Via Canada.com and dedicated to Les and his wife Helen (wink & smile):
Spandex-free cycling commute sells in Vancouver, importer finds
Cyclists can wear suits and skirts on Dutch-style bikes
Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
Rob MacDonald is a co-founder Jorg & Olif, a Vancouver-based company that sells Dutch city bikes online throughout North America.
If you like the idea of cycling to work but are loath to join Vancouver’s growing army of two-wheeled, pedestrian-dispersing, 24-speed seawall warriors, there is an alternative.
Go Dutch.
“And there’s no spandex,” noted Rob MacDonald, co-owner of a company that’s bringing the European way of urban cycling to North America. “We have fashion police out there and we’ll find you.”
MacDonald and business partner Jane Cox own Jorg & Olif (www.jorgandolif.com), a Vancouver-based e-commerce company that imports Dutch city bicycles known for comfort, style and convenience.
So far they’ve sold about 1,000 bikes across North America — 300 in Vancouver — but there’s not a current storefront in Vancouver and they must be ordered online. The company, which recently closed its local warehouse, is now negotiating a store presence with a Vancouver bike store, where customers can test-ride and buy the bikes.
“The biggest challenge is introducing a new concept to the marketplace,” said MacDonald, 36, of Jorg & Olif, his first business venture. “The idea of a bicycle just for the city is relatively new in North America, where [bikes] are mainly for recreation or sport. It’s been an interesting learning curve for us to communicate that.
Read on here.
Les & Helen, you can safely leave your gear at home (or just don’t unpack it). Sure, it would be easier for me to spot you as you’d really stand out in the crowd ;-0, but take it from the tens of thousands of people riding similar tours around the Netherlands, there’s absolutely no need. I guarantee it.
WHAT TO DO NOW?