I carry a small bottle of Doc Blue but I’m yet to have a puncture – the high quality tyres that seem to be standard on dutch bikes helps too… Mine are Schwalbe Marathons.

You are obviously oblivious to the range of city bikes that the Dutch ride! They’re not all 25kg omafiets with 3 speed hub gears.

There are some very light and nimble versions and you can have derailleurs if you like.

I prefer the hub gears as it means I can have a fully enclosed chaincase; hub brakes mean no issues in the wet at all and practically no maintenance. As a city bike you can’t argue with what is ultimately very practical. Given that 50% of car trips in Australia are less than 5km. I can do that distance with a pedicab.

I happen to ride an electric version with 8-speed hub gears and that helps even more on the hills but a standard version is easy to travel about on in Australia as is my electric bike without using the assistance. I commute 200km per week and I do a further 100km in other trips.

I also have a 38kg cargo bike. Cycling is not all about speed & ‘personal bests’ you know…

The “Dutch” bike thing is just another marketing ploy to divorce us from our hard-earned dosh. A far better solution would be to convert an older style road bike into a commuter by fitting an adjustable stem, mudguards, and a clear plastic chainguard of the type found on many modern city bikes with derailleurs. Such a machine should weigh around 30 lbs(14kgs) as opposed to 50lbs(22kgs) for the Dutch bike. Australia, particularly Sydney and Brisbane with their hills and humidity in the warmer months are not Dutch bike friendly and riding one under such conditions is about as much fun as gargling Draino. Let’s dump the trendy cool marketing BS and be practical. Australian style bikes for Australia and Eurotrendy Dutch or whatever for the short distsnces and compact cities oe Europe.

I can’t really tell whether it was cramping or discomfort. I just noticed quite a few people who seemed relieved to get off their bike and needed to stretch straight away. Clearly it wasn’t the most comfortable riding position for them. I didn’t think much of it at the time.

Nobody seemed to take an interest in my comfortable riding position. A hybrid bike looks almost like a mountain bike, so it doesn’t look that unusual.

It seems to me that most people simply accept the environment they grew up in as ‘normal’, without experimenting too much. Most people in Holland accept the upright riding position as normal. Most people here accept the crouched riding position as normal.

It’s only when you become aware of different possibilities that you start to question what you are doing. Hopefully theses interesting blog posts will incite people to consider riding in a more upright position. If it suits them better, then that will be a good thing. It doesn’t hurt to try.

Also, you said that other riders, bent ove,r had to stretch at stops. Do you mean that their riding position seemed to cramp them?

Did anyone show any curiosity in the fact that you were on an upright bike? Ask if you were comfortable, etc.?

I think cyclists here are brainwashed, by whom and to what purpose, i don’t know.

Mike

For most people, it seems that they pick up a bike and assume they have to adjust to the crunched over riding position, assuming it is “normal”.

Coming from Europe, I don’t find it normal. I find it too uncomfortable. I ride to work a few times per week, 20km each way, on an upright bike. To me an upright bike is perfect for this, especially if you have to go around the city traffic.

I ride mostly for the enjoyment and exercise. I find an upright riding position best for that. Speed doesn’t really matter to me.

I have also done the Sydney to Wollongong ride (90km) twice, on an upright bike. No problems at all. I found it really comfortable and easy to ride a bike like that over long distance. And there are a few hills in that ride. A strange thing I noticed during the last gong ride was the many people who had to stretch during the stops. I didn’t really understand what the problem was at the time.

With an upright bicycle, you can still lean forward if you want to, for example in the hills or in a strong head wind. At least you have the CHOICE as to which position you want to adopt. You are not forced into the crouched position.

On a road or a mountain bike, you forced to be crouched over all the time. Some people let go of the handlebars for a few moments to get a bit of a break. This reduces their ability to react in an emergency. That is a bit more risky way to ride.

I can understand that racers want an optimal position for speed. That is the nature of racing. For those who are not racing, it might be worth trying to ride an upright bicycle and see if it works better for you.

That’s what makes the bike shares so great. An easy and cheap way to try an upright bike.

It surely means that, if you are not interested in racing, if you just want to get somewhere, that’s the best posture.

I agree (though I don’t race, but do ride as fast as possible most of the time) I’m looking into the upright bicycle option for a friend who just wants a bike for short trips – We’re considering a regular mountain bike fitted with slightly swept back bars, like these handlebars;
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3948078939_01fd8842a9_o.jpg
but with a shorter stem.

I would like to try an upright bike, I think they’d be great for short trips on the flat, but I wouldnt want to ride one up a hill!

I think they would be usefull for people that are a bit worried about cycling and don’t feel comfortable on a regular ‘bent over’ bicycle – I assume they’d be easier to balance.

I can’t personally see myself riding one for fun as I find riding a regular road bike quite fun, and I don’t think an upright bike would be practical for my commute (30km return with a few hills).

People here are simply pragmatists. The upright position is just lovely and ideal for most journeys – until you’re facing a really vicious headwind… That’s also why recumbent bikes and velomobiles sell more here than anywhere else.

In NL, commuters are only one part of utility cycling. As they’re generally in a hurry, and may have a distance to go, commuters are more likely to use a dropped handlebar bike, a recumbent or some other way of increasing their speed than someone who is going shopping.

While I ride the upright bike shown in the photo to go shopping or go on shorter rides with the family, I ride something completely different to commute and soon will upgrade to something quicker still.

Sport cycling which I guess you do, the 100 km rides, etc, that sort of cycling needs little advocacy, it seems to me.

But using the bike to get to work, go to the shops, etc, (short trips) that’s the type of riding that’s lagging here, and which I want to help promote.

There has been a big increase in commuting here,it’s true, but we still trail the world. In Copenhagen, the bike commute rate is 40%. In Sydney, it’s around 2%. Melb. around 3.5%

We still need to find ways to make commuting by bike safer and more comfortable, which is where up straight, comes in as part of the solution, in my opinion.

It can be no co incidence that all the big commuter cycle countries like Holland, Denmark, Germany etc, most riders sit up straight.

It surely means that, if you are not interested in racing, if you just want to get somewhere, that’s the best posture.

As for winds, Denmark and Holland have some of the fiercest winds around. I’ve cycled in northern Denmark, up Skagen way, and it’s like riding into a wall. And yet still people vastly prefer the upright position. Very curious.

Up straight, you see better, you make eye contact with drivers, establishing a much better relationship, and it’s easier to have an use a rear view mirror, an essential safety item.

We should set up some compartive tests

As for hills, where I live, it’s quite hilly and no one cycles as transport, which is why I gt an electric bike.

This bike, which still gives me a great work out (I’ve lost 12 kilos takes care of both hills and headwinds in the sense that there’s still efforr but not pain. (see first post)

Riding ‘hunched over’ on a regular bike can be very comfortable – provided that you have the bike setup properly for you (most people don’t)

Upright cycling would be nice for short trips around town on the flat – but not for a 10+km commute or cycling for fitness.

I’ve been in Sydney filming the start of a massive city bike ride. maybe 10,000 riders. I was only one who was not suffering from Beetle Bane. I’ll look at your other clip with interest

To me, all kinds of cycling are worthwhile. However, for trips to the shops and other similar utility journeys you’ll usually find me about as upright as its possible to be.