Are we ready for Dutch bicycles?

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The ‘mini Hollands’ project currently transforming three London suburbs into enclaves of cycling excellence could result in an influx of Dutch bicycles.

The £90m budget shared between Kingston, Enfield and Waltham Forest is being spent, for the most part, on major improvements to infrastructure, but other 'softer' measures include a variation of our own Back on a Bike roadshows. The results after three years should normalise a cheap, healthy and environmentally benign way of getting about of travelling that at present seems radical.

For example, there are children's nurseries in London that use specially designed hand carts to transport kids to the local park, but the idea that the same group of infants might be carried about by bicycle would be considered by most schools too foolhardy to contemplate. However, when streets are designed with a consideration for children getting to and from school, such things may soon be considered the norm.

If you thought that Dutch bikes, with their comfortable seats and sit-up-and-beg riding position, were somehow old fashioned, think again. If you consider cycling a sport, then they are unlikely to appeal, but if you’re an A-to-B kind of cyclist that runs the odd errand, the Dutch bike ethos that you should enjoy optimum comfort and a great cycling experience is a far better match. A good example is the Gazelle C11, a city bike that boasts Shimano internal hub gears, mudguards, lights and a luggage rack as standard.

Dutch bicycles have a reputation for being tough and practical – attributes that make perfect town bikes. And those used to the uncompromising nature of fixed and single-speed bikes might welcome the fact that any Dutch town bike worth its salt comes equipped as standard with full-length mudguards, a stand and comfy seat. The Dutch are masters of the practical bicycle – they would no sooner sell a town bicycle without mudguards and lights as a car maker would sell a city runabout without windscreen wipers.

Are we ready to go Dutch?

Many would-be cycle commuters in Britain cite a lack of workplace showers as the reason they don't travel by bike. It's an excuse that would seem strange to the Dutch, who have a adopted a more relaxed, but no less efficient, approach to cycling and bicycle design. Not for them the a sweaty race to the office, or clothes splattered in rain and road muck because their commuter bike has no mudguards.

The incessant presentation of cycling as a sport and its reliance on expensive bikes and specialist clothing or equipment means few of those new to cycling consider anything beyond a road bike or MTB. It will be interesting to see whether the mini Hollands boroughs become havens not only for greater levels of cycling, but a broader range of bicycle type.

Cycle insurance whatever you ride

Whatever style of bicycle you choose to ride, cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, third party cover, personal accident cover, race event cover and if you suffer a mechanical breakdown, they will come out and recover you and your bike.

ETA cycle insurance offers a true new-for-old benefit – however old the bike, if it’s stolen you get enough to buy a new model.

For 25 years we have been providing this kind of straightforward, affordable bicycle insurance. It's one of the reasons The Good Shopping Guide voted us to be an ethical company like no other in 2015.Whether you use your bike to commute, shop, race or amble in the park, ETA cycle insurance has you covered.

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