Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Allen Wrench on September 30, 2011 at 6:04pm

You may have a point:

Bakfiets.nl Cargobike Long at Workcycles shop is E1699 = US$2300, shipping maybe $200 (in container), sold for $2999 here

Workcycles FR8 E1074 = US$1441, plus shipping (Euro is pretty low right now), Dutch Bike Seattle's website wants $2195

Of course, in Holland not everyone buys those bikes:

Omafiets at t'Mannetje shop E419 = US$562 - here similar ones maybe $800

and you can get a basic good enough version for the equivalent of $400 there, maybe one speed. Or used. But it's still built to last. A lot of the ones you see there are from the 30s and up.

Also, if it weren't for metal guys every Schwinn ever made would still be running too.

(all euro prices include VAT which you wouldn't have to pay if you shipped it here directly, but customs fees might be similar?)

Seemore Psycle Werks said:

I guarantee that they, Dutch bikes, don't cost 2k(USD) or equivalent Euro in Holland.  

 

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Permalink Reply by Allen Wrench on September 30, 2011 at 6:40pm

If you go, check your airline's policy about shipping bikes. KLM last I checked won't ship a tandem or a cargo bike for any price.

 

I think the comment above, that it's nasty and seemingly counterproductive for Seattle to just close the Chicago shop the way it did, hits the nail on the head. If you need a cargo or dutch bike be sure to check out Dutch Bike Seattle's competition.

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Permalink Reply by chixieonfixie on October 1, 2011 at 2:30am

Weren't there about three Dutch bike companies in Chicago at one time - and wasnt there also some guy on Chainlink from Amsterdam also trying to drum up business at one point? 

How many Dutch bike companies can one city sustain?  Not to mention we are in the middle of a depression...Im sorry the place folded and I hope those guys find work but none of this is a surprise.

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Permalink Reply by Joel on October 1, 2011 at 4:24am

What costs more, keeping a storefront open, paying staff & rent, and possibly losing money on bikes; or shipping them back to a single, profitable store?  

Ash L. said:

What I don't understand though is why the Seattle location would sooner have all stock and all bicycles shipped back to the west coast at an exorbitant cost than to try to sell them here at a deep discount. At least stay open until some of the bikes move and give Vince a chance to find work. It seems like a dick move on the owner's part to tell him to just pack up the store and then find himself a new place to hang his hat in a week.
I would have snapped that beat up bakfiets out front for a cool 80 bucks too.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 1, 2011 at 4:33am

I like the Dutch bikes - tried one in Portland.  If I lived in a north side neighborhood with many destinations within 5 miles, I'd probably buy one.  Where I live, multi-modal trips are a necessity.  My mountain bike is a bit heavy, but just light enough to haul up and down the stairs on Metra trains (and occasionally at El stations). Couldn't do that with a heavier Dutch bike, as nice as they are.

 

Seems like timing and circumstances were against the shop.  The location seemed ideal for their target market.  I hope the guys can find work soon.

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Permalink Reply by igz on October 3, 2011 at 2:20am

Dutch Bike Chicago, the place that screwed me outta my groupon winter tuneup?

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Permalink Reply by Liz on October 3, 2011 at 2:41am

My heavy cruiser usually only comes out for short rides in the winter since my old touring bike is much lighter for multi-modal trips, handles long distances, and can handle heavy loads well.  The cruiser cost about $75 on CL, and while not as nice as the dutch bikes, I couldn't imagine shelling out 25 times that for a bike that is only a little better for those trips.

 

I could see myself paying around $700 for a newer lighter city/commuter bike with internal gearing, dyno lights, front basket and rear rack. I think there's a good market for a reasonably priced city bike that's better suited for around town than the compatibly priced hybrids. 

Anne Alt said:

I like the Dutch bikes - tried one in Portland.  If I lived in a north side neighborhood with many destinations within 5 miles, I'd probably buy one.  Where I live, multi-modal trips are a necessity.  My mountain bike is a bit heavy, but just light enough to haul up and down the stairs on Metra trains (and occasionally at El stations). Couldn't do that with a heavier Dutch bike, as nice as they are.

 

Seems like timing and circumstances were against the shop.  The location seemed ideal for their target market.  I hope the guys can find work soon.

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Permalink Reply by ad on October 3, 2011 at 4:19am

I purchased a bike for my wife there in early June (just before they moved to wicker park) and I thought the guys working there were great.  Too bad the shop didn't pan out.  I see enough dutch bikes on the streets here now that there is obviously a target market out there, but I think two things ultimately hurt this place: 

 

1). The high-end bikes they sell are built to go relatively maintenance free for long periods and come with almost all the accessories you need, so once you've captured the first wave of target buyers you're not going to see them back in the store again for a while.  Good for a customer but bad for a shop, especially since most shops seem to make ends meet off tune ups and accessories.  2).  My wife bought a Linus Mixte there (which was there low end offering) because rapid transit (the normal shop we hit up) was sold out.  Why is it that rapid transit couldn't keep those bikes in stock but Dutch Bikes Chicago had like 8 ready to be sold?  I think some people automatically labled the shop too high end and didn't even bother to check them out, even though they did carry some more reasonably priced options.   

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Permalink Reply by Michael Perz on October 3, 2011 at 4:51am

I imagine that if I was in the market for a slow, heavy and ill-handling bike I'd probably opt for a used electroforged Schwinn which remain cheap and plentiful.

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Permalink Reply by Allen Wrench on October 3, 2011 at 5:07am

wo, harsh.

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