Gordon,
Thank you for making the most of your cycling knowledge and Dutch holiday. I look forward to returning frequently to your site.
Portland is a bicycling city! Most people in my office ride bikes to work daily. In the basement parking area of my office building, there is plenty of room for additional cars (at $11.00/day) but bikes are crammed in locked to every bike rack, handrail and post. In downtown Portland, bicycles travel at the same speed as cars and taking a lane is accepted and the most safe place to ride, allowing full access to traffic control devices and lanes. Outside of downtown Portland there are many intersections where being on a bicycle in fast, heavy traffic is scary. I'm still learning the ropes.
I visited the Portland Dutch bike import shop last week. I rode a long wheelbase bike with a box mounted forward large enough for two kids. I also rode a high tech Dutch standard bike with a Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub and Shimano electric dynamo front hub. Now if only the 45 lbs weight could be reduced to make these bikes practical for my very hilly commute. It is great fun to see how Dutch bike designs have evolved to fill many practical and social needs.
Ken Thiessen
Bikes and accessories, reviews, touring, discussions, photos, open comments.
Practical is as practical does, Ken - I live and ride around Seattle, WA, and can justifiably claim to have a hill or two to deal with. My daily commute takes me up 1 mile of 9.6% grade, which is great fun going the other way. My usual bike weighs around 95 lbs., simply because of the added practicality of all its accessories and design features (it's a heavily modified XtraCycle). I have a light bike; it weighs about 40 lbs. before I load it up, which I almost always do. There is, of course, a period of acclimatation for riding like this, but you may find that you can amaze yourself, given a bit of time. Just don't expect to do it all the first time out! Val
ReplyDeleteVal,
ReplyDeleteI am trying to wrap my mind around the idea of a 95lb bike. I'd love to post a photo of that creature, if you feel like sending one to me.
Gordon: For a quick, easy look, go to the "Bikes & Riders" gallery at bicyclefixation.com (lots of cool rides and riders there). I am near the beginning. I'll try to E-mail you a shot or two, as well. Even more can be seen by going to rideyourbike.com and clicking the "XtraCycle" logo at the right of the incredibly involved homepage. Let me just say that I mostly ride the Dreadnought because it feels good and it has become much more than just a bike for me. It also tends to get more respect from the four wheeled boxes than other bikes. Now and then it is out of comission for a day or two, and I tend to miss it terribly. Once you ride a cargo bike, you will be spoiled. For another note on the relative importance of weight to the quality of the ride, see: http://www.teamalameda.com/FlashBlog/?p=14 It's the motor that does it. Val
ReplyDelete