This shop is quirky, but it shouldn’t be. My Dutch Bike store on Market Street sells heavy duty bikes. Even though the primary stock is handmade utility Dutch bikes, they also carry a line of unique German bikes – Retrovelo. They are all beautifully crafted and generally over-built, which means, “lasts a lifetime” and “nearly indestructible”. They’re heavy duty and meant for pleasure riding or serious work. Since they’re a bit heavier than most, level surfaces are best, but they do boast gears, which helps a little.
Amsterdam is considered the bike capital of the world because of the high percentage of people who use bikes as their main mode of transportation – 40% actually. I’ve read that Amsterdam claims 750,000 people and 700,000 bicycles.
Here’s an interesting link to the top 11 bicycle cities in the world. Guess what? San Francisco is #8!!! Link to the top 11 bicycle cities in the world.
BTW, on the last Friday of each month, a HUGE group of bicyclists gather to intentionally block traffic throughout the city. It started here in 1922, but now takes place simultaneously in 300 cities worldwide. The starting place changes from month-to-month and the route is never the same. Here’s a video of one event I caught on the way home from work (give it a second to load or click again … it’s funky to get it started … not sure why?).
Here’a link to My Dutch Bike store.
