Dutchie bikes, any good ?

Hi All

My neighbour is looking for a traditional 3 speed bike, saw the Dutchie bikes and they look to fit the bill nicely. Has anyone had any dealings with them are they any good :?:

Thanks for looking

Mark

Not come across that particular brand, but the traditional Dutch
'Omafietsen' (Granny Bikes) are pretty much indestructible - they
can survive being thrown in a canal or hung in a tree by drunk students.

My only concern about that 3 speed model is that (like most Dutch
bikes) it has a coaster/back-pedal brake on the rear. Some
people don't like that, and I personally wouldn't fancy it on a steep hill
even with a normal front brake.

For that price, it might be possible to save money by importing a used
bike from Belgium or Holland, or restoring a British classic.

Good luck,

Johnny

Cheers Johnny

Hadn't thought about the coaster brake bit but living in Norfolk we don't have too many really big hills

It was the build quality I am mainly concerned with an bombproof sounds good to me

If it were for me I would do a classic British re-vamp al-la Tel

Cheers

Mark

Don't forget to access their web site from the link on the RB homepage!

Also, aren't the Post Office getting rid of all their bikes?

My girlfriend's aunt has a Dutchie.

Having borrowed it for a week, I would avoid them, personally.

The build quality is so-so... the frame seems good, but the finishing kit is cheap stuff - the brake levers have a disconcerting amount of flex, and the dynamo lights are flimsy. There's an amount of corrosion on the fittings and rack which is worrying considering the bike is about six months old, has barely been ridden, and is kept in a dry garage. There's absolutely no attempt at saving weight - everything is steel - the consequence being that the bike weighs well over 20kg.

The handling is bizarre - your hands are behind the steering axis, so it feels extremely skittish, even when you get used to it. It's not even that comfortable - I ended up with a bruised arse after a relatively short 10-mile-a-day week.

TBH if you want a classic-looking bike, I would go for a Halfords Real Classic (which a friend of mine has - cheaper, much lighter, much better to ride and equally well-built as the Dutchie) or spend a little more money and get a Pashley. Or do what I did for my girlfriend - restore a Raleigh Caprice with modern brakes, aluminium components etc and get something lighter and quicker than any of the above.