The typical Dutch granny bikes with which students make their way through the city, are now also driving around Valladolid, Burgos, Valencia and Madrid. David Saiz and Ana Castán saw a future for these bikes in Spain.
With their platform Quierounabici.eu, Saiz and Castán want to make granny bikes a common and environmentally friendly means of transport for the city, just like in the Netherlands. Many of these bicycles were dumped in the Netherlands, whereas there has been huge demand for them in Spain since the pandemic.
Gap in the market
“After lockdown, the bicycle proved immensely popular in Spain. And as such, demand for cheap bicycles in particular increased enormously. Because Spain is still lagging behind when it comes to sustainable transport within Europe, we started looking at how we can also integrate the bicycle into the street scene in Spain,” say the initiators. Due to the sudden increase in demand in Spain, all bicycle dealers were without stock. Therefore the couple was able to make good use of the gap in the market that had arisen.
In October last year, they bought 130 second-hand granny bikes in Amsterdam which they took to various cities in Spain. They were then sold to the municipalities for €165 each, including transportation costs. Furthermore, this is an attractive price, because, as Castán states, these bicycles are sold in Amsterdam itself for €190.
Also, according to Saiz, the bicycle is even better suited to Spain, because the weather conditions here are much more favourable. His clients have so far been very satisfied with their Dutch purchase. Customers can reserve a bike at Saiz for €30 and then cancel the purchase afterwards. To date, none of his customers have cancelled.
Not a recreational bike but a sustainable means of transport
Quierounabici.eu wants to promote the bicycle in Spain as transport within the city and not as a recreational bicycle. According to Saiz, the traditional Dutch granny bikes are ideally suited for this. Due to the upright posture, it prevents back problems and gives the cyclist a good overview of the traffic. Furthermore, the granny bike is not attractive to bicycle thieves. It has no gears and is therefore also suitable for the less experienced Spanish cyclist.
The simple granny bike fits perfectly in flat cities such as Vallodolid, Burgos, Valencia and Madrid. Quierounabici is currently preparing a second shipment of bicycles to be taken next to the aforementioned cities in Spain. From then on, granny bikes will also be available in the city of Logroño.
