Jorg & Olif Bicycles — Refined Urban Mobility
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 9.06
jorg&olif city bikes inspired by Dutch designs almost a century old are said to differ from most bikes ridden by North Americans today. jorg&olif reckon there are three main differences: 1. they come equipped with a heap of accessories, such as fenders (mud guards), lights, cargo rack and strap, safety locks, kickstands, bells, and chain/wheel splash guards; 2. the cyclist sits tall, rather crouched forward in a racing position; and 3. they are simple, single speed models, or multi-speed enclosed, low maintenance, rear hubs. jorg&olif city bikes are designed for cruising the city, carrying groceries, kids or brief cases. Daryl Hannah and Chloe Sevginy are supposedly some of the first Americans to have taken advantage of jorg&olif's move to sell into the US, after two years trading from Vancouver, Canada. Prices range from $795 to $1,295 USD, depending on the gearing you want. An array of optional accessories, like cargo baskets, child seats and waterproof city bags, also on offer. If your cycling leans towards stylish, practical, everyday elegance, more than frenetic weekend recreation, then a jorg&olif might just be the wheels you’re looking for. ::Jorg & Olif.
"Mmmm, I wonder if he is as cool as his bike? Should I ask him if he wants to pedal down to the cafe to discuss no-mess hub gears... and whatever else comes up?"
(NB: See also this post discussing the rise in commuter and city bikes.)
Nice bikes and great to see another commuter-style bike available. Does anyone know the average (or median) commute distance for U.S. commuters? I have a 21 mile round trip. I've found that a bike like this wouldn't cut it and a road bike or cross bike is the most efficient. Near home trips for, say, grocery shopping this would work well. I see lots of fixed wheel and singlespeeds here used for local commuting.
I think that the average commute in the US is much longer than in Europe due to lower density housing. This is why I believe that bikes such as these are more popular in Europe than in the US, the further you ride the less comfortable a "comfort" bike becomes as they are less efficeint than a nice road bike. But a bike like this is perfect fro someone like me who only has a 3 mile commute in Washington, DC (I currently ride a heavy, single speed cruiser).
A suprising statistic, but 48% of all trips in US cities are less than 3 miles (work, errands, groceries etc)...though many bike commuters do travel long distances, this stat indicates there's a huge opportunity to get more people onto bikes for many urban trips (3 miles is typically the threshold for most people to ride... is approx 20 min cycle).
A suprising statistic, but 48% of all trips in US cities are less than 3 miles (work, errands, groceries etc)
Source?
A suprising statistic, but 48% of all trips in US cities are less than 3 miles (work, errands, groceries etc)
Transit for Livable Communities has a similiar statement on its website: "half the trips we take are less than three miles, 40 percent are less than two miles, and 28 percent are less than one mile—yet 75 percent of trips less than one mile are made by car."
I'm not sure how this data was collected or if TLC is the originator. The one thing to keep in mind is that the statement uses "trip" in it. I would guess that the average trip length for U.S. residents is much longer than three miles due to some long work commutes. All of this is likely due to the way U.S. cities grew (which was dramatically in population) after the automobile was invented.
All I know, is that that bike is adorable!
I think it's false and idealistic to assume that this bike is going to get any of "the 75%" of people who drive their cars for short trips to take a bike instead. It's like asking someone who bought a Hummer to drive a Smart car -no hope in hell.
Stylish yes practical? Have you ever ridden a bicycle? As far as being practical these bikes are far from it. For the same money you can get a MUCH higher quality bike that is way more practical, but may not be able to make you resemble a Dutch Grandmother. I think these will become popular with people who own lofts, like "design" and have no idea about bicycles. A bike coming with fenders a kickstand or panniers is barely revolutionary, myself I would much rather pick which parts I attach to my bicycle instead of being forced into buying low quality "designer" panniers. Seriously look at what else you could be buying.
Kdizzle is right.
To all you nay sayers. :)
I have confirmation from Jorg and Olif that there original series of bicycles ARE made by Azor.
Top quality stuff indeed.
Cheers
Dave
These are yuppie toys not bicycles.