Bicycle Fixation Weblog
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12/16/2007: "Dutch Cruisers Invade Los Angeles!"
And it's a good thing, too.Yesterday I saw numerous Dutch-style city bikes, mostly by Electra, being tooled around by a variety of folks in my neighborhood, including twentysomething girls, thirtysomething men, and a couple of women of a certain age, many with market bags hanging off the handlebars. Mostly people who did not have the aura of cycling enthusiasts, but just regular types who have broken the conceptual trammels of the American Wetdream and made some rational choices.
The bikes are heavy and overstyled and wouldn't be comfortable for a 40-mile ride--but they're perfect for shopping, visiting, bar-crawling, or heading to a local bistro or theater, and I was happy to see them lumbering about, often in pairs.
Chaincases, skirtguards, fenders, generator lighting--good lord, Americans on sensible bikes riding sensibly!
I won't trade in my lugged fixies by any means, but I'm glad to have the company of other riders when I'm out on my own errands, and these folks bode well for our future as a culture.
Ride on!
