Why Upright Dutch Bikes Are Amazing.
And why you should get one.
Introduction:
I’d heard of them before, but never quite knew what to expect when I first sat on one. Now I do. Made for comfort and practicality, upright-style, Dutch bikes are far more useful and efficient in many situations regarding most people’s lifestyles (including my own).
Yesterday (as of writing this), I got the opportunity to test ride two of the Dutch-owned and Australian operated upright bicycle company: Lekker’s bikes. These two were the Jordaan+, and the Lekker X. The former currently priced at $2,398 Australian dollars, and the latter priced $1,998 Australian dollars. Though this number seems high, it is quite reasonable, given the artisanship and attention to detail that goes into these bicycles. At their stores across Australia, Lekker offers free test rides, that are a terrific way to get to know the bike that you’re looking at.
The company was founded by Meindert Woolfraad, who moved to Australia from the Netherlands, but quickly realised that there were no quality bicycles, and that the country was simply littered with sporty road/mountain bikes, oriented toward only one group of people, and made for only one true purpose: leisure riding. To remedy the situation, Meindert founded Lekker, and has helped to improve Australia’s cycling culture ever since.
But what is an upright Dutch bike?
In its most simple form, an upright Dutch bike is one that you sit in, in an upright position, not very unlike sitting in a chair, or a stool. This form factor is not good for speed and is quite sub-par when used for the reasons that other kinds of bikes are used, but that isn’t the point. The upright Dutch bike is made for one main thing: comfort.
Pictured above is a standard Dutch Omafiets. This simply translates to, “Grandma Bike,” or, “Granny Bike.” Though to many people this bike is ordinary, when you actually look at what it has, you can see the thought that is put into the design.
Apart from the upright sitting position, which is created by bringing the handlebars high up, and sweeping them back, this bike has a step-through frame. This is useful for those who struggle to swing their leg up to get on crossbar bikes, as well as those who have kid seats, or other things on the rear-rack that they could kick off while mounting or dismounting the bicycle. The step-through frame also offers safety, and a sense of comfort while riding.
Upright Dutch bicycles often come with front and/or rear-racks as mentioned earlier. These are important because of the upright bicycle’s main use. That is, these bikes are almost always used to commute from place-to-place on a regular basis, whether that be school, work, or somewhere else.
Since upright bicycles are made for comfort, springs and other forms of comfort are put inside and around the seat, allowing for a smoother ride. This changed many aspects of my test ride. The first bike that I rode, the Jordaan+ had seat springs and cushioning, however, the second that I rode, the Lekker X, did not. This slight difference changed far more about the ride than I thought it would. On the Jordaan+, my ride felt smooth, calm, and calculated. Conversely, on the Lekker X, though it was slightly nimbler and easier to manoeuvre, I did feel less comfortable, and the ride was far more noticeably bumpy.
The last thing that I will comment on about Dutch bikes is their approach to gearing. In Australia, Canada, and north America, as well as many other places on the planet, having a high number of gears is a cyclist’s right-of-passage, and derailer gears are the norm. However, in the Netherlands, and many other places across Europe and Asia, this is not commonplace. It is common to see bikes with no more than two or three gears, and single-speed bikes are nothing to bat an eye at. This is because having more gears causes a bike to gain weight, making it harder to navigate, and move at an adequate pace, while at the same time adding functionality that most people don’t use. Generally, upright Dutch and urban bikes use three gears, as this is usually the right amount for people who are using their bikes for their intended purpose. The two bikes that I rode had only three gears, which I found to be just right for my uses. In-hub gearing is also common on upright Dutch bicycles for two main reasons.
- Maintenance is needed exceedingly rarely, and when it is, it is usually quite minor.
- Gears can be changed while stationary, which not only allows the rider to change gears easily whilst surrounded by other people, but also gets around the difficultty of changing gears with derailers, as motion is needed. That is, that to change gears with a derailer, a cyclist requires space, however, that space can be used up by other people on other bicycles.
How are upright Dutch bicycles improving?
Like any industry, innovation and improvement is useful to ensure success. In this case, that is how these bikes are being made more useful, and easy to operate.
Lekker is doing its part in terms of improvement and innovation, as most of their upright Dutch bicycle line-up is electric. Since gaining speed on an upright bicycle is difficult, due to the position that one must sit in to ride, electric assistance motors allow for fast, easy, comfortable, and reliable travel, with little added weight, and the ability to make someone’s ride less tiresome. This assistance changes everything, and that isn’t hyperbole, it can make riding uphill feel like riding downhill, and make long trips feel short. All in all, riding an upright, Dutch, electric bike feels exquisite, refined, and incredibly simple.
Conclusion:
Personally, I believe that to invest in an upright Dutch bike, or better, an electric one, is something that would be useful to almost anyone. Of course, this is dependent on how your city is designed, and if it is safe to ride a bike on the road. I talk about this in one of my other articles that will be published soon. If you live in Australia, Canada, or north America, then there’s an exceptionally low chance that you will find a shop that sells or produces this kind of bike, but you may have luck finding something similar second hand. I had to go to a completely different state in the country to find one, and you might too, but I personally think that the investment is worth it for most people. Luckily, some brands, like Lekker, offer delivery.
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