Transport / Delivery Bike ID
July 16, 2018 11:11 PM Subscribe
I saw a Dutch-style transport bike today on the street for which I've already forgotten the brand name. Maybe someone here is familiar with some lesser-known and possibly newish brands and knows what I'm talking about?
The bike was rather more modern hybrid in style than classic Dutch transport (had more of an angular than sweeping curved frame), but with the addition of an unusually large and squarish flat front rack (and not angled back like many transport bike front racks are). The one I saw was orange!
The brand name (on the top bar):
•was not one of the well-known Dutch brands like Sparta, Batavus, Gazelle, etc.
•had around 6-8 letters, mostly soft letters like m, n, u, w, a
•was Latinish and possibly ended with "x"
I don't see anything like it on the websites of major Dutch bike sellers like https://hollandbikeshop.com or http://www.mydutchbike.com
Thanks for all informed suggestions!
The bike was rather more modern hybrid in style than classic Dutch transport (had more of an angular than sweeping curved frame), but with the addition of an unusually large and squarish flat front rack (and not angled back like many transport bike front racks are). The one I saw was orange!
The brand name (on the top bar):
•was not one of the well-known Dutch brands like Sparta, Batavus, Gazelle, etc.
•had around 6-8 letters, mostly soft letters like m, n, u, w, a
•was Latinish and possibly ended with "x"
I don't see anything like it on the websites of major Dutch bike sellers like https://hollandbikeshop.com or http://www.mydutchbike.com
Thanks for all informed suggestions!
Urban arrow? Babboe?
posted by catspajammies at 11:33 PM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by catspajammies at 11:33 PM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Was it something like a Vogue Elite?
I live in Amsterdam and your description fits lots and lots of brands.
large, squarish front racks are usually an option on many makes. My neighbor has a Beixo for example which also has that large front rack. Orange is also not an uncommon color.
If you want to try Googling in Dutch you might try 'transportfiets' otherwise I'll look around when I go out this morning and see if I see a brand name that fits your description.
posted by vacapinta at 1:05 AM on July 17, 2018
I live in Amsterdam and your description fits lots and lots of brands.
large, squarish front racks are usually an option on many makes. My neighbor has a Beixo for example which also has that large front rack. Orange is also not an uncommon color.
If you want to try Googling in Dutch you might try 'transportfiets' otherwise I'll look around when I go out this morning and see if I see a brand name that fits your description.
posted by vacapinta at 1:05 AM on July 17, 2018
Response by poster: I will just add that the rack itself was not the usual type with metal bars with spaces in between, but had a solid "filled-in" bottom and was at least 17" square to my recollection (and possibly even 20"). The bike itself kinda looked like your typical hybrid (flat top bar), only with this large solid platform at the front. Of course, it may not be of Dutch manufacture, but it is undoubtedly European.
It was not any of the brands kindly suggested above, and I think I can somewhat confidently state that there was no b, c, d, f, g, i, j, k, p, q, t, v, y, or z in the name. Pretty sure there was one "x," which may or may not have been the final letter.
I also do not recognize it among the brand names listed here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle_brands_and_manufacturing_companies
posted by tenderly at 2:05 AM on July 17, 2018
It was not any of the brands kindly suggested above, and I think I can somewhat confidently state that there was no b, c, d, f, g, i, j, k, p, q, t, v, y, or z in the name. Pretty sure there was one "x," which may or may not have been the final letter.
I also do not recognize it among the brand names listed here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle_brands_and_manufacturing_companies
posted by tenderly at 2:05 AM on July 17, 2018
A "solid" front rack is fairly unusual if it's not a crate or box attached to a regular rack. Did it look like this BrikBike? (more)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:09 AM on July 17, 2018
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:09 AM on July 17, 2018
I've seen custom or semi-custom porteur racks that have a solid (wood, metal, or composite) surface attached on top of the rack tubes. Not to encourage threadsitting, but what specifically about the bike makes you think it's European rather than US design?
Did it have an internally geared hub or a derailleur drivetrain? Enclosed chaincase? Suspension fork? Was the frame steel or aluminum? (I'm guessing it wasn't titanium or carbon fiber.) Did it have fenders? Rear rack?
There are plenty of small to medium sized companies that make their own frames or have them manufactured to spec in Taiwan or mainland China (or sometimes in the US); any one of them might have been built up in the way you describe—Rivendell, Vélo Orange, Soma, Surly, Boulder, Waterford, Rowland, Kogswell, just to name a few (some defunct). And then there are individual frame builders like Richard Sachs, Peter Weigle, Roland Della Santa, Dave Moulton, Chris Bishop, Jeff Lyon, and so on.
So it's possible you ran across a custom, or customized, bike rather than one that's mass-manufactured with those characteristics.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:04 AM on July 17, 2018
Did it have an internally geared hub or a derailleur drivetrain? Enclosed chaincase? Suspension fork? Was the frame steel or aluminum? (I'm guessing it wasn't titanium or carbon fiber.) Did it have fenders? Rear rack?
There are plenty of small to medium sized companies that make their own frames or have them manufactured to spec in Taiwan or mainland China (or sometimes in the US); any one of them might have been built up in the way you describe—Rivendell, Vélo Orange, Soma, Surly, Boulder, Waterford, Rowland, Kogswell, just to name a few (some defunct). And then there are individual frame builders like Richard Sachs, Peter Weigle, Roland Della Santa, Dave Moulton, Chris Bishop, Jeff Lyon, and so on.
So it's possible you ran across a custom, or customized, bike rather than one that's mass-manufactured with those characteristics.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:04 AM on July 17, 2018
A Velorbis, maybe? They have other bikes on their website and the colours are customizable.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:20 AM on July 17, 2018
posted by urbanlenny at 8:20 AM on July 17, 2018
Van Moof?
posted by humboldt32 at 9:17 AM on July 17, 2018
posted by humboldt32 at 9:17 AM on July 17, 2018
Response by poster: I've looked at the suggested brands/sites, and it's none of the above.
brianogilvie:
I was able to ask the rider where he got his bike, and he said, "Europe." He may have been duplicitous, but given the type of bike I am inclined to accept his statement at face value. (Although I certainly think it's possible it was made or designed in Europe and he bought it here across the pond.)
I've seen custom or semi-custom porteur racks that have a solid (wood, metal, or composite) surface attached on top of the rack tubes.
While that is of course a possibility in this case, all I can say is that the bike and rack/holding surface (and the way it was attached to the frame) all suggested that everything was conceived as a single integrated unit. The fact that the bike had a unique—though apparently fairly obscure—logo, instead of one from a better-known company, on it as well suggests that the whole thing was designed like that. I have seen a lot of transport bikes and front rack styles, and none have looked quite like this. I am pretty sure you would agree, on seeing it yourself, that the rack/holding surface was no later addition but an essential element of that bike's design.
Re: bike specifics, I believe it had a derailleur drivetrain, non-enclosed chaincase, and don't know whether it had suspension fork or type of metal.
You mention a bunch of small to medium-sized companies and individual builders who might have built up a bike in the way I describe, but would one then find an entirely different logo/brand name on the bike itself, as I have described?
Perhaps at this point I should ask the more informed velomaniacs viewing this thread who would be the most knowledgeable person (regarding small/custom transport bike designers) or dealer, on either side of the Atlantic, to contact and ask about this?
posted by tenderly at 3:46 PM on July 17, 2018
brianogilvie:
I was able to ask the rider where he got his bike, and he said, "Europe." He may have been duplicitous, but given the type of bike I am inclined to accept his statement at face value. (Although I certainly think it's possible it was made or designed in Europe and he bought it here across the pond.)
I've seen custom or semi-custom porteur racks that have a solid (wood, metal, or composite) surface attached on top of the rack tubes.
While that is of course a possibility in this case, all I can say is that the bike and rack/holding surface (and the way it was attached to the frame) all suggested that everything was conceived as a single integrated unit. The fact that the bike had a unique—though apparently fairly obscure—logo, instead of one from a better-known company, on it as well suggests that the whole thing was designed like that. I have seen a lot of transport bikes and front rack styles, and none have looked quite like this. I am pretty sure you would agree, on seeing it yourself, that the rack/holding surface was no later addition but an essential element of that bike's design.
Re: bike specifics, I believe it had a derailleur drivetrain, non-enclosed chaincase, and don't know whether it had suspension fork or type of metal.
You mention a bunch of small to medium-sized companies and individual builders who might have built up a bike in the way I describe, but would one then find an entirely different logo/brand name on the bike itself, as I have described?
Perhaps at this point I should ask the more informed velomaniacs viewing this thread who would be the most knowledgeable person (regarding small/custom transport bike designers) or dealer, on either side of the Atlantic, to contact and ask about this?
posted by tenderly at 3:46 PM on July 17, 2018
@tenderly - I didn't mean necessarily that one of the companies or builders I mentioned was responsible, just that, off the top of my head, I can rattle off a dozen small companies most people have never heard about, so it's possibly another equally small company. Sorry for being unclear.
Derailleur drive train doesn't scream out Dutch to me; I associate the typical Dutch bicycle with a fully-enclosed chaincase and either single speed or an internally geared hub for tackling the "Dutch mountains" (as my hosts at a B&B in Deventer called the dikes). I'd associate a derailleur-equipped transportation bike more with France or Germany.
It's possible for a custom or semi-custom bike to look exactly like it's designed that way, if the designer has either made the parts him/herself or designed a bike with a specific aftermarket part in mind. A good case in point is Jan Heine's Urban Bike, which is from the small Japanese company Grand Bois.
If you happen to remember whether the front rack was attached to the fork or the frame, that might help narrow things down. The Faraday Porteur front rack is an example of the latter.
I can't think of anyone off the top of my head to ask (other than the late Sheldon Brown, which isn't helpful), but if anyone does come to mind later, I'll pop back in and post.
posted by brianogilvie at 9:58 AM on July 18, 2018
Derailleur drive train doesn't scream out Dutch to me; I associate the typical Dutch bicycle with a fully-enclosed chaincase and either single speed or an internally geared hub for tackling the "Dutch mountains" (as my hosts at a B&B in Deventer called the dikes). I'd associate a derailleur-equipped transportation bike more with France or Germany.
It's possible for a custom or semi-custom bike to look exactly like it's designed that way, if the designer has either made the parts him/herself or designed a bike with a specific aftermarket part in mind. A good case in point is Jan Heine's Urban Bike, which is from the small Japanese company Grand Bois.
If you happen to remember whether the front rack was attached to the fork or the frame, that might help narrow things down. The Faraday Porteur front rack is an example of the latter.
I can't think of anyone off the top of my head to ask (other than the late Sheldon Brown, which isn't helpful), but if anyone does come to mind later, I'll pop back in and post.
posted by brianogilvie at 9:58 AM on July 18, 2018
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posted by nikaspark at 11:32 PM on July 16, 2018