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| No, I don't ride it down steps or anywhere bumpy if I can avoid it... |
It is heavy and it is slow - like I expected it to be.
I seem to get comfortable with any bike after 1-2 short rides and so it is with this. There are a few things to get used to though:
The Brooks B67S saddle needs wearing in; this wasn't the case with the Brooks on my other bike. Have applied Proofide, this wax stuff recommended and made by Brooks to wear it in quicker. Think my posterior can detect a difference already.
Being very upright with sweptback handlebars as you can see; you have to position them right so you don't knock them with your knees when steering and getting on and off which could ruin your day if you fell off.
The single propstand is on the left and I'm used to getting off on the right, so I'll have to get off on the left so I don't have to lean it against anything or hold the bike whilst walking round to the left to extend it. Then again, I can move it forward with my left foot whilst I'm still on the bike and still get off on the right - I'm practicing.
This type of bike is fairly rare in the UK overall and even rarer outside London in a medium sized town where I live, so it gets a few looks, sometimes admiring, sometimes not...and a few comments good or bad too from people who haven't seen one before...
Anyway, in anticipation of some of the comments I've heard in the past with regard to my other bikes, I've got some answers ready:
"That's a funny looking bike"
That's because you don't know what it is...
"That doesn't look like it would be very good off road"
Neither would a Smart car; cuz that's not what it's for...
"You would need a low loader, not a car to carry that to the trail"
The idea is to ride it from wherever I happen to be at the time, not putting it on a rack on the back of a car so I can drive for 25 miles before I ride it...
Other thoughts on typical UK sport oriented cycling for which it was never designed:
Club riding: OK - so long as everybody else is riding one, or I'm gonna be at least 5 miles behind them and they'll have to come back for me thinking I've got lost...
Road racing, triathlon, other glamorous lycra and shades events looking cool; yep, provided you don't mind finishing last...and looking daft...
Random-thingy (French word), Audax/mid distance commuting/London to Brighton/John O' Groats to Landsend/travel all round the world etc: err no, not if I want to enjoy it...these things must be hard enough as it is, there are no prizes for making life difficult for yourself unnecessarily...
Time trial - that thing where you wear that big tear drop shaped thingy on your head so you can break the sound barrier over half a mile or whatever: Yes - but measure the time taken with a calendar not a stopwatch...
Anyways, the bike is fine for cruising along on not too hilly terrain for shortish distances and shopping trips in style - like these bikes are made for, and I am delighted with it. If this is going to be your only bike, best use it this way. I recall meeting a retired couple, the lady of whom which had a similar 3 speed Batavus, that she used for long rides together. They told me she'd bought one because she liked the looks, and had enquired about importing one from Holland. Pleased to find a British shop selling them, she bought one. But she was considering an electric bike because she was struggling to ride long distances on a 20kg+ upright 3 speed...
Quelle surprise?
One other weight issue to bear in mind: this bike weighs 22.5kg or fifty pounds. You'll have to lug it up and down the stairs if you like to keep the bike indoors, live in an apartment/flat above ground floor, and the lift/elevator is too small...jus' so's you know...
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