Dutch Bike

plus you can wear a suit on a Dutch Bike which looks ridiculous on a track/road bike.

(Realise not many people wear suits anymore, I just like to look smart - all the help I can get etc,.)

This has made my choice of new bikes even harder now. I love riding fixed, but I'm seriously tempted to buy a dutch bike.

it nice to have two choice of bike.

In a perfect world, I'd like to have three bicycle, a fixed wheel bicycle, town bicycle and a road bicycle.

it nice to have two choice of bike.

In a perfect world, I'd like to have three bicycle, a fixed wheel bicycle, town bicycle and a road bicycle.

I had the same thought, have one of each, but the road bike never gets used, not even on the longer hillier rides, it does look nice though.

I do plan to do silly miles on it thought, 100 miles on a fixed wheel is fine, but it would be a lots more enjoyable on a road bike (as well as a million time easier).

I commute a few miles a day on my Dutch bike. Just got a puncture and left it at the station. Went back tonight and fixed it all up, popped the tube blowing it up. Bloody hard to get those wheels out. Bugger it. Had to leave it there again. Bugger. Bugger.

I found a second hand Azor on ebay in london for 265. The frame is solid and then thing rides like a Cadillac. I sometimes find myself riding around whistling and smiling for no reason. I love how smooth it feels and the 3 speed works really well. I lock it outside with a Fag mini and the rear wheel lock and no one ever tried to steal it. I kept the crappy black seat instead of putting a B66 on it so it dont attract attention. Plus having a basket is very beneficial. Aslo the frames are powder coated glossy so they are almost impossible to scratch.
check out Azor on line or talk to the guys at velorution.

Wish I had a picture of the Surly to post, but you can re-create a simular feel as a dutch bike with a nice steel frame, coaster brake/hub gears (or now, the 3 speed fixed hub), upright handlebars, full mudguards and a classy rack.

so whatever happen to the fabled Canadian Witch Surly?

It's sitting in my bedroom looking hot.

Truth.

The location of the bike is now known, let the heist planning commence.

Just won a dutchie on fleabay, £180, 15 weeks old, recently serviced.

*Bad stuff:
*
The wires have pulled off the dynamo, and the dynamo needs adjusting so it actually touches the tyre

Managed to bend the key in the wheel lock -- they are very cheap.

Similar kickstand / light clearance issues as Ed.

weight -- "just" 20kg according to the website. It's at least that.

The valves are neither presta nor schraeder. My trackpump doesn't work, the rubber bit inside, which will grab either standard valve type when you flip the lever, just won't grab the valve stem. My specialized airshot2 seems to work ok though. The pump on the frame is poor quality, and wholly inadequate for the quite stiff casings on the tyres -- you need a decent pump.

The grip on the side with the gripshift is farcically short, that's going.

Good stuff

The lock comes off with two bolts, it seems, so it won't be hard to replace.

Hub gears and front hub brake, all ok

Mudguards, dynamo lighting (shortly), hub gears, hub brake, backpedal rear brake, full chainguard, bell. Bargain.

I'll get some nice leather grips, and I'm getting another airhorn (mine got nicked).

Looks -- it's nice.

Ride -- incredibly relaxed and great fun

Porteur front rack, big wicker basket for man's best friend, and presto. I rode back west along the embankment after picking it up, and kept up with / was rude and drafted an unknown roadie. There was significant wind, but still, not bad for a big heavy thing like me. And if it was you, sorry!

Cheapo pedals may break in due course and it's crying out for a sprung brooks saddle of some sort, but other than that, I'm CHUFFED.

^ The valves are Woods valves. Most track pumps come with a little brass adaptor to bring them up to Shraeder size. They are a great design because you don't need to unscrew anything to pump them up - the little one-way valve inside keep the air from escaping.

Even my track pump is fine with the woods valves, doesn't need any adjustment.

^ The valves are Woods valves. Most track pumps come with a little brass adaptor to bring them up to Shraeder size. They are a great design because you don't need to unscrew anything to pump them up - the little one-way valve inside keep the air from escaping.
Ah, thanks. I didn't get an adaptor with mine, or if I did, I lost it (far more likely). 75p from cycleworld.co.uk. Job done.

I did find out what the one way thingy was, because I unscrewed it, thinking it was like the lock thingy on a presta valve, and nearly lost an eye when it came flying out with 40psi of air behind it. I found it, and reinflated the tyre ok. It's just a small pair of rubber flaps, held shut by air pressure inside the tube, and forced open when you pump air through it.

Dynamo is now randomly ceasing to function. Not wiring, I don't think... hmmmm...

Could be earthing - check for wires touching the frame. The dynamo is unlikely to fail to generate electricity if it's spinning

Currently building a town-beater-shopper, not Dutch but some similar elements.

I'm after some gum wall / tan wall tyres. The Panaracer Pasela seem to be my best bet (any other suggestions welcome)....

...the question is what width?

The rim is an mavic MA3. I'd have thought 28 for the best balance of comfort / rim fit.

Is it worth going any bigger. I don't want it to be slowly than necessary, but equally speed isn't much of a concern.

Answers on a post card please.

@ Wanabe - RE: dynamo - Bluequinn has a good point. That was the trouble with my GF's. Just go thru and check all the wiring is where it should be and tightened properly. Also maybe try cleaning the connections with braso or similar metal polish.

You can't go wrong with 28c, the ride/comfort varies on the frame geometry really, I assumed the frame you have is basically those old cheap frame with massive clearance, 28c would be plenty.

28c would be fine on the Mavic MA3 rims.

Cheers Ed.

Its actually an old Dawes I got off Millerbugs for £25. Its got nice lug work and prob looked good in its day, but its just battered to shit. Hopefully it will end up a *bit *like this:

Also I've started toying with the idea of building a front dynamo hub like this...

... this is the problem with building bikes you start with the most modest of intentions...

My parents live in a small dutch town and i can get hold of endless amounts of Dutch bikes for about £30 each, mainly Gazelles, from this sweet little second hand bike shop they got there

Thanks Blue Quinn I'll check that.

Dynamo mystery solved (in part). When standing next to the bike, and aligning the roller on the tyre, and spinning the tyre, light was plentiful. Riding along, it dimmed out then disappeared...because the bolt holding the dynamo to the frame bracket was loose, and it vibrated downwards as I rode along, the roller eventually coming off the tyre onto the rim and not spinning but rubbing.

The back light is really vulnerable to the kickstand, which you basically have to squeeze past it every time, and still doesn't appear to be working. The wire from the dynamo has been broken and repaired extremely badly with electrical tape, so I'll sort that before trying something else.

Anyone got any ideas how to replace internally routed dynamo wires? It's just occurred to me that that particular job would be a royal pain in the arse.

remove some of the insulation and twist old and new wires together lots - over an inch or two, but not so it gets too fat. use electrical tape to cover the join and hold the insulation as well, then carefully feed the new wire in while pulling the old wire out. Eventually, unless you're too forceful and break the join, the new wire will be happily sitting in place.

If there are removable rubber grommets, remove and slide them up the wire so there's more wiggle room and less friction. replace once the new wire is in place.

Slighty off topic but all the practicalities outlined above make me want to get a tourer. I had wanted a slick 80s/90s steel road bike but the awsome ones have no eyelets for racks and guards. Ideally I want a bike that does just about everything:

• Long fast roady rides, rip of the racks, change the tyres.
  
• Holiday to europe, touring tyres and racks on
  
• Pissing it down and need to get somewhere, take the tourer and its awesome mudguards.
  
  

I've been checking out stuff like road/cyclocross orientated frames with eyelets and clearances for bigger tyres:

• Kona Jake
  
• Dawes Galaxy
  
• Kinesis racelight/crosslight
  

remove some of the insulation and twist old and new wires together lots - over an inch or two, but not so it gets too fat. use electrical tape to cover the join and hold the insulation as well, then carefully feed the new wire in while pulling the old wire out. Eventually, unless you're too forceful and break the join, the new wire will be happily sitting in place.

If there are removable rubber grommets, remove and slide them up the wire so there's more wiggle room and less friction. replace once the new wire is in place.
I will try that as well. Bolting the (cheap, chinese) bottle dynamo more securely fixed the problem for all of 10 seconds. Riding off, smug in my well lit, practical glow, all was well and then it just faded out. Back to square one.

After earthing issues, I just don't know. Cos of the well-documented kickstand / rear light issues, the red plastic cover is getting knocked off every other time, so it could a broken bulb / loose connection at the back end, which has never worked anyway.

I think I'll treat myself to a new dynamo and lamp for christmas.

Slighty off topic but all the practicalities outlined above make me want to get a tourer. I had wanted a slick 80s/90s steel road bike but the awsome ones have no eyelets for racks and guards. Ideally I want a bike that does just about everything:

• Long fast roady rides, rip of the racks, change the tyres.
  
• Holiday to europe, touring tyres and racks on
  
• Pissing it down and need to get somewhere, take the tourer and its awesome mudguards.
  
  

I've been checking out stuff like road/cyclocross orientated frames with eyelets and clearances for bigger tyres:

• Kona Jake
  
• Dawes Galaxy
  
• Kinesis racelight/crosslight
  
  

You forgot the obvious Surly, Cross Check or Long Haul Trucker.
I've got a CrossCheck as my do all bike and its great, spends most of its time as my mud guard commuter but have got a set of 700x45cc that fit on for some drop bar off road fun when the weather is fine.