Dutch bike rental in CT?
June 8, 2010 6:49 PM   Subscribe

Does anyone know of a place to rent a Dutch-style bike near New Haven, CT?

They're so expensive, and I don't want to buy one if I don't know whether they will be painful to ride (I have a genetic disorder that messes with my joints, causing shoulder pain in the leaning position of normal bikes
posted by vim876 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)
 
They had them on Governors Island, NYC last summer. I think the Dutch government gave them to the city of New York to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Hudson landing in New York. I saw one on Saturday near Battery Park (they are bright orange and hard to miss), but I am not sure where it was rented from. I would guess Bike N Roll. I rode one and it was very upright if that's what you are looking for.
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:11 PM on June 8, 2010


While you wouldn't lean forward so much on a dutch-style bike as on some others, they can be quite heavy to ride. What's your terrain? Have you considered a recumbent? I bought one a year ago, having never felt totally comfortable on forward-leaning uprights.
posted by gijsvs at 12:18 AM on June 9, 2010


(I have a genetic disorder that messes with my joints, causing shoulder pain in the leaning position of normal bikes

You can still get "regular" (new or used) 10-20 speeds with cruiser-style handlebars that keep you from leaning forward. A good bike shop can set you up. I look like Pee Wee Herman on mine but it cost me $80 (used) and it only weighs 10 pounds, instead of 50, so I can easily pull it up stairs, curbs, onto racks, etc.
posted by availablelight at 4:47 AM on June 9, 2010


There are plenty of Europeans in New Haven who have wonderful-looking upright bikes, so I understand the envy. But they are also heavy, like the above posters say. You should talk to one of the bike shops in the area and see if they can let you try out bikes with different styles of handlebars.

The Devil's Gear is in the Wooster Sq. area of New Haven and is where the srs cyclists go; they were OK when I got a $10 third-hand bike repaired for general use, ('this is as good as this thing's going to get.') but very willing to talk about bikes. They do some rentals but I have no idea what that fleet consists of.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:54 AM on June 9, 2010


If you can make it to Manhattan, Adeline Adeline and Hudson Urban Bicycles should have Dutch bikes you can try out.
posted by parudox at 10:14 PM on June 12, 2010


« Older Why are my reel to reel tapes running so fast?   |   It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.