bicycle that feels natural recommendation

[mjay]

I am wondering if someone can make a good recommendation for a bicycle. Let me give you an idea what I am looking for and what I have tried.

About a decade ago (when I was in college), I did a study abroad program in Utrecht and did just about everything by bicycle while I lived there. I loved every minute of it but I never really biked again once I came back to the USA. So my resolution this year is to get a bike for getting groceries, errand running and sometimes commuting. What I am having trouble with is finding a bicycle that rides similar to the bike I had in Utrecht. (or at least what I remember it feeling like.) Several friends suggested I check out the Breezer Uptown and I did. It seems ok but it just didn't feel as "natural" (sorry, i know that's vague but I can't think of a better way to describe it) as the bike I had in Utrecht. I also tried a Globe. same story. The store where I tried the Globe also had an Electra Townie but it felt awkward, not anything close to what I remember. Are there other bikes that anyone suggest I try? I don't need anything fancy for gearing as where I will ride only has a few small hills.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by mjay .

I am wondering if someone can make a good recommendation for a bicycle. Let me give you an idea what I am looking for and what I have tried.

About a decade ago (when I was in college), I did a study abroad program in Utrecht and did just about everything by bicycle while I lived there ...

Isn't there anyone in Holland whom you can contact to find out about acquiring the actual brand & model of bicycle which you were riding?

Do you remember ANY of the specifications about the bike?

• Do you remember the Wheel & Tire size?

• What is your budget?!?

If there isn't any upper limit to your budget, then you can buy an A.N.T. "Truss" bike which probably has the similar geometry to what you were riding ...

Here is one example of the A.N.T Truss bike with cantilever brakes + moustache handlebars:

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I think the particular bike is pictured with 700x32 tires. The tires could have a huge effect on recreating the ride you remember, BTW.

If cost is a consideration & the ride is more important than the look, then you can probably recreate the ride you thought you had via any readily available "BEACH CRUISER" which you can buy at WalMart-or-other-big-box-store ... some used to be available with 3-speeds ...

• the "Beach Cruisers" are based on traditional, post-War, American Middle Weight bikes which had 26" wheels ... they will undoubtedly be ALL steel and weigh a lot but the bulk of the steel components can certainly be replaced with aluminum components

If you have some DIY capabilities, then you can simply buy a frame (new-or-used) which has 71º or 72º head tube angles & fit the bike with the appropriate components, wheels, etc. ...

• Most of the generic English frames (e.g., [COLOR= rgb(128, 128, 128)]the non-competition Raleigh bikes[/COLOR]) & many of the non-competition French bikes from before 1975 will probably have appropriately slack frame angles.

If YOU can recall the specific shape of the handlebars, then if you find a bike which has the 'look' that you want (if THAT matters, that is), then you can retrofit the appropriate handlebars onto the bike ...

For example, this bike (below) was not intended to be built up with Drop handlebars ...

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The above pictured frame is a NYC BIKES "Camelsback" ... unlike a Beach Cruiser frame, the Camelsback is aluminum & has 135mm rear dropout spacing + a rear derailleur hanger. The Camelback's shape is similar to a BIANCHI MILANO which you may want to track down if only for a test ride. The bare Camelsback frame retails at a modest price of just over $100.

If you know the geometry of your "Rosebud" bike, then another option might be one of RIVENDELL's framesets ...

 

[vspa]

european commuter and or town bikes can look more or less like the specialized globe daily step-through models, quite close really, but then there are some more sturdy models that you wont find easily, some made by or made for certain german brands for example, the good news is that bikes can be customized and tweaked until they fit you like a glove: changing the stem, adjusting the seatpost, changing the saddle, adding or removing racks, changing the handlebars, choosing the correct frame size, something the bike cannot do is replicate the dutch cycling friendly atmosphere, a dream place for cyclists the world over !

 

[mjay]

thanks for your detailed response!

i'm sorry I can't respond to it with more specifics about the bike. i was 20 at the time, so you can imagine that i wasn't paying attention to the tires unless they were flat

i did email my friend that gave me the bike when i was there. he couldn't remember anything about it either but suggested a brand called Azor. He seemed skeptical that I could find it in the USA.

as far as budget goes, <= $1200 would be ideal and > $2000 is probably too much. i've stayed away from the discount stores like Walmart because I assume their bikes will be cheap and not dependable. i'd like to be able to commute to work with it as much as possible (~4 mile one-way), so i think dependability/low maintenance is important.

i do have a picture of myself on it, but it is of course from a decade ago.. so not digital. i did a google image search and found this one:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bikes_in_Amsterdam.jpg

mine is very similar looking to the one on front (except it was green). tall handlebars and all. the "look" is not really important to me, although looking at these pictures it is quite classy

thanks!

 

[alfeng]

Based on my possibly-flawed-observation that pre-1975, non-competition bikes generally had a head tube angle which between 71º & 72º AND presuming that the bike in the Wikipedia picture has a head tube angle in that range, then I think that I may have found a series of bikes which will satisfy your quest ...

But, because it is mail order (BIKESDIRECT.COM), it will be an act of faith on your part that it will ride the same ...

• FWIW. IMO, the head tube angle & fork quality + rake go a long way to affecting how a bike feels ... followed by tires ... with the frame being more of a caboose in non-competition riding situations which simply holds the rider in the proper place relative to the pedals & handlebars

Here is a picture of the high zoot version which has an 8-speed Nexus hub, fenders & racks ...

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Basically, the frame appears to be a scaled up rendering of a 3-speed English touring bike which uses 700c wheels (a good thing) instead of 26" wheels on the one that I had.

The www.bikesdirect.com price ranges from $280 (US) to $450 depending on whether it has a coaster brake (it also has fenders) an 8-speed Nexus rear hub (pictured) with a 3-speed variant costing only a little more than the coaster brake version. The price includes shipping!

• I want one!!

Other colors are available on some of the models, including "hunter green" (if that matters to you) ...

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Here are a couple of links:

• http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/city_bikes.htm
• http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/oxford_deluxe.htm

et cetera

 

[alfeng]

BTW. Here is a picture of the 3-speed version ...

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http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/oxford_deluxe.htm