Staff bikes: Alexi

The thing that I really like about Alexi's new bike is the color: the deep, rich, unapologetic sunset orange. The kind of orange that makes you eyes hurt a little if you look at it too long, and leaves the negative of itself on your retina after you close your eyes.
I am an absolute sucker for all things orange, bikes being no exception.
Apparently Alexi feels the same way about the color.

When I asked her what she likes best about this new bike named Hank, which she got from the Dutch Bike Company in Seattle, she said it was the ability to carry a case of beer and a large bag of dogfood, simultaneously. The rear rack, adorned with a very stylish pannier with a seahorse logo, will carry 70 lbs, while the front rack, which is easily removable, and does not turn with the front wheel when you are steering, will carry 50 lbs.

Carrying demanding loads, and standing up with grace, character, and an appropriate set of accessories, to the demands of urban riding is what the workhorses from Dutch Bikes are good for. One of our customers uses hers the same way most families use a minivan: to carry kids.

The best thing about Alexi's new bike is how she plans to use it. She is not a bike fanatic or Critical Masser. She has the same trappings and challenges of any car-dependent individual living in Chicago. All she wants to do is see if she and Hank can make a go of it for one year. 365 days of commitment to a bike. Can she do it? I think she can.
Keep up with the two of them on their blog.

Comments

[John]

I recently began reading this blog. You do a great job that makes reading about Chicago very interesting.

It was very sad seeing the post about Amanda. So young....

[Sebastian Huydts]

Alexi,

Congratulations on your new bike! I am Dutch, and I have been suggesting people for years to try out the Dutch bikes in Chicago. I've lived here for twenty years, bought a recumbent from Rapid Transit, and would buy a Dutch bike from them also. The last time I inquired they didn't seem interested in selling, quoting bad exchange rates, limited demand, perceived flimsyness... I grew up on them, they are comfortable, my grandma was 80 and still rode one... You're setting a great example!

[Justyna]

Sebastian,
You raise an important question, so I'll respond as fully as I can.
There are a couple of reasons that we at Rapid Transit cannot carry certain bikes that are available in other parts of the world.
One problem is space. We carry a lot of unique products already, but with only about 1500 sf available for retail, we are a bit cramped.
But that's not the biggest problem. The major reason we can't carry certain products is distribution. We are a retailer, not an importer. The number of bikes we sell is relatively small, and makes the price at which we could buy them directly from the manufacturer overseas prohibitive. We have done this in the past, as we tried to bend over backwards to accommodate customers, and it is just not financially feasible.
The vast majority of bikes sold through independent bike shops in this country come from overseas through some kind of US distributor (in the broadest sense, even companies like Giant, Kona, etc. are distributors for bike frames manufactured overseas). The distributors don't usually sell directly to the public, but resell their wares to your local bike shop, which is where you buy them. Some small distributors will import unusual, hard to find products, and sell them directly to the public, but are not set up to work through bike shops. I believe this is the case with Dutch Bike in Seattle. If it became possible for us to order these bikes from a US distributor, I believe they would be attractive to our customers.
Just because this option is not available to us now, doesn't mean it won't be in the future. For example, for many years we wated to carry Bike Friday folders in our store, but the company was not set up to work with bike stores. They sold directly to the consumer. Well, a few years ago, they revised their distribution strategy, and now have a workable arrangement that allows us to resell their product to the public at a fair price and fair margin.
So, the jury may still be out on the Dutch Bikes...

John,
Thanks for your comments. My heart goes pit-a-pat with every new reader!...

[bc]

Hank&Me seems to have disappeared from the intertubes. anyone know what's up?

[Justyna]

bc, i just discovered the same thing yesterday. i've no idea. alex, where are you? does anyone else know?

[pox]

Ack! The last Hank and Me post was about some unpleasantness with a driver, then silence, and now the blog is gone. Is she okay?

[Justyna]

I've sent an e-mail. Hopefully, we'll find out what happened to Hankandme, and Alex.

[bc]

I may be remembering somebody else's blog, but seem to recall a post about her father being ill.... hope everything's OK.