How many of you even knew that MTB beach racing was actually a ‘thing’? Along the European coastline, apparently, it’s quite a big thing, with pro teams and relatively substantial prize money. Bart Veuger is a Dutch beach racer, as well as marathon racer, road racer, time trialist — and frame builder.
Bart loves his cycling, then. He’s even been known to ride the odd ‘Dutchie’ around town. Although frame building is a bit of a new direction for him, he’s already got a few frames under his belt as WIND Cycleworks: utilitarian, robust, elegant bikes, like this all-black super-commuter.
Maybe it’s the fact that cycling is such an integral part of the Dutch lifestyle that their bikes have such an ‘everyday’ aesthetic and usability. There is an elegance to them, of sorts, but maybe it’s more of a respect for the machine rather than a need to endow them with necessary embellishments.
Bart’s previous incarnation was a scientific researcher, till he shifted his career to one that exercised his hands and well as his brain. He was already a keen fabricator — anything in metal and wood, from furniture to a kite buggy — and being a passionate cyclist, frame building was a natural progression.
The WIND brand name was inspired by the strong breezes ever prevalent on his rides around his home in the western part of the Netherlands. WIND offers road bikes, commuters, mountain bikes, fat bikes, and tourers, all in steel and all made to be ridden long, often, and hard.
This super-commuter was built for a customer whose route traverses some of the most densely populated areas of the Netherlands, with varying terrain and conditions, ranging from busy urban traffic to windy open sections. Bart’s response was a successful and considered one.
Shimano’s 11-speed DI2 Alfine group was selected as a base, along with a Gates belt drive, adding a low level of maintenance to the list of benefits. The geometry was formed from the customer’s current setup, with allowances for permanent Procraft fenders and compact aero bars.
The fillet brazed frame is tipped with Rocker dropouts from Paragon Machine Works, which allow belt adjustment and installation. The Di2 Alfine range is shifted only with the right lever, a system exclusive to the Alfine series, and Bart routed the wiring through the frame.
Bart built the wheels too: Velocity Deep V rims with DT Swiss spokes and Schwalbe tyres. Chris King provided the headset and bottom bracket, and the Thomson seat post sits above the Di2 battery. The fork was made to match, with enough “meat” to handle the TRP Spyre disc brakes.
It’s more than a super-commuter; this bike could handle some fairly serious European touring. Regardless, it’s one Dutchie we’d like to see in our own garage.
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