Cycling on the way to the Spanish border
Bike Stories

Bike Stories

Why Will and Monique swear by Santos

Pure class. Top quality, durability, design, belt, mechanics. We know why we love Santos so much. But we’d also like to hear this from someone else. For example, monique (71) and Will (68) from Hombeek. They first came into our store a year ago. And stepped out a month later with two brand new custom-made electric Santos-bikes. Since then, we can’t wish on a better Santos ambassador Fietsen jurgen Blesle

Testing a new bike extensively

Will: “Last year Monique turned 70 years old. Such a birthday deserves a new bike. An electric one, so we went looking together. One for her and one for me. Before we got to Cycling Jurgen in February, we had visited at least four or five other bike shops. And already tested some copies.” Monique: “We like to cycle, and a lot. Even go out twice a year for a long cycling holiday. When we looked for a new bike, we wanted the very best. One you can trust 100 percent, especially in the mountains. Because we’re always looking up the slopes.” “Testing out such a new bike, you have to do it thoroughly. It doesn’t cost nothing in the end. In other shops you can make some tours in the parking lot, but that doesn’t say enough. At Fietsen Jurgen we were able to test the bikes in detail. Not just five minutes on and off the streets, we came to test it twice extensively during a route of at least an hour.” Boek een testrit

Santos: excellent power distribution and clean belt

What was the deciding factor for a Santos? Will: “Such a Santos has an excellent distribution of power. The power comes from behind and you get flexibility in the pedal. Very different from a classic Bosch engine: there is all the power on the pedals themselves. So that engine is much more off. Of course, that also kicks in smoothly, but with a Santos you get much less wear and tear on the system itself.” Monique: “The Pinion and the clean belt were also important to us. We always travel with our camper. We mount our regular bikes on the back, under a tarpaulin. But the chain foresaw this, of course. There’s dirt on it, we always had to clean it. The whole sail was full. With a belt, it’s different. Of course, we have to brush it off sometimes, but there is much less maintenance to it. It’s also much more sustainable.” “On maintenance, normally a chain on a derailleur should be replaced every 5000 kilometres, due to wear and tear. A belt like that lasts a lot longer, I thought it was double. You have to have the Pinion lubricated, but then you talk about much smaller costs.” Fietsen jurgen Camping in Montricoux panne batterij

A bike for life

Will: “Of course you pay for a bike like that, don’t you? A classic Santos, without drive and battery, is already pricey. The brands we first tried out were around half the price. They went up to about 4,000 euros, with our model we speak of an 8,000 euros. So it was a difficult decision.” “But you have to calculate the costs in the longer term. A Santos is a bike for life, truly indestructible. Had we been able to afford it when we were young, we would have bought it much earlier. Because in the time you do with one Santos, you might have to buy four or five other bikes. At the end of the ride you will get at least the same amount. And with a Santos with much less misery.”

Cheaper e-bikes

Monique: “There is an abundance of e-bikes nowadays. There are also very cheap Asian models. But you can see the difference in quality immediately. Just look at how sloppy the welding is with such budget models. Decathlon’s mountain bikes may be much cheaper, but you won’t get far with it. At Santos everything is carefully handmade, each piece separately is quality. That’s what we choose to do.” “When we bought our bikes, we also got rid of our car. Since then, we’ve been doing everything by bike. That’s how we stay in shape. We did take out insurance, you never know. Only for the larger groceries we take our camper, once or twice a month.”

Phenomenal stability

“The stability of the bikes is really phenomenal. You feel it especially in descending. Even with full travel bags attached, the frame doesn’t move at all and you stick well against the road. A wonderfully safe feeling. This is very different from our Koga bikes.” Will: “Of course it has to do with the thick tires. We drive with a profile of 62, at our Koga that is 28. I wasn’t immediately convinced when Jurgen spoke to me about those fat ties. That’s a lot more resistance, right? But he pointed me to my Koga: the suspension is only in the saddle while it is much more balanced here. The cushioning is also in the tires. For example, our Santos only has a pressure of 2.7, with our Koga it is 4 to 4.5 bar.” Monique: “I even have to be careful not to go down when I take my other bike. You get used to that Santos stability so quickly with those thicker tires.” Fietsen jurgen Route naar Blesle The benefits of santos

Stay passionate

Will: “Such a Santos is especially cleverly built. You feel very little resistance because everything, such as the lighting, is built separately on the front wheel. So that doesn’t give you any resistance on the bike. The power you develop with the DC motor and the pedal stroke is incredibly smooth. These are all things that we didn’t know at the beginning and that surprised us positively.” “We’ve really learned a lot about our bikes all these years. It’s also nice that we can talk about it together. I have my opinion, but Monique always tells her. That’s an excellent combination.” Fietsen jurgen Even drinken Will

Tips

  • Visit the Santos factory Will: “We went to the Santos factory in Amsterdam after our trip to France. Every Friday you get a tour, you learn a lot about what such a bike can do. A very educational experience!”
  • Ken your bike Monique: “Some people our age say: beware of such an e-bike. That’s moving forward and there’s a lot of accidents. But you need to know what you’re doing. Get to know your bike well. People who were already afraid of a regular bike should not ride an e-bike.”
  • Fiets aware Will: “Stay aware of how you drive and in what gear. Sometimes you’re talking, thinking about something, or you’re distracted by something. But you have to keep your head down. Cycle up the slopes in low vitesse, and sop down in a much larger one.”
  • See as a pro Monique: “Switching well is the most important thing. When you stop in front of a red light with a regular e-bike, you are often still in heaviest vitesse. If you start up in the same gear, your bike often shoots ahead suddenly. It’s true that accidents happen. Fortunately, that’s different with a Santos. You can still stand in a higher vitesse, which always leaves gradually.”
  • Fries an expert Monique: “Buy your bike from a real expert. At Fietsen Jurgen they are all specialists on their premises. You don’t just see that, you feel it. And that makes you feel really good. You can only buy a really good bike in a really good shop.”
  • Remain critical and interested Will: “Be critical when buying a new bike. Inform yourself about everything, ask a lot of questions and test the bike above all. Not just a tour in the parking lot but take a whole ride. On different types of surface. Only then do you really get to know the bike and you know you’re buying a good bike.”
Fietsen jurgen Tarn