Dutch Bike Co Weblog

I find myself in a quandary. I've had this dilemma for a few years now. It's a thorny one, with which I've found myself wrestling on the bike, on foot, in cafes and bars, or anywhere else bike traffic is visible. This dilemma bears on a sensitive idea; one we frequently debate at the shop but have barely touched in the blog: style.

I will not be pretending an ability to render any sort of objective judgment on bicycle or sartorial elegance in this post, nor will I project my own values onto the simpler question I'll address here. You won't hear me tell you to wear “fashionable-three-quarter-length-pants” and certainly nothing so tired as to stop wearing neon helmet covers (even if I try to avoid them). I won't be debating the stylistic merits – or demerits, depending on your point of view – of colored tires, matching fenders, or ground effect lighting, or telling you to wear jeans on your training ride. Use equipment that works well for what you're doing, and wear what you want to wear.

The basic intersection of style and bicycles has little to do with whether you prefer denim or tweed or linen, and even less to do with what you choose to ride. The crux lies in how your riding influences your style. However you choose to express yourself through your appearance – be it clothing, accessories, hair, or makeup – that expression must necessarily extend to the hours you spend on your bicycle, and if you're reading this blog those hours are likely not few. How do you let your chosen appearance change when you ride? If you commute, do you change your clothes to do so, or do you wear your normal clothing? By extension, do you feel that you look like yourself while you ride, or do you feel like a bike person? How do you feel about that? The answers to these questions can come in many forms, and will be dictated by everything from meteorology and physiology to geography and demography. In fact, what you actually wear matters much less than how you feel about it. Comfort and aesthetics are different for everyone, but the more it rains the more important it becomes to like your raingear.

Back out on the street it's easy to see who's comfortable and who's not. Not the cyclist passing by who wore the clothes most appropriate for the weather, but the one that knows they look good. Whatever “good” may actually mean for that particular rider, it's pretty obvious when someone hasn't compromised their style to ride their bike, or at least feels at home in what they've chosen to wear. Conversely, it's quite painful to see someone living on their bike who obviously doesn't enjoy what they've ended up wearing. There seems to be an industry-wide assumption that when we swing a leg over a top tube we don't get to look like anybody except “bike guy.” Whether you're dressing like a Boeing supercommuter, a couture model, or a (hardcourt bike polo) Guardian, I'm a fan of choices. Anyone that has been able to see past an industry that tells them to wear a uniform is being a vitally important kind of cycling advocate- they're showing everyone one less sacrifice that must be made to ride a bike. When you roll out happy about how you look, you show each person standing on the sidewalk next to their car that they can do the same.

At last this brings me back to my quandary. I feel quite strongly about this subject, to the point that I would love to dispense heartfelt praise and excited high-fives to more than a few strangers on the street. Despite my utter sincerity, our culture isn't very comfortable – especially in Seattle – with that sort of behavior, and honestly there have been awkward moments. I'd love to be able to tell someone that I think they're doing a great job making cycling look stylistically accessible, but I haven't found a way to express it quickly and clearly enough to avoid uncomfortable misunderstandings. Since I really don't want to be “that guy,” can we come up with a nice shorthand for “Hey-I-think-you're-doing-a-great-job-making-cycling-look-good-and-no-I'm-not-being-sarcastic-or-hitting-on-you”? Or maybe a hand signal?  A little help here would be greatly appreciated.

Just thought everyone might like to know what happens when Dutch Bike Chicago heads over to Dutch Bike Seattle. Watch until the end to see who forms the head.  Who is that guy?

It occurs to me that while we clearly know who Dave and Fritz are, and we have recently had the opportunity to “Meet Alex”, the fine readers of the Dutch Bike blog really don’t have any idea who Vince is.  And I think that’s crazy.  I mean, here we are bringing Dutch Bike to all the fine citizens of the greater Chicagoland Metropolitan area and we don’t even have a picture on our blog.  Madness, I tell you. Madness. 

 So let me begin with a little introduction.  Six years ago, I squeezed into my first set of Pearl Izumi bibs and cycling jersey and set out for a long bike ride.  That, more or less, took me to cycling adventures around the world, and a nomadic life of bikes, spandex, clipless pedals and highly offensive yet scientifically proven foods.  A year ago I woke up and after looking through a communal kitchen for a clean mug and eating another Cliff Bar breakfast, I decided it was back to Chicago for me.  So I packed my suitcase, shipped my bike back to my parent’s house and headed to the uncertainty of a life in one place.  

I used to dress like this every day.

Back in Chicago I discovered something funny.  My life no longer revolved around going really fast on a bike.  I needed to carry stuff, wear normal clothes and get around town in a less sweat inducing manner.  So my road bike became useless.  I had a mountain bike.  But something about Chicago, perhaps the paved roads, perhaps the bike lanes, or perhaps the fact that the only topography is formed by steel and glass structures told me a bike built for rugged terrain might be a bit pointless.

Somewhat serendipitously, as I meandered through the streets of Lincoln Park, I found Dutch Bike.  And as I ogled the fine bikes in the Chicago showroom I got to talking with Stephan and discovered that not only did I love the bikes, but I also loved the idea.  Everything sort of just made sense.  So I bought a Transport, started borrowing the Bakfiets and eventually landed a pretty sweet gig in the shop.

Now I look more like this.

Actually I look just like this.

Come on in to the shop and say hello.  

Hey there! This is Alex, the newest addition to Dutch Bike Seattle, coming to you with my inaugural blog post.  Born and raised in Seattle, I graduated from the University of Washington in 2008 and have been wasting my anthropology degree working in the bike industry ever since. For blogging purposes, I’m going to start of by focusing on events and other fun things to do on a bike, whether specifically bike related or not.  To that end, here’s the post, about how I spent the 4^th of July:

4^th of July! Fun! Family! Beers! Hotdogs! Bicycles? Here at Dutch Bike, we say yes. What better way to celebrate the birth of our country than by celebrating your independence from traffic jams and fossil fuels? To that end, I spent a good chunk of my 4^th of July at the Arboretum riding bikes and just hanging out.

The real impetus for the gathering (other than just having a good time) was the third annual 4^th of July Sprints, held again this year at the bridge to nowhere at the Washington Park Arboretum.

The bridge to nowhere, if you’re not familiar with it, was originally constructed to be an Interstate 5 bypass from I-90 to Route 520, but then abandoned due to environmental concerns. Today it sits unused except for the occasional person brave enough to dive from the high point of the bridge into lake Washington below.

Though the event was ostensibly a competitive one, the atmosphere was decidedly laid back.  Not being much of a racer myself, I chose to spend most of my time just watching and talking.  Eventually the day proved itself to be a true Seattle 4^th of July, and the rains came, moving us down the bridge under shelter.  Which just goes to show, one of the most important characteristics you can have when biking in Seattle (in any season!) is adaptability.

If you’ve never been (or just never ridden) to the Arboretum, it’s something I would heartily recommend checking out.  The array of flora present ensures that it’s beautiful in most seasons, and it’s home to one of my favorite places in Seattle, the Japanese gardens.  Perhaps most importantly, access is extremely bike friendly, with a number of routes to take depending on where you’re coming from. So the next time you’re in the neighborhood, you should stop by! Have a picnic, drink some wine, and have a great day on your bike.

In the wake of Paris' successful Velib program, other European municipalities are taking note and considering similar programs to liberate their inner cities. The European Cyclists' Federation reported at the end of November that London Wants 80,000 Rental Bikes: The City Council of the UK capital has revealed an ambitious scheme to stimulate the use of bikes. Mayor Ken Livingstone has set a target of 80% increase in cycling by 2010. One of the means to reach this target could be the implementation of 80,000 rental bikes. As well, earlier in September, Cycling England the UK's national bicycle planning, advocacy and lobbying organization made public its 86 page research report Valuing the Benefits of Cycling filled with all sorts of great little tidbits:

If a cyclist makes 160 trips a year of 3.9km, rather than take a car, this would equate to savings for other road users of £137.28 a year as a result of reduced congestion in urban areas and £68.64 in rural environments.

There are over 30 million motorists in the UK, some likely stuck in traffic at this very moment. Apparently, cyclists can save them some time and money. I love seeing cycling's monetary, health and environmental benefits made more tangible.

To further the cause and provide more tangible data, Cycling England features its six showpiece cycling towns which are sharing nearly £17 million [$32 million US] to promote cycling:

There are currently four after school cycling clubs in Derby and while there is funding for another five, with the help of Cycling England's funding, Derby plans to increase this number to 27! Derby was the first local authority in the country to have a specific Community Sports Cycle Coach to work with these after school clubs and more coaches are in the pipeline.

I'd say cycling is becoming the way for some towns in the UK. I'm rooting for London to commit to a Velib-like program.