Mark Stosberg in Richmond, Indiana, USA sent a kind note asking a couple relevant questions worth public answers. The photo below I blatantly stole from Mark’s blog. It seemed appropriate.

Mark

Hello Henry,

Thank you for your blog which provides a unique glimpse into Dutch bike
culture for westerners like me who haven’t been able to visit yet.

As a new bakfiets owner in Richmond, Indiana, I have a couple things
I’ve curious about, which I think would make interesting topics for
future blog posts.

1. Accessories. In the photos I see of Dutch community bikes, there is a
noticeable absense of several accessories: Rear view mirrors, bike
computers, and water bottles.

If I had to guess, the answers might be:

– Rear view mirrors would be stolen (assuming they are detachable)
– For the bike computers and water bottles, perhaps they are less
important for shorter, urban trips, and also could either be stolen, or
would create another chore to carry the removable parts inside all the
time.

2. “Key Management”. The AXA Defender lock seems like it is somewhat
common there. If I attach the key for it to my keychain, I have to
leave the whole keychain attached to the bike when it is unlocked, and
my foot hits the keys that way. Are there common ways people avoid
this, and still keep track of their AXA Defender keys?

Unrelated, you may be interested in the stories and photos I recently
created about my new bakfiets. You can access that content through my
homepage below.

Thanks!

http://mark.stosberg.com/

(more…)

This probably not really news for those in Portland, Oregon since it seems the entire city has been anticipating the opening of Portland, Oregon USA’s first retailer totally dedicated to bicycles for daily, practical use. That means at least bomb-proof WorkCycles-Azor Dutch Bikes, the ridiculously popular and charismatic Bakfiets Cargobike and the unmatchable Brompton folding bikes. Various other makes from Holland and the USA will fill in the line-up of bikes for commuting, carrying children, doing groceries and all the other things we in Amsterdam regard as nothing special to do on a bicycle.

But such bicycles and attitudes are still very special in the US, and the folks at Clever are amongst those leading the charge to change that situation as fast as possible. My experience as supplier from the other side of the pond is that Clever has what it takes to do more than their share to popularize practical cycling in Oregon. Unlike others who’ve produced a handful of load-carrying bikes, Todd, Dean and their colleagues are professional, technically proficient and thorough.

So pay them a visit and find out just how satisfying and fun it can be to pedal around with ten times as much weight as any glossy cycling magazine will tell you is acceptable.

Clever Cycles