and older people the others. One seldom sees drop bars here in town. That all said, I think the most upright bikes work best on city streets, where traffic is slow (or non-existent, such as in the no-driving zones in town), and the bike is ridden slowly. It helps when the streets are flat, as well. As soon as you get a bike out into the outer side of town, with larger roads, and faster speeds (and more room for the bike to also fly), the upright city bikes are less useful, and I seldom see them there, and if I do, they are typically on the sidewalks, and not on the road. (Our sidewalks are designed to take both pedestrians and bicycles--very wide, and crossings for bikes that are separate from pedestrians) I tried a more upright bike, as I said, but maybe my American mindset was too limited to accept the uprightness, and I switched to drops. If I had my 'druthers, I would be riding my full-blown tourer. :-)

But in any case, I can see dutch bikes being used inside the cities, but not good for many people for the commute _to_ the city.

-Jon

Most people using "Dutch bikes" are not going that far, 5kms max, I'd hazard. Although there are notable exceptions, like the fellow long distance commuter who borrowed his wifes' bike whilst all of his were off the road due to failures, after a couple or so trips he bought himself another bike...

I started bike commuting on a 50-pound upright. It wasn't Dutch, just cheap. Nearly killed me. The upright sitting position isn't necessarily easy on the lower back over long distances, especially if there are bumps. Plus while I'm not a Spandex wearer I like to go a *little* fast. The old bike is definitely good as a short-hop grocery hauler though. And in any sort of contact it tends to be the denter, not the dentee.

Owning a cheap bike made in Taiwan called the Amsterdam drove me to buy a real Dutch bike.

My Dutch commuter has lots of gears, but I sought it out for the gearbox itself. It "only" weighs 39 pounds stock, which is with that beefy german 14-speed gearbox, german rack, german kickstand, german brakes, japanese dynamo hub and all.

It was not cheap, but it is sturdy, reliable, and fun, just like the Dutch.

God I hope not. Those Dutch have a really strange and impractical idea of the role of shifters, or lack thereof.
I actually have one hill - not on my usual route, but all but unavoidable on my route to one of the destinations I go to sometimes as it is the only access to the local college - where I actually BREAK LOOSE OF THE PAVEMENT WITH THE DRIVE WHEEL AND SPIN OUT while climbing a hill with no shoulders or sidewalks. Alternately, the front wheel is prone to coming up off the ground. Is anything even remotely approaching this doable with the shifters that the Dutch like to use while sneering at our dérailleurs all the time? I think not.

You can easily buy a relaxed framed alu bike, with racks, fenders, gates crabon drive, hub lights, and 11 speed alfine for less than the cost of many dutch bikes. Why do the dutch spend $1500-2000 euros for a hunk of steel and antiquated gearing. I just don't get it and am really glad that the whole dutch thing is falling flat in the usa. If we are going to increase mode share we need to innovate. We need crabon fiber cruisers!

My orbea diem commuter was not cheap but it is skinny, fast, and sexy just like the spanish.

Necro. Pretty old thread.

Yeah but pretty interesting given the attention shift toward upright commuter, retro, 'chic', and etc. bicycles over the past number of years.