# Electra Amsterdam / Townie ?



## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

Has anyone ridden an Electra Amsterdam or Townie? Thoughts?

Their geometry on these pushes the crankset forward about 4" in front of the seat tube. They call it 'flat foot'. Seems like it would be inefficient and uncomfortable compared to standard upright geometry for a town bike??

Amsterdam ROYAL 8i Bike (Mens) | electra bicycle company


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

InfiniteLoop said:


> Has anyone ridden an Electra Amsterdam or Townie? Thoughts?


Eben Weiss rode the Electra and he wrote about it. Some good observations in all that clever writing of his.

Bike Snob NYC: BSNYC Product Review: Electra Amsterdam Original 3i Bicycle

I agree with your comment about the inefficient position. Being able to put both feet flat on the ground while seated is a huge thing with the people who buy these bikes. Efficiency, who cares. Much cheaper alternative: BD's blemish-sale traditional Euro-commuter geometry Windsor Essex for 200 bucks, especially if you're not quite sure if upright, relatively slow cycling is for you. 


/w


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

Thanks wim. Really enjoyed his review. Guys a good writer. NYC buildings really need to provide close to street bike storage for tenants. In Europe they can just be locked up on a railing or light post with an extremely low likelihood of being damaged or stolen. My son's flat in DUMBO has a basement storage room and the super put in a ramp on the back steps for people to wheel them up/down. It's only about 4' below street so is pretty easy even with a heavier bike like this.

There are a few features that are kind of critical that the Essex doesn't have; freewheel (coaster brakes are dangerous and a PITA), 3 speed or more internal hub, fully enclosed drivetrain, skirt protector (which can be added), sturdy rear rack. The Cambridge comes closer with a 3 speed internal that I assume is a freewheel since it includes F&R brakes. Caliper brakes aren't so good in winter though so I'm hoping to go with roller brakes. Great price on these bikes though.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

InfiniteLoop said:


> There are a few features that are kind of critical that the Essex doesn't have; freewheel (coaster brakes are dangerous and a PITA), 3 speed or more internal hub, fully enclosed drivetrain, skirt protector (which can be added), sturdy rear rack. The Cambridge comes closer with a 3 speed internal that I assume is a freewheel since it includes F&R brakes..


Good points. But coaster brakes do freewheel in the sense that you can stop pedaling whenever you want to. I grew up on them and found them to be trouble-free in flat and rolling terrain. Bombing down alpine passes is another matter. Coasters do overheat and can lock up once all the grease has melted out of the hub.

The fully enclosed drivetrain is a love/hate thing in my view. Everything is fine until you need to take the rear wheel out of the frame. Talk about a PITA! Of course, we never did for a flat repair back in the day. The drill was to undo one tire bead, pull sections of the tube out until you found the hole, patch the tube, re-stuff it, pop the tire bead back on the rim and inflate—all without touching the axle nuts / brake arm bolt.

Anyhoo, I got the $199.98 Essex a while back and it's an OK bike. About 27 lbs with metal fenders, not bad for a coaster.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

Hah! I've done that kind of tire change. Fun 

The two biggest issues I have with coater brakes is accidentally locking up the rear wheel, especially in rain or snow, and not being able to back pedal to get one foot at the top of a stroke for getting going again. The latter ain't a huge safety issue, but I do feel safer in the U.S. being able to get moving as quickly as possible.

I didn't notice the 27lbs. That's pretty good.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

InfiniteLoop said:


> The two biggest issues I have with coater brakes is accidentally locking up the rear wheel, especially in rain or snow, and not being able to back pedal to get one foot at the top of a stroke for getting going again.


Brings back memories—locking up the back wheel was one of the huge advantage of a coaster brake for us kids! 

As to getting going again: I had to think about that one because it never occured to me that this could be a problem. I wasn't sure why, so I went out briefly, rode the Windsor and figured it out: I do all "preliminary" braking with the cranks horizontal. Then just before (about 1 second) the actual stop, I turn the cranks forward with almost no force until they are in the "take-off" position and do the last bit of very gentle braking with the cranks in that take-off position.


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## dualpivot (Oct 25, 2009)

InfiniteLoop said:


> Has anyone ridden an Electra Amsterdam or Townie? Thoughts?
> 
> Their geometry on these pushes the crankset forward about 4" in front of the seat tube. They call it 'flat foot'. Seems like it would be inefficient and uncomfortable compared to standard upright geometry for a town bike??
> 
> Amsterdam ROYAL 8i Bike (Mens) | electra bicycle company


My wife rides a Giant Suede. Having not ridden a bike for many years she was felt confident being able to get her feet flat on the ground. It's actually quite fun to ride, and if I ever come across another on Craig's List I'll get one for myself. The Rans company makes a line of crank forward bikes that takes this concept and their geometry makes them fast and excellent hill climbers while being very comfortable and easy to ride.


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## tobes88 (Jan 4, 2012)

I test rode one once ~ it was super comfy. It's a great position for seeing; would be a good bike for tourists visiting a new city....or if it's just a sweet spring day.

I ended up buying a Johnny Loco 1888 - which is more or less a Dutch style bike. It's big, cumbersome, heavy, poor handling and _beautiful_! Much more attractive than the Electra, but probably not as practical.

Ultimately I have found that going any further than 5-10 km's I turn to my single speed because it is much easier and faster.


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## Wildewinds (Mar 12, 2012)

I have a Townie. Great for riding with my kids. It was especially great when I had the child's seat on the bike and the trail-a-bike behind. Being able to stop and put your feet down without tilting the bike was very, very handy.


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