Bikes in Amsterdam

[Jaga]

Amsterdam and Dutch people are known from their love to bikes.
Maybe Pieter can share with us how much does he use a bike?

There was an article of the first page in Washington Post about bikes in Amsterdam. I remember seeing lots of bike routes there!
By the way, I ride bike every day now here in IF.

below is a story:

2,500 Bikes Look a Lot Alike At Amsterdam Central

The Netherlands, a country as flat as a pool table, has more bicycles than people: an estimated 20 million bikes, and just over 16 million humans. There are three times as many bicycles as cars. Virtually every road has a bicycle lane. Virtually no one wears a helmet.

The bike garage at Amsterdam Central, which won an architectural award for its winding levels of bicycle stands that jut over a wide canal, is one of the country's busiest.

Mary Frances Cullen -- Irish, 63, with dyed auburn hair and quick green eyes -- sees the lost-bike frenzy dozens of times a day. Unlike automobile drivers, cyclists don't have keys with panic buttons. At Amsterdam Central, they have Cullen and her crew of bike attendants.
...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061401849.html?nav=most_emailed

[pieter]

Jaga,

Since I never owned a car I am cycling for about 34 years now, and I use one of my two bikes every day to cycle in my town Arnhem and the surrounding villages and woods! When I go to Amsterdam I lent a bike from friends there and race (sorry..) cycle through that city. On holidays I mostly walk, but also rented bikes in other countries, such when I was in Copenhagen in 1994. Short distance and long distance cycling are usual business for me, the longest trips are about 100 km in one day I think. But in that circumstances you feel your back and bottom, because sitting all they on a togh bike saddle can be hard! Because people are getting fat in my country cycling is a good remedy against gaining wait, chloresterol levels, all kind deseases and etc. In the same time you have people in Holland who own a bike, but nearly never use them. The Car people (you have them everywhere, so here also), who love their car and nearly live in it! There was also a discussion about SUV's, that our country is to small for these monsters (the name opponents use). There is a lot of variety in means of transportation here.
A lot of people go to work on their bike. Others use their car, the bus, the train or the Metro (if they live in a larger city like Rotterdam, Amsterdam or the Hague).

The variety in bikes has grown the last decades, and now we also have bike taxis in Amsterdam.

Pieter

Links of Dutch Bikes:

The most famous bike manifacturers:
www.rijwiel.net/indust1e.htm
Gazelle: www.gazellesport.nl/x-road.html
Sparta: www.rowerystylowe.pl/ (Polish), www.sparta.nl/uk/sparta-ION-page.asp?id=20001&menu=1 (UK)
The Dutch Bicycle Company: www.dutchbikes.us/
www.dutchbikes.nl/uk www.dutchbikes.nl/index.html
Made in 1888. Launched in 2006: www.grand1888.com/

[rdywenur]

Pieter...I wish Americans biked more as they do in Europe and else where. Here people are more lazy and if you are biking are taking your life in your hands as the cars try to run you down. Not so safe to bike. But it is lots of fun and free excercise. I recently was thinking of getting another bike just for fun....but no where to store and that is why I got rid of my last one. We do have bike trails here in the city along the canal which is fun to ride.

www.inforochester.com/bike.htm

I enjoyed the article posted by Jaga and the lady who could not find her bike. Wise guys hiding her bike...LOL Wait till it is their turn... ;D

[pieter]

Rdywenur,

Yes foreigners riding bikes in Amsterdam can be fun, at least a funny sight to see.
We have mass tourism and so very big bike renting companies or institutions.
Unfortunately the Amsterdam people (Amsterdammers) sometimes are not that polite or patient towards foreigners or compatriots who visit Amsterdam. The way of driving of the Amsterdam people, often Amsterdam youngsters, students or Yuppies is like the Tour de France is going on. Because we drive our bikes since we are kids we drive them very fast and don't like rules to much or red lights or tourists or "farmers" (the arrogant city expression for Non-city people from the rural areas) who visit the city and are slowly or stand on the middle of the road. Often fast tracking cyclists run over pedestrians or clash with slow people. Driving through Amsterdam with extreme speed is fun!

Patience is not a habbit of Amsterdam people. (Whel only when they drink beer
on a terrace, or go shopping on a free day). Like in New York time is money.

Pieter

[suzanne]

Biking is a great way to get around and a healthy activity, too, but I am a little scared to go biking on a major road, for fear of getting hit by a car. I stick to some of the small residential roads near my house, but that means I can only use the bike for exercise, not as transportation...so I still rely on my car.

The good news is that around here, there are some old, unused train tracks that are being slowly removed and the resulting path is being paved as bike trails.

[bescheid]

Pieter

Your reply to Jaga was very interesting, I surmised she wished for your reply experience first.

Cycling is fun as you have described so. The Dutch are famous for their cycling as you have so rightly described.

My two bicycles were one, a prewar Adler, it was heavy duty and absorbed my many falls and collusions with hard objects. But, my second was the best. Please not to laugh, but it was Peugeot 3 speed with a British Sturmy Archer hub. 1st gear was the butt puller, 2nd was normal direct drive, 3rd was the high speed gear. Whilst at a stop, the gear selector could be placed in 2nd whilst still in 1st just only if pressure was kept on the peddle, then take off in 1st, let up momentarily, and zing, it went quickly into high speed gear.

In the states, I am afraid to cycle. These people are nuts, they will run flat over a person whilst using their cell phones, and then the excuse is {I did not see him} and yes, this happens.

Charles