Capital Cycles
Suit your Commute with your Capital Companion

All right - so for anyone with eyes, ears and a general sense of what is cool and what isn’t, i think it is pretty much clear that old school retro Dutch bikes are completely and utterly COOL. In fact, they have never really been more cool. With that old fashioned ’sit up and beg’ riding position, the fact that one revolution of the giant wheels seems enough to get you across town and the unavoidable truth that like a classic car, people will stop and look - you now own something really special.

Well we have them and we have them taped. Our Classic Dutch Bikes (£165 delivered) are the most affordable Dutch style bike of this spec available and they are right here for you to take. They have brand defining Sturmey Archer 3 speed AWC hub gears, a Sturmey Archer rear coaster brake, giant 28″ steel wheel rims and a stunning brazed steel frame. For the money, you simply can not do better.

However, since we operate of total transparency we also let you know where you could, should you wish, make improvements. These are simple but beautiful bicycles. In this world you get what you pay for and with us you are getting exactly that. These bikes are not rocket ships but they are stunning and provided you are happy to be gentle and careful with the final assembly, they are truly unbeatable. Then, if you wish to spend a few quid, you can use it as a base to upgrade from - see our blog on upgrade ideas.

Whatever happens, just have fun, be careful and take care. If you ever need to ask us anything, simply pick up the phone (0208 2655586) or email me.

Ciao!

We have just reduced the price of our Capital Compact folding bikes even more! These fantastic little 6 speed gems are now only £99 - including UK mainland delivery.

Simply click here for more details.

The introduction of our large, front wicker bicycle baskets (£25.99 )has been a great success. For almost every Classic Dutch bike sold, a wicker basket follows. They are beautiful, affordable and really simple to attach and remove.

What we want to know is - do you want rear baskets too? If we get a resounding YES from this, we shall make it happen, just give us the word. They will probably cost around the same.

We love the fact that our bicycles are so affordable. We love the fact that our customers (you guys) understand that one of the ways we make them so cheap is because we send them to you ‘flat packed’. For anyone who hasn’t yet bought one of our bikes, don’t panic - when i say flat packed it is far less work than it sounds.

Anyway, whilst we may have a fairly comprehensive guide on our website, i just wanted to let you know that plans are in place to create complete, illustrated guides to help with the assembly of each of our styles of bicycle - the Classic Dutch style bikes (£165), the Hybrid city bikes (from £90) and the little folding bikes (£110).

In the meantime, if you ever have any problems, questions or queries, you can either:
a) Send us an email
b) Call us 
c) Post your question on our forum

All assembly can be done at home, provided you are slow, thorough and careful. With everything, take your time, inspect every nut and bolt and just make sure you test the bike somewhere quiet before going out where there is traffic.

We have noticed that one of the most commonly ‘Googled’ questions is related to the difference between the layout and benefits of a Dutch bike and a Hybrid bike. Well, we are not really techy professionals and that means we cannot bore you with dimensions and angles, but here is what we think:

Hybrid bikes are generally lighter, faster and have more gears. Whilst they do not force you into a racing crouch, neither do they generate the ’sit up and beg’ position that you might be looking for. They have fairly large diameter, thin walled wheels and around 21 gears, ideal for just about anything, except heavy offroading. The reason i emphasise the ‘heavy’ is because i once rode a Dawes Discovery 301 hybrid bike across the Himalayas from the Gobi Desert to Nepal and i kept up with, and in fact had an easier time, than my three friends on mountain bikes.
They are no good for deep sand or mud, but other than that they are great bikes. Good for city commuting and trips over 10 miles.

So what about the Dutch bikes? You don’t buy a Dutch bike if you are planning a fast commute or a sweaty journey. The moment you straddle a Dutch Bike, you rise above it all. You are above the traffic, away from the fumes and somehow, from somewhere, a mysterious smile will inevitably wend its way onto your face. While you are confined to the fact that you are not going to be going anywhere fast, there is something addictively enjoyable about riding a classic Dutch bike. You are comfortable as if riding an arm chair. The wheels are SO large that just one revolution of the pedals feels like enough to get you from Putney to Hyde Park. Our Dutch Style bikes (£165) have three Sturmey Archer gears, not a lot you might think but let me tell you - they are more than enough. I am used to 21 gears but here I only use 2 of the 3 i am given. Even though the bikes are heavier than the hybrids, something about them makes them SO easy to ride. Perhaps its because you know you’re not going to be going anywhere fast and therefore don’t use the energy. Saying that, my girlfriend and i cycled from Wandsworth to Hyde Park two week ends ago and the journey only took about 50 minutes.

Classic Dutch bikes are about pleasure, head turning beauty, rising above smells and sounds and riding for the simple sake of riding something beautiful and eye catching. Their purpose is of course to get you from A-B, but it is not about speed or efficiency, it is about looks and love.

Hybrid bikes serve a very different, but equally important purpose. They are about efficiency, speed, comfort and convenience.

The saying ‘horses for courses’ would come out here, but i fear that might make people think they should only one style or the other. But this is not true. Just like you may own a good, solid everyday car, you may also have a vintage Austin sitting under a dust sheet, for those spectacular sunny days when it is about the journey, not the destination. To have both is not an extravagence; it is merely a privilege - a privilege which we make affordable.

One of the reasons why we exist is because we want to help people who either:
a) Cannot afford an expensive bike
OR
b) Quite simply do not want to spend a lot of money on a bicycle

Either way, if you fall into one or other of these categories, we are your specialists, your Ikea of the bicycle industry - simple, affordable, reliable, unassuming and nothing special. If you simply need a pair wheels to get you from A-B we are here for you. Do you need all the gadgets and carbon fibre frames? Do you really need 24 gears? The reason i ask is because it is precisely these things that those git faced thieves want. Bicycle theft in London is chronic. Not only is it expensive and depressing have a valuable bike nicked; it is also very inconvenient. How the bloody hell are you supposed to get home now? One customer of mine even said
“you don’t buy a bike in London, you simply lease it from the thieves.”

No matter how much you spend on your lock or where you find to chain your bike, if someone wants it, they will get it. Now here’s the cool bit - we are trying to clear out stock of our Gents Hybrid bikes and for that reason they are now £90 - delivered! They do their job and in fact they do it really well - large 700c alloy wheels, full length steel mudgaurds, chaincover, bell, lights, side stand…If you really just need something that you buy with change, that costs as much as one month’s tube travel, come to us and we will not let you down.

You can either buy online, or just call us - 0208 2655586

See you soon!

Our most valuable policy is one of total transparency and honesty. When you buy from us, you know exactly what you are buying. Our bikes are simple, affordable and designed for people buying with a budget.

One of our latest ideas stems from the fact that we represent good value for money. Our Classic Dutch Style Bikes are a fantastic deal at £165 delivered and have been noted for their deep regal colour and eye catching beauty! 
HOWEVER - for just a small amount of money, you can build it up to be a greater mahcine and make it worth much more.  Since talking to other professional Dutch Bike shops, we have learnt that it is quite standard for people to buy brand new bikes like ours (which cost the same as a second hand one) and then use it as a base to upgrade it. We already give you so much bike - Sturmey Archer 3 speed gears, a strong brazed frame, brown leather saddle and more. So what’s left? Here are just a few affordable ideas:

• Upgraded, tougher wheel and crank bearings
• Larger, tougher front brake pads
• Kevlar, puncture proof tyres - I personally recommend the Schwalbe Marathon range
• Replace current bottom bracket axle, chainwheel and cranks (pedal arms) with a modern square taper axle and cranks
• New foot pedals (current pedals are more aesthetic than functional)
• Sturmey Archer front Hub brake
• Alloy wheel rims (current rims are steel)
• Tighten the spokes (not so much an upgrade as just a quick job - tightening spokes costs about £3 per wheel and makes them far far stronger)
• Tighten and oil the chain (again, not so much an upgrade as a simple home improvement)

We cannot perform these changes for you, but the good news is that these simple, small things can be bought from most bike shops and done at home. Don’t be mistaken, the bike you receive is still great even if you do none of the above, these are just simple and affordable ways to improve on the bike you already have!

We think this is really exciting. Use us to get your hands on a brand new, untouched Classic, retro Dutch style bike for a great price and then fashion it into the bike of your dreams. This is EASILY the most affordable way to get a new bike of this style and calibre.

Any thoughts, any questions, just give us a call or send us an email.

This is really cool - give it a go!