Otherwise, a pretty interesting review.

Guilty as charged! Glad you have as much fun on these blogs as I do.

Dwaine, don’tcha worry, the BuB is fine for strength. ‘Triangulation’ does not make for a stronger weld area. (Just try busting a Personal Bike).

Remember, the weld is the strongest part of a joint, meaning the more weld the more strength. The BuB has way more weld area than the typical frame creating a very strong joint.

Finally, gussets are only required on mountain bikes with long suspension forks since the fork ‘crowbars’ as a lever against the frame. Most hybrid bikes lack gussets as do most city bikes. It’s just not needed.

Just for fun, check this link of the BuB at Flying Pigeon in LA. Great fun!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/la-foodies-and-bikers-uni_b_396750.html

Small world.

As you know, I bought a Batavus bike for my son from your store. It doesn’t seem to have a tight cockpit. He loves it.

I sold you your bike. I know all about it!

The classic Dutch ‘omafiets’ may be a co-opted British design, but that doesn’t mean they are the same. Your Pashley and a Dutch bike are very different. The omafiets has a significantly longer headtube and much shorter top tube length. This creates a very tight cockpit that doesn’t always suit everyone.

When Batavus introduced the Personal Bike a decade ago it shook up the typically conservative Dutch bike industry. The Personal Bike was the first evolution the Dutch city bike had seen in nearly five decades. And there were some issues that needed to be resolved. In the first place, people were carrying up to three kids on the bike (plus groceries) and wanted a more stable platform. The Personal Bike features high pressure, high volume tires that reduced rolling resistance while increasing stability. It also increased the top tube length without rolling the shoulders forward. And it lowered the overall center of gravity.

But that wasn’t enough. Amsterdam is building higher and higher and with a steady increase in bike theft more and more people wanted to bring their bikes indoors. The Personal Bike was simply too heavy. The BuB is a direct descendant of the Personal Bike. However, it’s lighter for lifting and its a little cheaper to boot.

As for price. Sure, I agree with you Kevin. Bikes are cheap compared to cars and bus passes. But you and I are people that ‘get it.’ The BuB is a great way for people to discover city cycling while discovering all the other things a bike opens up for them. The more they discover the more they will demand from their bike (for the same reason both you and I ride a Pashley). Most people who buy the BuB are beginner city cyclists who simply want something comfortable, low maintenance and something that keeps their clothing clean. Again, hardly revolutionary. But just try finding that at your local bike store.

“A real improvement on the classic Dutch bike which were not only heavy, but had strange ergonomics and a fairly hefty price tag to boot.”

Kevin’s comment:
I ride a Pashley Sovereign Roadster. The “classic Dutch bikes” were patterned after the English roadsters for a very good reason: the design works well. I have not noticed any “strange ergonomics.”

The Pashley was also dirt cheap. I brought it brand new for only $1,300. That’s about one year’s worth of transit passes or six months car insurance. And it will give me transportation for a lifetime.

What’s it like to ride? Right now, here in Toronto, the roads and bike lanes are wet and nasty with the usual layer of winter salt. The full chaincase, fenders and coatguard keeps my nice work clothes clean and protect the chain from the salt.

Maintenance? Zero. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres have never, ever got a puncture. Never. Ever. I’ve never had to clean and lube the chain. Love that chainguard.

Internal hub gears and internal hub brakes have also had zero maintenance. The internal front hub dynamo has powered the front light – also zero maintenance.

The bell is a two-tone “ding-dong” bell. Retro, very nice, I’ve had lots of comments on the bell.

And everything I’ve described is standard equipment on the bike. I bought it, got on and rode off.

In the English roadster style, the bottom bracket is rather high and the wheelbase rather long. I like this because it puts me in a nice high riding position with excellent elevated sightlines. I can look over other traffic, “read” what is going to happen and react accordingly. Pashley describes it as “a whale among minnows.” I agree.

Post-purchase I added 60L Basil panniers. That gave it an impressive load hauling capability. When I’m doing “big” grocery shopping I’ll also put a basket on the rear rack and carry shopping bags on the handlebars.

I got the large 24.5″ frame with the double top tube because I am rather tall at 6″ 8″ (200 cm). This makes it look somewhat like the Chinese “Flying Pidgeon.” But that’s because the FP was designed and patterned after English roadsters. For exactly the same reason the Dutch bikes were. Because it works.

Mass bicycle cultures from The Netherlands to China to Japan all tend to use essentially the same vehicle. For more explanation of why this is so, please see:

http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/01/anatomy-of-reliable-everyday-bicycle.html

And what folks need to remember is the BuB that BSG was testing is a PROTOTYPE. It didn’t even have the 3-speed drive train the production bike will have.

I think the comments about the bike needing a hand brake are productive, and I hope Batavus listens and furnishes the production bike with a hand brake.

I think the comments ragging on the “production quality of a prototype” are more than just counterproductive, I think they are oxymoronic criticisms.

Why the reviewer thinks the bike wouldn’t be used everyday is beyond me. The BuB was designed for everyday use in Amsterdam, and a Dutchman typically negotiates the same urban radius as a New Yorker. If you have a fair sized hill you ride a different bike (like the Breukelen). And, if anyone has ever ridden a bike while talking on a cell phone (or holding a cup of coffee) they will know coaster brakes are awesome. And, because no one can really ride all that fast in the city anyways (too many stoplights), a coaster brake is all you need on a three speed bike. Plus they don’t freeze up in winter.

Kevin, it’s a great bike. A real improvement on the classic Dutch bike which were not only heavy, but had strange ergonomics and a fairly hefty price tag to boot. The BuB is an inexpensive gateway drug to city cycling – and God knows Americans need that.