So, what makes a town bike?

Or urban, or street(?), or city or utility bike? Or my bike, which gets a few looks because to some it looks strange or unusual when I’m wheeling it through the town centre...

OK, for a start, the main thing is that it should have a few features that make it of more use for everyday commuting, shopping, pootling about. One of these is equipment. Let’s go through a list of equipment that I find useful if not a necessity:

      

            Hubgears – the cogs are all enclosed in a cylinder, protected from the elements so a lot less maintenance than derailleurs. Also, you can change them whilst stationery. And, they look better...well, I think they do, and looks are a big thing for me and pushbikes.

        Rear rack  - A must-have for a town bike in my opinion – far better than a  sweat patch causing back-pack, or worse, holding a carrier bag at the same time as the handlebar grips. Mine’s obscured by the basket attached to it.

Baskets – very useful, especially on the rear rack enabling me to just dump stuff on the back of the bike. Front ones are useful too for small stuff. Not the coolest of accessories though, lots of people here like bikes that looks sporty because bikes here are still seen as for leisure.

         Dynamo lighting – rare here, but fairly common on European bikes: the dynamo for powering the light is either in the front hub or, especially on older, Dutch bikes, at the side of the front wheel, in the shape of a bottle. Most bikes here, if they have a light at all, still have a battery powered torch strapped to the handlebars.

 Chainguard or chaincase and mudguards (fenders) Typically these bikes are meant to be ridden in your everyday clothes. Something that prevents you getting oil and grease on your trousers from the chain and water/mud from puddles etc is a must therefore. Chainguards and mudguards are quite common, whilst chaincases which completely cover the chain are quite rare, here.

Wheel locks: useful if you leave the bike outside a shop for short periods. Also adds an additional layer of security to the more common types of lock.

  Kickstand – much better than leaving the bike against something, I think; I prefer a double kickstand which is what I have on my bike.

Upright riding position with swept back handlebars - more convenient for short trips, but a matter of personal preference.

And last, but not least...bells! Using a lot of cycle paths, these enhance safety and are polite when using shared foot/cycle paths. 

All this equipment does add a fair bit of weight - my Kettler weighs over 20 kilos, and typically a Dutch town bike will weigh around this. It also adds to the cost - people wonder why these types of bikes cost what they do - over £500 and not uncommonly £200+ more. It's also why to some they look strange...