American reacts to 'Why Dutch Bikes are Better'

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to Why Dutch Bikes are Better
Original video: • Why Dutch Bikes are Be...
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[@thefunkymunkyz5259]

It's ironic how you got two car ads while watching this video

[@MerryMoss]

Yeah 😂 it's almost as though America doesn't want people to start exercising

[@RustyDust101]

As if the algorithm saw that he was watching a video about bikes and had to ascertain dominance over the 'commie' bikes... 😁

[@paulthiel5145]

It's actually kind of sad, being a KZbin reactor without having KZbin premium in order to eliminate these commercials altogether 🤐

[@marianconstantindumitriu6062]

@@paulthiel5145 Ad blockers work great, I find. No need to spend money.

[@MartijnVos]

I'm sure the car manufacturers see this video as a threat and want to lure you back to cars.

[@MerryMoss]

As a Dutch person it is mind-baffling to learn that not all bikes around the world have a basic frame lock 😂 you can lock your bike in a second and it's soooo convenient ^^

[@peterfischer7084]

Frame looks are a thing in Germany, too.

[@onkelkonkel86]

In sweden to, thought it was a standard thing everywhere

[@MerryMoss]

Maybe it's common in most of Europe =p

[@wbrenne]

Remembering the times when a frame lock was sufficient to find your bike on returning. Nowadays, even the strongest locks don't prevent your bike from getting stolen. The bike theft culture must go away before I spend money on a bike again, I've lost too many (not to talk about stolen parts) despite using three different locks to attach the bike to lampposts and the wheels to the bike. The last bike disappeared with the post of the traffic sign sawn off.

[@triplesharigan]

@@wbrenne my bikes are soo crap no one ever bothered.

[@schnetzelschwester]

As a girl I lived near the border to Netherland. One day I took the bus to Netherland, bought a bicyle and drove home with it. That was almost 50 years ago, and I still drive this bike for distances of less than 20 km. It is sturdy and comfortable. It is not only low-maintenance, but no-maintenance. Every year I put some new grease on the chain, scratch off the dried mud, polish the reflectors and the lights, that's all. In 50 years I drove with this bike a number of kilometers like twice around the world. In this time I changed the tyres three times (but patched them countless times), and a few years ago I assembled a new light installation with LED lights (much brighter than those old light bulbs) and a capaciter for light when standing. No batteries needed. It has a planetary gearbox with three gears, that is just enough for everyday use. When I was a student, I even made long hikes in the swabian alb with it, pushing and carrying it over hills and creeks, and it is heavy. Once I was assaulted, and I threw the bike at the attacker. It is heavy. I tried some other bikes, but I always returned to my good old Dutchie. They will have to force it out of my cold hands when I die.

[@annebokma4637]

I once witnessed a fight between two groups of guys, it escalated when one threw a pole at the other group. In retaliation another guy picked up a bike, and at that point a teenage girl asked if she could have her bike back. The guy apologized and put the bike down, he immediately picked up the next bike and it went flying. Yes they are heavy 😂 It was one of the best laughs in my life 😂😂😂

[@SuperOtter]

Classic Germans stealing our bikes. Gib mir mein Fahrrad zurück

[@mvoetmann1]

I'm Danish. I grew up with bikes. Then i moved to Texas. In a conversation i mentioned bike lights. Nobody had ever heard of such a thing. Most thought it was a good idea, though. I was shocked. To me, that is like not knowing about plates or light switches. It's such an every day thing.

[@irenehabes-quene2839]

Here in Holland if you don’t carry light after darkness falls you get fined if you happen to happen to come across the police.

[@irenehabes-quene2839]

The chain cage is easy to remove, even if you got two left hands.

[@isuckatguitar6252]

Yeah, I had a dynamo light system on my bike in the 1990's - UK. Can't imagine not having a light on the front & back of a bicycle.

[@bdijkstra1982]

Or door handles that can be operated by anyone with a limb.

[@ivohilderink8221]

Being Dutch, it was really funny for me to hear him talk about all the utilities and accessories on the bikes as being something really special and seeing Ryan be really surprised about those things. Because for me they are all self evident and I was like "What? You don't have those things in North America?"

[@Dutch1961]

In the Netherlands as a bike rider you're a part of traffic and car drivers also treat you as such. What I got from many reactions on bike videos bike riders are more or less targets to car drivers in North America.

[@mabus4910]

In many countries in Europe as well. It is realy just the netherlands and a handfull of cities in the rest of europe.

[@Pidalin]

That's the same everywhere, here in Czech Republic, they are trying to spray you with a water or when you want to cross road with bike and there is a traffic jam, nobody will stop for you because they hate you. I live in a little town 30 km from Prague and I always have to wait for a car from Prague, our villagers will not stop for you, they just don't do that. It's ridiculous that in some villages, there is more traffic than in big cities because some people don't want to pay for highways, so even trucks are going thru some villages, it's literally like second highway which is for free. All 1st class roads which are going along a highway are like that, full of people who don't want to buy a highway stamp. I think it should be for free at least in some selected places to prevent this crazy village traffic. Like I go to a box for my package in middle of night and I can't cross road in a little town, it's ridiculous. Where are they constantly going with their cars? I don't understand it.

[@anubis9151]

In Portugal the mentality I'd say it's half and half, people understand the point about bikes, but bike riders also do things in way that inconvenience regular riders, thus it creates a distaste, such as we have quite a few areas where if a bike riders is riding on the street, the flow of trafic is literally dependant on that rider, also the fact that many bike riders don't respect the red light and are thus "priveleged" is annoying, btw it's not that they shouldn't respect it, it's just that the majority I see simply don't.@@mabus4910

[@FrietjeOorlog]

In the Netherlands most people driving a car also cycle, and many people cycling also drive cars, so people know both sides of this traffic interaction and act accordingly. With so many cars and bikes, sharing the road is the most normal thing ever. Including having to look out for each other. Infrastructure is also designed for it, with spaces for cars to wait and yield to bikes without impeding traffic, spaces for pedestrians and bikes to wait so they can deal with one direction of traffic at a time, and making points of interaction at a right angle where possible so people can see each other and make eye contact.

[@tsurutom]

Well, maybe "target" is a bit harsh. I think "nuisance" is generally the right term. And more often than not, car drivers consider me a nuisance here in Germany as well. In a total of 30 minutes of commuting in a major German city, I'd say you can expect at least 1-2 near death experiences per week.

[@LeafHuntress]

FOR THE RECORD; short(under 5-10km) journeys in cities are (almost) ALWAYS FASTER by bike. On a bicycle you're faster than on foot, but more agile than in a car so you don't get stuck in traffic. So yes, the top speed on a bike isn't that great, but you'll go _at_ speed more than in a car, which theoretically could go faster, but that's in practice just stuck in a traffic jam. The people of Top Gear amongst others tried this & the bike wins from public traffic & personal motorcars. Traffic in big cities has grown so terrible, that you're better of walking, that's often faster than going by car...

[@ThomasVWorm]

You can add to what you say: When all who do short journeys in cities use a bike, those who do the long journeys become faster too because bikes do use less space on the street so more space for car drivers who cannot switch, which means more speed. Choosing the mean of transport wisely creates a benefit for all. And the health benefit is a surplus, which goes on top.

[@hypatian9093]

@@ThomasVWorm Exactly - all those "But I really neeeed my car because ..." people should encourage other car drivers to use other means of transport ;)

[@ms-ht1cj]

I agree, bikes are awesome when you have to travel in a city (not necesarrily big one, I live in a city with 120k residents and bike is great here too). One drawback though. In countries with more harsh climate (I live in Poland, it's not Arctic 😂 but we have snow and other awful weather conditions for nearly half a year) bikes are useless in winter.

[@LeafHuntress]

@@ms-ht1cj It's not winter that's the problem but your city's snow clearance routine. Oh & probably the lack of proper cycling infrastructure, but i cannot judge that as i haven't been to Poland. Anyway, this video is a reaction to NotJustBikes, who has this nice video about cycling in the snow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5nbXmVsfMt2eLc

[@arturobianco848]

@@hypatian9093 Well it does help if you design your city's so that every day thing you need are within a couple of miles and you don't need to cross a half dozen 6 lane roads to get there. Wich you don't really need if you designed the city right in the first place.

[@bastiennietveld7128]

Ahaaa....so THAT'S where my stolen bikes went to ;....Canada !!! 😂

[@dutchman7623]

Better than Germany, I suppose... I really think it's a better destination.

[@DieGurke_]

Stolen bikes go all to Poland.

[@hypatian9093]

@@dutchman7623 But we couldn't use those "Hollandrad" thingies in Germany - we have mountains. Well, hills where I live ;)

[@dutchman7623]

@@hypatian9093 When it comes to bicycles, we did not have a nice relation with Germany... in times gone by.

[@pauliensluimer3639]

Hahaha😅😅🤣😂, don´t mention the war@@dutchman7623

[@user-oi9nz4pn9s]

I’m in Australia, and 2 weeks ago bought a Dutch style bike (a Lekker Jordaan). I’ve been using it to do my shopping, usually go 3 time a week, It has a front basket and a rear rack. Having not ridden a bike in 30 years, I am enjoying it greatly. I got the idea for a Dutch bike from viewing the original “Not Just Bikes” video and Glad I did.

[@TruPunx89]

I love the channel and it broadend my horizon for sure! And im from the amsterdam haha

[@arturobianco848]

@@TruPunx89 Yup i learned more about the Dutch infrastructure from that channel and liveable city's then i ever knew and i'm dutch to. I just always took it for granted.

[@TruPunx89]

same! @@arturobianco848 I also learned to love it and see the beauty now every time I jump on my bike haha. strangely enough th channel even gave me more patience on the streets hahaha

[@malinpeh]

Where I live (Sweden) lights are required by law when it’s dark. (White in the front and red back, only steady lights - never flashing, that’s only for walking.)

[@tonnekevankan7512]

Same goes for the Netherlands, you can be fined if they 're not working 😮 Same goes for using your phone while cycling ...

[@hypatian9093]

Same in Germany.

[@sjoerd5629]

The bike is the fastest way to get there (especially for trips under 5 kilometers), because you won't be needing a lot of time searching for parking spots when you arrive at your destination, you can often get a lot closer to your destination on a bike, take less detours (especially in cities, a direct route from A to B is often not available for car traffic), and as an added bonus: you won't be paying for fuel.

[@nbartlett6538]

Not to mention all the traffic jams you can avoid.

[@SonnyWeg]

Also a lot of cities are using more and more "smart" traffic lights. When they detect a cyclist waiting it will go green for the cyclist first and the cars have to wait longer.

[@jonaswille4485]

If you even have a car at all and not just save all the running expenses connected to cars like taxes etc. :,p

[@tihomirrasperic]

Zagreb, Croatia I live 13 km from the city center if I want to go to the center by car, it takes 15 - 45 minutes or longer (depending on the traffic on the road) if I go by bus + tram, it takes 45 - 60 minutes with an electric bike that goes 24 km/h, it takes me 25 minutes regardless of the crowds

[@reinhard8053]

Even more if you want to visit different places in the inner city. You can be happy getting a (paid) parking spot at all. Then either do the search several times or walk a lot. I got an E-bike a year ago. With that I use the bike more often because I can rely on the motor if I'm tired or if it is steep. It lets me do longer trips than I would do without the motor. If it's flat and I'm not tired I go fast enough that the motor won't help me much.

[@whitecompany18]

I'm in England and I love my Dutch Batavus cargo bike, I do all my shopping on it in the week and on weekends use it for fishing as bikes can go on the train here , I love the freedom of push bikes, they run all day long on cups of tea and bacon sandwiches😆👍

[@whitecompany18]

And yes cycling can be faster especially here in Europe, I have a train station quarter mile away, trains leave for the city ever 12 minutes, the city (liverpool) is on the other side of the river yet it only takes me 15 minutes on bike and train to get into the city centre then anyway is 5 - 10 mins by bike , so about half an hour traveling, not sitting in traffic, not having to find a parking spot and pay for it . Just a chill time taking it easy👍

[@charlotteinnocent8752]

I could go for that in Ireland we had a new "blue way" bike path installed along the river Suir and I could see myself taking a bike to go fishing. SOme of the old blokes I've seen when I walk down the path do that! Looks a bit like slow speed jousting as they bike alone with their fishing rods...

[@Axeiaa]

I moved to Manchester (from The Netherlands) and indeed the bike is still the fastest way to get to places often times. However the roads here are absolute garbage, tons of potholes and even the lanes dedicated to foot/bike traffic (few as they are) tends to have tree roots causing tons of humps and bumps. (Also: Rampant bike theft, never got one stolen in the Netherlands; on my third bike here already out of necessity). I learned my lesson though - when buying used, spend more on the lock than on the bike and don't get a chain lock as people stand by doing nothing whilst someone works on your hardened steel lock with bolt cutters for 20 minutes. And even though caught on camera and a place apparently known to the police as having a lot bike theft the best you'll out of them is a "We'll look into it" which they don't. Seriously, just park there for an afternoon and you got a thief (but I guess the McDonalds down the road is a more appealing place to hang out at for the police).

[@TinusBruins]

He has an other video where he explains why bikes can be faster, even in America. The main reason is that even if you are allowed to drive 45mph on city streets, your average speed is no more then 10-12 mph. So if the infrastructure for bikes is adequate, so you don't have to stop at each junction, your average speed is the same. And on a bike you can usually can take a shorter route so be faster then with the car.

[@Peterraymond67]

Ryan. I worked in Amsterdam from 1999 for 4 years. There are more bikes than people in Amsterdam. Thos who have two usually use one from home, park it at the station, ride the train to work, the use their second bike parked at the station to get to work. There were so many bikes parked onside Amsterdam Centraal station that it was decided to build a multi storey bike park over the canal basin, room for hundreds of bikes for a small fee for each. Seen many cargo bikes and box bikes carrying about 6 kids. If you crash your car into a bike in the Netherlands you are classed as at fault unless you can prove it was the cyclist’s fault. Children in the Netherlands cycle to school, they are taught cycling proficiency from an early age.

[@StMargorach]

We have about 3 times as many bikes as people in the whole of the Netherlands. It's not an Amsterdam thing ;) I myself own 4 different ones. 1 a normal city bike, I use in the city and for things like grocery shopping 2 a folding bike to take onto public transport to other cities 3 a lying bike? You lie on your back (Google Challenge hurricane bike) for long distances and speed 4 an old omafiets (grandma none), old reliable :p Having more than 1 is the norm

[@Peterraymond67]

When I worked with Telfort in Amsterdam my colleagues had 2 bikes each!

[@abigailhowes5944]

I visited the Netherlands years ago and when there was a change of shift at work, OMG! It was like a horse of made cyclists coming down the road. They come in groups of what looks like hundreds. They USE their bicycles seriously as working vehicles.

[@strobi0001]

That sounds INSANE.

[@ChallieWallie]

Wait until you get near a highschool in the morning...😅

[@hamster4618]

Imagine they would all have to get into cars. You’d be simply stuck in traffic for ever.

[@abigailhowes5944]

And if it were cars, there would be so much pollution and added greenhouse gasses.

[@NZKiwi87]

My husband and I got e-bikes and got rid of our car. It’s been life changing. It’s also been heaps of fun. We are in New Zealand, e-biking is really taking off here.

[@hypatian9093]

Changing from a push bike to an e-bike literally changed my life. I'm nearly 60 and doing a grocery run with my old bike or using it to drive 5 km to visit a friend in the next town was only for better days, where I had time to rest afterwards. With my e-bike, equipped with two sturdy panniers and a small basket, I'm much more mobile without having to use a car or bus. I don't think about it - I just drive :)

[@NZKiwi87]

@@hypatian9093 sounds very similar to our situation - and isn’t biking so much more FUN? No road rage, wind in my ears 🚲

[@corringhamdepot4434]

Most bikes in the UK were like this when I started working in the late 1970s. There were crowds of cyclists commuting to work everyday. Non-hub gears were considered as only for exotic Italian racing bikes. Almost everybody rode bikes with Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub gears.

[@DenUitvreter]

'Sturmey Archer' was my first introduction to the English language that I remember. As little kids with little kids bikes with coaster brakes there was a magic 'go faster' to that little lever. Years later I was big enough to ride on my mother's old 26 inch wheels step through with the 3-speed. Loved to shift, loved the clicks. I now ride a SA3 again, one cable is manageable in Dutch bike racks.

[@hypatian9093]

In Germany it was the 3-speed hub gear from Fichtel & Sachs with back pedal brake - it took weeks and some almost-crashes when at 20 I had my first bicycle with chain gears (or whatever the English term is).

[@PMeier-nc5lf]

Here, in my German region, these great bikes are called Holland-Bikes. I'm not the only one who appreciates them very much. Also the thieves. I've already had three of them stolen. :D

[@A909GA]

There is a bicycle garage in the building where I live, and from time to time they put a notice on bicycles that look unused, saying that if you do not remove the paper from the bicycle, they will be taken away. Now I know they're taking it to Canada 😆

[@PhoenixNL72-DEGA-]

@12:22 Lights on bicycles in the Netherlands are mandatory. If a cop sees you riding about in the dark without lights you will get a ticket. Reflectors on the pedals, at the back and on the side of the wheels are also mandatory and you can get a ticket for not having them even during the daytime. By the way the dynamo that converts the wheels rotating motion into electricity isn''t just powerfull enough to power an LED light. In the past those same or very similar dynamo's were used to power old fashioned lightbulbs. The kind you would also find in small flashlights.

[@schnetzelschwester]

You can't generalize that. I mounted a new wheelside-dynamo and LED lights and it functions well. My old dynamo actually didn't make it. Additional my lights have a capacitor to keep the lights burning when standing at a traffic light.

[@JeroenJA]

Belgium, but FLANDERS here, BIG difference , south of flanders biking is WAY less normal ;-) the rules for bike are almost identical i thought, just that in Belgium only having a pedal-backward brake is technically illegal, and for a 'oma-fiets' from NL , without an extra external brake you could technically get a ticket.. About the lighting : i HATED the dynamo as a kid, EVERY winter at least one light didn't go any more.. Plus it was irritantly hard.. yes, you have build in naaf-dynamo's , but if the problem is with the cable, it can still be irritating.. plus the extra cost is to high .. i could litterally buy 2 sets of rubber-hema-lights each winter for over 10 years with the cost of getting the build in naafdynamo on a bike.. so to me, still bothering with dynamo lights on a bike making no sense :) .

[@chipdale490]

I love NJB! As an import Canadian he shows us time and time again how good our infrastructure really is. While we take it for granted. In the late '80s and early '90 I lived in the States and still managed to ride my bike every once in a while. Dangerous? Yes! But some good fun nevertheless.

[@bendjohans3863]

well the womans bike used to be build in a way you can drive it with a long skirt

[@MerryMoss]

Yeah, I was surprised this wasn't mentioned :O

[@JeroenJA]

that litterally the reason they were created :) , a woman could not have to wave over her leg! that was WAY to indecent ;-) . most woman /older girls were actually forbidden to drive bikes when they first appeared because of that! and then the woman bike got rid of all those judgements , BUT putting the bar so low did make them less sturdy ! , an old one can break there if you drive wild :-). as teenager i did sometimes go of some stairs and such, all kinds of treathments the frame of a 'mens bike' tolerated just a bit better , but since the 50s we made steel good enough that for any more normal non teenager drivestyles that disadvantage is not really important any more. a lot of modern bike put the bat a bit in between as a sort of half way unisex! but bikes were just bikes, untill they had to make one for dresses, making the other kind suddenly a 'mens bike' , but that was victorian age !! i agree, no bike should be made with a horizontal bar any more! even only 10 cm lower is way more comfortable to quick get up get off :)

[@jonasbelting4163]

I own a bike like this from my grandfather. It´s around 40 years old now and still in use. It´s amazing how durable they are.

[@traceymarshall5886]

It took me 2 hours to drive 3 miles from my home in Dublin into the city centre - cycling only takes 20mins. Hence it is quicker to cycle or even walk in European cities and dont bother with "Uber" as they are not allowed to drive in the Express Taxi/bus lane. So if you get an Uber in Europe it will be stuck in traffic while everyone cycles or walks by you quicker

[@Ronnet]

Is Dublin also designed to prioritize cyclists? Meaning that in new urban areas the car lanes are second priority to cycling lanes. So while the cycling lanes go straight, the car is sent around the block making their distance traveled 2 or 3 times greater. That really revolutionized cycling in the Netherlands back in the 70s.

[@traceymarshall5886]

@@Ronnet lol no the cycle lanes are in the bus/taxi lane which is next to the cars. Bicycles and cars go the exact same route in Dublin - hence why it is so dangerous to cycle in Dublin as you share the road next to a 40ft truck or a guinness truck

[@tigodeling1289]

y'know what I love as well, in the Netherlands google maps also shows how long a destination is to bike, rather than just train, car, or walking

[@carmenl163]

I never realized how special that is!

[@atropatene3596]

Right but it is still Google maps, as in American. It very often doesn't actually understand bicycle paths. I use it a lot cause I need to go places on my bike at work. There is a certain area in the municipality where there is a bike path that cuts through the area, and mixed use roads going around. It always wants me to take the road, even though it knows about the bike path.

[@ziree22]

I'm a postwoman (not man 😊) from the Netherlands and I use a batavus carco bike heavy-duty, the load I carry various from 3 kg to 40+ kg in bicycle bags one on each side on the back rack and lighter mail on the front rack in a create. Sometimes it's so heavy I have to stand-up on the peddles to start riding after that it's like normal. I do have 3 gears on my bike 1= light 2 = common 3= heavy but goes a bit faster if you keep the same pace in 2. Also I have a different stand than common bikes have , it's a double stand in one like a Y upside down so my bike with a heavy load of mail doesn't fall over. Save to say I don't need a gym to keep in shape 😊. On a bike you're often faster then a car or public transportation, because of all the shortcuts we can take were no cars can go. In a city like Amsterdam it can take 30 min upto an hour to get from A to B and with a bus sometimes even longer, and with a bike 10 to 20 min

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

The basic Dutch bike is not that different from any everyday bike from 100 years ago. They are not fast, but very comfortable, relaxing to drive and extremely sturdy. These bikes just work, year after year. One very important fact: Major cycle-centric cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Berlin are flat, and the average speed on the cycle lanes is on the low side. Then very heavy steel frames, single speed and rudimentary brakes will work. For commuting over longer distances and in cities with at lot of hills, most people will buy modern, light, geared bikes or e-bikes. I still like my vintage steel bike with a 3 speed SA hub gear and drum brakes, but most often I use the city bike sharing scheme. The stations are all over the town, and the annual fee (free use) is around USD 35. These bikes are heavy duty with drum brakes, hub fed LED lights and a large, steel luggage rack on the front wheel. But the gearing is a in-hub stepless shifting system. Very nice in very hilly town.

[@biloaffe]

12:41 In many EU countries, front and rear bicycle lighting is mandatory; orange reflectors between the spokes, as well as white reflectors at the front and red reflectors at the rear, are also mandatory in Germany.

[@lilianneweinhandl8493]

I'm Dutch and something that wasn't mentioned by "Not Just Bikes" is that in the Netherlands it's usually faster to get from point A to point B within a town or city with a bike than with a car because with the car you usually can't drive in a straight line and finding a parking spot isn't always an easy job. If you go by bike you can ride in more or less a straight line and you can always find an empty spot in a bike rack or find a spot where your bike doesn't block anything. Other reasons are that fuel is expensive and in a flat country like ours it's not hard to ride a bike for small distances.

[@666Maeglin]

Step through frames were originally aimed at women because it makes wearing longer skirts possible. Male bikes with a horizontal bar results in s stiffer stronger and thus more durable frame

[@7elevenses162]

The real practical difference between the two is the rider's posture. On "women's" bikes, you sit upright, which is better for maneuverability, especially at low speeds, while on "men's" bikes you lean forward, which is better for speed.

[@666Maeglin]

@@7elevenses162 You seem tro be totally ignorant about the fact that the Oma fiets was made in both male and female versions.. So your argumnent has nothing top do with what I wrote

[@zockyo]

@@666Maeglin Curious response. Apart from the inxeplicable anger, it also has nothing to do with what I wrote. Whatever the initial intention of both versions of the bike, the main practical difference in today's bikes is posture, not skirts or durability.

[@hamster4618]

@@zockyo you are confusing normal bikes (BOTH on which you sit in an upright position but which differ “historically” with a rod in the middle of the frame, and one lacking it: durability versus skirt wearing) and other purposes bikes like mountain bikes and race bikes.

[@ZaimoZaragazzo]

Born and raised in a developing country, used to walk from home to elementary school visaversa and as a young teenager riding my new bike to high school. Never had a problem whatsoever, even taking a bus on my own as a kid going to the city for 10 cents and walking back home saving the 10 cents to return while watching every nice building/statues etc. Is this growing up free in a developing country at the northcoast of south america?

[@klarasee806]

I rode Omafiets all my life. Never rode anything else. So did my kids. They are very, very popular in Germany, too. At least here in the north. Edit: I want to correct myself here: I did ride other bikes, too. I still own a lightweight 21-gear bike for very long distances (traveling). But that‘s additional. For everyday use, I love my Omafiets and don‘t want anything else.

[@DenUitvreter]

On flat terrain in windy conditions a bit of weight to the bikes and the wheels is actually nicer for keeping momentum. In heavy wind gears are pretty useless because you'll go to slow to keep riding with a heavy gust, better to stand on the pedals and keep balance by powering through. The single speed coaster brake also has advantages in traffic, you can see what others are about to do just by holding their legs still, preparing to brake eventually, it's easy to judge their speed, they all have the same ratio, with all handbrakes and gears busy cycle traffic would be more challenging to anticipate. The omafiets is also one size fits all, the geometry makes it easy to go straight with or without hands on the handlebar, if you ride in a straigh line without effort, just 15km'h, you don't work up a sweat and you have at least one hand free to unbutton your coat if necessary. You can carry something while steering with the other hand, you can hang bags from the handlebars, it allows for all kinds of improvisations. And indeed it's comfortable and gives you great peripheral vision, if you come home you don't sit at the table supporting your weight by putting your hands on the table either, everybody knows that's uncomfortable, so why with a bike?You sit on your ass, that's where all your weight should be put on, not on your hands.

[@HarlowGlobetrotter]

i lived in NL for almost two years and let me tell you.... the wind and the rain are almost always against you. but i still love Dutch bikes. i will never go back to any other kind.

[@SanderEvers]

Honestly there is no bad weather here, just unprepared people. Rain? Put on a rain jacket and pants, wind? a wind jacket helps and if you have a bike with gears; put it in a lower gear.

[@AlexGys9]

Well, if the wind is almost always against you just means you almost always ride in the wrong direction 😀

[@AnnieLongGone]

Absolutely right HarlowGlobetrotter! During my 7 or so years of living and working in Amsterdam, if I had to battle a headwind on my way to work in the morning it was guaranteed that the wind would reverse direction in time for my ride home after work. Fortunately strong winds weren't that common in Amsterdam, but cycling to/from towns or villages outside the city could be a nightmare.

[@hypatian9093]

"There's no bad weather, there's only the wrong clothing" - that's an old saying in Germany (where we have the same weather like the NL in the North) ;)

[@zoranocokoljic8927]

Typical bike from my youth in East-European country was a kid bike intended for fun, not for transportation - the reason mostly because of not so flat terrain an, let's face it, lack of infrastructure. It had step-through frame, front and back fenders, pedal brake on the rear wheel and hand brake on the front, chain guard for the upper part of the chain, reflectors on both wheels and back fender, and it came with a little leather box under the seat which contained tools for maintaining it. (My bike, OTOH, was a Japanese made one that my parents brought from the States. It had frame with a bar, no pedal brake and the wheels were bigger and thinner than usual (and they had the same valve as car tires, which forced me to go to a gas station every time I had to pump them. My friends gave it a nickname "the bus".)

[@hidsgi-games5369]

4:55 The diamond frame (bikes with the high cross bar) are generally more sturdy. If you have a step-through frame the front and back of the bike have a very narrow connection near the pedals, which isn't good for strength. The diamond frame is basically a big triangle/trapeze, a super stiff structure. To achieve the same strength as a diamond frame with your step-through bike you need more or stronger material, which can make the bike heavier (or more expensive). As with most things in life, it's a trade-off and it depends what you want and prefer.

[@PauldeVrieze]

One of the reasons that especially "Oma fietsen" can be quite heavy (even for Dutch standards)

[@squidcaps4308]

Yup, triangle is the strongest shape and the difference can be incredible. Older Dutch bikes you could twist the frame by several centimeters, they feel wobbly without a real connection to the road. Even cheap triangle frames are like they are made of one solid piece of metal.

[@kathylecluyse7820]

Belgian here, Omafiets rider since I was 17. 62 now, and in that period I have worn out TWO of them. On my third now, think it'll last me the rest of my biking years, don't ride so often anymore or loaded with children. So I think they're quite sturdy enough - they're steel though, so a bit on the heavy side but after a while you don't feel it anymore.

[@Junebug1357]

I believe step-through bikes were originally targeted at women so that they could ride while wearing dresses. Nowadays it's probably more tradition than anything else.

[@Mr_Fahrenheit]

In the Netherlands it is all flat, no hills so gears are not really necessary, also take a look at the Beer bikes it is literally a bar that you sit in an drink beer while peddling it around the town.

[@atropatene3596]

Well that is some serious disinformation sir. There are moraines and generally hilly places all over the place. The Holland provinces aren't the entire country.

[@SanderEvers]

Yeah, you can buy a mountain bike here in the Netherlands. But I often wonder; for what mountain? 🤣We do use them for off-roading though, the countryside here can be equally beautiful. (though most countrysides also have great accessible bike paths). I only own a bike myself, which is a bit more sporty than the "omafiets" but still not a mountain bike. (it does have gears and handbrakes)

[@jetteramsey9292]

As a Danish person,love this kind of bike,my favor!

[@LilyEvans0130]

I don't know if this happens in the US and Canada, but here in the Netherlands, most primary schools have traffic exams. In 5th or 6th grade, you take a theoretical exam about traffic rules, and if you pass you get to do the practical exam. The latter involves riding your own bike through the neighbourhood, with parents and teachers evaluating everyone who rides past them. The adults will be at random corners and turns to see if everyone is following all the rules. There are also hefty fines for breaking traffic laws.

[@kimvanderlinden1842]

The way he said "Please consider donating to needy families in.... Canada" made me laugh

[@TheMrGurbz]

The ‘omafiets’ is great. I’ve rode many of them. One mayor inconvenience I found were the brakes. First, you only use your back wheel when braking. Most of your deceleration comes from braking with your front wheel, so not being able to do that is a huge miss. Second, in the case of an emergency brake you need to hope your pedals are at a good position. When they’re in the up and down position you can barely put any pressure on the pedals and slow down. I’ve seen this cause accidents before (including myself one time). Third, if your chain falls off you have no way of braking. If you need to suddenly stop, you’d have to jump off your bike. Besides the braking issue, these bikes are just super comfortable and really easy in maintenance

[@Bezerker1181]

One very crucial part that makes cycling work in traffic in regards to safety, in the Netherlands, is the law WVW article 185 which states that when a motor vehicle hits a cyclist they always have to pay for the damages of the cyclist, even when the cyclist was in the wrong. It works because a motorist doesn't really have to make a decision whether or not the bike has right of way. You simply just need to pay attention to what the bike is doing and adjust your speed or it cost you a paint job, bike repair and medical fees. The cyclist on the other hand will mostly pay attention because it will hurt and you wont get a million dollar settlement. You might get a new bike and the social healthcare will take care of the medical stuff, but not many people are masochistic enough to misuse this practice so all in all its proven very reliable.

[@nagranoth_]

They ARE bikes for women. The design was to allow long skirts while riding a bike. Men who wore trousers didn't need a lowered frame to leave room for a dress. 4:35 this is the normal kind of bike men. The frame being a triangle in bikes for men makes it stronger than the step through variant. Though I have yet to see a granny style bike (that's what the other ones are nicknamed) with a broken frame, so it's a rather moot point. But... loads of people don't care whether it was originally intended for women, it's convenient. No-one really cares what kind of bike you ride. Also, older or shorter people simply might not even be able to swing their leg over the back. --- Personally I don't like granny bikes, it takes a lot of effort to get them up to and keep them at a reasonable speed, and the coaster break is WEAK. With hand breaks you can make an emergency stop, with coaster breaks that's not gonna happen. ---- Lights are mandatory in the Netherlands.

[@charlotteinnocent8752]

You know, if I had a bike like this I would use it SO much more. I think I will put one on my wish list!

[@sleutelbergen8678]

I’m dutch. I love my bici. 😊

[@adamwu4565]

Here in Saskatoon, Canada, I've seen very similar bikes to these sold as "Cruiser Bikes" in pretty much every specialty bike shop in the City for the last 10 years at a minimum. But they're usually not available at any of the big block stores that also cell bikes like Walmart or Sportchek or Canadian Tire.

[@SphereOfNoForm]

You can find many of these features here in Sweden too. They were more common back in 50's to 00's though but still around. Needless to say that during winter time not many rides their bikes, some do but then they have snow tyres. :)

[@Radioman.]

These are the same bicycles I rode as a child and teen. Over 50 years ago. Sometimes progress is not a good thing.

[@sonjadewaal8584]

I rode these bikes all my life, until it didn’t work anymore because of a disease. Now I am happy with my e-bike, which makes it possible to still ride a bike. But I insisted that i could ride straight up, just like I rode on my grannybikes.

[@hypatian9093]

Never change a running system - they are the best for their purpose ;) (though I had one with a three gear hub)

[@Radioman.]

I had one that was two speed.@@hypatian9093

[@lolololol7573]

PS I love how almost nobody noticed the guy at 14:55 making a turn and biking with only one leg. He probably got injured or something but it shows even if you have only one leg you can still bicycle lol.

[@plumdutchess]

He seems to be looking down. Not sure if he's just looking at his shoe or leg. And that's why it's off the pedal. Even when you're injured, it wouldn't make sense or be safe to stick out your leg like that.

[@user-zu6ir6kj5g]

I think they're eminently practical for everyday bimbling about, and perfectly suit Dutch society/geography. Unfortunately I live at the top of a hill, and in my cycling days, 6 speed derailleur gears and a fairly lightweight frame were indispensable. As a child in 1950s UK, I remember cycling was quite usual for working people - and things like fenders, hub gears, dynamos, kick-stands, luggage racks and an upright stance were all normal. I guess we're learning, if it ain't broke - don't fix it.

[@hamster4618]

A (Dutch) friend of mine lived in the UK for a while. She was one of few who cycled to school with the kids. Fairly flat area, village, yet most parents chose to drop off kids by car.

[@user-zu6ir6kj5g]

@@hamster4618 I know, silly isn't it? Though our winding narrow country roads with "blind" bends and speeding commercial vehicles are a bit of a death-trap for cyclists. I live in London now, where there's a resurgence of commuter cycling (and electric scooters), but with the lack of infrastructure it's causing a lot of friction with motorists.

[@germankitty]

I got my very first adult-sized (28" tires) bike in 1965, when I was 9. (Yep, tall gal here. 🙂) We obviously didn't have LEDs back then, but all our bikes had fenders, a kickstand, rack, and a dynamo, which you could tip towards the front wheel with your foot even while riding, and voilà, both front (white/yellow) and red tail lights (the latter was also reflective). The pedals also had yellow reflective insets. These safety features were required by German law, as was having a bell on the handlebar. Reflectors in the spokes were optional clip-ons, but everybody had a basic pump clipped to the frame, and usually a small bag latched just below the saddle in back that held a basic repair kit in case of a flat tire: a wrench to loosen the screws, a spare valve, puncture patches and a tiny tube of glue. Of course, safety standards/features have changed since then, but that was 60 (SIXTY!!!) years ago. They might not exactly have looked cool, but they were sturdy, reliable and safe. Bikes are always quite popular with students. Most college towns have large areas to lock and store bikes at the train stations -- sometimes well over 100 at any time of the day. And German bike culture pales in comparison to the Netherlands.

[@KaiHenningsen]

From a German perspective: our more common bikes are similar, with the main difference being keeping that annoying straight bar and using somewhat thicker tires. However, I'm pretty certain that you need two independent brakes to be road-legal in Germany - it's usually one hand brake going to the front wheel and the backwards-peddling one, but many other combinations are possible. Also, they usually have at least three gears (usually in-hub). And I've always hated the dynamo, in my experience, it's one of the bike parts that's not working well more than it does. So happy when we got to battery+led lights! Maybe there are in-hub dynamos that work better, but I don't think I've ever seen one. And of course you *must* have lights to be road-legal.

[@christopheb.6121]

I prefer hands break, because when I go fast I like to quietly turn the pedals back.

[@alexandertarver5154]

You want to have your mind blown by bicycle park and tens of thousands of bikes?! Check Amsterdam Central Station!! I am sure our Nederlands friends will tell you where else there are more than there, but when I have visited, I have never seen more than there.

[@anouk6644]

At Utrecht Central Station there is een even bigger parking garage. It holds up to 12500 bikes!

[@CensoredUsername_]

Regarding the in-hub gear setup: No, that's not how the chain slips off, because the chain doesn't slip off. There's an adjustable planetary gearbox inside the hub of the wheel, and the chain sprocket isn't directly connected to the hub, rather driving this gearbox. This gearbox is filled with oil and sealed from the outside world. The thing that you see from the side is where the cable that controls the mechanism connects to the gearbox selection input. It pushes an internal gear assembly sideways, selecting between different gear connections. The simplest (and most common) arrangement for this is the classic three-speed internal gear hub. It has an idle mode, a high-torque mode, and a high-speed mode. In the idle mode the gearbox is bypassed, and it's 100% efficient. In the other modes, the speed of the sprocket is either multiplied or divided by a factor (usually about 1.5). This comes at a slight inefficiency compared to the derailleur system, but they are much less failure prone. There's also fancier 5 and 7 speed internal hub systems, but the 3-speed variant is by far the most common for city bikes, and cheaper.

[@gertjanuniversalis]

those are called "omafies" because you often literally get your first full-size bike from oma (your grandmother). so a that point, the bike is like 50 years old, and it still works perfectly

[@KoeiNL]

No, its named like that because you can ride it while wearing dresses.

[@jooproos6559]

50 years??A lot longer than 50 years!The first bikes to buy was in 1880 or so!2024-1880=145!!I am 75 and i know they were already a lot longer available..They drove them in the first world war and farther back..The oldest bike is invented in 1817,that was the one with a enormous front wheel and very small back wheel.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

My brother in law is Dutch, and his two daughters used to call his mum Oma, I haven't heard it for a while! That word brings many good memories! 🤗 I prefer an upright simple bicycle! 👍

[@DenUitvreter]

@@KoeiNL No, when grandmother stopped cycling, probably because she was dead or about to die, their granddaughters started riding these very well made 50's bikes in the 80's. These old ladies bikes looked old fashioned back then, but the teenage girls like them, it made them look elegant and cool. The boys soon discovered they looked cool and like they didn't care too, you can sit very macho on them.

[@hardanheavy]

I think they are called omafiets because this particular model of bicycle has been around ever since even grandmother was young. The model. Not the bikes themselves. Those were stolen by the Germans during the war. Something which Dutch people still make jokes about.

[@hypatian9093]

Not Just Bikes is one of my other favorite content creators. So cool (especially when he talks about fake London)

[@thunderflamegames3689]

The backpeddle breaks are really usefull. since the cables from the handbreaks often rust over from rain, snow or cold weather. or just make them very hard to use because they would get stuck or become slow. Making them also a bit dangerous if you didn't notice that they become slow due to the weather. When i still had a bike with handbreakes 3 years ago i had to get the cables of the handbreakes cleaned and derusted almost every 4 months or so.

[@waaltermajersfanbclup9081]

Very true. I've also flung myself off of my bike a few times when I would only squeeze one of the handbrakes on accident because I had to react quickly 😬

[@Exgrmbl]

coaster brakes are not good, they are merely cheap and can be neglected to no end, and that is why they are used. Technically a bike should never be stored outside over extended periods like a piece of junk, but many people do just that.

[@Sharon-bo2se]

I grew up with a similar bike. Only had 1 gear, a basket, sitting upright, step through frame, fenders, kick stand, lights, coaster brakes, etc. Although a Canadian make, it had a Dutch-style seat which made riding way more comfortable for women than the narrow seats now so common(the bike equivalent to flossing). I used that bike for years even though I live in a hilly city and out in the country. My urban area is becoming more and more bike-oriented. When I passed my beloved bike to my cousin's kids, I kept the seat.

[@janossziklai4327]

😱 O no, he watched a Not just Bikes video 😅👍🏻 The Business park video next would be fun.

[@KjellEson]

Ryan To be honest, the bikes on display in the film has had that look since the 1950s. The locks that are screwed there already existed in 1949. fenders were on European bicycles in the 1920s. I live up in Sweden (Scandinavia is in northern Europe) and did not understand at the beginning of the film what was a news or what was different. I responded that bikes have always looked like that they appear in the film. But then I remembered that when I was in the United States then I reacted to the fact that many bikes were almost naked. Those bikes only had the frame, two wheels , handlebar and a saddle.

[@definitelynotatroll246]

They also have the metro, trams, buses, taxis, they really do public transport well in the Netherlands

[@CRBarchager]

9:35 These are very common in Denmark. Almost any child bike has internal gears. It's easier to maintain as there is almost none.

[@soliareTheEklat]

I grew up in Northern Germany fairly close to the Dutch border. We call these "Hollandrad" (Holland bike) and I remember them being considered a status symbol among my peers in my teenage days and I still see a lot here nowadays. Generally, I love the focus on comfort and utility with Dutch bikes and it also neatly compliments the German colloquial word for bicycles "Drahtesel" which translates to "wire donkey": just your ol' reliable for everyday use.

[@the.n1ghtwriter]

I'm Dutch and my parents still use the bikes they got from like somewhere between 20 and 30 years ago, they look rusty and sometimes need to get a small thing fixed like the brakes but they're still going strong, friends of ours use them as well every now and again

[@pkorobase]

Imagine there are even bike parking houses in the netherlands, germany, and i think in denmark. 😉 In Germany the cities known to have the most bikes are Münster and Freiburg. Both have a big University with thousands of students coming to uni by bike every day.

[@MadnessQuotient]

most of these accessories and ideas about bikes are super old fashioned. But the great thing about technologies that have been around for a long time is that they have had a lot of development. They are usually rock solid for reliability, and cheap to boot.

[@HelgaJanso-mt1ex]

In my area, East Frisia, we have also this kind of bikes. They are so easy and comforting to drive. The lock around the wheel is very common here with all bikes.

[@squidcaps4308]

I used to hate Presta valves but having to fill up once during the whole winter... they do have advantages. They are more fragile thou, and it can be hard to find a pump that actually works with them.. i had to buy 4 before i found one that actually for real works, even thou i still lose a bit of air when removing it the pump. But at least te air STAYS in the tire. I used Schrader valves for couple of decades, and i had to add air every two weeks. And the "bike valve" as it is called here is somewhere between, not great but they are the easiest to use. Just pump air in and it opens, no mechanism need to engage.

[@SkaffaS]

all those dutch car drivers used to be or still are bicyclists as well, so basicly everyone driving a car knows(with exceptions) to be carefull around bikers, like slowing down and keeping enough space between them and your car when you pass them, we all know what it's like to be a bicyclist, so we take that knowledge with us when we get behind the wheels of a car.

[@CRBarchager]

10:40 Not on the handle itself but the front light does have to be connected to a dynamo on the front wheel.

[@klarasee806]

Not sure where the kick bikes for children started, but about twenty years ago they were already very common in Germany. Both of my kids had them, and at least in my area, it was normal to get your kid such a bike as soon as it was old enough to ride it.

[@reexecute]

11:58 That was ironic😂

[@CompanionRohaa]

I once seriously brought home an entire workout gym bike on the back of my regular bike. I've hauled 2 meter long cabinets on the thing no issue. Most Dutch people can bike and hold a second by bike by the handle bars to transport the extra if need be. It's insane how much it can hold.

[@irenehabes-quene2839]

I live alone but you will find 3 bicycles in my garden shed. A practical shopping bike, a mountain bike and a 22 inch (wheel diameter, the way they measure bicycle size) transport bicycle for my 5 year old granddaughter who is at my house 2 times every week. At her mums place she has another brand new bicycle of the same size but different colour. We teach children to cycle from a very early age. The only difference since my own daughter was small is that the newest generation of young children grow up wearing bicycle helmets.

[@Marco_Onyxheart]

I've moved a TV and pieces of furniture on my bike's front carriage.

[@hamster4618]

5:01 it’s for stability, men were/are often more heavy, so to prevent them becoming wobbly. For women that used to be impossible because they wore skirts.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

When I was a schoolboy, 55-60 yrs ago, bicycles regularly had dynamos to power both front and rear lights. I don't know why this changed in some countries. The reason bikes for men were originally designed with a crossbar was because men often weighed more and materials were less sturdy. Women's bikes were designed to allow for long skirts.

[@squidcaps4308]

Dynamo's are gone because they were AWFUL.. The added resistance was just too much while the power output resulted in a twinkle of light. The only times i used mine was near a crossing that sometimes had cops checking bike lights.

[@7elevenses162]

Yes, they were often awful, but they were necessary because the light bulbs that were used at the time needed much more energy to operate, while batteries had much less capacity. With LEDs and modern batteries, dynamos became mostly useless.

[@squidcaps4308]

@@7elevenses162 That is true, the mechanical resistance to motion is directly linked to the load, and with LEDs we can even use fast flicker to further decrease the load. And i can guess the mechanics are better these days too.. I do have an ebike that doesn't have light output wires, i have considered adding a dynamo back. The old bike lights were just so awful, ate batteries while not bring bright enough to help the rider to see.

[@zockyo]

@@squidcaps4308 These days I prefer riding with a headlamp. Makes me more visible to drivers, and I can easily direct wherever I need to.

[@squidcaps4308]

@@zockyoI use both front and rear lights, and rear lights even react to me braking. But, that is the law here too.

[@Yukiii3]

12:15 whats pretty neat, is that in the netherlands you can actually get fined for not having lights on your bike when you bike after sunset, its not a big fine and usually the police officer that stops you has a small basket of bike lights for specifically that, but if there isnt any you can get up to a 60 euro fine just for biking without a light

[@axelk4921]

We have the same bikes in Germany... we call them "Holland bikes" but the German bureaucracy has "messed them up" We must have 3 independent brakes and rim reflectors to be visible from the side. Also the "Holland bell" was banned for a while because the sound wasn't "aggressive" enough! But in order to get road approval in Germany, the 3 brakes and fenders have to be on so that 1. Always have a functional brake and 2. So that you don't violate Section 1 of the STVO because you accidentally dirty someone else with splash water form the tires when riding 3. you must have complete set of working lighting with headlights at the front and a taillight at the back. Otherwise you are not allowed to “market” bicycles and yes! you will get a ticket if you come into a police stop if something is wrong!!!

[@jannekelind1220]

Same in Belgium

[@Hooibeest2D]

In my home town they used to build Fongers bicycles, I got one that was build in 1912 still works like a charm. Bit heavy tho, luckily I've got 3 other bikes that work perfectly. Only use them like once a week since work oblige me to use a car. In the past I had to cycle 18 km or 11 miles to school and back. Happy those days are over 😅😂 specially during winter time!!

[@stonedmountainunicorn9532]

34yo Dutchy here, I think my mum still has my bicycle from when i was young, don't think you could ride it now but it's also not yet useless

[@Nobody-hc1rw]

Yeaaah, that happened to me as a kid. It wasn't just my foot getting stuck, it was my entire shin :D That shit hurt like hell. Locking the wheel isn't fool proof though, those locks can be destroyed relatively easily and some people just scoop the entire bike and load it in a van or something. Derailing can be caused by the gear system or when the chain gets older and looser. When it happens constantly its usually the latter. Riding sideways is actually more comfortable, people here are usually too tall so when sitting normally you'd have to keep your legs raised by flexing your upper legs and abdomen. After a while that's not fun. Sitting sideways is more of a balance game where your muscles aren't engaged as much or at all once you've mastered sitting like that comfortably. Also prevents your nuts getting jammed when hitting a bump which also a huge win in my book. Truth be told, at night very few people have (working) lights, but at least here you expect them. Yeah, in most cities here bikes are usually faster, because with the car you are hitting red light after red light and whatnot. I can ask a few local bike shops if they are capable/willing to ship to Indiana if you want.

[@DondeRob]

@3:26 you say that riding "a normal bicycle" hurts your back. That's usually a sign of a bad fitting bike, which causes over stretching. Many people have the wrong size frame to begin with. To find out which framesize is correct for you, measure your inside leg length: take a tape measure, stand up straight with your back and legs against a wall, place a book betweeen your leggs horizontally in the highest possible position, measure the height between the top of the book and the floor. Different bike brands and models have different geometries. You can use the bike manufacturers info to determine the right size frame for you. If the frame size is correct for your bodytype, then you probably need to adjust the saddle and/or handlebar position. To get the correct saddle height place your heal on the pedal when it's in the lower position, then move the saddle height to where you it touches your but. To get the correct setback of the saddle: while sitting on your bike, put your pedals in the horizontal position, lower a piece of rope/wire over the front of your knee and watch where it hangs in relation to the pedal. It should hang right in the middle of the axis of the pedal. If the rope hangs in front of the pedal, place the saddle back. If it hangs in front of the pedal, move the saddle forward. The handle bar height is up to personal preference. Hip height is recommended, but for most people too low will cause problems. Try moving the handlebars up if your back problems persist after you've set the saddle correctly. Greetings from The Netherlands.

[@akula9713]

Where I live there are too many thieves. They go around with battery powered grinders, to cut through unlocks and chains.

[@Zandain]

In Denmark we have the same bikes, they are either called Grandma bikes or City bikes and they are great! E bikes have the same shape, as Grandma/City bikes...so it's a win/win! I have my own bike, plus the house has a bike for shopping!

[@marcelkrchnak]

I really like the way you react to the content of the videos. You are auch a down to earth guy, Ryan:) Maybe I can say, I like you and your reactions👍🏻 And definitelly come to Europe and enjoy it here. 🖖🏻

[@kristianjagerman5313]

the chain does not slip as the gears are in the hub and the chain is always the same tension so therefore is unable to jump the teeth. but im a dutch bike mechanic if you have any questions

[@c0sf337]

I live in Amsterdam...here in most situations bikes have priority over literally anything else, cars have to give way, pedestrians as well. It goes 1 - public transport, 2 - bikes, 3 pedestrians, 4 - cars. This is why it's so comfortable to take your bike everywhere...everyone has to pay attention to you on a bike, so you feel very safe

[@timo57581]

The kick stand is called a “bokstandaard” in dutch

[@deetgeluid]

Lights are mandatory here in the Netherlands you can get a pretty hefty fine when riding without them in the dark.

[@CarinaVlogs]

in America it won't usually be the fastest because it's more wide spread and longer roads for cars with less stops. in the Netherlands everything is so close by that it also needs more trafic lights and streets are sometimes kinda small where the bike could fast skip a line.

[@dannya8614]

My daily commute is a relaxing 20 minutes bicycle ride from home to the railway station, where I can park my bike for free and supervised, followed by a 17 minutes ride on the train, and finally a 10 minute stroll to the office passing a food market along the way. At the end of the day I do the same in reversed order. I said goodbye to my car a long time ago.

[@Maedhros0Bajar]

4:33 here too tbh. 12:35 Here in Belgium, the police will actually stop you if you drive a bike without lights at night. And you can get a fine. I think you can even lose your driving license if you have one.

[@RageDavis]

One thing to keep in mind: the netherlands are pretty much flat. Therefore, you do not need to switch gears. Concerning the frame lock: the big disadvantage of this type of lock is, that it can not be used to lock the bike so some heavy, immobile object. As a result, even a locked bike can easily be stolen by carrying it away - which unfortunately tends to happen, especially with rather expensive ebikes.

[@NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEJ]

3 notes about the video you watched. - Frames are steel but aluminium is on the rise to lower the weight especially on e-bikes those batteries and motors bring some weight to it - Those rear kickstands are not common, for one particular type of bike yes, but most use a side kickstand. - The cargo rack have a limitation of 15 - 25 KG, it is NOT intended for human transport ... both alive and dead. Source; me I work with bicycles almost daily.

[@strubbleler]

for a few years now i have been thinking about how cool it would be to become a store owner in the USA, and have ship those bikes over to the USA from Amsterdam ( wherei live ) , to introduce these bikes!

[@nienke7713]

The bar up high has slightly more structural integrity, but it's really not that big of a deal for a simple commuting bike, but it may make the difference for those light weight sports bikes where that added structural integrity may allow for use of less/lighter material. The step through was traditionally associated with women as it was considered unladylike to swing your leg over (especially whilst wearing a skirt or dress)

[@maycatenhaaf22]

True my work is 4 km from my home. With the bus it takes me 45 minutes. By car or scooter it takes me around 25 minutes. But with my bike it takes me 10 minutes at the most 😅

[@HeatherMyfanwyTylerGreey]

They are so like my Mothers' bike in her teenage years, she called it her 'sit up and beg' bike. Mum would be one hundred and one years old were she still with us (we lost her at 98yrs) so I am not talking about yesterday. I do know she loved that bike and cycled the cheddar gorge and many other non urban places on it. They look fabulous bikes so like my heavyweight Triumph bicycle in my own teens in many ways but better.