I just got back from a trip that included a short bike tour of Visby,
Sweden, and renting a bike in Copenhagen, Denmark for the day. In Visby we
figured we it would be fun, and there were a few true bicyclists on the
tour, and quite a few people that probably haven't riden a bike in 10 years.
In Copenhagen we figured it was Sunday, most shopping was closed, we usually
do about 26 miles on a Sunday on our tandem through the local hills, so why
not try renting bikes. I have a few observations:
Bike rentals there were strange hybrids. Even in Visby, where bikes weren't
all that sacred, the bikes had chainguards, both a hand brake and coaster
brakes, fat tires, fenders, and the ever present bell. Helmets were
available (but not required) in Visby, though there were probably around 10
helmets and 20 people on the tour. Visby had a few small hills, and the
heavy bikes made them a challenge. The tour we went on was about 10 miles,
a few through a cobblestone town, some on a bike trail along a highway, and
some on the highway itself, and ended over a rocky path on a former military
range. The wide tires were very helpful on the cobblestones and rocky path.
(And had I known about the rocky path and my lack of off roading skills I
probably would have taken a helmet...)
The bikes we rented from the Radisson Royal SAS in Copenhagen were pretty
much the same, with the addition of a lock that basically was a little bolt
you would flip down and put through the spokes of the back tire, and then
lock in. You didn't have to carry anything but a key. This lock wouldn't
keep people from stealing either pieces (seats, front tires) or the whole
bike, but it would keep people from joy riding. Apparently that's the usual
problem in Copenhagen. When we commented on the weird brake setup the
conceirge helping us with the bikes (and I got to tell you, asking about
bikes was the only request that got the conceirges excited in this hotel...)
told us his wife used a bike just like these to get around town. Helmets
were not available. In Copenhagen bike lanes were pretty much everywhere.
The streets were such that there was car lanes, a curb, bike lane, a curb,
walking path. So the bike lane was above the motor vehicle lane, but below
the walking lane. The bike lanes in general were the width of a full
vehicle lane, so plenty of room for passing. In the city there were
probably more bikes in transit than personal cars. Also, in the city, bikes
were expected to cross, and then cross again rather than taking the lane for
left hand turns. In our 26 mile journey along the coast we did run across
one family with little ones biking and two roller bladers and only two or so
folks on light bikes in lycra. Most were folks on their way to the beach or
beach towns, with beach towels and even sand buckets on their racks. So the
bike lanes worked well for commuters and recreational cyclists, but I'm not
sure that they'd work for peletons of people out for a work out.
And despite riding 26 miles in street clothes, no my butt didn't hurt. Big
cushy seats and a pretty upright position does that for you. Yes, we did
run across quite a head wind coming back, but that just meant you pedalled a
little harder.
What I found was I really, really want to replace my errand bike with one of
these commuter type thing. I'd stick with hand brakes, but the chain guard
and fenders would really mean I could hop on my bike wearing absolutely
anything (two girls on the Visby tour were in dresses!) and not worry about
getting clothes stuck in the chain or dirtied from the tires. The
Copenhagen bikes even had shields to keep skirts from getting stuck in the
spokes. These bikes were really meant for everyday use.
I also found for hill climbing and workout rides I'm not giving up my carbon
fiber trek any time soon. Just starting those heavy bikes up was a workout.