Well, they are Belgian. But they would have the same design as your traditional Dutch bike. Upright riding position, comfortable, a few gears and generally very, very pretty. Judge for yourself.
Achielle make their bikes completely by hand in Pittem, Belgium (near Brugge and Antwerp). They've been doing this since 1946 in the shadow of the Dutch, and they used to make over 10,000 frames a year for large Dutch companies before these companies decamped to China.
Achielle make their own tubing, weld the bikes themselves, and coat their bikes with far more chip and rust resistant finishes than other brands. They also use parts that have been very carefully chosen.
Achielle have achieved a scalability without surrending to mass production. This means they can produce a perfectly built bike for under €2,000 and do so with multiple colour and spec options. And, because their shop floor lies right outside their office, an AutoCAD drawing can turn into a new product very quickly. And, the excitement to create is tangible. The original owner, Achiel has passed the business onto his grandsons who carry the tradition with a notable hipster flair (bikes like the Sam feature road bike geometry with low maintenance internally geared parts, such as the model below). But the tradition continues. They still draw their own steel tubing, braze it by hand, and use the highest quality finishes. Built to last a lifetime. Or two.
So, why Achielle? Because you want a beautiful bike - made right - that lasts a long time through proper frame finishes and parts selection, a bike that is perfect for the short-burst errands that make up 90% of most city trips. A bike that takes clothing protection and low maintenance seriously, a bike that is gloriously comfortable and despite its democratic origins, almost aristocratic in feel.
And because they would talk about all that better than we do, here is a little video explaining the whole process
