At the past weekend’s Seattle International Bike Expo I connected up with Phillip Ross and Jamie Nichols of Metrofiets.
A great bike blog, AustinOnTwoWheels, had asked me to look them up and post something. My piece went up today.
So what do I think of Metrofiets? If I didn’t have a car, I’d definitely be interested. Although I do nearly all my shopping, errands and so on on my around-town bike, I’m not set up to haul heavy items. I have a Chrome bag that can swallow nearly an entire grocery cart, but it’s not pleasant to ride far with that much weight and bulk. And for getting home a 40-pound bag of organic fertilizer, I resort to the horseless carriage.
Metrofiets offers incredible workmanship, durability, componentry and head-turn factor — for a price. But this is a lifelong investment. Even living on a steep hill as I do, I wouldn’t be averse to having a box bike for the innumerable things it and only it can do.
(Note in comments on my piece I clarified a couple of things. Jamie’s a co-owner, the joints are welded, then “dressed” to give a brazed look, and Phil gives props to Maarten van Andel for the step-thru concept.)