New bike arrived and have just about finished assembling and adjusting everything that needed assembling and adjusting. Very different from my older bike which was a race bike (Gitane) customized for long hauls. But realizing that I actually haven't done any long distance biking in over a decade and don't see myself doing so anytime soon, figured I might as well get me something better designed for inner city commutes.
Enter The Dutchie from Sole Bicycles out of Venice Beach, California. Many many moons ago, I spent two summers in the Netherlands, one in Rotterdam and one in Amstersdam during which I became quite fond of the Dutch bicycle. In particular, the girl's Dutch bicycle which comes without the top tube and instead allows for super seamless mounting and dismounting. Why it has to be demarked as a girl's bike I'm not entirely sure, but if you are a man and caught riding one, chances are a Dutchman is likely to point it out to you. But, this is all a digression; Dutch bikes—be they the ones designated for male or female—are the most practical city bikes I've ever been on, so I was quite pleased to see an American bike-maker have something Dutch-like on offer, complete with back-pedal breaks.
Of course, the “cool” factor will have one typically leaning towards a fixie or somesuch, but fuck cool. I'm an old man now and appreciate efficiency and anything that will promote an upright back.