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Noshing in A’dam. The Workcycles interview

Henry & Tom from WorkCycles

Henry Cutler, aka “Henry Workcycles” has been building unique cargo bikes in Holland for quite some time now. After years of quality friendship we decided to stop making social calls and start importing the WorkCycles line into Canada (the US is already covered, alas). Workcycles represents the Dutch obsession with quality in the most archetypical sense. If you want the closest thing to perfection in your city bike – from build to ride quality – Henry (and partners) are the guys.

We were in Holland recently and sat down for a pleasant chat. Over a dinner of boerenkool at Moeders Cafe (Moeders means ‘Mothers’ – a fantastic place, although the framed pictures of mothers everywhere reveals either reverence or an over-asserted Oedipal complex), it was revealed to us that Henry is actually a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, which could explain his straight-shooting kvetching (add that to the Dutch penchant for bluntness and the result is fantastic). But hey, Henry tells it like it is, and G-d knows the world could use that. Our discussion, between gravy, sausage, good beer, and lots and lots of potatoes was hardly kosher, but then Henry isn’t either. Or perhaps he is – if bikes could be kosher. WorkCycles is for the purist who demands the best execution [sic] or for that person who knows that owning the best bike is still cheaper, and more fun, than owning the best car.

Henry is famous for running his own fantastic blog Bakfiets en Meer, which offers a candid and often irreverent expose’ on Amsterdam, the cycling industry, with tons of cross-cultural connections that Americans and Canadians can understand immediately. His latest post adds to the current ‘war’ between Copenhagen and Amsterdam. We didn’t know there was one!

Eric Kamphof. Let’s talk about this issue of “quality”. We brought WorkCycles in not only for the impressive range of cargo bikes but also for the super high quality city bikes. The entire Dutch bike industry already impresses me for its incredible insistence on quality, but I wonder if you can briefly describe the differences between quality in the North American and Dutch market and then how your bikes offer even higher quality than the bikes present in Holland.

Henry Cutler: I think there are two issues at stake here. The first is a function of the nature of the North American versus the Dutch markets for bicycles. The second is the advantage enjoyed by a small bike company run by somewhat obsessive bicycle enthusiasts.

Firstly it’s not a matter of the quality being better here or there. There are plenty of very high quality bikes sold through the mainstream channels both in North America and the Netherlands. However there’s a huge difference in the general perception and reality of cycling between the two regions. In North America cycling is primarily recreational and the bulk of bicycles are inexpensive models sold though the large discount retailers. But even the specialty bicycle retailers focus very heavily on bikes for sport or occasional use. The demands on such bikes are very different from in the Netherlands where most bikes are purchased  to be used as daily transportation. Dutch bikes have to be practical, comfortable and safe for riding day or night in all weather conditions. People expect that they can carry their kids, groceries and whatever else they bring along each day. Given the enormous numbers of cyclists and the densely populated cities most bikes are parked outdoors, locked in a rack or to a pole. This creates an entirely different set of “quality” criteria; Simplicity, durability and low maintenance are prized over the latest features and material trends. Comfort, versatility and daily practicality win over speed and lightweight.

Of course cycling is also very popular as recreation in the Netherlands and sporty bikes are also sold, but it’s only a small portion of the market. Also worth noting is that the average price of a bike sold in the Netherlands is the highest in the world (at over €700). Not surprisingly Denmark is second and the rest of the world is much lower. I don’t know the figures for the US or Canadian markets but I’ve been told it’s about a quarter of the Dutch price, largely because of the enormous number of cheap bikes sold by the discount chains. These “branch-strange” retailers have far less influence on the Dutch market because people who rely on their bikes demand at least a certain level of quality and service.

Concerning the comparison of WorkCycles to other Dutch manufacturers: All of the large, Dutch “A-brands” (Batavus, Gazelle, Sparta. Koga-Miyata etc) make decent city bikes for their tough home market. WorkCycles enjoys its role as a niche player; We design and build bikes that won’t sell in quantities large enough for the major makes to bother with. This includes models such as our ultra-tough, modular Fr8, old fashioned fixed wheel transport trikes (bakfietsen) and classic looking city bikes that tip the price/quality balance just a little too far for the mainstream. The emphasis is very much on designing and spec’ing our bikes the way we believe they should be. We really pay attention to the many small details that make for boring ad copy but actually enhance one’s experience using the bicycle. A couple examples include: super-strong rims made just for us, many stainless steel parts, LED head- and taillamps powered by hub dynamos and centerstands that really work.

Eric Kamphof. The “dutch bike’ market has clearly taken off, especially in Canada where two companies, Opus and Norco, have been making ‘dutch style bikes’, including a bike that looks like an omafiets (with V-brakes, egad!). The ’shape’ or ‘form’ is clearly similiar, but it ends right about there. Beyond style (and your bikes are certainly stylish), what essential features should one be looking for in a city bike? Should, for instance, V-brakes (or external gears) ever be on a city bike?

Yes, the bike industry has managed to suffocate every good cycling trend of the last 40 years with lousy silhouette bikes that miss the point and make cycling for less attractive for most people. The “essential features” of a city bike vary quite widely with the situation: My wife and I, for example, share a Brompton folder. Despite its rim brakes and lack of gears it’s a really handy addition. But it can’t carry our 18 month old son or his buggy and I don’t want to always have to fold it up and carry it upstairs. So our daily riders are much like what most family-age people in Amsterdam ride: sturdy, child-seat equipped machines that live on the street. For us and our customers the “daily ride” has to have at least the following features to ensure consistently enjoyable cycling [Henry pauses to sip his beer]:

-  ergonomics somewhere between totally upright and very slightly athletic (ride in normal clothes)
-  full coverage, steel mudguards (ride in all weather conditions)
- f ully enclosed chaincase (clean clothes and almost maintenance free)
-  reliable lights without batteries (ride day or night)
-  hub brakes (braking in all weather, almost maintenance free)
-  internal or no gears (low maintenance)
-  highly puncture resistant tires (getting stuck with a flat sucks)
-  a bell

When small kids enter the picture, and they do eventually in most people’s lives…[Eric grimaces]
-  suitable for child seats
-  racks/bags/bins to carry the groceries and stuff
-  stable parking stand
-  even more of the convenience and safety features in the first list

Given Amsterdam conditions it’d be very impractical to ride a city bike with derailleurs or V brakes but you do see them on the street, often with rusted chain, bent derailleur, V-brake arms hanging limply against the spokes. Perhaps it’s different in a place with a nice climate and plentiful indoor storage space for bikes.

Eric Kamphof. You’re an American in Holland. How did you manage to carve out a niche in a market that is so evolved and so quality oriented? What perspectival advantages is there to be an American in the Dutch bike industry? What do you see that others don’t? How have your products been received in the extremely demanding Dutch market?

This is a question I’ve been asked many times by Dutch interviewers with a somewhat incredulous tone. It doesn’t seem surprising to me though; A foreigner always sees their new home with a different perspective. When I moved to the Netherlands I was already a long-time cyclist with extensive bike industry experience. I’d competed in several disciplines and designed bikes that had been ridden to several national championships under other riders. I’d ridden for transportation for many years. I first moved to Groningen which has the highest density of cyclists in the world. There I fell in love with cycling all over again: riding with my girlfriend on the rear carrier, her arm around my waist, cold winter nights cycling to speed skating lessons, riding to work though a historic city in bicycle traffic with no danger or conflict with motorists. I thought “Sure the conditions here are ideal but why only here? Why doesn’t the rest of the world see how perfect this is?” Thus my research began.

As evolved as the Dutch bicycle market is I also found that it had become overly conservative and lost sight of it’s roots. Unbelievably the sturdy, black “Dutch bikes” had all but disappeared. Heavy-duty transport bikes for either family or commercial use were also nearly impossible to find and the few available were rather crude cult objects. In a nutshell I was crazy about Dutch cycling and found that there were some nice opportunities. This enthusiasm for bikes and cycling is now fundamental to WorkCycles’ culture; We’re bike nerds hell-bent on improving bikes.

WorkCycles is one of a number of young firms who’s been influential in the Dutch bike industry and perhaps we’ve been the most successful in exporting our bikes and our ideals along with them. We’ve had our share of frustrations and funny experiences as industry “challengers” or at least outsiders but on the customer side WorkCycles achieved success very quickly and has grown smoothly through the years. As arrogant as it sounds it doesn’t surprise us; Our bikes are unique and consistently best-in-class. Steadily more people are cycling for transportation and there will always be people who happily pay for unique and meaningfully better products and services.

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And that was it. The food was finished (well, Henry’s wasn’t for talking so much), and our stomachs were filled with a starchy gravy-laden mess. Outside the snow continued to fall and yet, despite slick patches of black ice the cyclists rolled by quietly and darkly. Ah, Amsterdam!