Sneak Preview: Earn (and win) your stripes!
We’ve been bouncing the idea of a custom painted Batavus for quite a while – we just needed an excuse. The World Cup was our first idea, but with only one Dutch person on staff it felt a little too partisan (plus, lets face it, the Dutch never win the World Cup). Luckily, Yvonne from the Toronto Cyclist Union approached us with a great excuse, the TCU is just about to sign up their 1000th member, so why not celebrate with a stylish bike that anyone can easily ride? We donated a bike on the spot.
Toronto has some amazing talent in its bicycle gene pool. Curbside was the first to successfully launch the concept of European city bikes in North America (a trend that is now accelerating madly in New York thanks to our distribution company), guys like Velocolour’s Noah Rosen have been voted the best frame painter in North America, and then there’s people like Poka’s Suzzanne Carlsen, whose amazing laser-cut bicycle accessories are simply unseen this side of Portland.
The theme for the bike is clearly Dutchness. The Dutch are famous for design and we wanted a clean yet whimsical bike that was as equally deadly-serious as it is light-hearted (just like the Dutch). The beautifully laser-cut lion in the chaincase was a throwback to our original idea of making a World Cup bike for the team nicknamed the Oranje Leeuwen (the orange lions). And we really love the stripes. 
Toronto has earned its own stripes as a cycling city, but lots of cyclists don’t make a bike culture. The very architecture of Toronto needs to change. While New York frantically paves bike lanes and shuts down streets for cyclists, the city of Toronto still seems to struggle with whether or not a motorist is a more important citizen than a bicyclist. And this means that bicyclists of all stripes should join the Toronto Cyclists Union to create a strong lobby for simple things like bike lanes. Plus, you could win this amazing bike!
We’ll keep blogging about this bike as it reaches completion, and then as it is displayed around Toronto and then given away to a lucky winter. This is just the sneak peek, so keep checking back!
YAKKAY IS HERE!
To all who were awaiting the fabulous YAKKAY helmets, come to Curbside to pick yours out… before it’s too late!
Quick Interjection
Just a quick break from the trip to tell you some good news! Curbside and Hot Docs: Documentary Discounts!
We will be giving anyone who a presents a Hot Docs ticket stub or festival pass a discount on fabulous accessories and bike rentals! If anyone wishes to rent bikes for the entire festival period there is a separate flat rate!
Please call the shop to find out more details!
416-920-4933
We love Hot Docs!
Kicking Dutch, Man
There were many things to look forward to on this trip. One of which was a soccer game in Batavus’ hometown in the north of Holland. Batavus hosted us for dinner and a tour of the sc Heerenveen stadium, as well as a game against Willem II.
The dinner was very…..Dutch. Meaty and creamy. mmmm. The tour was in……..Dutch yet very interesting thanks to our helpful Batavus translator. The Abe Lenstra Stadium, named for a legendary Dutch football player who put Heerenveen on the map, has a capacity for 27, 000 people!
The game was AMAZING! It had ups and downs, red cards and yellow cards, corner kicks and free kicks! While Willem II might be at the bottom of the Dutch league they put up a good fight. The crowd was pumped and singing the whole time! Anything you could want in a soccer game happened. And Heerenveen won!! A 4-2 victory that no one was expecting, well I wasn’t expecting it. Everyone else probably knew it was for sure. For my first ever soccer game it was a good one to see.
We left the stadium and the entire world had been coated in a layer of snow. People were biking home from the stadium too. Pretty cool! But hold on….I came here to escape that kind of winter weather (not that Canada had much of a winter!). The drive home was slow and I slept a lot of the way. I had no sleep and was still a bit queasy from drinking some awful regional liquor.
The next day Eric and I ventured off into the Dutch wilderness to find a bike show, Feitsvak, in Rosmalen.
Stay Tuned! Fietsvak to come!
Final Clearout!
Ah, that time of the year when we twist our own arms and get those remaining bikes out the door. Yup, it’s January all right. Sure, you may not be able to ride right now (although we are, and in truth it’s great fun), but the minute Spring hits you can hop on your new steed and still feel the weight of your loaded wallet. Lucky you! So, if you’re one of those new ’smart consumers’ that the newspapers keep talking about in this recession (you know, the ones that actually save, scrimp and plan ahead), then your best bet is to buy a bike now. Yeah, now. You see, it’s a win-win. We need to clear our warehouse of remaining bikes and you want a stupefying good deal. But, just don’t ask for any deals on accessories, ok? It’s not polite. We need to make money too.
So, in short, nearly all 2009 bikes are on sale (the ad is just a teaser), including some (but not all) of the stuff we import from Europe (and, believe us, that’s a first – we just thought ‘what the heck’). Oh, and until the HST kicks in, all bikes under $1000 are PST exempt. Yeesh! Incentives, incentives! It’s like giving stuff away! Stock is very,very limited – and we’re not joking. If we don’t have your size, then too bad so sad. If we do, then you best be coming in soon! These deals are in-store only, not online. That means if you’re in Tuscon you have a long drive ahead of you.
