Dutch child-carrying bicycle brand Workcycles gets Irish dealer

Fr8
The Fr8, which is a highly customisable workhorse, is pictured here with a front rack and crate, and two child seats which carry a combined three children.
IMAGE: Workcycles

One of the Netherlands’ best known specialists in child-carrying and cargo bicycles, Workcycles, now has a Dublin-based dealer, the Dutch Bike Shop.

“Workcycles in my opinion are the ultimate transport bikes, it doesn’t get any better than that. All the components used to build these have been tried and tested until the best was found and that is what workcycles use on their bikes,” said Astrid Fitzpatrick, managing director of the Dutch Bike Shop. “The ergonomics have been well thought out and these bikes will last for decades.”

The Dutch Bike Shop has a showroom at Ballymount Cross Industrial Estate, near the Red Cow, and its online store at DutchBikeShop.ie offers free shipping across the country on larger orders.

The main focus for the Dutch Bike Shop will be on Workcycles’ bicycles which they have designed from scratch — the FR8 or “freight” (pictured above); the GR8, which is a lighter version of the FR8, and, in the future, the KR8 Bakfiets (both pictured below).

kr8 a
The KR8 Bakfiets.
IMAGE: Workcycles

 

The KR8 Bakfiets is a new cargo bicycle designed by Workcycles. Launched at the start of this year, the bicycle closely resembles the popular Bakfiets.nl cargo bicycle (which Workcycles also sells under their brand).

“Workcycles do other bikes, which are their own bettered versions of the Azor, Bakfiets.nl, Onderwater etc and I will be able to order these in if customers have their heart set on them, but I have decided their own designs for now as the range we are going to stock as they are very versatile with lots of options to customise the bike to the customers need,” said Fitzpatrick, who comes from a town outside Amsterdam and runs the Dutch Bike Shop with her Irish husband Frank.

She hopes to have stock of the Gr8 and Fr8 by the end of the month.

Workcycles’ website lists the Fr8 as €1,164 plus €250 delivery; the Gr8 as €1,079 plus €250 delivery; and Kr8 as €1.999 plus €350 delivery — The Dutch Bike Shop is set to sell the bikes “in the same league as it would be to order the bike in Amsterdam and get it delivered to Ireland”.

The Gr8.  IMAGE: Workcycles
The Gr8.
IMAGE: Workcycles

But Fitzpatrick is keen to highlight the added value of buying the bicycles in Ireland.

“The difference being is that if anything goes wrong, needs repairing or replacing customers are able to come to us and well look after them and arrange for parts, if they buy it abroad they’ll have to send back to Amsterdam to get replacements themselves.” said Fitzpatrick. “We also offer the first 3 and 12 months service free of charge, and the bikes can be collected from our showroom ready to cycle. And with us the bike to work scheme is an option for buying these bikes.”

The Dutch Bike Shop has been keen to stock Workcycles for sometime. Fitzpatrick says: “Henry [Cutler in Workcycles] was one of the first people I spoke to back in 2010 and we have always wanted to stock their bikes, but also due to their prices, and the fact that back then we were a young business with very little cash flow something held us back.”

She adds: “We feel we have grown enough at this stage to take the plunge and start stocking their bikes, our move to the new showroom also gave me the confidence that we have the right set up for them.”

MORE IMAGES: 

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The Kr8 set up showing six possible child seat positions.
IMAGE: Workcycles
The Fr8 set up for carrying larger loads of cargo
The Fr8 set up for carrying larger loads of cargo.
IMAGE: Workcycles

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