The Dutch bicycle is well, different... The handlebars are situated differently from an American-style mountain bike (which is what I am used to) and so they feel really odd to ride. This is the bike (with 3 gears) that I rented for a week while I was searching for a decent bike to buy. It is very flat here and although it seems like 3 gears should be more than enough, the wind is often really strong and at times I could barely get this bike to move.
All bikes here seem to come with a rack on the back, which is useful for hauling groceries. It also serves as a second seat and often you will see people riding around with another person on the back.
All the bikes here have a built in lock, which is a nice feature. Just insert the key (in this pict you can see the key and key chain below the seat) and push down on a lever (on the other side) and it puts a bar through the back wheel making is so that the bike cannot be moved.
You can also see the end of the key in this picture. Another nice feature is that all the bikes here have built in head lights and tail lights. The lights work with resistance against the front wheel, so the faster you're going the brighter the light is. I'm guessing that in really strong winds when you can barely move forward on your bike, the lights will be sort of useless though...The seat is most definitely the worst aspect of the Dutch bike. You would think that in a country where many people spend a lot of time biking, they would have comfortable seats - but this does not seem to be the case! These seats are so uncomfortable that they make the seats on the spin bikes at the gym seem comfortable... I'll be searching for a different bike seat as soon as I get my first paycheck.
This is one of the bike parking areas at the lab. You have to arrive early to find a spot... There are also a rather large number of non-Dutch bikes here, which are mostly owned by foreigners.
Bikes parked along a canal in Utrecht (more pictures of Utrect will be posted sometime in the near future).
Bikes at the beach.
This is the used bike I bought. It is a Gazelle (I read somewhere that this brand is the "Mercedes Benz of bikes") with an Aluminum frame and 21 gears. I have no idea if having a light frame is actually an advantage here - it almost seems like a heavier frame might be better for biking in the wind. My bike also has handlebars that are more similar to a mountain bike, which is one of the reasons I liked this bike. I bought some bags for the back to haul around groceries in. There was a bad storm here the other night and somehow one of my bike bags ended up being filled with water (even though it was strapped shut).
Another picture of my bike in the forest on Texel.
More bikes at the beach.
2 comments:
I am expecting that the bikes in Finland may look similar. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to practice riding my own bike before I leave. I will take pics of the bikes there so we can compare. I miss you and hope you are well.
Your bike is pretty trendy. I like that it is a Gazelle. Your bike bags are cool, too. I have put a rack on the back of my bike, and it has a blinky light on the back now, and a flashlight that I rubber band to the front for a headlight. It's not as trendy as yours with built in lights, but it works. In reading your other post about the beach, I think I know what the little houses with the blue doors are for. In Brussels at the beach people rent little storage houses right on the sand. There are hundreds of them and most have names over the front door (one was named Jane when we were there with my mom) so you can find your little house again. I think people keep stuff like beach chairs and umbrellas in there so they don't have to lug them from their apartments to the sand.
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