Amsterdam Bicycles

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Background & Explanation:

I stopped in Amsterdam, Netherlands on my way back from a 2006_europe_motorcycle_trip. During a 73 minute period on 9/12/06 at one corner of Nieuw Markt (a nice open square in Amsterdam), I took the following 82 pictures of bicycles. Why? Because sitting there I noticed how remarkably different the whole Amsterdam bicycle scene was from my home, and at the same time certain very clear "Amsterdam Bicycle Trends" appeared I thought might be interesting to point out. I am from the San Francisco area, California, USA.

Categories that Show Differences between Amsterdam Bicyclists and San Francisco Bicyclists:

Location the Pictures were Taken in Amsterdam:

In all the pictures below, you will see the same background over and over again, because all the pictures are from the same corner of Nieuw Markt (a nice open square in Amsterdam). This is marked with a red "B" in a circle on Amsterdam_Map. This particular 3-way corner is INCREDIBLY busy with bicycles, cars, and pedestrians, and the traffic pattern is completely random. There don't seem to be any clearly defined rules of engagement -> from all directions bicycles and cars just whiz into the intersection and deal with whatever happens the best they can. The panorama below shows the intersection from the perspective of the cafe right in front of it. You will need to use your horizontal scrollbar to pan to the right to see most of the intersection.

So Now, the Pictures:

Below are the 82 pictures I took in 73 minutes, showing how interesting and different the Amsterdam, Netherlands bicycle culture is from San Francisco's bicycle culture. Click on any picture to see extra details on an ENORMOUS high quality zoomed in version.

The first picture below is just a normal scene of parked bicycles in Amsterdam. There are always lots of bicycles around, this is pretty normal.

Many, MANY people, both young and old seem to ride bicycles in Amsterdam. The youngest rider I saw during the 73 minutes is shown below.

Formally Dressed Bicyclists

Below are some of the formally dressed bicyclists I saw all during the one 73 minute period I stood in one spot taking pictures. You will see the same background over and over again in the pictures, they are all from the same corner of Nieuw Markt (a nice open square in Amsterdam). Below is a man in a suit and tie going for a bicycle ride.

A woman in a gleaming white dress, pearl necklace, and purse who is going shopping - on her bicycle.

This lady has a long flowing dress that looks like it might get caught in her wheels - on her bicycle.

Women in tight dresses riding bicycles seems slightly awkward to me, but like the woman below, in Amsterdam they act as if they have done this thousands of times before, no big deal.

A lady wearing a backless evening dress, holding flowers, and riding a bicycle in Amsterdam.

The long dresses like the one below seem like they would be avoided, but apparently not.

A guy in a nice sparkling white dress shirt, wearing a nice tie - riding a bicycle in Amsterdam.

White seems to be a common dress up color, like the woman below with a shopping bag - riding a bicycle.

Multiple Riders on One Bicycle

Below are some of the people I saw with multiple riders on one bicycle all during the one 73 minute period I stood in one spot taking pictures. The first one shows a common "3 person bicycle rig" I saw a lot. You'll notice the kid in back is just sitting on the bicycle freight rack, feet dangling and looking bored. Also looking bored is the kid in the suicide position in front of the bicycle. Mom of course is wearing a stunning white dress (see "Nicely Dressed" above) and lipstick and has a nice purse over her shoulder, and *NONE* of them are wearing bicycle helmets.

Again, standard suicide position child in front, this bicycle looks like in a pinch it could carry 4 passengers, or maybe 5 based on what I saw later.

These two bicycles are carrying a total of 5 people, and they are clearly a nice Amsterdam family. If you look closely at the front bicycle, the smallest child in the family is riding side saddle with her butt on the bicycle's metal frame and yet the child is wearing an enormous smile. The back wheel of the front bike shows almost completely flat, probably because the bicycle is carrying somewhere in the 350 - 400 pound range. The back passenger is just sitting on the back luggage rack feet hovering in air.

The woman below is buying some flowers from a street vender, and I assume will carry them in her arms as she rides her bicycle home - with her cute little blonde girl in the passenger seat looking bored.

Different from the pictures showing larger parents giving their smaller children rides, I saw a lot of bicycles in the 73 minute period like the one below -> one friend giving another bored looking friend a lift through downtown Amsterdam.

Another friend providing a passenger a ride. Notice how in the previous picture and in the one below the WOMAN is doing all the work, and the guy is getting the free ride? I don't know what that means. :-) In the picture below, the guy is riding side saddle on the bicycle's luggage rack. The back tire looks a little flat for this load. Also of note, the woman is wearing dressy white SPIKE HIGH HEEL SHOES - on a bicycle through downtown Amsterdam.

I really like the picture below showing that this bike has an approved child safety seat, but the child is standing vertically up in it to get a better view. No child helmet, just a child (and mother) who isn't afraid of a little adventure. Remember, this is a busy complicated 3 way intersection with cars whizzing through it and as far as I could tell no clear signs or any clear pattern of traffic, just quick witted and dexterous Amsterdam natives - on bicycles.

Here the guy is peddling the bicycle, and the woman is hitching a side-saddle ride on the luggage rack. The thing that is hard to capture here is how relaxed and well balanced these passengers are without anything to place their feet on -> this is *NOT* the first time they have done this, most look slightly bored as the bicycle driver swerves through this crazy intersection in Amsterdam - riding a bicycle.

I added some red annotations to the picture below, because it showed so many Amsterdam Bicycle Trends in one picture. First of all, the lady is wearing a nice dress. Second, there are two people riding on this bicycle. Next, she is talking on a cell phone while swerving and navigating through this busy intersection and it doesn't bother her at all. (See below for another 20 pictures of Amsterdam natives chatting on cell phones while riding bicycles.) Next, she is sporting a generator bicycle headlight (dynamo human powered bicycle light, see below for more examples). There is an enormous "work basket" configured on the FRONT of the bicycle, and she has one of the circular rear wheel slide security locks for when the bicycle is parked. Spectacular! If she had a dog along it would be a perfect clean sweep of Amsterdam Bicycle Trends.

I watched this cheerful girl hop onto the bicycle freight rack a moment before I took this picture, so I saw how "The Launch" is done. They made it look smooth and easy, but I have a feeling it takes a little practice.

The picture below is also a good example of several Amsterdam Bicycle Trends: a woman in a tight dress skirt and dress shoes riding a bicycle, with 3 people loaded onto the bicycle somehow, plus another industrial work basket mounted on the front (this work basket would draw TONS of attention in San Francisco, we have never seen anything like this).

Below is a picture of three Amsterdam natives on a bicycle built for one. So relaxed, the girl on the back isn't holding anything with her hands, and rests her feet naturally in a bag meant to carry groceries, I think she has spent her life growing up in this position - on a bicycle in Amsterdam.

In the picture below the child is in the normal suicide position, but this parent has decided to help protect the child a little with a windshield, very considerate! But also notice the parent is riding on cobblestones without holding the handlebars - while riding a bicycle through Amsterdam.

The picture below shows a variation on the standard "three people on a bicycle built for one". In this version, no child is in the suicide seat, instead both the children are behind the adult.

In the picture below, we go back to the standard setup for a "three person bicycle rig", where there is a child in front in the suicide position, and a child behind on the bicycle freight rack. Look closely -> the ride isn't interesting enough to keep the child in the suicide position entertained, so she is provided with a basket of toys to play with as they hurtle down the cobblestone road through this intersection - on a bicycle in Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam bicycle taxi in the picture below is another variation on the "many people, one bicycle" concept, but in this case there really are enough seats for everybody to be comfortable.

I was only standing on this corner of Nieuw Markt, in Amsterdam, for 73 minutes, and this is the second bicycle taxi I saw go by.

Dogs on Bicycles

Amsterdam bicyclists seem to take their furry pooch canine dog friends along on bicycle rides. Remember, I was only standing at one street corner in Nieuw Markt, Amsterdam, and I only stood there for 73 minutes, yet I saw these riders with dogs (and more I just wasn't fast enough on the camera or taking another photo at the time). Below is a pooch on the bicycle freight rack - bicycling through Amsterdam.

The dog in the picture below is going for a bicycle ride through Amsterdam in the basket on the front of the bicycle.

The unfortunate dog in the picture below has to motor along under his own power, but his owner holds the leash - while bicycling through Amsterdam.

The dog in the picture below is riding in style in his own outdoor roving kennel - pulled behind a bicycle in Amsterdam.

Human Powered Generator Dynamo Bicycle Headlight

EVERY bicycle in Amsterdam is outfitted with a dynamo powered headlamp, where the rider has to pump the pedals extra super hard and the head lamp shines dimly. If you are younger than 35 years old, you probably have never seen one of these in the USA, so here are some close ups. You can also look at any of the OTHER pictures on this page to see more examples. The first picture shows the system which is the big green painted headlight has a squiggly electric line down to the "dynamo" which pushes up against the front wheel of the bicycle. This puts a HUGE drag on the rider of the bicycle (maybe doubles the effort of pedaling) so during the daylight hours there is a hinge to tilt the dynamo away from the bicycle wheel (which turns off the headlight). There are several important implications of this horrible system, the most dangerous drawback is that when you stop at a stop sign your head light goes off. The most annoying part of the system is that it tires out the poor slob peddling the bicycle. See the picture below.

A close-up of the dynamo on one particular Amsterdam bicycle. The dynamo powers the head light on the bicycle through human pedal power.

Spectacular Gigantic Unbreakable Security Chains

The most beat-up, crappy, worthless bicycles in Amsterdam are secured to bicycle racks with these INSANELY gigantic hardened steel security chains and locks as big as the bicycle seat made of solid metal. Even if theft is a big problem in Amsterdam, I think these chains are overkill. I think you could cut the BICYCLE FRAME faster than cutting through one of these heavy duty chains. For example, look at the two pictures below. The second picture is a close up from the first picture.

Check out this Amsterdam bicycle security chain and industrial grade Amsterdam bicycle lock below. That chain looks like it could lift a railroad boxcar full of lead weights without breaking! I have this image in my mind of a bike thief with an acetylene cutting torch and welder's mask sitting out in the open on the street in Amsterdam for 2 hours trying to cut through one of these chains to steal a bicycle worth $15. :-) Amsterdam bicycle thieves have to be starving to death in the face of such industrial grade theft protection.

The guy who owns this bicycle is truly a security nut-case. Look at the picture below, and tell me how two GIGANTIC REDUNDANT Amsterdam chains and locks are helping security on this $15 bicycle? And my goodness, could those padlocks be any more gigantic or secure or solid?

On the bicycle below seen sitting in a public place in Amsterdam, you can see the large security chain locking the back wheel, and then for added protection the circular sliding O-lock lock to *ALSO* lock the rear wheel on this bicycle in Amsterdam. The O-lock circular sliding wheel locks were also popular. I had one of these when I was 10 years old, but my friends could easily walk away with my bicycle so I got a different lock.

The picture below is of the same bicycle, just zoomed out to see the whole bicycle. Now a note about the solid orange color -> I have two theories why Amsterdam bicycles are painted such bright and unique aftermarket colors: either 1) it is so their owners can find them when piled high in other bicycles in Amsterdam bicycle racks, or 2) as a security measure, so that if somebody steals their bicycle the thief would be worried it is too easily recognizable.

The picture below is annotated in red to show some classic Amsterdam Bicycle Trends. One I haven't pointed out before is marked "A", and is a type of bicycle fender that also has covers on the side of the wheel. This is VERY common, scroll around and look at most other bicycles which have this same side covered Amsterdam bicycle fender. Next is "B", a type of bicycle stand that rotates under the back wheel, also very common in Amsterdam and is visible in many other pictures on this page. Next is the dynamo human powered bicycle head light marked "C" in the picture below. Finally is "D" the circular bicycle wheel lock or O-lock found on many Amsterdam bicycles.

Below shows a picture of one of the massive steel chains that are standard for Amsterdam bicycle locks.

Notice the red circles on the picture below. That's a Kryptonite style U-lock, plus a circular O-lock rear wheel lock, all to lock up this bicycle, which I estimate to be worth less than $10 if you tried to sell it.

The picture below shows how Amsterdam bicyclists carry these gigantic chains when underway. The blonde Amsterdam woman in the picture below wraps the gigantic chain around the handlebars and lugs it along until her next stop.

The picture below shows a big thick special high security cable on the front wheel, and a back wheel circular bicycle lock O-lock rear wheel bicycle lock thing on the rear wheel, on one flower power printed cheap multi-color bicycle in Amsterdam.

A double wrap on this gigantic huge chain securing this bicycle in the picture below. And nice padlock too, the padlock alone is worth as much as the bicycle it is securing here in Amsterdam.

I like the picture below because it shows both a nice hefty Amsterdam bicycle lock chain, plus the dynamo from a human powered bicycle light.

Industrial Work Buckets on the Front of Bicycles

One Amsterdam Bicycle Trend that would look pretty different in downtown San Francisco is that many Amsterdam bicycles are outfitted with these large, industrial looking work buckets mounted on the front of all shapes. Below is a picture of one variation - bicycling through Amsterdam.

Below is another type of industrial work bucket front loader thingy on the front of an Amsterdam bicycle. This one with a child mounted in the suicide position on the bicycle.

The picture below shows another custom work bucket mounted on a bicycle in Amsterdam. This one has a blue tarp covering it.

Here is another big box freight container on a bicycle. This one required that the "bicycle" become a "tricycle", the locker on the front of the bicycle is mounted between two bicycle wheels.

This is a good time to bring up a previous photo (this is the only duplicate in this collection). In the picture below again is a great example of multiple Amsterdam Bicycle Trends, including a large metal work basket welded on the front of a bicycle.

Amsterdam Bicycle Decorations

A common Amsterdam Bicycle Theme is coloring the entire bicycle one color, or possibly a couple colors, but NEVER a good paint job, always hacked together. The bicycle below is a good example as a solid red bicycle. Notice the spray paint bled over the tires AND EVEN THE BICYCLE CHAIN also, so the person who painted this didn't even take the wheels off, or mask the tires, and the bicycle chain probably doesn't work quite right anymore.

Below is the same sort of thing but the highest quality paint job I saw in Amsterdam. The wheels are chrome, so are some of the bolts, and there is some fine white detailing, so much care was taken to produce this day glow orange Amsterdam beater bike.

The paint job on the bicycle below was clearly done at the same time, you can see both purple and blue on the rear wheel rim from spray paint bleed over. And of course a massive Amsterdam bicycle chain securing the bicycle from theft. Who would steal such a bike?

Cell Phone Use on Bicycles

One Amsterdam Bicycle Trend was that many MANY people liked to chat on their cell phones as they zipped along the cobblestone streets on the bicycles in Amsterdam. Below are some examples.

Lady with purse, white pants, on a pink bicycle talking on her cell phone while riding a bicycle through Amsterdam.

This woman has music headphones *AND* a cell phone while riding her bicycle through Amsterdam.

The woman pictured below is dressed well (high heels and all) while riding her bicycle through Amsterdam, and is talking on her cell phone while dodging pedestrians on her bicycle in Amsterdam.

This guy swerved around this van while talking on his cell phone and riding his bicycle in Amsterdam.

Another well dressed woman talking on her cell phone while riding her bicycle through Amsterdam.

The guy below was TEXT-MESSAGING while riding his bicycle through a busy intersection, with motorcycles on his right and another bicycle on his left and oncoming cars, this man can multi-task while riding his bicycle through Amsterdam city streets!

Small Wheels, Tall Seat Bicycles in Amsterdam

There was one particular type of bicycle I'm not sure I understood why it was so popular, but really stood out as a trend. These bicycles have smaller wheels than a typical bicycle, and a taller seat to compensate. Below is a picture of one of them to show you what I mean.

And another, you see what I mean? What are the advantages of this design? Also notice there only seems to be one bar reaching from the pedals/seat area forward to the handlebar and front wheel (instead of a traditional triangle of at least two bars). That seems very specific to all these bicycles, I wonder if it helps the bicycle fit somewhere or fold up better?

Another bicycle in Amsterdam with small wheels and a tall seat to make up for it.

I'm not sure this really counts, but it was interesting so I'll include it. In the picture below, the wheels aren't any smaller, but the seat sure is taller, and I'm not sure I understand how this guy stops and puts his feet down. He must have good visibility bicycling through Amsterdam.

Another guy on a bicycle with small wheels and tall seat to make up for the small wheels in Amsterdam.

San Francisco Spandex Racer Guy - with No Helmet

I end this web page collection of Amsterdam Bicycle Trends with a picture of a bicycle you MIGHT actually see in San Francisco. Hidden in thousands of other riders, the guy below is riding a 10 speed curved under handlebar style bicycle, and wearing bicycle clothing (not dress clothes), and his shoes clip to the peddles. He is not riding side saddle, and he does NOT have a dynamo human powered headlight on this bicycle. No fenders on the bicycle (very San Francisco), and there is no gigantic unbreakable security chain to be seen. The only thing that gives him away as a true Amsterdam bicyclist -> no bicycle helmet. Very interesting, there must be a Amsterdam wide ban on bicycle helmets.

Thank you for finding the end of this webpage, if you have read this far you obviously have way too much time on your hands. :-) I hope you enjoyed reading this page, I had a very fun time creating it. Now send me an email and let me know what you think!

FEEDBACK from Readers!! (Added 3/21/07)

Everything below here are emails from readers who took the time to email me comments and explanations. I thank them all! Email addresses are removed for privacy reasons. Not all emails to me are included here, just a sampling. IF YOU FIND YOUR NOTE HERE and WANT IT REMOVED, just send me an email and I'll remove it.

---- Below this line is from Nathalie Roland (San Francisco, CA, USA, 9/22/06) ------

This is great. I loved it. I am so jealous of Amsterdam's wonderful separated bicycle lanes. And it's bicycle using population. If more people here used a bicycle instead of a car it would be funner to ride around. Still riding a bicycle around the city of San Francisco is a delightful way to get around on a nice day despite all the crazy car drivers who do things like, honk at you for no reason other than they are annoyed that the have to go around you when there is no bike lane.

I would like to note a few things about your page. I often wear a dress or a skirt on my bicycle. I know one person with a dynamo light here in the city. I think a lot of the small wheel bicycles are foldy bikes, that can fold up into a cute for easy storage and movement through a tight corridor or stairway in a small flat.

I miss those generator lights that you give such a bad rap. I had one of those as a kid. They're cool. And those fenders that go all the way around are skirt guards, designed to keep all those dresses and skirts out of the spokes.

Nice job!

I'm guessing that since there are so many people on the roads riding bikes makes it much safer to do so. Because, car drivers are more aware of them.

I love how the bikes are fitted with after market parts to make them specifically for people to wear nice clothes. You would never get a spec of grease on your pants on those jobs. The real issue is they are single speed bikes and one would be soaked with sweat or never make it up hills in SF. I love my gears.

A friend of mine lived in Amsterdam for a few years and had 3 bikes stolen. Which is one reason why they are all beaters. It's crazy that they find the need to have the NYC bike locks in tote, but maybe it's to help get it locked up to what little space they have. My bike lock is the smallest U-lock you can buy, and it pretty much is only big enough to fit around a parking meter and my frame. If I had to fight for a spot to lock it up among the mass of bikes, I would have to upgrade.

I don't get the bike lights at all. I had one growing up and they suck, not only do they hardly produce light, but they also get locked up and ruin you tires. I have two LED lights which wrap around with a rubber band. One white one for the front, and a red one for the back. They cost 15$ total, and attach and detach quickly with a rubber band. These produce much better light and those darn things.

With all that said, Americans love their cars. (I'm no exception) If you had landed in New Delhi I would guess you'd have a ton of pictures of families of 5 riding on Vespa rip offs all w/o helmets...

This is a great page, it must have been a long flight back to the States. :)

Cheers,
Chad

---- Below this line is from Maggi Hacker (Kansas, USA, 10/8/06) ------

Laurie Chipman shared your website and trip review to Amsterdam. I went there 4 years ago last month. I didn�t think of taking pictures of the all bizarre bike stuff so I am glad you did! I was actually on a bicycle trip in Friesland, but we went through Amsterdam both coming and going to do the self-guided bike trip.

Those bikes with little wheels, I think they are folding bikes. They would be so popular because of what you pointed out. The fear of losing your bike! No matter what kind of bike. But the folding ones can go in a bag probably with wheels so you can roll it into the office. PERFECT!

And the locks! Wow! I never noticed that. Don�t know if it is new since I was there. I really didn�t ride in Amsterdam. I rode the train. But I am not surprised. I bet it�s a seller�s market. The locals are amazingly agile and multitasking on the bikes. The women especially.

Thanks for sharing that! I will have to look for more possibilities in the future for great photographic bike fare.

Maggi Hacker
PVYC � Prairie Village Yacht Club
Johnson County Bicycle Club
(Kansas)

(maggimay)

_~o
_-\<,_
(_)/ (_)

Great web page! It brings back a lot of good memories. I've had a beer or two in that very square.

When my daughter was purchasing her used bike in Maastricht, she asked the shop proprietor what the best lock was, he replied, "Many locks!" She spent fifty euros on the bike and 38 euros on the locks. I was told by a local that bicycle theft is second most popular sport after speed skating.

More than helmets, I think the biggest difference in bike culture between SF Amsterdam are that bikes are rarely used for sport or exercise in the Netherlands, it's all transport. The other differences are speeds are slower, distances traveled shorter and the terrain much flatter in the Netherlands.

Finally, "bottle" generators are cheap and the cops hand out tickets to cyclists without lights which explains their popularity. What's really bad though, is that the tail-light goes out when the bike stops. I don't understand how more cyclists are not rear ended at intersections on rainy nights.

Anyway, thanks for a great piece.

--
Mike Jenkins
Barrington, IL

Brian,

I was sent your Amsterdam photos by a third party and found them fascinating. Thank You for posting them.

As a coincidence I am making my first visit to San Francisco this weekend. Hmmm.....maybe I'll find a busy intersection and snap photos of the local cycling scene. It would be refreshing to see everyone in a helmet. I reside in the Kansas City area and it's very common to see cyclists, especially children, without helmets. Then again, they are not even required on motocycles on the Kansas side of the state line.

Thanks again,
Mark Scrivner
President, Johnson County Bike Club

Interesting perspective Brian, and I wish I was there.

Your incredulous tone proves you are obviously from a motor-driven suburban culture; not a bad thing but a typical American perspective. I thought your obsession with bashing bottle generators was humorous; granted, I wouldn't take one on a cross-country tour but for the most part, they are delightful and reliable little gizmos.

Your "trends" as you call them (useful racks, lights, mudguards, skirtguards, spoke locks, etc) have been around for 80-90 years. It's odd that you have never seen a freight bicycle before; many are made in the USA. See http://mondodesigno.com/freightbikes.html or http://www.bakfiets.com/ for examples.

Continually referring to Dutch bicycles as �cheap� and wondering why they used big security locks was tiring; these people use these bicycles every day (read: no car) and theft is a big problem in Amsterdam. Imagine having to run to the day care-grocery-hardware-video store and finding your beloved (and expensive) Gazelle (http://www.gazelle.nl/nl/) missing.

All-in-all a very encouraging lookabout at a culture that has embraced the bicycle, indeed, it won't be long before this level of enlightenment will be seen in the USA.

Thank you for posting the photos.

Jon

Great photos of Amsterdam cyclists.

My comment is about generator powered lighting.

I have tried both types, I went to a dynamo because my batteries would only last 2 hours on one charge and I wanted to ride longer at night.

I found that with the dynamo I didn't have to plan ahead or think. With the dynamo always on the bike, when I needed a light I just switched it on. I ride home from work around dark or just after 3 or 4 nights a week, and I still find, even with the advances made in rechargable batteries that I still need to remember to have them charged and have access to a power outlet.

The down side of dynmaos is of course the lights go out when you stop at intersections. I aslo found out the hard way that the light goes out when you lock the rear brake as the wheel stops. The you can't see what you are about to hit!

After spending a couple of years with a dynamo and a couple more years with a battery powered light I say it's a line-ball decision between the two. The dynamo clamp attatchments tend to damage the frame so on my new frame I have gone with a battery light for that reason alone. I still prefer the sheer convenience of a dynamo powered light.

Great photos and well done.

Mark Robson
Sydney, Australia

Hi Brian,

As a native dutchman currently living in Sweden I enjoyed your site about bicycles in Amsterdam.

Also in sweden helmets are obliged for children as in most other European countries. However not in Holland. The Bicycle is a standard in daily live in Holland. Most people own at least 1 (There are more bicycles then people in Holland).

To answer your question about the bicycles with small wheels these are foldable bicycles very convenient when you want to go by train. Not surprisingly Holland has one of the most dense populations and railtrack density in the world.

Regards
Jan Henk Keijzer

---- Below this line is from Gilgamesh Nootebos (Unknown Location, 11/15/06) ------

Hi Brian,

Very entertaining to see such common sights (to me) through the eyes of a foreigner. As you might guess I'm a dutchman although I don't live in Amsterdam. As one of your photo's shows we learn to ride a bicycle as soon as we can walk(our daughter will get her first on her second birthday in 2 months). Especially in the cities like Amsterdam it's more practical to do everything on a bike. Until recently you could even see the prime minister(not our current Harry Potter lookalike but his predecessor) and other politicians riding a bike to their work. The funny bikes with the small wheels are indeed folding biks, for easier transport in buses, trams & trains. Very few people use helmets here, it's just not done.

I could tell you much more but i realise dutch bicycle culture is way too much for a simple email and I'm not even near being an expert.

Regards,

Gilgamesh Nootebos

---- Below this line is from Ilja Nieuwland (Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1/29/07) ------

Hi Brian (if I may),

I just spent a nice half-hour browsing through your page on bicycles in Amsterdam, which I accidentally stumbled upon. Generally I found it very expert, but I would like to add some comments (as an Amsterdam citizen and bike-rider):

- Cycles with small wheels. These are quite terrible to ride; the reason that they're that popular is mainly that, when folded up, they can be take on board trains for free. This makes them an obvious choice for commuters. The Dutch, being a notoriously scrapy bunch, won't pass up on that one, even if it means riding a very unpractical bicycle (no place to put your bags, friends, or children).

- Cycle helmets. The reason that no one wears these is mainly that they're perceived as *very* uncool - and with coolness being the end-all of Amsterdam culture, that settles it.

- The coolness problem kicks in with the industrial racks with children at the front of bicycles. These are very much en vogue right now, and the problem is that the people driving them tend to focus more on their mobile telephone conversations than actually looking where they're going. The alarming crash rate of these vehicles (and the fact that due to these bicycles' larger bulk the consequences of these crashes are usually more severe than they'd be with normal bikes) has led the authorities to review their safety.

- Finally, I need to defend the bloke riding on the back of the girl's bike on your page. The rule of thumb is that the bike's owner always does the pedalling, *unless* the passenger is much heavier, in which case (usually) he will do the work. Many people don't like others riding their bikes.

Regards,

Ilja Nieuwland
Amsterdam

Hi Brian, I found your "Amsterdam Bikes" page on the net and wrote about it quickly on my blog (address below) today.
I've never been to Amsterdam - I might have to move there! Chris

--
Story of a bike and a stubborn cyclist
http://tucorides.blogspot.com

Brian: I greatly enjoyed your photo essay on the Amsterdam scene. You have a good eye for interesting subjects, and your notes were thorough and amusing.

As someone who spent a little time (one month, that is) cycling in the Netherlands, and most of my life cycling in the US, there are a number of thoughts that occurred to me that I would like to share with you, some of which may possibly answer some of the questions you had.

1. I love your helmet rant. If you like, I can direct you to any number of similar rants about the bicycle helmet laws. In the bicycle industry (where I work) it is crucial to loudly proclaim that one is NOT against helmet use before even beginning to explain why helmet laws are a bad idea (and there are many good reasons, besides the ones you point out in your rant). In the Netherlands, people seem to be quite amused by the concept of bicycle helmets, until you explain that your experience is in the US. "Ah, Americans," they say, nodding profoundly, "well, perhaps they fall a lot more there..." It's not just Amsterdam; everyone in the country rides a bike (even the quadriplegics ride bikes), and none of them wear helmets, because they know how to ride, and they know that it is not dangerous. Based on my experiences in both countries, I would say that this is also due in large part to the fact that we have more feral cars here. The automotive traffic in the Netherlands is much more domesticated and docile. What it adds up to is a nation of helmet less riders who almost never wind up in the hospital with head injuries.

2. The reasons that all bikes (well, most bikes) in the Netherlands have generators are: simplicity and reliability. With a generator system, you ride the bike. If it gets dark, the bike has a light. You do not worry about whether the battery is charged, you do not take the light off when the bike is parked for fear of thieves, you do not have to worry about being out longer than the run time of the battery, and you do not have to remember to take the battery off at the end of the ride to charge it up. You will not blind any oncoming riders or light up the night like a beacon, but with a decent system you will have a beam that allows you to see when there are no streetlights, and allows everyone else to see you; just enough, in other words. Unless they are very old or rusty, generators do not actually impose much resistance (Bart Simpson notwithstanding - that must be the first instance of exaggeration on that show, eh?), and most riders would not even notice them if they didn't make that annoying humming sound, thus creating the appearance of extreme resistance. They definitely do not double the effort required of the rider - at most, they add 2-5%. I have been using generator systems for many years, because I know that I cannot trust myself to keep a battery charged, and I will admit that the older ones were barely adequate, but they have been improving all the time, so that the modern systems are quite practical.

3. The monster security chains on low end bikes have more to do with time and logistics than with protecting an investment. The bike itself may be cheap, but it is your transportation, and if it is not there when you come out of the store, that sucks. You want to avoid that, and you want to frustrate the universally hated bike thieves, who are as plentiful as mice in a granary.

4. At first glance, it may seem that all Dutch bikes are beaters, but it is important to remember that you are seeing the workhorses. Most families have two or three of these "omafietsen", or grandma bikes, but they also have a stable of other bikes, usually including a mountain bike or two, a road bike for Dad to train on on the weekends, and a really fancy touring bike for vacations. The same lock would be used for whichever bike was in use at the time.

5. The seemingly chaotic traffic patterns you observed are coming to be a new paradigm, and can function quite well ( http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,grossbild-737142-448747,00.html ). As an example, did you see any collisions while you were watching?

6. In reference to all the long skirts and flowing dresses that you noticed, you missed a connection: the "fender that also has covers on the side of the wheel" is, in fact, a fender with skirt guards. Now you know why.

7. The main reason that you see so many people dressed up and riding bikes is that riding bikes is how they travel. As a businessman, you do not change into special clothes to ride the bus or subway, or to drive your car to work or home, and neither do the Dutch when they go to work - they just do it on bicycles.

8. The sidesaddle passenger position is wonderfully practical. I first saw it in the Netherlands, and have found that it works quite well. It is easier for the passenger to get off than if they straddle the bike, and it is also easier for them to balance. It is usually more comfortable, too, and it allows the passenger to see past the rider without leaning to the side; they do lean, but the feet counterbalance, like leaning back in a straight back chair.

9. As I mentioned, I truly enjoyed this whole essay, and I hate to criticize, but I must take exception to the use of the term "suicide position" to describe the child seat in front of the rider. This position is actually much more practical and much safer than having the child behind. It keeps the combined center of gravity between the wheels of the bicycle, for safer handling, and it allows the rider (usually a parent) to surround the child with their arms, a very protective stance. It also allows the rider to keep an eye on the child without having to compromise their balance.

10. The long cargo bikes with the boxes on the front are known as "bakfietsen" and they are being imported into the US ( http://clevercycles.com/ and http://bakfietscargo.blogspot.com/ ), so you may see some in SF before long. Cool, eh?

11. Just a small quibble, but at one point you indicate an instance of "three people on a bicycle built for one" that is actually a case of one adult and two kids on a bicycle built for one adult and two kids. If you look carefully, you can see that the wheelbase is extended in the rear, and there are two purpose built child seats back there. There are several brands that make this style of bike, including: http://www.fietsfabriek.nl/index_eng.htm I think it is interesting that there is enough of a demand for such a specialized design to support more than one brand.

12. The bikes with small wheels and tall seat posts and handlebars, are, indeed, folding bikes. They are very convenient for traveling on busses, trains, and trolleys, all of which the Netherlands has in abundance ( http://dahon.com/ ).

13. As far as the spandex clad racer is concerned, he is only atypical in the heart of the city. This is not the place for speed. A vast number of folks in the Netherlands do dress up like this regularly, and then they go out of town to the bike trails, where they can ride for miles without having to interact with cars at all, and they put the hammer down. I have heard it said many times that the Dutch ride much more slowly than we do here in the US, but anyone who says that has not tried to keep up with a pace line of them on the open trail. They will maintain 20-30mph for miles, riding in a pack only inches from each other, wearing only cloth racing beanies on their heads, and they don't wind up paralyzed for life, as I am constantly being told that helmet less riders will (not might, will).

14. The other tall bike you saw looks to be a homemade example of what is known (no one knows why) as a Tallbike. You can see various examples of them at: http://tallbike.net/index.html , http://www.atomiczombie.com/gallery-tallbike.htm , and http://www.chicagofreakbike.org/ , among others. There is even a commercially made one: http://www.fietsfabriek.nl/index_eng.htm They are fun, and much safer than most people would imagine.

And, as a bonus, here's a well documented, thoroughly researched, anti helmet law (NOT anti helmet, all right?) article form the British Medical Journal, no less: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7276/1582 Compelling stuff, with a plethora of footnotes. Have fun!

As you can see, some of have more time on our hands than you may have bargained for. Once again, I truly enjoyed this page, and I hope my comments may have helped to enhance your appreciation of the scene you found yourself immersed in at that cafe. Personally, I dream of going back there, and in the meantime I try to make any place that I am at least a little bit more like that.

Having looked at your pictures of bicycles in Amsterdam,I find your pictures great, but your comments are ignorant and typically Yankee rude.

It would serve you well, if you would first find out why things are done the way they are in foreign countries rather than making stupid comments,

you might even enjoy other cultures more than you do presently.

John Huizenga.

Dear Brian,

I lived in Holland for two years and your pictures of bikes in Amsterdam brought back some great memories. I just wanted to point out, if no one else has done so yet, that the miniature bikes are popular because they fold up and are portable. So you can take them on the train with you for no extra fee. They're harder to ride than regular bikes, because of the small wheels. Here's a link to one:

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/display/1026/0/

The lack of helmets baffled me, too. I always wore one when I rode my bike and felt completely dorky. People would call out "Mooi helm!" to me -- "Nice helmet!"

Cheers,
Vivien Shotwell

---- Below this line is from Donald (Unknown Location, 3/19/07) ------

Regarding: http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/index.html

I ran across your page on Amsterdam Bicycle Trends on the Internet. It seemed that you glossed over a very interesting trend I noticed from the pictures, that just about *everyone* rides a bike *everywhere.* Is this true for all of Amsterdam? Or just this one block where you were taking pictures? I live in Tampa, FL in the US so seeing a majority of the population bicycling is more like a day dream than something I can believe. Incredible pictures though, and a very good analysis. You made my morning!

-Donald

Hi,

I stumbled across your page earlier today, and just wanted to say thanks for your pictures, and your article.

The orange bikes that you see everywhere are the Amsterdam equivalent of the yellow cab - they're hire bike, and the hi-viz paint job makes them stand out. Ugly, yes, but they do have two benefits - the people who hire them can't lose them, and no bugger would want to steal them!

With regards to the helmets, and this being only personal opinion, they seem to only be truly beneficial in high impact crashes - low speeds, and without other high-speed vehicles involved, a person would react the same way they would if they fell over. That is to say, protect their head by bracing the impact with their arms. Not many folk wear a helmet when walking!

Amsterdam has the benefit of being very cyclist friendly - many more bikes than cars mean less high-speed impacts. Even the cyclists tend to trundle along at a sedate pace. In San Francisco (in fact, almost anywhere else) cars rule the road, and so helmets become a necessity.

I do feel I have to disagree with you about the dynamos, however. They're not a joke - I had one on my bike as a child, and never noticed them making it any harder to ride. In fact, as a poor kid I saw a great deal of benefit in them - no expensive and wasteful batteries to replace several times a season! Nowadays I do more riding off-road than on, and so the dynamo would probably not last very long after a few knocks.

Anyways, I have probably rambled far too much. Keep up the good work!

All the best,

Peter

---- Below this line is from Marlies (Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 3/20/2007) ------

Hello Brian,

I just stumbled upon your side concerning the 82 bike pictures taken in Amsterdam, and I wanted to tell you that I liked it very much. It is exactly the kind of site you (I) hope to find on 'the net': personal, funny, informative and the impression that the writer knows everyone is different without being in total shock.

I can imagine you receive tons of e-mails of dutch people telling you that' yeah, that is how we are', but just in case I am the first: 'yeah, that is how we are'.

And now for some additional (though probably useless) information:
- It is 'common knowledge' that 'real dutch people' have bike locks that are more expensive than their bikes. (Especially in student cities).

- If you have ever been transported on the back of a bike, you'll know that the one cycling generally will have the best deal. Those panniers really hurt your sitting utensils after a while (generally 5 minutes)

- The 'expressive colours' is supposed to defer people stealing your bike. After all, when it looks personalized, it is easier to recognize and therefore (slightly) less likely to be stolen by an 'impromptu' thief. Of course, the bike lock is more efficient here.

- Actually, small children (while learning how to cycle) will tend to have helmets these days. Basically because that is actually the age where falling down with your bike is likely, and therefore a helmet usefull. Also 'speed cyclists' will tend to have helmets as well, also because they might indeed go fast enough to fall.Generally, it is seen here that a bike helmet is pretty useless when a car is driving into you (and I believe that resent research in the UK showed that cars are driving nearer a cyclist wearing a helmet), so why wear one?I myself only wear my helmet 'abroad', when I am on holiday in the mountains ('cause there falling is more likely). I must say though that if I would ever cycle in America / San Francisco, I would wear a helmet.

- The bikes with an 'industrial work basket' are called 'bakfiets' ('bak' is 'crate'). It is a recent (5 years or so) that (especially in Amsterdam) loads of parents have discovered that this is a neat way to transport some children. As far I can see, you missed out on the 'children in a cart' variety. It is like the doggy cart, but they are (officially)made for children as well.

- And finally: the small wheels, tall seat' variety: those are 'foldable bikes'. You can fold them up to some square, compact parcel, so you can take them on the train
a) Easily
b) Free (you pay EUR 6 to take a 'normal' bike on the train)

OK, enough information. And like I said, you probably have been told all these things many times before.
But maybe not :-)

Anyway, I liked the site, and I enjoyed reading your stuff.
And if you are ever in the Netherlands again: I recommend renting a bike. It
is not very expensive, and a rather good way to spend the day.

Have a nice day!
Kind regards,

Marlies
Eindhoven, The Netherlands

---- Below this line is from Netty Mathews (grew up in Holland, 3/27/2007) ------

Brian,

Somebody sent me a link to your website with pictures earlier today.
Enjoyed the pictures and your observations.

After reading your observation of Dutch cyclists not wearing helmets and
possibly not taking safety of their children seriously, I thought I would
send you some additional information.

The Dutch do take bike safety seriously. They've just taken a different
approach. When growing up in Holland, in first grade, we all went through a
full week of safe bicycle riding classes. At the end of the week, police
officers put together a course where each child was presented with traffic
situations for approximately 30 minutes while police officers observed.
Depending on how you did, you received your "safe bicycle" certificate.
Over the next few years, you received refresher courses. Additionally, when
you work on obtaining your drivers license, there is a strong emphasis on
driving around bicyclists.

Here I am constantly amazed how parents teach kids to ride their bicycles.
Kids are taught to ride on the wrong side of the road (am fairly certain
that's illegal) and kids ride on bicycles without lights in the dark
constantly. Signaling is never taught it seems like. (actually, almost the
same can be said for drivers).

There are many bike lanes in Holland, allowing bike riders to be safer.

Here's an interesting statistic:
U.S. cyclists are three times more likely to be killed than German cyclists
and six times more than Dutch cyclists, whether compared per-trip or
per-distance traveled. (Reuters, Aug. 28, 2003, by Maggie Fox)

Netty

I recently moved to Antwerp, Belgium, which is about an hour and a half away from Amsterdam and am delighted by the bicycle sensation as well. In America, we don't ride bikes after the age of 10, unless you live in a big city, and even then... I had to buy a bike last Wednesday and guess what...Wednesday night it was stolen, or more like thrown in the river by a vandal. Even worse, it was locked to 2 other of my friends bikes. I was devistated! You make fun of the bikes that are "worth $15" but I guarantee that those bikes were bought for no less than $300 and spray painted the next day. That's what you have to do, because apparently people here steal bikes everyday, it's too common. When I went bike shopping, the bikes were around $500-$600 for a so-so bike. Hard to find a cheaper bike that is not a total piece of crap. Those big "gigantic locks you were laughing at...yeah, they may look tough, tough enough to deter someone maybe, but to cut? easy.

Anyways, its a week later, and we fished for our bikes and rescued them from 6 meter deep water. They were nasty.

oh yeah, and those bikes with little tires are fold up bikes...hilarious!

Last year we went to a house party and instead of seeing cars parked down the street, you see a driveway full of bikes reflecting back at you. Too funny for words.

Nice website, I liked it, but all too normal here...

Becky

Hoi Brian,

This morning I found your photos on bicycling in Amsterdam. It's very funny to see your point of view, wondering about such common things like gigantic locks, skirts, hiking etc. Riding a bike in this small (and totally flat!) country is like breathing. Everybody does it. That's why I'm sending you this picture of our former queen:

She was the mother of Beatrix, our present queen. Even with dress and child (looks like Beatrix to me) she fits right into your series. So even our royalty!! In those days you had saddles for skirt-wearing women, which where oval-shaped. My mum still has one of those, although they are considered old-fashioned now.

And by the way, the man on the racebike, the one you thought looked the most familiar to you, is most likely using this bike exclusively for recreative riding. That's why there's no big lock; he never leaves his bike unattended. In Holland it's wiser to use a scrappy undesirable bike to visit a towncentre, and lots of people today have a second one they use for tours, holidays and sports. These bikes are kept inside. Theft of bikes is a extremely common thing, especially in the larger cities of Holland. I think I've lost at least 5 or 6 bikes that way.

Maybe it's nice to know that the city of Amsterdam once tried to launch a brilliant plan to supply the streets with free bikes. The idea was that you could take one of these 2000 -all white- bikes, use it, and then leave it behind, so that someone else could do the same. This was in 1967 ('course) and it never made it. In 1999 a kind of similar idea did make it, with 250 bikes, but proved unsuccessful.

---- Below this line is from Harry van Veen (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 9/6/2007) ------

You have obviously not looked around very long, otherwise you would have seen far more outrageous cyclists in this town. I am 62 years old and I cycle every day 30 km. to my job in a factory, on a Racing bike with rain covers on the wheels and bags on the back. But I'll send you a picture of me and our three grandchildren and two dogs on one working bike.

---- Below this line is from Mirjam Vonk (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 9/12/2007) ----------
---- ON THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS WEBSITE!! ------------

Dear Brian Wilson, hi!

September 12, 2007.
Today it's exactly one year ago that you took all the pictures of bicycles in Amsterdam! The weather looked better one year ago! than today. I just had a long look at all the pictures you made and I have enjoyed all of it, your great comments included! My name is Mirjam and I am living in the Northern part of Amsterdam, that's a little more quiet and not so hectic as the city center. Just wanted to share with you some memories that came back to me while going through your website.

1. We really were a cycling family especially in my childhood. My Dad didn't own a car until I was about 18 years old, so just about everything was transported on his and our bikes. Like the large pan of soup that my Mom made and had to be delivered at my Grandma's a few streets further away, because lots of people would come and visit to eat there. Well, my Dad put the very large pan on the back of his bike and started to walk at first along the bike holding the pan with one hand. Of course! he felt that this didn't go fast enough, so he thought he better just cycle and holding the pan with one hand in place behind his back. Arriving at Grandma's frontdoor putting his one foot on the 'stoep' (pavement) to stand still, he forgot to swing his leg really high after that to get off the bicycle. ;-) Result: one big content of soup all over the 'stoep' (pavement) ...

2. I remember having my feet in the 'bags meant to carry groceries' sitting at the back of my Dads bicycle lots of times during my childhood. He always told me I had to do that, so that my feet wouldn't get in between the 'spaken', spokes.

3. Going to handball practice one night as a child with my Dad cycling next to me because he was taking me there, I was too late to avoid an 'Amsterdammertje', that's the Amsterdam little 'paaltje', pegs or pickets, you see all over here and also on bicycle roads. I crashed frontal against the peg of course, not being in time at my Dad's warning shout: 'Watch out!'. My bicycle fork all twisted etc. You can already guess ;-) what I had to hear for the rest of my childhood and many more years, when I was about to come close to an Amsterdammertje:
"Mirjam, paaltje!!"

4. Seeing your site also brought the bit old Dutch song back into my head:
"Spring maar achterop" , Jump on / take a seat on the back of my bike.

I really loved your concept of taking all the pictures in a certain space of time and putting them all together on a website with your personal comment and foreign eyes and view! and am thankful for the friend living in Northern Holland who made me aware of your site!
I haven't been able to visit the city center for many years because of my handicap, but your site brought me there for a while, thanks!

Groetjes van Mirjam, Amsterdam

---- Below this line is from Mick Savage (The Netherlands, 11/19/2007) ----------

Hello Brian,

I just saw your site on bicycles in Amsterdam and I enjoyed it very much. You were surprised to see formally dressed people on bikes, so I wouldn't want you to miss this picture.

It's our minister of social affairs who always rides a bike when coming to parliament. I know this is not in Amsterdam but in The Hague, but it's typical for our bicycle culture in The Netherlands. Maybe it's a nice addition to the site. [Note from Editor BrianW: above is picture of "Piet Hein Donner"]

--
Met vriendelijke groet,

Michel

My mom sent me the link to your Amsterdam Bicycles page. I read it over and I thought I could share some things with you.

I read all the attached comments and thought that a few points had been missed:

Helmets: Most incidents where a helmet would be useful are between cyclists and cars. One thing to note about Dutch car drivers, there are no such thing, they are just cyclists that are behind the wheel of an automobile. Here in the states, I wear a helmet every time I ride. Its come in very handy before. Once while in a bike lane I was hit head on by a driver making an illegal turn. My head hit their windshield where it meets the right side of the car at appx 30 MPH (combined speed of my bike+car). My helmet smashed, I rolled over the car and stuck a two point landing on my Chuck Taylors. My glasses had broke and cut my nose a bit, but otherwise I was A-OK. Without the helmet it would probably be a much different story. Incidents like that (called a "left-hook") happen much less in countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, etc. etc. etc. and make helmets much less needed. That being said, its probably a good idea to also wear my bike helmet whenever I travel by *car*.

Folding bikes: small wheels don't really have too much do with a quality bike ride. Frame design around those small wheels DOES. I have a Bike Friday ( http://bikefriday.com/) that rides like a dream. I can't determine any loss of handling quality/efficiency from my more standard road/touring bikes.

"Cheap" Bikes: These may seem like beaters to you, but that bike may be 20-40 years old. Seeing a bike of that age in daily use in the US is rare because most of the bikes we are sold are either department store grade bikes that cost $200 or less or "performance" bikes that are meant to be replaced every couple years. Neither of those make good commuter bikes anyways. A new fully equipped (full mudguards, dynamo lighting, carriers, etc...) Dutch bike is definitely not cheap. Expect to pay several hundred Euros for even the lowest quality. A used bike can always be had for cheap, although it probably needs maintenance and/or has been stolen.

Locks: Its an arms race. If you want to keep your bike all you have to do is use a better lock than your neighbor. Even if replacing your bike wouldn't be a huge financial set-back, not having a ride back home would be no fun. Might as well carry around a 10 pound lock (doesn't make a big difference if your bike weighs 50 pounds and you're carrying another 40 pounds and you yourself weigh 140 pounds.

Slide locks: pretty handy if you are in a cafe about 10 feet from your bike, but if its going to be out of your line of site, better bring out the big guns.

Dynamo lighting: There are several choices for lighting, they all provide their own benefit and all have several draw-backs.

"CatEye" style halogen/krypton headlights: They're almost dead to the world, thankfully. The light they give out is decent, but the rate of battery depletion is totally unacceptable. 8-15 hours of decent light, with about 2-8 hours of insufficient light. Always a bummer when your batteries die at 2AM and you are still 6 miles from home. Very cheap up front, but expensive in the long run due to battery costs.

Modern LED battery powered headlights: We sell these hand-over-fist at the shop I work at. $10-$40 for most of them. They offer a blinking (battery conserving) mode and a solid beam mode. Many US states (and European countries) don't legally allow flashing headlights though. The battery life on these are much much better than the older Halogen/Krypton style lights but still suffer of inadequate light levels when the batteries start to die. Every night on my way home from work I see people riding down the street with lights that BADLY need new batteries. I see them because I'm also riding a bike. If I was in a car with a car stereo, a dirty/fogged windshield, a ringing cell-phone and a couple passengers, who knows....

The other problem with both the lights described above is that they mount to the bike with a quick-release style clamp. You are supposed to remove the lights every time you lock up your bike and go inside. Some people, and some people have to buy new lights. People steal bike lights that have a QR system, just because they can. The other downfall of the QR light is, well, lights get lost, fall out of bags, turn them selves on in pockets/bags, etc. Most of our LED headlight sales are "repeat" customers, some people replace their $40 headlight a couple times a year due to theft/loss. Sadly, some people downgrade to a less visible light because of replacement costs.

That brings us to another style of light:

The rechargeable hi-wattage lights. These things are incredibly bright, they quite often have an exterior battery pack that attaches to your frame or fits in your water-bottle cage. They have a charge life of generally a couple hours (which should be adequate for most peoples to-work-from-work commuting routine, but might not work for the people that ride to work, from work to an evening event, which turns into a bike ride, which turns into another bike ride to somewhere else, etc etc.. For me, it wouldn't work. I would not always remember to charge it/not have access to charging it (such as a cyclotour/randonneur). They are also espensive, about as expensive as a nice dynamo setup.

Two choices really: standard side-mount "bottle" style or a hub dynamo (such as the Shimano or Schmidt options).

There is really not that much resistance in a decently designed/properly set up dynamo. With a hub dynamo, its not noticeable. I leave my light on all the time.

Many modern dynamo powered lamps (both front and rear) have "stand lights" which is a lower powered LED lamp that stays on when the main light is off when the bike is stopped. They get charged while the bike is rolling generally stay on for several minutes after the bike is stopped. http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html

Even without a standlight, the large reflectors that are mounted to the rear of most Dutch bikes (either on the mudguard or carrier, or both) are more visible when illuminated by a car headlight than a standard bicycle rear light.

-nate

---- Below this line is from Noortje Jacobs, FEATURED IN ONE OF THE PHOTOS, (Amsterdam, 3/29/2008) ----------

Hi Brian,

I really laughed my ass off when i saw your website about the dutch bicycle culture, and i'm on your site myself!

Today I received an email from a friend who said I had to search for "amsterdam bike" on google images. I was surprised to see myself and my boyfriend on a bike! She found it by accident because she was searching where she could rent a bike for an american friend who was visiting. I started to read your website and it is really funny to read stories about our bicycles because it is so normal for us. I am the girl with the white high heals and I'm carrying my boyfriend on the back of my bike, something that was really surprising for you but normal for us. I guess dutch woman are really emancipated and that also comes with the hard work! Anyways, it was fun to see your site and I'm definitely going to recommend it to all my friends!

Noortje Jacobs, Amsterdam

---- Below this line is from Mirjan Alsema, (Amsterdam, 5/30/2008) ----------

You might like this one for your collection. I was so incredibly amused by your awe about the bicycles in amsterdam. I have never thought about it that some one might be wondering about that. Even our politicians go to work by bike. The folding bikes are not only to take to work, they are free in the train, while you have to pay for a normal one (and besides, those won't fit in during rushhour).

Good luck, Mirjan

---- Below this line is from Reka Hegyi, (Romania, 7/12/2009) ----------

Hi Brian,

I visited Amsterdam a month ago, here I have a picture you might enjoy, this is my favorite family bike:

--- Below this line is from Willem (Netherlands, 1/29/2011) ----------

Hi Brian,

Funny to have a look at these pictures from a different (US) perspective...:) Yes, very normal for us to see....but can imagine it to be strange for foreigners.

Another picture you might like, our prince and future king (Willem-Alexander), and his wife (Maxima) together with their daughters on a bike...and wearing no helmets and in a work basket.

A quick thanks again to all the people above, and if you want your comments removed just drop me a note!

ADDED NEW (NOT PART OF ORIGINAL WEBPAGE):

	1. Formally Dressed Bicyclists - A whole set of Amsterdam bicyclists can be seen dressed very formally, like suit and tie for men, and dresses for women. NOBODY in San Francisco ever bicycles in a suit and tie, or in dress. But during this one hour photo shoot, I saw 20 or more incredibly well dressed bicyclists meander by.
	2. Multiple Riders on One Bike - With or without any extra seats or foot-pegs for the extra riders, you will see 1 or 2 or even 3 extra passengers side-saddle, balancing precariously, standing, sitting, whatever it takes so they can hitch a ride with a buddy or parent. This is so common I had to stop taking pictures of it because it would prevent me from capturing some of the other trends. Almost 50 percent of the bicycles I saw had more than 1 person on them. In San Francisco the only time you would ever see two passengers is a small child on the back in a $300 government approved safety chair, and the child would be wearing a helmet (because it's the LAW). Click here for an unrelated rant on helmet laws. Which brings us to the next difference......
	3. No Helmets EVER - It is amazing to me coming from San Francisco, land of 100 percent helmet covered heads, but in all of Amsterdam (population 750,000) there is not one bicycle helmet found anywhere in the city. Not ONE!! Contrast this with San Francisco, for anybody under the age of 18, there is a Mandatory Helmet Law, and everybody above 18 wears helmets anyway. Now faced with this shocking disparity, I think any reasonable person must come to the conclusion that either the people in Netherlands do not value the safety of their children, or San Francisco bicyclists are clumsy pansies with soft heads and weak minds that must be protected from hurting themselves no matter how much it infringes on individual rights. Click here for an unrelated rant on helmet laws.
	4. Dogs on Bikes - Amsterdam bicyclists seem to commonly bring their furry friends along with them on the bicycle rides. I think that's nice.
	5. Human Powered Generator (Dynamo) Bicycle Light - This one really does mystify me, some of the other trends more more sense to me. EVERY bicycle in Amsterdam is outfitted with a dynamo powered head lamp, where the rider has to pump extra super hard and the head lamp shines dimly. If you are younger than 35 years old, you probably have never seen one of these in the USA, we have very bright headlamps for bicycles that add much less weight and do not increase resistance. I haven't seen a single dynamo powered bicycle in San Francisco in over 20 years. Once I saw a "Simpsons" (animated comedy) episode where Bart turned on his dynamo bicycle headlamp and could barely make forward progress-> in the USA these dynamo powered headlamps are considered a JOKE, but almost a quarter million bicycles in Amsterdam all have them.
	6. Spectacular Gigantic Unbreakable Security Chains - Almost all of the bicycles in Amsterdam are what I would call "beaters", which means they are beaten up, scraped, bent, out of tune, and have bad paint jobs. At the same time, all these beaters have these GIGANTIC security chains that look like they should be the chain on the anchor of an oil tanker ship. The ton of high tensile, military hardened steel in each security chain must be worth more than the bicycle it is keeping safe! The only other type of bicycle lock was a type of sliding circular rear wheel lock that was once sold in the USA (I owned one when I was 10 years old). The circular sliding read wheel locks lost popularity in the USA because they offer almost no security at all: 1) the criminal can always lift the bike and walk away with it, and 2) it is always easy to "guess" the combination. Strange dichotomy of lock choices in Amsterdam.
	7. ....And More... - Several other trends are shown in the pictures below, including bicycles are commonly painted one big bright aftermarket color, Amsterdam residents like using their cell phones while riding their bikes, many bikes are outfitted with big buckets on the front for serious industrial deliveries, and there is a whole trend of this "small frame" bicycles with "untraditional" proportions (very small wheels and then very tall seats to make up for it). You can view the pictures below to get an idea.