why don't they sell these in the US?
 

so I just got a new commuter bike to replace the bike I brought from the US...it just couldn't handle the daily use and abuse of Copenhagen commuting. here's a link to it: ST720 - Trek Bicycle

it is part of the trek Scandinavian city-bike project.

I added a rear-rack and a magnet dynamo back light (https://www.reelight.com/dk/produkte...il-sandelpind/) that i also haven't seen in the US...

so my question is: why doesn't a market like Portland or New York or San Francisco, etc. support the sale of this type of bike in the US?

They do.

where? I was trying to find them on the trek website for my brother in law, but I couldn't find them with internal gears and dynamo hubs in the US store...

sweet...I didn't realize qbp distributed reelight...but as for the trek...that was the bigger issue...what I was really looking for...

I'm in New York City and they have bikes like that; they're called Citbikes - the bike share system.

Me, I'm happy with my Brompton S6L-X folding bike; steel/titanium, reflective stripe on the wheels,
hub gears, SRAM/Brompton gears with 6 speed and my own powerful battery operated lights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G74...IoDLA&index=14

because igh bikes don't sell in the usa. for example, trek heavily promoted the soho for years and discontinued it due to a profound lack of interest.

2013 Soho Deluxe - Bike Archive - Trek Bicycle

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=433881
FAIL!

i should note that i tested the soho and was completely unimpressed.

I am sure you love your brompton and I would too, but at about 4x the price of the trek, it really isn't in the same league. And the SOHO was the same problem...expensive belt drive system that never caught on.

I guess...when it gets down to it, I'm looking for an affordable (sub $700 ish) ready to go off the shelf (add fenders or a rack maybe and that's it) bike that has internal gears, dynamo hubs, and isn't a classic or dutch-style bike. It seems like a lot of people on this forum essentially build the trek st720, so why wouldn't they sell it in the US market ready to go...since the bike is already in production here?

Folders are classic city bikes in asia and the UK but somehow I never see people from these nations troll bike forums about their bike preference.

I am just curious what bike did you take from the USA and why didnt handle the commute in Copenhagen.

I'm just looking for a bike that like the one trek makes for here in denmark...since I happen to like it and my brother in law wanted something similar...and when we went to look, we couldn't find it on the shelves anywhere...there are plenty of folding bikes on the US market, but they are expensive...and that just isn't an option for some of us...

so, has anyone seen anything on the normal market that is similar to the ST720 - Trek Bicycle on the US market...we just don't have the disposable cash to build up something from a new bike or the time to bring something old back to life.

I brought a giant via 1, the frame and components (particularly the brakes) couldn't handle the sort of water and salt torture that is normal every-day for bikes during a Copenhagen winter. The drop outs started to fail after only a couple months and the brakes were on the way out...the bike I got here has had no such issues with the same use...though they did say that the metal of the frame has been treated with something to make it more resistant...

Have you looked at Bikesdirect.com? They have this one for $549:
City Bikes Save up to 60% off new Motobecane Bistro 8V Deluxe Aluminum City Bikes from bikesdirect.com

They also have a few others along those lines. Disclaimer: I've never bought from them. There is plenty of pro/con discussion of them on this forum. But I do notice that a lot of the bike pictures on this forum are bikesdirect bikes.

... here's another similar one for $499:
Save Up to 60% Off Town Bikes | Classic, Stylish Eight Speed City Bikes | Urban Bikes | Commuter Road Bikes | Windsor Kensington 8 from bikesdirect.com

Because the folks on BF who build that kind of bike represent a tiny fraction of the US market. Maybe that will change in a few years.

This is kind of close, if you can handle belt drives
Raleigh Bicycles - Mesika 4.0 i8
Raleigh Bicycles - Misceo 4.0 i8

I'll stick with my Cannondales and not move to Europe. ;) Although I would love to visit Ireland, Scotland and England in that order someday. Glad you got a good bike.

V

I think Breezer makes bikes like that.

There are a number of brands smaller than Trek that offer bikes in the USA that come with racks and fenders, IGH, and in some cases dyno hubs and lighting. Breezer comes to mind, as well as some others. Places like Portland, Seattle, even Boston have shops that make a point of seeking them out and importing if they have to. My gut impression is that while it's not yet a big segment of the market in the US, it is growing.

I believe. The cobblestones at my flat chewed up the bike!

The Factory in Taiwan ships around the world, different country distributors have different specifications ..

One sells , out of the box, fully kitted out bikes for More money ,
another prefers a stripped down bike they can sell for less, then consumers pick their own Accessories..


You are asking consumers, at the wrong end of the supply chain , call Trek Corporate HQ and ask there.

The breezer bikes look really good...this one Breezer Bikes - Finesse - Bike Overview looks just about perfect...just about double the budget though...The windsors look pretty similar to the giant via 1 that I had...

I still find it strange that IGH have all but disappeared on the US market...they just work so well...anyway, I'll keep looking...

They have. No one buys them. No idea why as they're great bikes :)

There are a number of IGH city bikes available in the US: Workcycles, Azor, Batavus, Bobbin, Breezer, Pashley, and others. Check near the bottom for manufacturers and dealers: City Bikes | LocalMile

They are out there and demand is growing. Personally I now consider derailleur shifting, and rim brakes as totally unacceptable and won't even consider a bike that has them.