Andy, the author of People Powered, lives in Germany and is buying a bakfiets (literally translated as box bike) from a company in Amsterdam. The problem Andy has now is getting the eight foot long bike from Amsterdam to his home. He could have it delivered at the cost of about 1000 U.S. dollars, but that's a little steep. He can't fit it on the train or in a rental car, so Andy went for the adventurous option of riding the bakfiets 750 km (about 466 miles) from Amsterdam to Stuttgart. Andy's going to film his adventure which has been dubbed the "Three Rivers Project" since he'll be travelling along the Rhine, Neckar, and Korsch rivers. I believe he's starting his trip in September. I think it's a great idea and I'm looking forward to reading about his preparations for the trip.
This had me wondering if there is anybody in the U.S. importing bakfiets. I found a couple of businesses before I realized that Austin on Two Wheels had already researched this topic. One thing's for sure, these bikes aren't cheap, but if you use a bike as your main form of transportation it's cheaper than a car.
Bakfiets from Dutch Bike Co. Prices start at $2749.
Model 995, $2899 from Chicago company De Fietsfabriek USA
So, you gonna pioneer this for us around FW?
ReplyDeleteSure,I'll start selling Dutch bikes out of my garage. I wonder if anybody would buy bakfiets around here? You interested?
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ReplyDeleteHey there RT, I may be coming up to Big D on the weekend of the 9th and was wondering if you want to put a ride in or have suggestions where to ride?
ReplyDeletePaddy
Did you see that Bike Friendly Oak Cliff has bike festival planned for October? Too bad we can't do something like that in Fort Worth.
ReplyDeleteI am not convinced of their superiority over Xtracycle, but I have an open mind.
ReplyDeletePaddy-Hey Paddy, I'm going to be in Austin from the 8th through the 14th. Where are you staying? I hear lots of people talk about the paved trail around White Rock Lake. I've never ridden it. Let's see if we can get Steve, Doohickie, or Twister to give you some suggestions.
ReplyDeleteTwister-I saw that. Doohickie emailed me the other day with the idea of getting some area bloggers and maybe some folks from B.F.O.C. together for a ride around Magnolia and downtown. Let's see if we can get something started.
Steve-I bet Andy (People Powered) he could give us the pros and cons of both after he completes his trip.
ReplyDeleteI've been surprised to see an Xtracycle and a Surly Big Dummy on trails over the past couple of months. I'll have to get photos next time.
That would be great if we could. With all the heat Buchanan is stirring up on the near southside and elsewhere, BicyclesInc, Panther City Bicycles and your contacts I think it'd be a really cool and achievable as well.
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