We do not think that cycling is a cheap and nasty alternative to using a car. We think it is the greatest invention since ...... well, ever

Do we have what you are looking for?

If you are interested in buying a bike we have a wide and interesting choice of bikes for use in the city and for enjoying cycling at the weekend and on holiday. We stock bikes from Riese und Müller, Patria, and Böttcher. Please come prepared with the time to try out the bikes. We would like to have enough time to find out what you are really looking for. If we have not got it, we will try to send you to a shop which stocks what you are looking for. An "excellent quality" bike is of no use if it does not fit you, suit your purposes or your taste. The only good bike is one which is good for you. Due to lack of space we no longer sell mountain bikes. Racing bikes, although beautiful machines, are not really what you come to Radschlag for. Now on the other hand if it is a folding bike you are looking for, you have found the right address

A selection of some of our manufacturers:

Riese und Müller

Patria

VSF..All-Ride

 

A word about security

Depending on where you come from, Frankfurt is a wonderful place where you can feel safe about leaving your bike locked in the street (in comparison to London, Amsterdam or New York) or it is a terrible place full of bike thieves waiting for you to get off your bike. If you have a good quality lock (those costing at least 50 €) and if you always use it properly, locking it to a fixed object in the streets and at home, in your cellar and in the parking space at work, too, you can reasonably expect to keep your bike. We know everything about bike security and stock everything you might want. We are happy to advise you whether what you have is good enough for Frankfurt.

Do you have to speak German when you come to the shop?

Do you have to speak German when you come to the shop? No. But you can try if you like. The writer of these lines was born in London and is usually to be found in the shop, often hiding in the office pretending to work. Otherwise a lot of the other staff speak pretty good English and if you like, you can speak Turkish, as well. We can help in French and Arabic and, if necessary, produce a little Italian.

"Erotik"?

Yes, it does mean what you think but on our web site it is concerned with the erotic appeal of top quality bicycle components. Uh? You will have to learn German to find out what I mean.

Special features of cycling in Germany

As you have probably realised by now, Gemany is slightly different to the rest of the world and there are some features of cycling we thought would be of particular interest.

Lighting:

Now this is very special indeed. In Germany there are two kinds of lights on bikes, good lights and bad lights. Bad lights are the kind everybody else in the world mostly uses and are powered by batteries Good lights are definitely powered by generators - usually of the lowest possible standard of production - and have funny wriggly lines on them, which prove that they are legal in Germany. Should you by any chance wish to comply to German law we stock every possible kind of legal lighting equipment. N.B. good news. The German police are generally quite happy as long as you have some kind of lighting on your bike. (But don't tell them we said so!)

Brakes:

German bikes often have coaster brakes.Just imagine - you have borrowed a friend's bike and you are just beginning to relax and enjoy yourself. So you start twiddling the pedals backwards as you shoot off down a hill and whoom ---you wake up in a hospital bed. That was the coaster brake, which is activated by pedalling backwards. Germans consider this a perfectly normal state of affairs so you do not get any warnings. Ask!

Valves:

The same as everybody else's PLUS the so-called German valve, sometimes called "dunlop" which shows how old it is. Now, every where else in the world people have stopped using this valve because it does not stand high pressure, needs pumping more often and can easily be stolen (and often is). However this valve is considered a vital piece of cultural identity by a lot of Germans so you know now what you might be facing.

How To Get To Us

By bike or on foot

Radschlag is very close to the "Nibelungenplatz" at the meeting point of the central Frankfurt areas of "Bornheim" and the "Nordend". At the "Nibelungenplatz" the ring road "Alleenring" crosses the Friedberger Landstraße. It is the home of the "Fachhochschule", Frankfurt's Technical College. The Hallgarten Straße leads off from this central point, just by the not-to-be-overseen Shell petrol station.

By public transport

From Frankfurt's main station you can take any "S-Bahn" to the "Konstabler Wache" From there you take the number 12 tram (towards Fechenheim) for four stops to "Rothschildallee". Once you get off there it is just a very short walk along the Rotlintstraße, past the "Rotlint Apotheke" (chemist's shop), to Radschlag at the next corner.





You can also reach us using the number 30 bus (coming from Bad Vilbel or Sachsenhausen) or the number 32 bus which follows a route along the "Alleenring". Get off at the stop "Nibelungenplatz/ Fachhochschule. From there look out for the large Shell petrol station (Americans know what I mean, I hope) and walk a few steps along the Hallgartenstraße to the first corner where you will find Radschlag.

By car

If you are driving from outside town we suggest you leave the motorway at the exit "Miquelallee". Drive along the "Alleenring" towards the east, Hanau/ Offenbach until you get to the Friedberger Landstraße. (Nibelungenplatz) Just past the intersection of the Rothschildallee with the Friedberger Landstraße turn left, and then immediately right and right again into the Hallgartenstraße (not passing the Shell petrol station!) You can already keep your eyes open for somewhere to park. Radschlag is at the next corner and by Frankfurt standards parking is not difficult.

From the airport

No, we are not being silly. It has happened to our knowledge twice, so here we go. There are regular and frequent trains from the airport to the main station (Hauptbahnhof). From there follow the instructions above (by public transport). A taxi from the station would cost about twenty DM. Frankfurt is really just an over-rated village by world standards and there are no great distances to cover. Which is why, of course, a lot of people who come to work in Frankfurt's international firms for a few years quickly discover how convenient a bicycle can be. Maybe you are one of them. We hope we will make it possible for you - even without knowledge of German - to enjoy the benefits and pleasures of cycling in and around Frankfurt with the necessary "support" of a reliable bicycle shop.