Definitely not your grandma’s Omafiets
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All WorkCycles bikes are built to order for their new owners, but we generally keep them quite understated. After all they’re workhorses. Sometimes, though, we just enjoy making something more special. This bike was an experiment in combining the beautiful, curved tube Oma frame with the lighter parts of the Secret Service… and perhaps we then got a little overzealous. The result is still an omafiets but definitely not the one your grandmother rode. Nonetheless it remains a tough, utilitarian bike with full LED/dynamo lighting, fenders, front carrier, chaincase etc.
We were a little sad to see her go but she’s clearly going to a good home; a lovely, sporty woman in Amsterdam who rides 1 1/2 hours per day. Her husband also rides one of our bikes.
In case you’re wondering what one of these babies will set you back, it was €1200 as you see it. Really, that’s a bargain for so much hand-made love you can enjoy every day for decades.
May 6th, 2009 at 14:43
Looks great! The Chainglider was the best thing that ever happened to my bike.
May 6th, 2009 at 15:53
Nice job, I like it very mucho!
May 6th, 2009 at 20:04
That is indeed a beautiful bike. Is the chain still fully enclosed in that chaincase? I like the more minimalistic feel of it.
May 6th, 2009 at 20:18
Dave, it’s a Hebie ChainGlider which is fully enclosed but doesn’t offer the total protection of a real Dutch chaincase because there are many more open nooks and crannies for water and grit to seep in. But it’s tough and light and easily fits on many bikes that won’t fit a Dutch chain case.
May 7th, 2009 at 05:06
Lovely.
What’s the point of the reverse brake levers? I see them occasionally and wonder whether there’s a functional difference or if it’s an aesthetic thing.
May 7th, 2009 at 06:52
We like the reverse brake levers since the brake cables run neatly along the handlebar and stem, out of harm’s way.
With the pivot point and lever body at the rear you can brake effectively from anywhere along that first section of handlebar.
More bikes with reverse brake levers:
https://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/2008/10/23/henrys-own-daily-ride/
https://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/2007/09/13/workcycles-snelle-semi-transportfiets/
May 10th, 2009 at 18:15
Curious also about what I will call a 3/4 rear mudguard (fender). Was this for aesthetic reasons (among others perhaps it suggests a mini-skirt…) or a functional one (e.g. when standing a bike all the way up it can mess full rear fenders, but then again how likely is it that that will be done with this bike?). What about that rear spray kickin’ up?
May 10th, 2009 at 20:50
The short mudguard looks nice and is out of harm’s way. This one should be long enough to avoid a dirty back but if it’s not we can add our little flap.
I can’t imagine this bike will ever need to stand on it’s rear wheel, but for production bikes that’s a real advantage: the bike boxes can be shorter and they can be packed vertically if needed.