Nicholas Kraemer has a Handel on Toronto Cycling
Oh Messiah! Can Nicholas Kraemer truly be riding that lovely Batavus bike we gave him in this absolute slushy mess? Chances are good that he is. When Nicholas Kraemer, the guest conductor for the TSO’s Messiah, accepted his contract, he insisted that a bike be included in the deal. And, since we sell all sorts of odd and unusual bikes – including the weather resistant Batavus Dutch bikes – we were contacted to set the famous conductor on a steed for his Toronto tenure. Nicholas was thrilled to recieve such a street worthy bike, especially when he called the next day to tell us that it saved him from a nasty streetcar track spill. This is hardly a fair introduction to Toronto cycling – snowy weather, slippery streetcar tracks, salt and slush – but Nicholas, if you can conduct Toronto winter cycling, you certainly have a Handel on things. We’re happy that we gave you a helmet. Listen to an interview with Nicholas on Classical 96.3 at 3:30pm December 14th.
Batavus Factory Tour
Heerenveen is a tiny little town in Friseland, a province known for its Calvinist stubborness, dyed in the wool practicality, and rigorous stoicism – where else would you want your bike built? We’ve been to the Batavus plant twice now, and it’s always a treat. The modern plant is a pastiche of plants built upon plants as the company has grown since 1908 – a lifes labour that has seen the manufacturing of not only bicycles, but mopeds, even ice skates (Heerenveen is famous for its speed skating rink).
Inside the plant is a lovely museum that houses some ancient bicycle treasures, including an all wood bike and the very first (1908) edition of the Old Dutch Omafiets, which despite its oil lamp and crocheted skirt guards, doesn’t look all that different from today.
The inner factory (which we cannot show pictures of) contains the entire manufacturing process – and most the square footage is dedicated to wheelbuilding and painting. And, isn’t it any wonder? If a bike built to last – as they are in the Netherlands – it had better remain rust free with round wheels. And the Dutch don’t treat their bikes very well. Want an example? It’s rather famous that people will take bikes that have fallen into canals decades ago and still find them worthy to ride. Now that’s quality! Check them out online
Curbside hosts PST Bicycle Exempt Announcement
On Sunday December 2nd, Curbside Cycle hosted Margarett Best (above) – the Ontario Minister for Health Promotion – and an entourage of industry bigwigs for the official PST Exemption announcement. It was Toronto’s first major snowstorm, making both biking and driving difficult, but there was a great turnout and lots of excitement over the new provincial initiative. Check out the Sun interview with our own Don Watterson here
