I have 3 kids , the first learnt to ride a bike at 5 and my youngest at around 3. My middle daughter pretty much learned at about 8 but stopped immediately and lost her confidence , last week (she is now 12) I took her down the park on my hardtail and she has mastered the art.
She wants a real girly bike , Pastel colours with a basket for (**** knows what?). So Im thinking a dutch bike , anyone bought a decent one ?, should I go second hand? or should I use my wife’s c2w scheme and stick with one of the big brands. ?
Every ‘Dutch’ Bike I’ve had the ummmm…..pleasure to work on has weighed about 50lb and if you ever need to fix a rear flat you pretty well have to take half the bike apart! They also seem to cost waaaaay too much money for what you get (steel cranks etc, hence weighing a hilarious amount). Personally I’d look at a more normal beach cruiser if you want a girly bike.
My 7 year old has a Batavus Dutch style bike and it is pretty much as described by walleater. It’s fine as a utility bike for popping to the shops, or around to friends, but for ‘serious’ riding she uses a proper mountain bike. If you are aiming to go on bike rides, then I would strongly urge you to look at a decent mountain/hybrid.
Mrs Wookster just got one of These from the interweb. It weights a ton 37lbs! but seems ok for popping to the shops and to school with the kids general pottering where a Full Suss just won’t cut it!!. Might be worth a look?
Mrs Houndlegs has just bought a Dawes Duchess(on a recommendation from singlespeed shep thank you) its got pastel colours with flowers,and a basket. I have to admit it looks very pretty 😀
Observations on Dutch bikes from a bloke with a Dutch girlfriend:
1- They are heavy
2- It doesn’t matter ‘cos the Netherlands is shockingly flat
3- They don’t get many punctures because they have an actual network of cycle/scooter roads and unlike the Brits etc don’t coat those roads in broken glass
4- There are a couple of brands that are lighter, but they don’t tend to sell well here because…
5- They spend loads on their bikes, 800 Euro is common – unlike UK commuter trends
6- They have funny big wheels – maybe they conserve more momentum, we should really look into that…
6- I can’t count. Many real Dutch bikes last 50 years due to heavyweight construction.
8- These bikes have such high handlebars that you aren’t able to stand up and push harder [n/p for the Dutch – see point 2]
9- The Dutch are mostly bloody tall – so real Dutch brands make bloody big bikes
10- We have a lot to learn from the Dutch
11- Cafe Cremers: Prinsestraat 84, 2513 CG Den Haag, Netherlands ?
+31 70 346 2346
12- Dizzy Duck: Trompstraat 210, 2518 BR Den Haag, Netherlands ?
13- I seem to have lost my train of thought there
14- Try Ridgeback’s stepthrough framed ladies bikes with Baskets, heavy duty racks and a good set of panniers to make a UK version…..