This year, because I have a bit more time on my hands, I have been posting more bicycle events than in previous years. I don’t know about you, but I have found it hard to actually follow what is going on in the city in terms of cycling so I might as well share with you what I find.
Events in Ottawa
I am happy that so many events happen, such as the communal bike rides on Sunday mornings once a month, the Kidical Mass, which also moved into the suburbs, a new film festival based in Europe on August 30 and 31 at Ottawa U and social rides throughout the summer. There have been a few film festivals in the past at Zibi, but I have not heard about it this year. And let’s not forget the charity rides such as CHEO and MS that have been around for a long time. And then there are the Bike Weekends on the Parkways.
It is always nice to be with like minded people. Just ask MAGA folks. I follow bike news on social media but it can be depressing at times. Being with other cyclists and admire other bicycles and hear stories of bike travels elsewhere, I realise it is good be surrounded by a bit of positive energy once in a while.
Dutch bike sale in Ottawa August 4
Earlier this year (or was it last year already?), there was a small event in Ottawa with the opportunity to buy a used Dutch bike. This weekend, you have another chance to check out used Dutch bikes at the Bicycle Craft Brewery from 11-4 on Industrial Ave.
Are Dutch bikes still Dutch?
Dutch bikes have become synonymous with upright bikes, but they are really hardly Dutch anymore if we talk about geographical origins or ownership.
In a way it is similar to Gouda cheese, which doesn’t necessarily come from the city of Gouda in the Netherlands but from places in Canada too, such as Upper Economy, Nova Scotia. Gouda is not a protected name. This goes back to agricultural negotiations way back when, when the Dutch apparently didn’t want to be difficult and waved the right of geographical origins of a product (like Champagne can only be from the Champagne region in France).
Dutch bike assembly moved to Turkey and Hungary
Several Dutch cycling brands are owned by the Accell Group, which in turn is owned by American Venture Firm KKR (Kohlberg, Kravits, Roberts) and Dutch Investment company Teslin. The Dutch bike frames and parts come from Asia, and are assembled in the Netherlands. Just this week I learned though that more Dutch cycling brands are now moving their assembly to Turkey and Hungary, leaving a few hundred people in the Netherlands without a job.
From the Accell website: Well-known bicycle brands in our portfolio include Haibike, Winora, Ghost, Batavus, Koga, Lapierre, Raleigh, Sparta, Babboe and Carqon. XLC is our brand for bicycle parts and accessories.
Dutch Pon Family bought Cannondale
The Dutch Pon family made their fortune originally as a Volkswagen importer in the Netherlands, and is already owner of Dutch bike brand Gazelle. It sold its stake in Accell a few years ago, but bought Canadian Dorel Sports in the meantime in 2021, adding Cannondale, GT, Schwinn, Caloi and Mongoose to brands such as Gazelle, Cervélo, FOCUS, Santa Cruz, Kalkhoff and Urban Arrow.
In a historic twist of fate, with some imagination, one could say the Dutch brands (Batavus, Sparta) have become American and the American (Cannondale, Mongoose) and Canadian brands (Cervélo) have become Dutch.
Dutch bike Van Moof revamped
Even Van Moof, the hip brand par excellence with its beautiful tech bikes, is sadly no longer owned by its Dutch original owners Ties and Taco Carlier (I have actually met Taco in the early years of Van Moof). The company went bankrupt and the assets were sold to McLaren Applied, which was until 2021 part of McLaren Group from the Formula 1 team with the same name. The tech team of McLaren was sold to Greybull Capital, a private equity group. Van Moof was added to that group.
The bicycle business is truly global and run by corporate investors today. Usually, this becomes a race to the bottom to squeeze out maximum profits, and already this is showing in the recalls of a number of Babboe cargo bikes.
Poster of Dutch bike sale
Anyway, after this corporate ramble, I am going to leave you with this poster for the August 4 used Dutch bike sale. There might be some gems in there. It is a rare chance for you to find a Dutch bike, so look for names such as Sparta, Batavus, Gazelle; those are the three most well known Dutch brands.
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Sources
https://www.thatdutchmansfarm.com
https://nos.nl/artikel/2530494-productie-oer-hollandse-fietsen-verdwijnt-uit-nederland
The consolidation / financialization of the bike industry follows a predictable pattern. Buy out small firms to get the intellectual property. Squeeze the quality to increase $margins and increase replacement buys. Sell off assets like equipment and buildings and take the money out of the firm. Use oligopoly power to raise prices. Use ownership of industry media / sponsorships to hype the latest, newest bike innovation. Rinse and repeat.
And in a garage somewhere someone starts building bikes to another business model…