I got a new bike. It can carry lots of stuff.
Heavy stuff. Like a chainsaw.
I got the Workcycles "Fr8" from the great tiny country of the Netherlands. I admit that it's kind of a (pre)mid-life crisis bike but instead of sports car, I've gone with a much cheaper option of just about the most robust and practical bike you can buy.
Workcycles is actually run by an American, Henry Cutler. The Fr8 is pretty great: comfy, upright ride, sturdy, two big racks (the front rack is fixed to the frame not the fork for greater stability). It's a versatile tank; an SUV of bicycles.
I've had bikey friends try it out—friends that normally ride more crouched over on one-speed fixies—and loved the comfortable ride.
Full chain guard (naturally, for a Dutch bike)
The front and rear lights are powered off a hub generator
One of the most unique features: remove the triangle to change tubes. With enclosed chains it can be a real pain in the ass to change tubes and tires.
Notice too the seat tube that actually meets in front of the bottom bracket. This odd feature means that the bike is a better fit for both short and tall people. By moving the seat further or closer at a faster rate than regular frames it keeps a better distance between the seat and handlebars for most people.
A lot of thought went into the use of this bike for everyday life, which I appreciate a lot.
I imported the Workcycles but you can also buy similar sturdy Dutch-style bikes from local sources. Urkai in Burlington imports Azur from the Netherlands; such as the Transporter or the Industrial Bike. Or Curbside in Toronto which imports the Belgian Achielle. Or even the British Pashley bikes, available at Hoopdriver, though they don't have front racks. Or you can go even more "hardcore" with cargo bikes: bakfietsen (box bikes), longtails and so on. Luckily it's becoming a lot easier to find such bikes in Canada now.
Comments
Clark in Vancouver (not verified)
Yeah, that seat tube is
Mon, 06/08/2015 - 14:09Yeah, that seat tube is great! I've only just sat on a Work Cycles bike but the Quetzal semi-recumbent (Made in Canada) has a similar thing where it will adjust both up and back for different riders.
The back rack is cool. Functional yet streamlined.
Funny, when I went to WorkCycles when I was in Amsterdam I was impressed with how good his English was. (I theorized about how in this continent we leave second language instruction to a much too late a grade where in Europe they start in Grade 1.) Only when I got back home and checked out the website I found out he was American.