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Incidentally, I only know one German (cyclist) and he's got a carbon road bike and a full suspension MTB...
DezB - ok looks like I was wrong then, close the thread.
If the Germans had the national mentality for wearing proper gear for the conditions then maybe the Russians wouldnt have kicked their arse on the eastern front.
Seriously though in the winter cycling without cycle specific clothing i dont find pleasant at all. Without sunglasses my eyes water, without gloves my fingers get cold, without a windstopper or similar then the wind just cuts right through. And cycling with 'normal' trousers on - and particularly jeans - in the rain is just a deeply unpleasant experience. In the summer this it isn't problem but in the winter i doubt i'd cycle at all if i had to do it in normal clothes.
A lot of European cities are built on flat ground, british cities tend to be built on hills/valleys as geographicaly thats our lot. Compare somewhere like Cambridge with Amseterdam and its comparable, comapre Sheffield to Amsterdam and the desire for lighter and more efficient bikes with gears is a little more obvious.
toffee bollox......
London - flat
Manchester - flat
Liverpool - flat
and we're not just talking about major cities. here in Germany people ride their bikes to and from work, to the shops, etc, etc. in smaller provincial towns, too...
A few people getting defensive about the clothing comment but when someone (dezb?) posted the confused non-cyclist rides to work video one of the first comments was why is the cyclist in lycra but the none cyclist is in normal clothes.
I was going to say inclement weather makes technical clothing a better idea even for short journeys, specially if you want it to have dried out by home time, but don't plenty of high % cycling countries have similar weather to us? What do they do when it's pissing down? catch the bus/tram instead? Put up with getting wet? (in their work clothes)
Donk
Its suprising how rare it actually is to get caught in the rain. Cycle journeys tend only to be a few minutes anyway but
[img] 
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that looks safe.
fair enough, is it a lot more common for people to live within a few minutes of work? PLenty of people round here with big commutesIts suprising how rare it actually is to get caught in the rain. Cycle journeys tend only to be a few minutes anyway
The west coast of Scotland is i suspect wetter and windier than most of Europe sp I dont think going along the likes of great western road with an umbrella like that is really a sensible option, although it might be good to use as a sail!
I find the riding with a brolly idea lunacy but its not uncommon.
In reality the Netherlands has similar weather to us - people simply cycle to work in normal clothes - a nice big overcoat, maybe a hat. For the length of journeys ( and here as well the sigificant numbers of car journers are only a couple of miles) the ten mins or so you will be cycling is not enough to get cold and wet
You all need to read this
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/24/bike-snobs-guide-cycling-tribes ]The bike snob's guide to cycling tribes[/url]
Which one are you? 😉
toffee bollox......London - flat
Manchester - flat
Liverpool - flat
Yes, and I suspect that they have greater %age of people cycling than for example Sheffield?
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany north of Bavaria/Alps
Entire countries that are flat.
Ah, here's nice game. If UK drivers were like UK cyclists... ie:
"They'd all be wearing string back gloves or one piece race overalls."
"A typical commuter car would be a single geared 3 wheeled rotary with no brakes or a heavily specced Dakar rally racer with 5 point harnesses and roll cage".
And so on.
A cycling friend of mine moved to Berlin a year ago. Her perception is the same as the OP, everybody has a 'dutch' style bike and the cycle lanes are excellent, as I recall from SSWC04.
She did say that serious or sporting cyclists are a rarity. probably all in Majorca enjoying the sun!