Bike to Work Day at CalTrans featuring Flying Pigeon LA’s Gazelle dutch bikes

On May 19, 2011 Caltrans held a Bike To Work fair at their Downtown LA District 7 headquarters.

Flying Pigeon LA bike shop brought a bunch of Gazelle dutch bikes to the fair – to show people what sorts of machines are best suited to daily errand running, commuting, and kid hauling.

Flying Pigeon LA brought a Gazelle Cabby with rain shield, a Madelief 24″ in orange, Miss Grace in blue, Bloom 26 with matching Yepp Maxi Easyfit and Mini, a big Chamonix Excellent, a boy’s Shark 24, and a whole bunch of free keychains and bells for people visiting the show.

What is a Dutch bike? Anne-Marij Berendsen, President of Gazelle Cycle Imports USA, says about riding a Dutch bike: “With a true Dutch bike it’s all about ergonomics and comfort. You can sit upright and be a safe participant in traffic while having the perfect posture for your back and body. Being Dutch and getting around on bikes like my Gazelle all my life, I never paid much attention to this, while now living in the U.S. and hence trying out some American bikes I couldn’t but notice the huge differences. For us, the Dutch, cycling is our primary way of getting around and the bikes are so low maintenance that we never have to give it much thought. It doesn’t even matter what you’re wearing.”

At Flying Pigeon LA, we encourage folks to see themselves on a bike: stopping at a cafe and locking the bike to itself, carrying groceries home on the rear rack from the farmers’ market, going to the movies or on a date in a dress or slacks and not having to worry about messy clothes or sweating. We use our bikes for dropping the kids off at school in the morning then heading out on errands with the cool morning breeze at our backs. We also ride into the office looking like you belong there – no change of wardrobe required.

Dutch bikes are purpose built for riding a bike as part of your normal, everyday, life.

Most of the photos were taken just before the lunch time crowds of government workers stormed the lobby to see what the CalTrans bicycle committee had set up.

Also on hand were some dedicated volunteers from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) as well as some staff from Metro’s bicycle division.

Hopefully, this year’s Bike To Work fair will help get more people riding!

Want to buy a dutch bike or have some questions for us? Contact Flying Pigeon LA at 213-909-8986 or via email at info@flyingpigeon-la.com