Padraic Swanton of Chicago's Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce sent Stephan these questions in anticipation of publishing a story about the Dutch Bike Co. in The Source summer 2010 edition.

LPCC:  How long has Dutch Bike Co. been in business? Personally, how long have you been working for them?

SS [StephanSchier]:  Dutch Bike Co was founded in Seattle by David Schmidt in the spring of 2007.  I became involved as a partner in October of 2007.  We decided during the Summer of 2008 to open a Chicago store and I moved to Chicago in September 2008.  We opened for business a few weeks later in the middle of October. I am now back in Seattle.

LPCC:  What sets you apart from your competition in Chicago or across the country?

SS:  Right from the start we decided we were going to become the Dutch bike experts – so we import ourselves, directly from Holland and focus on classic utility bikes – the bikes most typical to Amsterdam residents.  Many of us live an everyday bicycling lifestyle, so we understand the needs of families and individuals who might never consider themselves “cyclists” in the sporting sense of the word, but want to ride a bike.  We were the first to set up multiple locations (including warehousing bikes in NY) so that we could serve customers across the nation, and we have customers from coast to coast.  We specialized in shipping fully assembled bikes all over the USA – typically getting to our customers in less than a week.  We also have an online store at which people can purchase bikes and accessories.

Q: I need a bike.  What should I be looking for?

You should look for a bike that is comfortable and meets your goals and  needs.  Are you training or are you commuting; do you want to shop or carry children; will you ride in inclement weather or at night?  Answers to these questions will inform the types of bikes and accessories we would recommend.  From there it's a question of how much money would you like to spend.  We would always recommend buying the highest quality bike you can afford..  Our best WorkCycles bikes will last you a lifetime.

LPCC:  What’s the most common question clients ask you?

SS:  Because of our Dutch bikes' size and heft: “Aren't these hard to ride up hills?”  In Chicago (unlike Seattle) hills are not much of an issue, but our most popular WorkCycles all have the smoothest shifting, 8-speed internally geared hubs which will get most anyone (if they take their time) up most any hill.

LPCC:  Why Chicago?

SS:  Mayor Daley and the high level of cycling advocacy going on in Chicago was and continues to be a big attraction. The hundreds of miles existing bike lanes.  The flat topography and neighborhood oriented lifestyle create a perfect climate for incorporating cycling into our everyday lives.  In example, in Lincoln Park everything is within ten minutes by bike, from Trader Joes, to Whole Foods, to the gym, to the lake, to the post office and bank – there is little need for a car.

LPCC:  How has your company changed over the years? Have you seen changes in the LPCC or the Chicago community?

SS:  We grew quickly, took some early risks (coming to Chicago) and we've consolidated (closing our NY warehouse during the economic downturn) and now we are more cautiously moving our original shop to a new location in Seattle's historic Ballard Ave district which will include a cafe. Chicago continues to be an anchor.  We are happy to have survived a rough period in which it seemed there were far too many empty storefronts in our Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Q:  What are today’s trends in your business?  

SS:  Cycling fashions that look like everyday clothes.  More practical everyday bikes for non-”cyclists”, that come equipped with baskets, racks, fenders and chain guards.  Cargo bikes (which we love), electric assisted bikes and more specialized (and expensive and trendy) bikes for sports and recreation from cyclocross, to downhill, to bmx, to fixed-gear.  Cycling is more hip across a wide range of ages, occupations and lifestyles.  Visit progressive Portland Oregon for a day and you will see the signs of the revolution.

LPCC:   What do you look forward to most on a day-to-day basis?

SS:  In Chicago, a grinning new customer riding away on their new bike.  Seeing customers riding through the neighborhood taking their kids to school, shopping or going to work.  Knowing that a bike can greatly improve the quality of someones life.  In Seattle, I look forward to sunshine.

LPCC:  What’s one thing you’d like everyone to know about Dutch Bike Co. or yourself?

SS:  More than just being technical experts on Dutch and other bikes used for transportation and cargo, we  live with bikes as our primary means of transportation.  We love our bikes, but more importantly, we strive to love our city lives.  Our beautiful and practical Dutch bikes support our view of an urban American utopia, where public transportation, pedestrians and cycle-friendly neighborhoods are king.

Q:  Anything you’d like to add about your experience with the LPCC?

SS:  Thank you for being advocates for our business and those of our peers in the Lincoln Park community.

...So once again we spring-less Chicagoans have skipped right through from winter into summer, and as the temperatures jump from frigid to boiling, we find ourselves in season for beautiful weekends and wonderful bike rides.  As Memorial Day draws near, I look forward not only to channeling my inner Dade County fashion sense and releasing my vast assortment of white linen clothing onto the bike lanes and pathways of Chicago (not really), but also to the amazing event that is Bike the Drive.  

We want to see every Chicagoland Dutch Bike riding down Lake Shore Drive this Sunday.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve got an heirloom omafiets or a brand new Workcycles Transport.  If you ride like the Dutch, you should ride with us.  Is your bike less “Holland” and more “anywhere else?”  Don’t worry, we won’t discriminate.  Come ride with us too.  It’ll be fun.   If you are coming down from the North Side, up from the South Side, or in from the West Side, feel free to meet up at Dutch Bike Co. for some coffee and morning sundries.  I’ll be in the shop around 5:00am listening to some James Brown and getting properly caffeinated.  We’ll head out for the ride at 6:00am. We’ll cruise down to the ride start in Classic Dutch Style with a Bakfiets full of supplies.  So please join Will, the Brehmen brothers and myself for a great ride.  Just go to www.bikethedrive.org for all the information and registration.  Or come by the shop and pick up a coupon for discounted registration.

Need to rent a bike for Bike The Drive?  Give us a call at 312-265-0175 and we’ll set you up with special pricing for the big ride on Sunday.  Pick it up on Saturday night before we close up or come by on Sunday morning.  So let me know if you need a bike.  And call me if you want some more info on where to meet. 

Hope to see you there,

Vince

Dutch Bike Co.
651 W Armitage Ave
Chicago IL 60614

It's been almost a year since I built and started flogging the strange hybrid beast that we named the Saison (a saison is a Belgian farmhouse beer style whose wild yeast strains produce a light body but strong earthy flavor).  The idea was to build a bike that could balance the toughness and "fuhgeddaboutit" maintenance interval of one of the Dutch bikes with the speed and acceleration of a modern American commuter.  Strong wheels, a strong frame, internally geared drivetrain, disc brakes, full fenders, and a comfortable riding position were required.  Add a few little extra touches for comfort (carbon bar and 28c Tserv tires) and style (gold Nokon brake housing and gold grips), and I was ready to go.

The Frame
Predictably, I couldn't let myself simply order a frame designed to do exactly what I intended for it (they exist).  Instead, I decided to use the wrong-est frame to build this multi-speed city bike: a single-speed mountain bike.  The Surly 1x1.  And yes, I am perfectly aware of the abject silliness of this premise.  That said, measure the actual radius of a 26" wheel with tire, and a 700c wheel with tire, and you'll find a surprisingly small difference.  Measure the wheel/tire clearance of a 1x1 and you'll run out of measuring tape; you could lose a medium-sized child in the depths of that gigantic rear triangle.  Even with tires half again the size there would be plenty of room for nice beefy fenders, too.
 


With tough steel tubes, convenient horizontal dropouts, and easily adjustable brake caliper mounts, the Surly would have been a fair bet even if it weren't super cheap.  And deep down, who doesn't want to ride "the thing that should not be"?

The Build
Lace up a wheelset: light-ish rims made for 29'er mountainbikes on a Shimano Alfine hub (the stealth-bomber version of the eight-speed hubs in our Workcycles bikes) and a mostly-matchy front hub, and slap them into the frame.



Throw on the rest of the parts.  Get a different crankset because the chainstays are so wide that the arms of the compact road crank I'd planned on using wouldn't even come close to clearing...wow.  Bend the fender stays and install spacers to clear the brake calipers.  Install lights on the brake bosses because they're just sitting there doing nothing.  Install the KitchenAid headbadge because this is supposed to be an appliance, right?

The Ride
The first impression of the ride is the quickness: even though it's a big bike with a wide bar, it feels very nimble and responsive.  You just point your shoulders and the bike zips that way.  It's difficult to sufficiently emphasize the nimble feel of the bike and the resulting confidence: the handling is so intuitive that maneuvers that would be nerve-wracking on a more conventional bike just happen naturally and with little fanfare.  The wheels and frame are highly rigid, and even with relatively big tires and the flex of the carbon handlebar the ride isn't Dutchbike-smooth, but it's not punishing.



The Alfine hub and shifter snap off quick, positive gear changes with almost no lag or interruption of power transfer.  The disc brakes (Avid BB7 calipers and Shimano XTR levers) offer a surfeit of power and smooth enough modulation to keep it under control, although after putting in the miles on our roller brake-equipped city bikes they feel surprisingly aggressive. 

The Year
Now, after a year of riding around Seattle, up and down stairs, through alleys, around parks and pump tracks, through street brawls and farmer's markets, and over every nasty piece of pavement and road debris I could find, I can actually evaluate the bike.  It has commuted, gone on dates, shopped, and pubcrawled.  It's been taken on countless test rides, and borrowed for extended periods.  Through it all the Saison has required very little of its rider in terms of either maintenance or even basic consideration.  After a few adjustments for break-in, the mechanical systems have functioned as close to flawlessly as any bike I've ridden.  A little chain lube every few weeks, and the occasional stack of batteries for the cheap blinky lights I can't seem to get around to replacing with a sexy generator setup.  It's not quite as impossibly maintenance-free as a Workcycles bike, but it's not too far off.

I can explain the experience of living with this bike best by calling it "enough."  It's tough enough that even through the year of abuse I've barely had to think about it, while remaining light enough to accelerate and climb with pizazz.  It's fast enough to really feel fast, and -- most important of all -- fun enough that I consistently want to ride it.  The best bike is, after all, the one that you ride.

Want one?
With a somewhat less extravagant component selection, you can have one for right around $1700.  We're custom building each one of these for the time being, so even though you're dodging the challenging "experimentation phase" of a project like this you can still have plenty of input on the specifics of your Saison.  An albatross bar, a Brooks B67 saddle and 38mm wide tires for a more "Dutch" feel?  A narrow cut-down riser bar and racy tires for tackling traffic?  A Workcycles Transport-style front cargo carrier?
No problem.  Have a tall, chilly glass of Saison.

Vietnam is a country of over 85 million inhabitants and 20 million mopeds.  Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is a city of over 5 million where many of these machines congest the streets.  If you think your commute is knarly, contrast these two videos below.  The first is taken by our friend and favorite man about the globe, Gregg Bleakney, during a non-rush hour (no kidding) period on Saigon's streets.  The second is our friend Paul Steely White's relatively sedate and well-produced interview through the streets of New York.

How does the vibe of your commute compare?

Dutch Bike Chicago customer Andrew Coffey and his son JP share their fall day with us.

A recent email inquiry asked me to justify the price difference between a Workcycles Oma ($1589) and an Electra Townie Euro 8i ($999). Some the factors to consider are individual component quality, ergonomics, durability, all-around utility and ride quality.

As far as differences in the quality of components and features, there are quite a few. The Workcycles Oma (and all the Workcycles bikes) have the strongest wheels on any bike which ships in the US market: double-wall, anodized aluminum, with stainless steel eyelets and 13 gauge stainless steel spokes. The Oma frame is brazed high-tensile steel, much heavier-duty and smoother riding than the lighter-weight, welded aluminum frame of the Electra. Both the Oma headlamp and the tail lamp are powered by the dynamo, unlike the Electra which has a dyanmo-powered headlamp, but battery powered tail lamp. The Oma has a full chain case, Electra open (more chain maintenance required, as well dirt on your clothes). The Oma has a much stronger, welded steel rack on which you can carry your friends and a lot more cargo. We would never recommend carrying friends on a Townie rear carrier.

Exclusively, the Oma has a built-in frame/wheel lock, mud flap, Brooks leather saddle, all stainless steel fasteners, stainless steel handle bars, stainless steel stem and steering return spring system, and has bigger, more durable Schwalbe marathon, 1.75" (622-47) tires.

Let's get this out of the way: the Oma is heavy and the Townie is lighter. For that the Oma rides smoother, takes a bit more oomph to accelerate, but rides like a Mercedes limo. The Electra is easier to lift, if you are carrying your bike up and down stairs or in and out of your apartment. The Oma (with a good lock and simple seat cover) can live outside all year long. We can't recommend lifting an Oma on a regular basis - remember, bikes roll. Both these bikes have the Nexus 8 speed so you can ride them anywhere it's hilly.

The Oma geometry is upright, time-tested (since the 1890's), encouraging an perfect posture. It is a purpose-built everyday city bike designed as transportation. It is sturdier, rides smoother, will carry more, requires less maintenance, keeps your clothes cleaner, will survive poor road conditions better and is more weather tolerant.

The Townie is a modern interpretation of a hybrid, aluminum "comfort bike"/cruiser design with some Dutch bike-like features. The Electra's main ergonomic feature and claim to fame is that it is designed with such a relaxed seat tube angle, that riders can place their feet flat on the ground whilst still in the saddle. This makes for a more secure feeling for inexperienced riders when starting or stopping. Great for riding wheelies though not the best hauler.

For those considering a less-expensive, recreational (i.e., you mostly ride in fair weather and rarely haul groceries/cargo/friends) bike with all the benefits of the Shimano Nexus 8-speed and roller brakes, or for those with adaptive needs or new to cycling, the Electra can meet your needs.

Time is a luxury, so if your weary of wasting 7-10 seconds per day, 49 seconds a week and an average 3.2 minutes a month folding your bike, the Bike Friday is your time machine.  We're now pleased to have Bike Friday folding bikes in our shop.

These bikes have a very loyal customer base all over the U.S. and abroad, made in Eugene Oregon they're a great compliment to the species of imported city bikes in our stable. While our Dutch and German bikes are meant to be left (or piled) outside the train station, these babies come along for the ride, either just folded or packed into their own Samsonite luggage carrier which doubles as a trailer for touring.

What we lack for in trains here in the Puget Sound we make up for with an estimated 500,000 boats permanently moored in the area.  The folded Bike Friday is so compact it can be easily stowed on a boat making each port of call an opportunity to continue cruising on land.

Here at Dutch Bike Seattle we sell appliances. Most bike shops sell sporting goods. This partially explains our curious look and lack of precise answer when you ask one of us "how much does this bike weigh?" In the world of appliances weight isn't so important. Durability, utility, ease of use and comfort are important. In the world of sporting goods, weight, speed and technology are important. If you are shopping for a city bike, we imagine you are not racing (or racing others) to get to where you're going. I venture to say you wouldn't buy a five pack of beer to save twelve ounces in your panniers to make the ride home faster. It is precisely this "sporting" point of view that keeps many from entering or re-entering the ranks of the everyday cyclists. Many may feel daunted (especially if they are out of shape or practice) by the special uniforms, shoes, computers and technical knowledge which accompany the bicycle sporting goods industry and practice. Now in the appliance world, I don't care much about your uniform, training or technical knowledge. I do care about how the bike fits and feels to you. I want to know that it's going to be useful for its intended purpose, comfortable to ride every day and enjoyable for a long (long) time. Appliances can last a lifetime. Sporting goods sometimes only last as long as the next wave of technology or fad. How many expensive mountain bikes and road bikes sit dusty in peoples' garages and closets because they are seemingly no longer comfortable to ride, or their owners no longer feel like they want to get in shape to ride? The hunched-over, neck craned up, arms extended, position on a sporting bike is not a natural position for the human body. You must adapt to the posture. So, through training and/or habituation the position can feel "normal," but this position was designed to go fast and improve control in competitive circumstances. It was not designed for everyday comfort and utility, yet in the USA it has become the de facto posture for recreational and sporting cyclists alike. In the USA, for those who are "utility" cyclists, those who cycle to simply get around, there have been few alternatives to the "sporting" bikes. Cross bikes and city cruisers are just more upright adaptations of sporting bikes or cheap knock-offs of the Schwinn and Huffy cruisers (which were cheap back then already) of our youth. In Europe the majority of cyclists have been riding bikes designed for utility. There are many reasons we love "utility", European city bikes, from being able to ride upright, spine perfectly straight, with our head at SUV driver-level, to the ability to carry friends, family and groceries, to the ability to ride comfortably all day, running all manner of errands and commuting. These are the bikes we choose to sell — appliances — and it is the reason we may pause before attempting to answer, "how much do they weigh?"

The Seattle Times reports on the recent increase in cycling accidents because of the new SLUT (as we affectionately like to call South Lake Union Transit) trolley tracks. Though my ego is begging me not to, I admit, I have a souvenir bruise and a rash from an encounter with the insidious grooves along Westlake Avenue. I was speeding along, marveling at how well my (seemingly fat enough) bakfiets tires would criss-cross the rails. It was wet, and I was marveling a bit too much, when one more slalom across the track resulted in a perfect slam-down and slide across the pavement. Embarrassing, yes. Educational, yes. I need fatter tires. I could slow down a bit. What's my hurry? I could marvel a bit less and focus on staying between the tracks or to one side. The environmental think tank founder quoted in the Times calls this a case of "bicycle neglect" by the city transportation planners. Portland has a provision in its transportation planning guidelines to separate trolley tracks from known bicycle thoroughfares. I know we keep kissing Portland's ass when it comes to alternative transportation planning, but (for a US city) they really are good at it. No use crying. I'm still using Westlake. In the meantime, what can we do about it? Ride more, ride fatter tires, take our time, enjoy the ride and make ourselves into shining examples of citizens who know their way around the city and thrive as a bicycle commuters.

OK, this is old news, but worth highlighting. The Seattle Times' Mike Lindblom reports on Seattle's Master Bike Plan.