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In Denmark where I grew up we all grew up using bikes just like in China. A lot of guys are also now spending ridiculous amount of money on hand made bikes jus
by pelle 14y ago
In Denmark where I grew up we all grew up using bikes just like in China.
A lot of guys are also now spending ridiculous amount of money on hand made bikes just like the wealthy Chinese in the article.
The interesting thing is that for women the fashion has been more towards going for old wrecks also known as grandma bikes. See http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com
- Luc 14y agoDo you mean the old grandma bicycles are valued over new ones in the same style? Or is it just the style of bicycle that is becoming popular? It's a very comfortable way to ride (on flat country) and I prefer it for non-hipster reasons (i.e. my back).
- pelle 14y agoIt started out with people preferring the old ones. Then the bike manufacturers caught on and started making fake grandma bikes as well.
- jordanb 14y ago"Grandma bike" is a pretty derisive term for a practical utility bicycle. It's like a guy in a two-seat sportster with a tiny trunk calling a four-seat sedan a "grandma car." Here in Chicago, people realized many years ago that road bikes with tiny, crack-seeking wheels, rigid suspension, aggressive posture and delicate derailleurs made horrible utility bikes. So people first started appropriating mountain bikes, adding fenders, racks, new saddles etc. Then people discovered that old Schwinn three-speeds make perfect utility bikes without any conversion. Now, yes, bike manufacturers have responded by building purpose-built utility bikes. If you like road bikes then that's great. I actually love riding a road bike from time to time. 99% of the time I'm on a "granny bike" though, and if I weren't for those trips I'd be in a car.
- pelle 14y agoHopefully no bikes were offended ;-)
- eropple 14y ago"Grandma bike" is a pretty derisive term for a practical utility bicycle. It's like a guy in a two-seat sportster with a tiny trunk calling a four-seat sedan a "grandma car." I call my '96 Camry a "grandpa car". (In part because my grandfather owned it before I did.) I'm not sure it's as derisive as you think.
- meej 14y ago> "Grandma bike" is a pretty derisive term for a practical utility bicycle. It's like a guy in a two-seat sportster with a tiny trunk calling a four-seat sedan a "grandma car." Thank you.
- stdbrouw 14y agoGrandma bike specifically refers to bikes with retro looks or the original designs that the retro bikes take their inspiration from. It doesn't refer to utility bikes in general, at least I've never heard it used in that way. So it's not derisive at all, just referring to "how bikes used to look 50 years ago."
- Luc 14y agoGrandma bike is just a translation of the Dutch 'oma fiets', which refers to a specific style of bike. If it ever was derogatory then that long been forgotten now. https://www.google.com/search?q=oma+fiets&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=fyPeUMnUK4LLhAedn4DABg&biw=1367&bih=1012&sei=kSPeUPyTJKKb0QWMjYHoAg https://www.google.com/search?q=oma+fiets&um=1&ie=UT...
- megablast 14y agoIt doesn't have to have negative connotations, some of us like our grandmas. It is just describing a different style, those seeking comfort more than speed. Nothing wrong with that.
- meej 14y agoThere's been a similar trend in the US. The Electra Bicycle Company, in particular, makes several lines of sit-up-and-beg styles of bikes, influenced by both old-style beach cruisers (which are considered retro cool) and the city bikes you see in cities like Amsterdam (Electra makes a model called the Amsterdam, in fact). But I've never heard anyone in the US call a bike a "grandma bike", perhaps because we haven't had such a culture of bike riding here.
- blhack 14y agoIn the US, we call these Beach Cruisers. They're incredibly common, and Wal Mart sells tons and tons of them.