Amazing Race 12...on Bakfiets!
Nov 11, 2007 · 09:48 PM · permalink
I was watching the Amazing Race tonight and saw 2 segments in Holland being hugger-focused! They had to find city bikes, and ride them 5 miles. Then they had to put one person in the front of a Bakfiets and roll to the finish. Now everybody in the states is going to want one.
Just saw a snippet of the show, fascinating! Poor demo of bike potential, they are designed for grocery, hauling stuff, small kids, er cargo, not adults (especially over 175 lbs)! So much for “sweeps month!”.
The scene with the Goth couple riding the Bakfiet was hilarious. That’s when I tuned in as well. The show didn’t give context, but that’s ok. Clever Cycles in Portland imports and sells them here in the Northwest.
If enough Americans get turned onto these cool bikes, maybe the price will get real: $3500 in Canada! Bilensky’s are more expensive.
Dutch Bikes appears to import them into FL as well. I know there’s a shop in Seattle in Ballard that has them as well. $3k is not cheap, but they sure are cool looking. I may need to go steel a ride soon.
Since its a Dutch name, bakfiets = singular (bak: box & fiets: bicycle) and bakfietsen = plural. No big deal, but if I (and others) mention it often enough, it sould become common knowledge. Available at: http://www.dutchbikeseattle.com/ and: http://clevercycles.com/ For what they are and what they can do, the price is not unreasonable. It may come down somewhat in the future, but a cheap bakfiets would be a hazard; you really do get what you pay for.
There is a home grown concern in Eugene that build these starting at $2100
http://www.catoregon.org/hpm.htm
Regarding the price, keep in mind that cars are often calculated to cost more than $7,000/ year, once all costs are factored it.
So, using one these of as a part of a car-replacement, you could have a return on investment in under a year. After that, it is actively generating additional savings for you compared to a car.
I bought one, and that’s my plan.
Mark,
Same thinking and calculations on the Bettie.
Re-Commented on behalf of leonieke:
saw the feature on the bike race in holland. one of my friends owns the best company in amsterdam for bikes: de fietsfabriek. check it out…
My thought was “damn, if I was on this part of the show, I would be kicking ass”!
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