Why do German bikes be like they do?

Just got back from Munich. I love Germany. Everytime I go I'm amazed at their bike usage. It seems as high as Netherlands or Denmark plus they mostly ride bikes that are far more functional than dutch bikes. Most have a geared hub, dynamo, racks, mudguards and kickstand and whilst they're not lightweight performance machines they're light and quick enough for day to day use.

However I've never understood the popularity of Magura rim brakes though. They seem to be on a large number of bikes across the price range. Equally they don't really seem to have taken to disc brakes as much as say we have. Why is that?

From my understanding hydro rim brakes are super sharp but really do they need that when V-brakes are already pretty effective? Surely v brakes would be an awful lot cheaper and only slightly less powerful? The only ppl in the UK I know who use hydro rims are trials riders who need to stop on a pinhead.

Plus I've never seen so many Rohloffs usually on fairly ordinary bikes and often locked up freestanding with a tiny lock. Bike theft seems almost non-existant. Where we were staying we were within 5 minutes walking distance of about 6 bike shops. Usable bike lanes everywhere. God its depressing coming back here given the bike culture they have.

'Cultural differences'.

British functional bike - brakless fixeh skidded with risers
German functional bike - hub gears, guards, rack and hydraulic stopping power

Clearly no form over function decisions for London's cyclists.

I like hub gears

The function being day to day use as mentioned.

Also: http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/172374/newest/

German day-to-day bieks are fugly and overengineered for the 2km shopping trips they're mostly used for.

Sus forks? Yeah mate, don't want vibration white finger from going over the tram tracks.

Butterfly bars wrapped in 20mm of foam? Ditto.

Weird tinted brown plastic guards to stop shit getting caught in your rear spokes?

I am, of course, being provocative but I used to live there and the Germans LOVE being sold a solution to a problem they don't have. See also Nordic walking poles.

From my understanding hydro rim brakes are super sharp but really do they need that when V-brakes are already pretty effective?

Dunno, maybe the hydro rims are self adjusting? Vs seem to need a bit of tinkering with. Anything for an overbuilt easy life. See Audi.

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I'm not suggesting they're pretty nor largely pointless. They're grotesque but thats kind of what I like about them. Also they're more like transportation than bikes. If that makes sense. Its just a tool, nothing more.

I saw very few I'd actually want to own.

Honestly I've never really had problems with v-brakes (set up, serviced or installed hundreds of pairs). Even quite cheap ones are fairly easy to set up and mostly reliable (apart from the very cheapest of cheap). Given the choice of cheap calipers, cheap discs or cheap Vs I'd go for the Vs everytime.

I reckon its something to do with them being early adopters and willing to invest in stuff that works well. The hydro rim brakes probably became popular way back when they first came out, not just amongst trial riders but tourers and commuters etc. And if something becomes really well known and works really well, there is not too much incentive to switch to a new system which is perhaps more finickity in its own right.

If they all had to switch to disc brake wheels, they would need a new bike/frame, and having hub gears and dynamo hubs would become more complicated.

First of all: Munich is no ordinary German town. Home to BMW, Siemens, Munich Re, Alliance, Kraus Maffei, MAN, Airbus DS, 100s of hightech companies etc. etc. it is the city with the highest rents and the highest cost of living in Germany in a format that is more like a cross between Hampstead and San Francisco than Central London. Its core is largely gentrified with professionals with a high level of education and relatively few children-- at most 1 or 2. Luxury motorcars such as Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Aston Martins etc. are relatively pedestrian sights.

To bicycles. They tend to be fashion driven with a focus on transport on the one side and sport on the other. Rohloff Speedhubs are not all that common. One seems them from time to time but Shimano Alfine and Nexus are much more popular on new transport bicycles. Popular are neo-roadster bicycles such as sold by Electra, Gazelle and a host of private brands--- all made in China they tend to be similarly outfitted with 3 speed hubs (Shimano Nexus or Sturmey Archer). Popular too are bakers bicycles. Kiddie trailers seem to have been widely replaced by cargo variants (popular are Bakfiets,). Since 20" wheels can be transported on the underground for free they too tend to be quite popular. One sees from time to time a Moulton but Bromptons, Birdys (R&M), Bernds and Tern Links (sold under the ADFC/MVV brand) are much more common.

Magura? They are not that expensive in Germany and ARE a German brand. They are standard kit on a number of German made city bicycles. Disc brakes? They are increasingly popular on new bicycles but on the whole they have not been that warmly recieved on road bicycles--- and for good reason (but that is beyond the scope of the question).

Thanks.