August 27, 2007

Got a Spoke?

Dutch Bike Company Seattle

You salsa like a Spaniard. Swear like a Scot. And have a questionable history of walking like an Egyptian.

But you haven’t really lived until you’ve ridden high like the Dutch. On a city bicycle, that is. (C’mon, we know you’ve done that.)

Make up for lost time at just-opened Dutch Bike Company Seattle, a tucked-away trove of authentic Dutch-made bikes owned by former bike messenger Dave Schmidt, who fell in love with the contraptions in Holland.

The new no-frills shop rents and sells eleven styles, from the basic Oma (grandmother) to the Bakfiets (cargo bike). Schmidt is one of a few U.S. retailers who imports directly (no off-shore factories involved), guaranteeing that the eight-speed bikes’ high-tech hubs, planetary gears, and roller brakes are the highest possible quality.

They’re not cheap, but they’re as easy to ride as they are charming.

And that’s just internationally appealing.

Dutch Bike Company Seattle, 4421 Shilshole Avenue, at 14th Avenue Northwest (206-789-1678 or dutchbikeseattle.com).