You’ve Gotta See This Tandem!
Maybe I’m getting old, or it’s just an attempt to buck the system. But I have the urge to get a bike that’s seriously comfortable.
Inspired by sites like Copenhagenize.com (and it’s twin - CopenhagenCycleChic.com), Amsterdamize.com, and even Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery, I’ve started looking at a more traditional, upright type of bike. For errands around town, trips to the library or philosophical society, and wearing tweeds with. That sort of thing.
So I’ve been googling things like “traditional bikes” and “gentlemans bicycles”, looking for something like a Pashley, or a any one of several bikes at velorution.biz (like, the Monark Balloon for instance, or even a [slightly crazy-looking] Pedersen). There are even some seriously retro new bikes on Ebay, for only £129. Two problems with these though, to my eyes - at that price, the phrase Bicycle Shaped Object (BSO) jumps into my mind, and the design is seriously retro. The brakes are fully LEVER operated, for feck’s sake. I’m looking for comfort & style over speed, not a museum piece!
Eventually I hit on the right search term - “Dutch bikes” and more specifically (as I don’t speak Dutch), “Dutch bikes UK”. And just LOOK at what I found on dutchbikes.co.uk (obvious URL when you think about it . . .) :
OK, so I’m almost certainly not going to buy one, as Daughter is now properly old enough, stable enough, and adventurous enough to need to do her own thing. But it’s seriously cool, isn’t it? I wonder if Thistle will get one when Fizz gets a bit bigger?
Something else I found was this, which I can definitely see as a work bike . . . heck, if I get it properly liveried up with the company logos & stuff, it might even be 100% tax deductible. And despite my initial search for a real Gentleman’s Bike (trust me, black or at a push, British Racing Green are the only colours for a gentleman’s bike), I even like the colour 
Hey Karl,
These are classic! I can’t wait for the pics of you on yournew ride!
PS. Your name came up on a ride today……. We were talking about why we do hand signals on the left side……and wondered, becaues you live in the UK (where you drive on the ‘other’ side of the road), do you do hand signals on the right?
Thanks!
SeaShell & Auggiesdad in Seattle
Wotcha - I was taught to do signals left or right handed, signaling with a straight arm pointing in the direction I want to turn. I’ve heard of left-handed only signals (left arm out & bent vertically up or down to indicate a RIGHT turn?), but I think these are a throwback to people doing hand signals on a motorbike (the throttle & front brake are on the right hand side), or on bikes with only one brake.
The only other signal I was taught was the “I’m slowing down” one - right arm out and flapping - but I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone giving this signal.
Of course, when a car comes within a paint coat’s thickness of knocking you off, there are a whole host of other signals I’ve seen used, though I don’t think these are in the Highway Code.
I agree with Karl… these one armed signals are a throw back to the old skool motor cycle hand signals.
FWIW… I usually use the arm I am point toward to point out a turn… unless I am very untrustworthy of the car behind me… (or around me) and then I will usually flap my arms wildly and use both signals… I figure, that if I look crazy and they aren’t sure what I’m doing, then they’re more likely to pay attention.
As for the slow down signal…. I only see this in large groups of bike riders… it’s akin to the signals for road debris and other cyclist to cyclist warnings.
RE:these are a throwback to people doing hand signals on a motorbike….
You folks are all too young….One armed Hand signals are from the days when CARS did not have lighted turn signals and the driver needed to put their arm out the window to signal turn intention. (In US) A straight out arm meant left turn, a bent arm pointed up meant right turn, and a bent arm pointed down meant slow or stop. I would guess, in those days, right hand drivers would need to use the right arm out the window. Don’t they still include hand signals in drivers education books??.
Hi MomGaub! You’re actually spot-on with this - look what I found on the UK’s site for the Highway Code - a little pdf document showing hand signals for drivers and bikes. When you see the ones for car drivers, what you say makes a whole lot of sense.
That yellow Pashley Courier Classic is no longer manufactured, which is a shame cos I was about to buy one.
There is one on ebay at the moment though…..
Yeah, but have you seen the price they’re looking for? For a six year-old bike!