Sophisticated, trendy, worldly, and refined.  These words pop into mind when I think of the people I encountered in my European travels.  With cycling integral to the Dutch culture, the Netherlands-based Batavus creates a city bike to couple the style of Europe with the practicality of a daily commute.  These bikes are characterized by their upright posture and low maintenance design.  They’re comfortable, relaxed, and the perfect way to get around town.  At Cycle 9, we’re pleased to bring some European elegance to North Carolina with our line of Batavus bikes.

Batavus Diva

The lowest maintenance Diva you will ever know!  With 3 speed Shimano Nexus hub gears and a fully enclosed chain ring, this bike is designed for hassle-free commuting.  The wider tires allow the Diva to carry heavy loads around town, while the aluminum frame lightens things up a bit.  The cushy seat and upright design make for a comfortable ride.  The Diva also features built in lights, fenders, and racks.  Is this diva high maintenance and demanding?  No.  Sexy and stylish?  Yes.

Cross Old Dutch style with modern biking technologies and you get the best of both worlds with the Fryslan.  Attractive and versatile, the Fryslan’s 5 speeds and aluminum frame allow travel over longer distances and up hilly terrain.  Like the Diva, the Fryslan has a fully enclosed chain ring, internal hub gears, fenders, rack, and an internal lighting system.

Batavus Fryslan

If your city commute is sprawled or hilly, the Batavus Breukelen may be up your alley.  The Breukelen has all the great commuter features of Batavus’ other bikes, but with 7 speeds, a lighter frame, and a sleeker style.

Batavus Breukelen

The award-winning design of the Batavus Utility Bike, or BUB, was inspired by a bent paperclip.  And like that little, practical, no-frills office necessity, the BUB’s form follows the function – a great, durable way to get around town.  The handlebar design allows for a front basket, and racks can be added.  Beautifully crafted, modern, and urban, the BUB is a city-slicker’s cycle.

Batavus Utility Bike

Just take a deep breath, sit back, relax, and…pedal?  Welcome to one of the most comfortable and ergonomic bikes in the business – the Journey by Day 6 Bicycles.  If you can imagine your favorite armchair sprouting wheels and pedals, you’ll picture a ride similar to this bike.

Day 6 Journey

Everything about the Journey is designed for pure comfort.  Instead of leaning forward on a tiny little seat, sink into a cushioned backrest.  Your hands will rest naturally on the fully adjustable handlebars while you sit upright.  The lightweight aluminum frame offers a smooth ride and allows for an easy step-through rather than a high leg swing.  The seven speed internal hub shifting is reliable, easy, and can operate while stationary.

If aches and pains are keeping you from cycling, it’s time to re-think your bike!  Come on in to experience the enjoyable ride of the Journey.

I love folding bikes for a couple of reasons.  The first is that they’re great for traveling.  Compact enough to store in a suitcase, these bikes are the perfect way for cyclists to avoid expensive cargo charges on airplanes.  The second reason is that commuters or urban residents don’t have to leave these bikes on the street.  Instead of worrying about chaining down all your components, it takes just a few seconds to collapse a folding bike and tuck it safely into a corner of your office or apartment.

Not all folding bikes are created equal, however.  At Cycle 9, we’re carrying the high performance Melon Slice.

Melon Slice - Red

I was first attracted to the Slice because of it’s snazzy red frame and funky design.  But there’s more to this folding bike than just looks.  The aluminum frame is super lightweight and durable.  The short wheel base allows for agility, making it readily responsive to quick turns.  And although the wheels are only 20″, the super-sized front chainring compensates, making it easy to get this bike moving!  The comfort and ease of the ride make this bike truly enjoyable.  If you’re looking for a high-quality, comfortable, compact bicycle, I would definitely encourage you to stop by and check out the Melon Slice.

And if red isn’t your style, we also carry the Slice in white.

Melon Slice - White

Give your kids a cleaner, brighter future

Welcome to Go By Bike! I started this series to talk about how to ride more and use your car less, including electric bikes, electric kits, cargo bikes, bike safety, and getting motivated to bike. Using your car less reduces your carbon footprint, saves energy, helps the environment, keeps you healthy, and makes your community a nicer place to live, so overall most people would agree it’s a good thing.

In today’s episode of Go By Bike, I discuss energy use, the environment, and one key thing we can do right now to be green and give our kids a better future…

What do you think? Can you replace some short car trips by bike? Send me your comments.

p.s. if you like this video, please share it with one of the links below

Since we love beautiful bikes here, and especially beautiful bikes that aren’t outrageously expensive, we brought in some bikes from the Masi Soulville line.

Masi is an original Italian company known for the tradition of road cycling Remember the Italians in the movie Breaking Away? They weren’t no nice, but they give the idea of italians being big on biking.

The Soulville line is designed in a classic and classy style that is perfect for cruising around town on a beautiful bike. You’ll feel classy just riding these bikes. The graceful lines of the steel frames are matched with simple componentry to make your life easier, simpler, and more comfortable.

The Soulville SS –   Single Speed / Fixed Gear

Have fun and look good doing it with the Soulville SS. Flip-flop hub lets you ride single speed or fixed gear. A thrill junky at home on the road or trail, cruise the night streets and hop down to your friend’s house in no time flat. Steel frame, arc handlebar, and 700c tires offer a great ride. Comes with fender and rack mounts if you want to turn it into a real commuter.

(Reg price $697 – On Sale during April for $587)

The Soulville 7

This bike is the same great frame as the Soulville SS, but with a Shimano Nexus internal 7-speed hub. Internal hubs offer low maintenance and clean lines, without the need for derailleur adjustments and less chance of getting out of alignment. 7 speeds helps out with the hills of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Cork grips and a retro-style saddle offer class and comfort. A perfectly simple design proves a sea of calm in an otherwise chaotic world.

Also available in a beautiful Mixte frame.

(Reg. $857 – On Sale during April starting at $697)

These bikes are now available at Cycle 9. Come in for a text ride.

To many local folks, we are known as the electric bike shop. We are one of the very few shops in our area that carries electric bikes. But that’s not the only thing we do. We promote biking in all of its forms, whether electrified or not.

We carry regular bikes by Surly, Marin and Breezer, Day 6, and more, that are great for getting around on by leg power.

The owners and employees of Cycle 9 all have non-electric bikes that we ride regularly. Kristen has a nice fixie (single speed fixed gear bike) that she built up from an old road bike. Morgan rides a 1×9 mountain bike that she built up from a Soma Juice frame, a Lemond racing bike, a Fat Chance Yo Eddy mountain bike, and a Downtube folding bike. Elise rides a Bridgestone MB-1 with slick tires and moustache handlebars. And Chris rides an ANT bike. Erika rides her commuter bike with her neato panniers everywhere.

We all love and ride regular bikes, and we can help you pick the right bike, whether electrified or not.

We specialize in road bikes that are meant for people who ride every day or long distances. We carry the Surly Long Haul Trucker, an excellent bike for someone who wants the efficiency of a road bike without the discomfort of a racing bike. We carry the Surly Cross Check - a light, versatile bike that can be used on or off road. We are building up a Surly 1×1 commuter for a customer, using the Nuvinci Continuous variable transmission. His bike will have the simplicity and low maintenance of a single speed, with the benefit of having gears for some of the steep hills he rides every day.

We can even order racing bikes for folks who like the one of the great models offered by Marin or Soma Fabrications. We like racing bikes, though we only have limited floor space, so don’t have them on the floor. We also like the Marin Alp bikes, since they provide the speed of a road bike but the more upright riding position of a mountain bike.

We can help you find the right biking solution, whether you are looking to go with only leg power, or want/need a bit of a boost from an electric assist.