Dutch Bucket Bikes Land in Los Angeles

Yonni Afman came to America from the Netherlands to work. He ended up starting both a career and, luckily enough, a family as well. As any practical and thrifty dutchman would do, he started thinking about how to get his kids around town without all of the hassles and expense of driving a car.

Growing up in the Netherlands, Yonni was accustomed to doing everything on a bicycle: going to work, shopping, going out on the town, and taking the kids to school.

Bakfeitsen

A large chunk of trips in the Netherlands take place on bicycles. In Los Angeles County, less than 1% of trips are by bicycle.

The Dutch take cycling seriously - and they build and plan their roads accordingly. They also build their bikes accordingly.

Yonni Afman and Co., riding in the Los Angeles Marathon Bike Tour in a "Bucket Bike" [photo stolen from BucketBike.com].

Witness, the bakfeitsen (which is Dutch for "bucket bike or "box bike").

The bakfiets is designed to transport just about anything you can imagine using little else than the power of two human legs. Bakfietsen come in many makes and models. Some are made for hauling cargo, other bakfeitsen have been designed to transport kids and groceries.

Bakfeits Roll Into L.A.

After letting her take a spin on a bakfiets while on vacation in the Netherlands, Yonni pitched the idea to his wife - and she agreed. Now, both parents transport their groceries and kids around L.A. in a large three-wheeled bakfiets.

After seeing a bakfiets work in L.A., Yonni got to thinking, "This is a pretty good idea - bakfiets in L.A. ... I bet other people would want to use these, if they had a chance to buy one."

That thought has turned in BucketBikes.com - a web-site for Yonni's new Los Angeles-based bakfiets dealership!

Yes! A bakfiets dealership - in Los Angeles!

I recently ordered a bakfiets (at considerable expense) from British Columbia - from one of two (well, now three!) retailers on the west coast. I blew hundreds of dollars shipping the darn thing to L.A. To think that I could have saved that money, and helped a local businessman out, if only I'd waited a few months - it is too much to bear! Such is hindsight.

You can get your bakfiets here, in Los Angeles, now. It will be quite a fine bakfiets, I can assure you of that.

H.H. Princess Marilène with with the royal children in her Bakfiets. [image from: dutchbikes.us]

Yonni did some shopping around, and imported bicycles and bakfiets from "De FietsFabriek" - a passionate, humanist, bakfeitsen design firm and manufacturer. Their bakfiets are so popular that they are used by the Dutch Royal Family! Fortunately, their prices are not royally expensive.

If you have a few minutes, check out Yonni's BucketBike.com web-site. If you'd like to take a test drive, I am sure one can be arranged. Go ahead - give him a call at (310) 779- 8036 or email him at info@bucketbikes.com.

My dream is to see some of Dutch bicycle-bag makers Basil and Clarijs lines of bike bags and baskets make their way to L.A. It would be a dynamite retail combination. Hmm, maybe it is time to give those bag makers a call!