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Cycle commuting...Pashley alternative?

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EM2

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I'm shortly moving house, and intend to start commuting by bicycle.
The journey is three miles or so, almost all on fairly level cycle paths.
I don't want a fast journey, but a comfortable relaxed one.
With that in mind, I'd like a three-speed roadster/Dutch style bike, with hub gears, full mudguards, and an enclosed chain.
The perfect example looks to be a Pashley Roadster Classic, but that comes with a Pashley price tag!
Does anyone know of something similar, but for about half the price?
 
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Clip

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Dont you save money on the cycle 2 work scheme anyway?
Evans are also giving £50 off this beauty so thats about 50 notes a month which is great
 

Via Bank

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The classic 'Dutch style' roadster, or granny bike, is the Gazelle Classic, which (assuming you don't mind the rear brake being a coaster brake) comes in at £500 - so maybe 25% less than the Pashley. They also do the CityGo, which is a tad more expensive at £600 - but both brakes are handbrakes, and you get a lot of bike for your money (front and rear dynamo lights with internal cabling, nurse's lock, another chain thrown in, luggage binders on the rear…) I've had a go on one and loved it.

I have seen quite a few Dutchies going around, which people seem to like. I haven't had a go on one, but the price is good (in the region of £400). It's hard to tell if they're this cheap because of the component choices, or because the brand doesn't have the prestige of (say) Gazelle or WorkCycles so they can't get away with charging as much.

One thing you might want to consider is an Elephant Bike, which is a refurbished post office bike you can get for around £250. The chain isn't enclosed, but aside from that, it fits the bill pretty nicely. People I know who have them, love them. You'll need to attach your own lights, though, and maybe install a dynamo if you want the 'jump on and go' convenience of not having to fiddle with batteries etc.

As always - the best thing to do is to see if you can try them out.
 

EM2

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Ooh, I hadn't seen the Elephant. That looks very interesting, especially as it's Pashley-built originally.
I like the idea of the Dutchie, but all their Gents models are out of stock. I was looking at Gazelle last night, and I very much like the CityGo. Might pop into Velorution next week and have a look.
 

gordonthemoron

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I have two Gazelle bikes, an Ultimate T30+ which currently costs about £1,200 and is 18 months old and a 15 year old Medeo. Both bikes are a bit over the top for your needs. However, I have been very pleased with both bikes and as has been said earlier all Gazelle Bikes come fully equipped with lights, mudguards, rear rack, stand, chain guard and integral rear wheel lock
 

Via Bank

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Do tell us which one you eventually go with. I bought a different model of Gazelle earlier this year and it’s brilliant.
 

Bletchleyite

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Not Dutch, and not *quite* the Dutch riding position (flat rather than "sit up and beg" bars), but you might want to look at the Decathlon Hoprider range - they offer a lot of what the Dutch bikes do for a *lot* less money, as well as having derailleur rather than hub gears which are easier to maintain and will be more use if you do need to ride up hills in future. I have a Hoprider 500 at the moment and it's excellent for the price - and fits me properly! (I'm very tall)

Having said that, I used to own a Batavus Dinsdag and it was pretty good. I got rid of it in the end because I had started popping spokes (because I'm very heavy - it always happens at some point) and because of the rear hub gears I would have had to pay a substantial sum for a wheel rebuild rather than just buying a replacement pre-built wheel, and it was getting on a bit so not worth the spending. The hub gears also aren't so good for hilly Milton Keynes, 1st wasn't low enough not to have to get off and push on some hills.
 

EM2

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Had a look at some Gazelles and very taken with the City Go C3, with hub gears and brakes, integrated LED lights, enclosed chain and hidden cabling. The lady in the shop described it as 'bombproof'! Definitely leaning in that direction.
 

Via Bank

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Had a look at some Gazelles and very taken with the City Go C3, with hub gears and brakes, integrated LED lights, enclosed chain and hidden cabling. The lady in the shop described it as 'bombproof'! Definitely leaning in that direction.
Very nice! I was very close to going for the CityGo C3, but eventually went with a seven-speed heavy duty model for more flexibility on hills. (Of course, they then started selling the seven-speed CityGo in the UK, but oh well, I'm really happy with what I got.) Not having to worry about lights, or the chain popping off the cogs (which sometimes happens on my other bike) has made things so much easier.
 

JohnMcL7

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Had a look at some Gazelles and very taken with the City Go C3, with hub gears and brakes, integrated LED lights, enclosed chain and hidden cabling. The lady in the shop described it as 'bombproof'! Definitely leaning in that direction.

Did you get a chance to try out the bike or anything similar? It's important to be able to check the size and the geometry plus see if you like the feel of the bike. The CityGo C3 looks a good day to day bike although I'm personally not a fan of rollerbrakes, while they're low maintenance they don't have much feel and not very strong so it's worth trying it yourself to see what you think.
 

EM2

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Did you get a chance to try out the bike or anything similar? It's important to be able to check the size and the geometry plus see if you like the feel of the bike.
No, not had a chance to try it yet, as they didn't have one in my frame size in stock. Hoping to have a test ride in a few weeks.
 

Via Bank

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Bear in mind that derailleur gears and rim brakes, while being easier to maintain if you want to do it yourself, overall require a lot more maintenance… and are much easier to break by accident. The straw that broke the camel's back with my derailleur bike (which had a similar setup to the Hoprider) was when I accidentally managed to disconnect my rear brakes when getting it out of the rack. These days I reserve that bike for when I want to have fun and I'm not in a hurry, while the Gazelle takes me to work, the shops, etc.

I would suggest learning to repair a flat tyre without removing the wheel. Most British bike shops (and most British cyclists) seem to repair a flat by taking the wheel off and replacing the inner tube. The usual continental convention is just to patch the tube without removing the wheel.

JohnML7 is right about making sure you try one in the right size to check the geometry. I found, for instance, that I can’t really be doing with step-over (gents’) frames unless they’re quite small, so I ended up buying my Gazelle with a step-through frame.
 

Alfonso

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Even the bomb-proofiest bike is not thief- proof. My money would be on something basic with a couple of hundred quid saved for taxi fares for days I didn't feel like pedalling
 

Bletchleyite

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As noted above I've got a Hoprider 500 which is excellent value at the price. It's a German design, which differs from the Dutch designs by having flatter bars and derailleur gears, but still has dynamo lighting, mudguards, rack and other "city bike" type features.
 

Puffing Devil

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As noted above I've got a Hoprider 500 which is excellent value at the price. It's a German design, which differs from the Dutch designs by having flatter bars and derailleur gears, but still has dynamo lighting, mudguards, rack and other "city bike" type features.

Indeed - I saw that, so included the link. I think the Elops is more "Dutch Style".

I have a hybrid Decathlon bike which has been excellent for me - I replaced the off-roadish tyres with road tyres and all is good. It's no longer sold, so no link.
 

radamfi

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I would suggest learning to repair a flat tyre without removing the wheel. Most British bike shops (and most British cyclists) seem to repair a flat by taking the wheel off and replacing the inner tube. The usual continental convention is just to patch the tube without removing the wheel.

It is also tricky taking off the rear wheel at the roadside when you have hub gears with an enclosed chain as you have to tension the chain correctly within a narrow range. I've got a 2013 Batavus electric bike with enclosed chain, 7 hub gears and rear Rollerbrake. I got tired of fixing punctures at the roadside so I replaced the tyres with Marathon Plus tyres and haven't had a puncture since.
 

Puffing Devil

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It is also tricky taking off the rear wheel at the roadside when you have hub gears with an enclosed chain as you have to tension the chain correctly within a narrow range. I've got a 2013 Batavus electric bike with enclosed chain, 7 hub gears and rear Rollerbrake. I got tired of fixing punctures at the roadside so I replaced the tyres with Marathon Plus tyres and haven't had a puncture since.

Slime has always seemed to work for me - though I really have no idea, as I've not had a puncture since using it.

It certainly worked on a pushchair with pneumatic tyres which frequently fell prey to hawthorn spikes until slimed.
 

telstarbox

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Indeed - I saw that, so included the link. I think the Elops is more "Dutch Style".

I have a hybrid Decathlon bike which has been excellent for me - I replaced the off-roadish tyres with road tyres and all is good. It's no longer sold, so no link.
Was it the "Original" one with the curvy unisex frame?
 

Minilad

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Flying Dutchman on Eversholt Street, just up from Euston.

Thank you. I take it the bike had to be ordered rather than in stock as I didn't see the CityGo in the list of cycles they sell. If so what sort of time frame would I be looking at. Also how much was the bike. PM me if you'd rather not say on open forum
 
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