Batavus Old Dutch: Not What I Expected

If you follow the Suburban Bike Mama weblog, you may recognise that this is the fabled silver Batavus Old Dutch that has been the subject of some frenzied discussion due to its fabulous sale price. Vee didn't buy the bike because the frame was too large for her, so being in the neighborhood, I hurried to see it. The price was so good, that I was thinking of getting this as a "winter bike" and sparing my beloved Pashley from the horrors of Boston's salt and snow. Heading to see the Batavus, I was pretty much prepared to take it home with me. But alas, I left empty-handed.

My fist impression was that the bike looked nice (though for some reason the shop fitted it with this strange basket). The bicycle is all silver, including fenders, chaincase and dress-guard. I like silver bikes and the loop-frame looked classic and elegant. But a closer examination gave me a different perspective.

The first thing I was surprised to notice, was that the frame is not fully lugged. Notice that "half-lug' on the headtube and the welded unicrown fork...

More welding marks: This is on the seat tube.

And this is the "loop" connector. Now, some may be reading this and thinking "So what? Most modern bicycles are welded." True, and this is why I do not buy most modern bicycles. From a classic Dutch bicycle, I would expect a traditional lugged steel frame, and this is not it.

Although the construction of the frame was not what I hoped for, the more serious problem was performance - namely, the brakes. The front brake had almost zero stopping power - and that's riding on flat land in dry weather. We adjusted the brake and the bike shop even replaced the brake pads, but there was almost no improvement. Perhaps this had something to do with a combination of a low-end caliper brake and steel rims. Steel rims + caliper brakes = poor braking, especially in wet weather. The coaster brake did have decent stopping power, but was not especially strong either. Since I was thinking of getting this as a winter bike, that would rather defeat the purpose.

The closer I examined the Batavus Old Dutch, the more details I noticed that really made me wonder. The cable guides are plastic clip-ons rather than brazed onto the frame. The pedals and bell feel flimsy. The chaincase is made of a vinyl cloth-like material apparently prone to yellowing and tearing (as it had both yellowed and torn... and this was a floor model that had never seen actual on-street use!).

I feel bad piling so much criticism onto this poor bike. I wanted to like it and fully expected to buy it; the issues I described were truly a surprise to me. Previously I thought that the price difference between a Pashley Princess Sovereign and a Batavus Old Dutch was mostly due to the extras, such as the additional gears, all the leather accessories, etc. But now I see that the bikes are simply on different levels in terms of construction and basic performance. That said, the Batavus Old Dutch is an attractive and sturdy bicycle. It would be great for someone who needs it for short trips at low speeds and isn't bothered by a partially welded frame.