lights. Their smaller bulk and lighter weight often permits them to be carried into offices and residences, an advantage in countries with extremely high rates of bicycle vandalism and theft (even of older or obsolete models with little monetary value). Most European city bikes are designed to withstand year-round outdoor storage, even in frigid Scandinavia where daily bike usage remains high year-round. Thus, European city bikes need not always be brought indoors and can be left outside, properly locked. To deter theft and vandalism, the European city bike has a tougher frame, non-quick-release seat and wheels, and a rear-wheel lock. To prevent theft or vandalism, it is ideal to bring the bike indoors, but this is not always possible in dense cities with compact living quarters. Lightweight variants Much like the English sports roadster, a lighter-weight variant of the contemporary utility bicycle adheres to the same general approach to bike design and use, but saves weight and increases efficiency by using: Caliper brakes instead of hub brakes Derailleurs rather than hub gearing A battery-based lighting system rather than a hub dynamo system Carbon front fork Aluminum rims and hubs, with fewer spokes Light plastic or webbing skirt guard, or no skirtguard No suspended seat or fork The lightweight European city bike is a popular model for Dutch brands such as Batavus and Gazelle, where high levels of bicycle use result in demand for higher performance city bicycles, which is otherwise similar to the fully outfitted typical European city bike. This is sometimes marketed as a "sports" variant of the latter. Typical features Hub gearing A hub gear is an important feature of a European city bike. A hub gear system provides greater ease-of-use than a derailleur system due to the ability to change gear stationary, smooth changes, the ability to provide a wide range of ratios, and the requirement of little maintenance. A geared hub requires only one shifter rather than two, thus is easier to use than the pair of derailleurs which provide a greater number of speeds to sporting bicycles that need them. A European city bike or roadster typically has 3, 5, 7, 8 or 11 speeds. In a few high-end models, a Rohloff 14-speed geared hub is available. Batavus makes several models of full-featured city bikes that have a NuVinci hub with continuously variable drive ratio. The NuVinci has nearly the same range as an 8-speed