I just bought me an Oma!

[darkemeralds]

I just went to Clever Cycles and put a few bucks down on an Oma.

I love that store! And I'm not just saying that because they have a Google news alert that tells them whenever anyone posts anything online about Clever Cycles, though they totally do, and thanked me for blogging about them which freaked me out a bit, since, you know, I don't actually blog under my real name and there's one more set of people who can now make that connection.

I'm saying it because they are awesome. I went in and said, "I rented an Oma from you recently and I think I'd like to buy one, but I'd like to examine some other options." I said I wanted a men's sized bike with a step-through frame (formerly known as a "girl's bike") because, well, I'm a man-sized girl, really.

That ruled out all but two lines, and after the Clever Cycles guy went and got two heavy Oma bikes from upstairs and let me try them, we ruled out everything else. He said that while the other option could be jimmied to fit me (raise the seat, fiddle with the handlebars, etc.), it would look stupid when we were done, and they don't like to sell stupid-looking bikes.

(Okay, I was the one who suggested the word "stupid," but he agreed.) They want to sell the right bike for the rider, and also a good looking bike. He gets no argument from me on that.

So tomorrow at lunch I'm going to go get her. Or him. I can't decide which.

Comments

[bluemeridian]

That is an awesome and imminently comfortable looking bike. I'm such a country girl, but being able to actually go places without using a car (walking, biking) is one of the few reasons I would actually like to live in town.

[darkemeralds]

It's a wonderful way to get around. Having a bike has expanded my non-car range considerably, and there are several essential goods-and-services errands (including getting to work) that are now far easier by bike than by car. I never have to think of how or where I'm going to park, or fight for parking spaces.

My sense of country life (depending on your location, of course) is that distance is only part of the obstacle to using a bike at least some of the time, but that dangerous driving on narrow roads with no shoulder is just as big an issue.

It's true, though: a bicycle is first and foremost a city thing. It's an awesome way to get some of the fresh air and open feeling of country living while still having all the city stuff at hand.

[dine]

I read your subject line and went ... she bought herself a grandmother? (oma being German/Dutch for same) and was much bemused

but your explanation made things clear - congrats on your new bicycle!

[ursamajor]

*ggl* I knew about Oma bikes before this post, but my husband is Korean, so hearing "oma" reminds me that in Korean, that means "mom." :)

And agreed, hooray for awesome bikeness!

[darkemeralds]

It means "grandmother" in Dutch. Interesting! The bike is called that because it's an old-fashioned "granny" bike.

[darkemeralds]

Yes! Omafiets is actually the whole name. It's a granny bike!

[lamentables]

I also knew that Oma = grandmother in Dutch and wondered just what you were buying.
I am amused that 'granny bike' can be a positive marketing thing, rather than an insult. (And the pic makes me want a granny bike of my own.)

[darkemeralds]

I does seem counterintuitive, but that's what the bike type is generally called in the Netherlands, apparently. I gather that it has such a pedigree, and such a reputation for solid reliability, that it's roughly the bike equivalent of saying "an old Mercedes sedan." Comfortable, heavy, well-engineered, with everything you need and nothing too fancy added on. Goes and goes without a lot of maintenance, and has a great resale value because it never goes out of style and never breaks down.

I'm going to go get mine in about half an hour. Woot!