Why Dutch Bikes Are Better and Why You Should Want One Reaction | American Reacts to Dutch Bikes

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Jim Games is updated with another reaction video. In this video, Jim Games Reacts to Dutch Bikes, why dutch bikes are better and why you should want them. Please note that these are generalizations and are solely based on what I’ve heard or experienced during watching this video.
Dutch bikes are very good for practical cycling at low to moderate speeds, such as commuting, errands, deliveries, and other personal transportation. Their upright posture is comfortable, and the bikes themselves tend to be extremely low-maintenance and steady under heavy loads.
However, Dutch bikes are very heavy, too large for small spaces or transit, inefficient for sporty riding, and not agile. If you want a sportier but still practical alternative, then consider a touring, travel, or hybrid /fitness bike.
While they’re an icon of Dutch transportation, similar bikes are actually common around the world.
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[@Krystal_Skye]

Back in the day, women only wore long skirts and dresses, which is why the bike frame for women doesn't have a horizontal crossbar.

[@thijsvandalsen2989]

Yeah, exactly. And I think the frames were originally created with a crossbar to form a triangle, which are sturdier. We no longer need that, but maybe some of us are a bit fragile and don't dare to sit on what is now called a woman's bike. "I'm a man!" :p

[@mutzeprutz3644]

AND why we can still buy skirt seats. Which I found out are pretty special outside the netherlands

[@Krystal_Skye]

@@mutzeprutz3644 I still use one of those hahaha

[@mutzeprutz3644]

@@Krystal_Skye same :)

[@Ich1GoTgl]

@@thijsvandalsen2989 I'm a man as well, don't feel like busting my crown jewels on the crossbar though.

[@heindiebels6736]

A bicycle (depending on which type of bicycle you want) new bicycle costs between €450 and €1700. If you buy a second-hand bike they cost between €50 and €200. We always cycle, rain, wind, snow and even when it freezes we take the bike, the Netherlands has more bicycles than inhabitants.

[@taariqq]

Just bought a used one for 60 Euros, here in Karachi, Pakistan. Good to know the price range. I bought a Chinese one though, has Shimano dynamo and stuff in it. What I REALLY want is one with the 3-speed in-hub gear. Either the gear built in or get the gear separately. I am having difficulty finding the gear by itself out here. At Amazon, it is $140, which is more than 2x what I paid for the bicycle. If you would be kind enough to let me know if I can get a cheaper option from Netherland or something, would greatly appreciate it.

[@janwensveen1406]

In university cities, for the bikes used by students, the locks are often more expensive than the bike.

[@margreetanceaux3906]

Am 68, used to bikes of course my whole life - it is so nice and funny, to see someone getting amazed and excited over all the traits of a Dutch bike.

[@arthurhagen3826]

Almost everybody owns a car here. Cycling is often the most convenient to go somewhere. And about bells .... how often do you honk when overtaking another car? Hardly ever, I assume. Same goes for overtaking cyclists.

[@JimGames]

Yeah, but car have lanes and mirrors.

[@arthurhagen3826]

@@JimGames like cars cyclists are supposed to keep to the right here and cyclists have ears instead of mirrors. So in 99% of all instances ringing is absolutely not needed.

[@vogel2280]

@@arthurhagen3826 In the US I don't think it is mandatory to drive on the most right lane possible. So for Jim you may need to put in some background info. For cars (in NL) it is It will cost you a 200 euro fine when sticking on the left lane after overtaking. Overtaking on the right is strictly prohibited (380 euro fine and if you get caught doing that a couple of times, your license gets suspended)

[@arthurhagen3826]

Thanks, Vogel, that's why I wrote 'here', but your explanation makes it much clearer. Cyclists in NL usualy stick to the right, knowing how annoying it is for faster cyclists when you don't. Exceptions are elderly couples and for some unknown reason teenage girls. When overtaking in those cases you do need a bell.

[@H1SCOTTY]

Not everyone owns a car in the Netherlands it haves huge costs here, out of the big cities it’s preferable and the average is probably 1,5 for an household on top that there will be cars and vans of companies. Still I’m living in the south and got my drivings license but don’t have a own car and knew more who lives in cities like Amsterdam. Every average Dutchmen Owens two bicycles.

[@qazatqazah]

When passing someone on their left you may use your bell to alert the person in front of you if they're not keeping to the right properly. However, in many cases this will not be necessary.

[@Schoofsrl]

Yeah only cyclists use bells tbh, don't think I've used mine in over a year...

[@weeardguy]

@@Schoofsrl Wrong. I cycle to and from work on a daily basis, straight through a natural area. A lot of people there walk their dogs not on a leash (which is not allowed, but the chance of getting caught is very small). The amount of times I need to use my bell is just stupid. And usually, I get foul-mouthery back when you do so. My bell once broke on a Tuesday and I could only get a new one on the next Saturday, and missed the bell greatly.

[@ammelovmokum7346]

biketheft is a thing over here(amsterdam), so its one of the reasons in the city you go around on your crappy (looking) bike. I spraypaint my bike bright metallic so its is easy to find in the pile of bikes when out in the city and it looks shabby so less likely to get stolen Locks are important and costly, use them wise: 1 framelock and a chainlock, used to attach to something solid.(u-locks are stupid easy to crack/open, and sometimes a bitch to use, that's why we stopped using them). More important is to make sure your bike is not the easiest to steal of all the bikes in the area(thieves are usually lazy and/or drunk). Like with most things: if they really want your bike, they will get it(hence the cut chains, locks everywhere). For around 500 bucks you will find a decent bike(new), and around 150-200 a good secondhand one. And about the weather.....well it is what it is and we still have to go places so either you dress up or get wet. Or when you really dont wanna, you take public transportation in the city; car is hardly an option cause expensive, parkinghell, takes long time, etc....so we bike.

[@Scarletthania]

Just checked for you, the cheapest omafiets (brand new) is around €200. It doesn’t matter if it rains, hails, snows or storms we Dutch just keep on riding our bikes. Like the video said; our bikes are build to last, and with care they can easily last for 20 years or even longer. I got my current bike before I got to high school and I am now in my 30’s.

[@JimGames]

thank you!

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

A stolen bike goes for 20 euros/ 18 Dollar...But that's unethical .😉

[@cookiecaramel6187]

A €200 omafiets (grandmabike) is a secondhand bike. A brand new omafiets is at least €1.000! But the €1.000 is well spent because it can last literally a whole person's life time. A secondhand omafiets mostly needs accute maintenance because its parts are way too rusty and need to be replaced which makes a brand new omafiets a better option.

[@cookiecaramel6187]

And if a brand new omafiets costs €200, then that omafiets is not made in The Netherlands. Then it's made in a far away country and made of inferior low quality metal.

[@nephlimjedi4741]

@@cookiecaramel6187 I have an omafiets, which brand new 10 years ago costed 250 and it has withstood all those years. Still bike on it, only had to deal with flat tires around every 2.5 years or the occasional valve cap getting stolen.

[@rosita3]

Growing up, I needed a new bike every 3-4 years, because the bike would get too small. Now I can use my bike for as long as it doesn't fall apart. My dad has been using his for 25-30 years. We don't really let anyone know when we are going to pass them, we just...pass. Everyone knows the cycling etiquette I guess, so everyone makes sure to cycle on the right side of the bike lane, so people can pass you on the left. I don't really use my bell. About the orange light: everyone is supposed to have a white light on the front of their bike and an orange/red one on the back, just like cars.

[@Dxs4all]

I usually ring my bell when the person I'm about to pass has a dog or young child with them, because they're kind of traffic-stupid.

[@veradrost9654]

The only times I've had to use my bell is when teenagers get home from high school and cycle in groups. Teenagers have a habit of cycling really slowly and in wide groups because they're socializing on their way home.

[@robertboender5816]

When it rains, snows, storms you also take the bike or are you made of sugar :-) Try buying a second hand bike to compensate for the cost of shipping. Should be able to buy one for around $100 - 200

[@patriekluursema2338]

Gratis worden ze ook vaak aan geboden. Op marktplaats

[@DinnerForkTongue]

What is your contingency for rainy weather? Waterproof bags and a change of clothes?

[@robertboender5816]

@@DinnerForkTongue it's seldom raining continuously the whole day and to be honest I haven't worn a coat from halfway April up till now. But in the case of really rainy days I just take an ☔ with me or a thin raincoat.

[@shannontrainer5857]

You can conduct electricity when lightning strikes. But the Netherlands don't have thunderstorms anyway.

[@thomaskamp6760]

My bike was around €400 (around 472 USD), but I have been using it for like 8 years.

[@baby28girl]

Same! Ive been usin my bike for almost 10 years

[@dohtje5029]

Depends on the options and brand, but yah between 400 and 800 dollar max.

[@arthurhagen3826]

Same here for my commute bike, about $500 ... my carbon framed road bike cost me over 10 times as much :)

[@MartijnVos]

Bike theft is absolutely an issue in Netherland, and especially in Amsterdam. I once heard that if you count bike theft, Amsterdam is one of the most criminal cities in the world, but if you don't count bike theft, it's one of the safest cities in the world. Bike theft is massive. In the center of Amsterdam, the convenient ring lock is really not sufficient, which is why most bikes in Amsterdam carry a really heavy industrial chain lock to deter thieves. Although a cheap crappy beater bike is also a popular form of defense against theft. That said, I usually neglect to lock my $1500 cargo bike with the chain and just rely on the ring lock, and it hasn't been stolen yet in 12 years, so I don't know if there's no demand for cargo bikes, they consider them too heavy to carry, or something changed in bike theft since I was in university. New bikes tend to cost $500-$1000. Second hand ones can go for less than $50 if they're stolen, but legal ones tend to be $50-$200. Though I once found a beautiful white omafiets in the garbage. $0 for the bike, spent a bit to fix it up, but the most expensive thing about it was the thick cable lock. A year later it was stolen. (The heavy chain they use nowadays wasn't used back then, and U-locks were still quite common. This was in the 90s.) As for why we don't use bells much, we use them when necessary, but most people keep to the right so you can easily pass them anyway, if not, people who pay attention tend to hear you coming even without a bell, and people who don't pay attention tend to react so slowly that the bell isn't that useful anyway. The exception is the bell I've got on my cargo bike: it's powered by my front wheel and keeps ringing very urgently when I turn it on while barrelling at speed towards you. People quickly jump out the way, thinking I'm a tram. I love it, but it's not a bell I've ever seen on another bike.

[@TheKeystoneChannel]

I had 9 bikes stolen in my 5 years time...even some with three locks...just a neighborhood with lots of bike criminal traffic

[@_Gianna_R]

When it rains you just get wet...we use our bike daily and usually just accept whatever weather we have to face.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Do you carry a change of clothes?

[@mariadebake5483]

@@DinnerForkTongue Most of us don't

[@DarkDutch007]

@@DinnerForkTongue rain coat and/or rain trousers (rain clothes).

[@mojomusica.0169]

Amsterdam is famous for it's canals. It is also famous for those canals to contain thousands of bikes: as many as 15,000 bikes are fished out of the canals every year.

[@BramLastname]

Apparently these bicycles are $500-$800 in the USA, However here you can get them new for $300, Or secondhand for half the price or even picking one up for free. I live in a student home where we repair and upcycle used bicycles And we've collected over 30 rundown bicycles in 4 years not just for free, But getting a welder, two bottles of wine, a motorised bicycle wheel, two go-karts and a shed bigger than our living room, donated to us. There's significantly more bicycles than people in this country, So there's bound to be ones that people just want to get rid of. And people love that we're willing to not only take it, But also give it a whole new life. PS: Ideas for weird bicycles are open for suggestions, But know that we've already got quite the spicy collection.

[@tiaxanderson9725]

I think this is one of the better 'reacts' YT has thrown me in a while. You pause to give your impressions and to explain how it's in your situation/from your view. So imma post this (unexpected) wall of text for you to read as I check out another one of your videos :D 5:10 The traditional diamond frame (I think it's called) you see here is physically more sturdy. Which was an issue before we could make quality iron and steel. Not so much these days 10:45 A 'kick stand' is literally any stand that you can kick. The vast majority of these are a single prong near the pedal crank on the other side of the frame from the chain. 14:57 While the vast majority of city bikes use the Dunlop-Blitz or Hollands valve, it's entirely possible to get a Presto/French valve or the Scrader/Car valve for your city bike. 17:25 To answer your earlier question; most people are aware that someone else may overtake them, so they try to cycle in such away that you can pass them. Since nearly every single bicycle path is wide enough to do this comfortably, it's not really an issue. That's not to say you'll never use it to communicate. You may occasionally find yourself unable to pass people cycling next to each other and give a short little ring to say "Hey sorry, coming through". And to be honest, of all Dutch cities, cycling in Amsterdam is probably the worst :P 17:45 If you're going for a good quality, new, bike from a respectable shop; it'll cost you between 400 and (especially since the Plague inflated the price of nearly everything) 800 euros (about 470 to 945 USD). But we are talking about quality brand bikes from quality brand stores. It's not uncommon to manage to find a bike for more 250 to 400 range (295 to 470 USD) and if you're willing to spend the time looking (and take a little risk) you might find a 200 euro bike at 50% off. It's not the highest quality bike I've ever had, but I've had it for about a year.. year and a half now. And it's .. well a standard Dutch bike. Oh and prices include taxes of course, because leaving that out would be silly ;P And of course you can buy more specialist bikes like MTBs and sports bikes. My father and sister recently biked through Germany and I happened to see my sister's bike; I can only describe it as a backpacker's bike. Even though they reserved hotels... The front wheels had a horizontal bar on each side to hang stuff on (and also to have that extra weight low to the ground). The handle bars had a horizontal bar to hang stuff in front. There was a big bag with transparent phone holder on the handle bars over the frame. And there wasn't just a luggage rack on the back, but again, a horizontal bar on each side of the wheel to hang some heavy stuff on so it wouldn't interfere much with the cycling. Her bike could probably carry almost as much as my sea kayak that I use for multi-day trips. 20:30 What do you mean what do you do when it rains? You go where you need to go, the way you'd go there. Or are you made out of sugar.. Actually, I've seen the ingredients lists on some USA foods. You may indeed be made out of sugar. Checks out xD In seriousness, some people put on rain pants and coat (can be worn over your regular clothes) or some sort of poncho like thing. So just ignore the rain. 20:38 According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in the period 2010-2015; 71.3% of households owns at least 1 car. 48.2% owns only 1 car, 18.8% owns 2 cars, and 4.2% owns 3 cars (to which you can see a nice little rounding difference of 0.1% that disappeared somewhere somehow). 21:46 The derailleur is still pretty common and if you're talking about race bikes it's almost exclusively derailleurs. In-hub gears are a lot more common these days compared to when I was in high school and there was that 1 kid in school who had it, but to be honest, I've never had issues with the derailleur -Well except for my current bike. But that's because I had to assemble it myself, without instructions, and I didn't look them up. So a few weeks back I was like; wait what are these 2 screws fo.. OH FUCK IT GOES SO MUCH SMOOTHER NOW

[@DinnerForkTongue]

That's what I've been thinking too. The amount of quality and in-depth delving from Jim almost takes this out of reaction and into _analysis_ territory.

[@Zhgarr]

My husband and I are Dutch and live in California in a bike friendly area. When we were moving here from abroad we did a few things: 1. We found a city with safe bike trails, and picked a house to live in at cycling distance (around 30-40m by bike) from work 2. We rented a car prior to the move and went to a shop to pick out and order bikes so they would be ready when we got here. Us Dutchies take our bikes seriously. That being said, the bikes we ordered were "Dutch Style" (Linus - Dutchi) - biggest disappointment ever. They were nothing like Dutch bikes, except for the handlebar and looks. My bike got stolen outside of a Walmart, so we decided to import a new bike from the Netherlands instead, for my husband and I'd take his bike. The difference is immense. This is from a family that has NO CAR (In California) and uses their bikes in a similar fashion as back home - every single day, rain or shine: 1. I need to probably get my US bike serviced every 3 months or so, I need new breaks every 6 months or so and I've had to have my chain replaced multiple times in 5 years. My bike makes weird squeaky noises all the time and my gears get messed up all the time. 2. My husband, with his imported bike just keeps going. Only thing he needs to go to the shop for is new tires, because we get flats a lot (even after getting protective tires and lining) I'm really contemplating ordering one for myself and just keeping my current bike as a spare. I've been so disappointed with it. That being said - the US bike is lighter to ride and deals with hills easier. Keep in mind that the Netherlands is completely flat so you don't really need 7 or 8 gears. You can make adjustments to the Dutch bike to be able deal with the different area better though. Here's what we did: Look up "Workcycles" - it's a company in Amsterdam that also ships bikes internationally. We picked the "Secret Service" one because it was lighter than an Oma fiets and then we worked with the company to customize it (but results may vary depending on your preferences), to make sure it has multi-gear options to deal with the hills. We picked different valves to make sure it worked with the US types - I didn't realize you could still use the pumps on the Dutch type. I only noticed that I couldn't use my Dutch pump on my US bike so I figured it was the same the other way. That being said, I personally am a fan of Gazelle or Batavus. If you happen to know about a store that ships internationally from the Netherlands with those brands, let me know. I might pick out a bike next time I'm in the Netherlands and have it shipped.

[@NeedANewName]

okay so definetely import another bike from the netherlands and maybe look into ebikes because they have made huge jumps in quality in the last 5-10 years. its insane.

[@Zhgarr]

@@NeedANewName Goed idee. Ik had niet gekeken naar e-bikes omdat ik bang was dat de 110V vs 220/240V misschien een probleem zou zijn ;)

[@shannontrainer5857]

The Workcycles Secret Service weighs in at a whopping 50 lbs. So yeah, it's anything *but* light.

[@Roel_Scoot]

@@Zhgarr De juiste acculader vinden, meestal kan de bijgeleverde lader 110V wel aan, maar ik zou dat wel navragen.

[@dicknr1]

if you buy one imported if possible try find a shop that isnt located in tourist scam cities with insane prices. Amsterdam being the capital cost a lot to rent space, you as a buyer pay for the goods and space. A smaller city with less foreigners will be tons cheaper to rent, so the price of the bike will be lower too. if a company has higher cost they put that on the customer. Avoid Amsterdam. Most of this country does that, you should follow that example. Boycot where possible.

[@annedewit5867]

Almost everyone has a car, but a bike is very handy. And when it rains you just bike in the rain. Bikes do have brakes on de front. It depents on what you want. Everything is posible 🤣 Price is the same, it depents if you want a new of second hand bike. An elektric bike or a 'normal' bike. You can get a second or third hand bike for way under a 100 dollars or for thousands of dollars when you want a new electric bike. It al depents in what you want 😊

[@awellner3285]

The difference between a men and womans bike comes from the past, back when construction methods weren't as advanced and thus quite expensive. Mens bikes are much stronger because of the big triangle because men are generally heavier and 100 years ago they used bikes for work aswel. Womans bikes dont have the bar on the top because most of them wore dresses, pants werent really in fashion yet. And as you can imagine it can be quite difficulty to get on a mens bike with a dress. Nowadays materials are much stronger and theres no real strength or cost difference between a mens bike or a womans bike. People cycle in the rain all the time. A lot of kids were brought to school on the back of their parents bike. and when it rained you got told "Je bent toch niet van suiker!" which means "you aren't made of sugar!". My mom even had a trailer behind her bike so she could bring me and my two little brothers to school. Nowadays i carry a raincoat in my saddlebags at all times, so when the weather gets bad i will stay dry. Most families have a car, a lot of people even have two cars. In cities its usually faster to do groceries or other small tasks by bike. Thats why a lot of families who own a car would still use a bike for shorter distances. Bikes are also very popular amongst students because we get our drivers licence later than you guys. We can start driving a car at 18 years old. Though cars still very expensive so not a lot of students can afford that at 18. Luckily we get up to 5 years of free public transport while in college, which pairs really well with bicycles for the rest of the distance. A new bike with gears can between 400-800 euros (480-960 USD), second hand bikes are usually between 100-400 euros depending on how new they are. The bikes that are too crappy to steal usually don't have gears and you can by them second hand for as little as 50 euros. Electric bikes can be as expensive as 2500 euros.

[@keessturm2804]

Almost every adult in the Netherlands also owns a car, 90% I take my bicycle, and if I want to exercise I take my sports bike. Lots of people own more then one bike.

[@lunaraurora8308]

My dad (56yo) still rides the same bike he rode to high school. Heavy duty indeed

[@MultiArrie]

A Omafiets, official called "hollands gebogen" can cost from 250 to 2000 euro, the 2000 euro Gazelle comes with metal levers and rods operated drumbreaks and 3 or 5 gearhub and should last a life time for kept stored indoors, cleaned and maintained properly.

[@trollsngoblins]

Hey Jim! You're not wrong: Even with that quicklock, picking them up and running off with them IS an option, and thievery is still a problem. But they try for those who forget it, because they have to saw it off if they don't have the key. They'll always look if they have an unlocked bike, then the spoke-lock, then the chainlock, which they avoid.... unless they put it through the front wheel... in which case they just take off the bolts and take the bike without the frontwheel. As for the wet buttcrack, that's why we have the white part on the end: A 'Spat-bord'.... literally translated a 'Splatter-board', or 'mudflap'.

[@evdweide]

React to more Not Just Bikes videos! They're awesome and eye opening.

[@joelcardoso3617]

The reason for the men and women bike frames difference, comes from what was acceptable behaviour for a men or a woman at the time of the bicicles invention and its proliferation. The first bike appeared in 1817 and the safety bikes in 1884. Back then, women wore skirts with many layers and petticoats, making it hard to lift the legs to enter a bike. Furthermore, unlike men, a woman opening and lifting their leg like that was seen as a scandal and a tottaly unacceptable behaviour for a respectful lady. That's why the lowered bar is made for women. Still, with the materials available at the time, the high bar would give more resistance to the bike (not a reality today with modern alloys and steel) so, men kept the high bar. In most websites a dutch style bike goes for ~$400, you can get cheaper or more expensive ones.

[@roseduysters9404]

My bike was €475 and I got it for my birthday/middle school graduation when I was 13. I'm 22 now and it's still the only bike i have and use.

[@speerboom]

Dutchie here. I buy second hand bikes and they usually cost around €250.- (about $300!-) if you buy them at a bike shop. You can buy them directly from the owner for cheaper. New bikes would cost you €600.- to €2000.- ($700-$2200). Unless you buy a fancy one, that’ll cost extra. They last for decades. Literally. About cycling in the rain: we avoid it if we can. The weather is very changeable so waiting for 15 minutes can solve the problem. If you do have to go out in the rain, a rain coat or rain suit is the answer. Umbrellas are not. Too much wind in this country for that, which makes them even dangerous to use. You’ll see some people using umbrella’s but most people’ll wear something waterproof. Or else just get wet and dry up later 🤷🏻‍♂️, which also is a very common sight/experience.

[@michieldame701]

Ask any Dutch person and the sentence " So you get wet, you aren't made of sugar" pops up. Dutch parenting 101 right there

[@Linda-hs1lk]

When it rains, we just put on a raincoat (and pants if it's really bad weather) and cycle on. With snow, no different. Just keep on cycling.

[@michieldame701]

The high bar on a 'mans' bicycle is the result of the seach for the greatest frame stiffness. the lower bar gives more frameflex. When it rains you get wet or wear a bicycle rainsuit, these are often longer in the back for the jacket and more room in the crotch area en around the knees to accomodate leg movement. "Not Just Bikes"has many cycle and urban planning content including the largest underground bicycleparking in the world.

[@jasper46985]

Or good fenders and a Umbrella 😁

[@weeardguy]

The lower frame on bikes for women was mainly a thing from the time women were only wearing dresses. The triangle frame was a big problem for them (and I expect there was some ethical reasoning behind it as well (as in, a woman lifting her leg high up in the air to swing her leg over the middle bar of the frame could expose indecent bodyparts/clothing)

[@taariqq]

A Bostonian! Cool. I spent 16 years in and around Boston. Went to UMass/Boston. 11:15 the stand also has a lock that keeps the stand from moving from it's place, should the bike roll or something. You operate the stand lock (lever) with your foot. Very well designed and easy to use when you are popping into a store or something. These things are super practical. I especially like the step-through frame. Pile up stuff on the rack behind you and carry away. I just bought a used one 20 days ago, for $65 (Karachi, Pakistan). These bikes are light and move light and are very smooth. I have one w/o the gear. Looking for the in-hub gear, used if I can find one, or a bike with the gear built in. It will help when going over flyovers when you are exhausted/not in a mood for extra exercise. 15:20 The built in wheel-hub dynamo is just awesome! I don't feel any extra force while paddling. PLUS ... you can hook up your phone to it as well ... so you are charging your phone as you paddle as well. The awesomeness just continues. The biggest thing is ... I don't have to worry about gas/petrol as much (prices sky high) ... and ... I get a great workout ... and you get to notice things that you never paid attention to.

[@tieman3790]

I spend like 60 dollars on my dutch grandma bike and it is so great! the tires are flat, because its been sitting still due to covid, but everyting else still works perfectly

[@mariadebake5483]

If it rains, you just cycle as usual. I have owned my omafiets for 30 years now. Before that I had my mother's omafiets, she had already used it for many years. Now my daughter still rides her granny's "grandma-bike" (=omafiets) and it's still going strong, just as mine does. Built to last

[@robvanz3663]

FYI the Dutch own about 22 million bikes ! Every body knows how to ride bike, they start at age 3 and have to do a exam on Primary school. So every dutch car has a driver who knows what biking is, and how to react to them. The red coloured roads are for bikes, they have right off way there. So cars are really only for the long stretch

[@robinvonken9975]

8:00 for the bike stealing, it does happen a lot i think. But the general rule is: don’t be the best in the lot. And if you are have a chain lock. (And lock the backwheel)

[@charleylulu307]

in belgium (i know this is a video from a while ago, but i never thought bikes would differ that much all around the world) - when it rains you can see alot of people wearing like rain jackets, or like rain ponchos that you can pull over your backpack, there are separate rainjackets for bags too. - The back locks on the bikes are here in belgium too.We also carry a seperate chain that's like plastic covered or fabric covered. - yes bikes do rust over here but only like after a very long time. - we have the back breaks too but mostly the front breaks on the steering wheel are commonly known. - moving against the weather or just moving faster/easier in general we have accelerations. - we also have electric bikes (bikes that run with a battery), you can go up to (i think) 50km/h (31miles/hour) maybe even faster - All things come with the bike itself, except for the rain jackets and separate lock, the bicycle bags that you hang over the back , that you can buy everywhere. - we know bike theft all too well to. - our bikes go from like €200-300 ($210 - 350) for the normal grown-up bikes, electric bikes range from €1000-12000 ($1043 - 13000) you can buy bikes cheaper 2nd hand to starting from like €50 ($55). - we mostly get our bikes at age 12 and probably never change from that one bike (i'm 32 still have the same bike since i was 12), unless you grow out of it and need to get a bigger bike or like the video said the most common thing that probably need to change from time to time is a wheel, your pedals or maybe your saddle cause it can get worn out. - to say we never have chain problems is also a fluke the plastic thing protects it but chains do get loose sometimes.

[@dutchman7623]

He forgot to mention the 'snelbinders', rubber or elastic bands that keep your stuff in place on your carrier. Those are also attached to the frame, and very handy. New ones will cost you between € 500,- and € 1.500,- Anything cheaper is bad quality. Second hand are usually stolen and some people do not care about that, which keep crime around bike theft extremely high. Batavus and Gazelle are very famous for good quality and you can easily Google the price and what they offer. For comfort I would say: roller breaks, nave dynamo, nave gears automatic 7, suspension fork, suspension sadle.

[@frdml01]

Living in Rotterdam, I recently bought a shopping bike, in addition to the (all terrain) commuter bike that I have. My 3-gear shopping bike is similar to the bike shown hear. It costs about 320 euros, that less than 400 dollars I guess. My shopping bike has bags on the rack over my rear wheel, for my groceries. You could say they are kind of like saddle bags. My bikes are for travel in the city, unless it rains too much. Everybody have cars as well, but it is far easier to park your bicycle than your car at the shops in the city. We do not have space for the huge car parks you see at malls or grocery stores in the US. And because every car driver is a bicycle driver too he appreciates the space and safety a bicycle needs.

[@hagelslag9312]

To answer your question about the bell, It's like standing on the escalator to the train tracks, or driving the highway - you stand at the right side. Here we all bike at the right side. The lane is often wide enough for two people, but also three. Unless you have two chatting friends you need to pass, most of the time there is plenty of room or people just bike fast enough so you don't have to pass. During rush hour, most people bike alone, so the majority is on the right with only on the left for passing. When you have groups of people biking together it's often outside rush hours, or at a more 'enjoyable' location outside busy areas.

[@leanderbuijtendijk6241]

My bike was Costa around 400.- euro and is now in use for 7 years. Only needs maintanece once a year for the breaks

[@joost9098]

Most cities in the Netherlands take away bikes that are parked in unauthorized places or they get a warning ribbon and are then taken away about a week later. They're brought to a depot where you can reclaim your bike or even buy one that hasn't been reclaimed. Starting from around 30 euro (~35 usd) for a total rust bucket. Bike shops usually sell 2nd hand bikes starting from around 50 euro (~60 usd). We bike when the sun is shining and when it rains, regardless. When you gotta go out, you gotta go out. Umbrella's or rain poncho's can help to keep your clothes and hair relatively dry.

[@_Gianna_R]

Bike theft is a big thing. My bike got stolen twice. Once at high school on school grounds and another time at the train station, which is a little more common.

[@dicknr1]

Big thing when you're around foreigners, the more you move from touristic cities the less the crime becomes. So if you can count up. Foreigners = more crime. Less foreigners = less crime. Not a big thing in NL, just in the touristic cities. Which you probably are from so dont be lying when its a city problem because your city invites 100 achmed's a month.

[@pkurstjens0]

Using the bell : cycling you hear more what happens around you, so you hear people behind you. It's not like in a car.

[@SongBeautifulPearl]

Hey, I’m from the Netherlands. We do use cars sometimes when it rains but the bicycle is cheaper and more practical, because work or school is about 3 to 5 miles away. And we actually do use the bell only when it is busy though. And in the Netherlands we actually hear the other bikers coming from behind because there are less cars and so car-sounds around. And I would say the price is different everywhere in the Netherlands because you can get bikes secondhand or at a simple shop or you could go for a real bike shop where it specialises in bikes. So I would say the ‘oma-fiets’, grandma bike is about €100,- euros to about €300,- so in usd it’s about $110,- to $310,-. But of course I don’t know the shipping price but that adds up to the price as well. I hope you have all your questions answered. Have a nice day!

[@stonedmountainunicorn9532]

My mom still has my old bike in the backyard, it's a rusty basterd and older then i am, but it still works for drinking nights ;) I'm 32 btw XD

[@anita64]

When it rains, it doesn't stop us Dutch from using our bicycle. We're not afraid we will melt from a little bit of rain 😂 Apart from that, they sell good rain suits here in the Netherlands that will keep your clothes dry when riding to work or school in a shower. Or, if you don't like the rain suits, you can make sure you have some spare clothes at work or school in case you get caught by a rain shower, so you don't have to wear wet clothes all day and get ill. When you get wet on your way home, it's no biggie, you can take a shower when you get home or just dry off and put on dry clothes. I used to have a car but almost always took my bicycle to get my 2 boys from school and to get groceries. You could often see me with a child in the backseat, a child in the steer seat, groceries in the bicycle bags over the rear wheel and several bags with groceries on my steering wheel. Always made it home safe!

[@joopdesmit]

-We do own cars. Less than in the US, but enough. The main problem: city traffic jams. Remember that cities are there since BEFORE cars, and therefore the distance between buildings does not allow for wide streets. -Theft is an issue. Especially in larger cities. -The bar on a "herenfiets" makes the frame considerably stiffer. This is actually the original form. The lowered bar for "damesfiets" was made to accommodate riding a bike with a skirt. -U-locks are meant for motorcycles primarily. For bikes they are bulky and impractical compared to the wheel lock-chain combination.

[@hvanmegen]

I used to ride my 'omafiets' (grandma bike) to school without even touching the handlebars the entire way, pretty much like a unicycle.. backpedal brakes are the best

[@lunaraurora8308]

Another thing I learned with my bike in the Netherlands, it’s surprisingly easy to ride the bike.. without hands. On the bike to school, want to zip up my jacket? No need to even slow down, just lean back and steer with your butt as you use your hands for whatever

[@Frankie_alaplaaja]

Standard 2nd hand "oma-fiets" in good condition goes for about 100 euros. Which is about $110. (included: backward stand, chain guard, dynamo & lights, reflectors, bell, rear rack, coat guards, standard rear wheel lock; excluded gears, rack bags, front rack) That's pretty standard all around. There's more bicycles than people here.

[@ricardotoussain]

A refurbished bike is about 100 bucks, a new bike between 400 and 600, electric assist bikes somewhere between 1000 and 2000 and a stolen bike 15 to 30 bucks (If you're lucky he really needs a fix, then you can get one for 10 bucks). All depends on the quality of the bike and and the legality of the bike. I belive that also anwers the question about bike theft.

[@888records]

Those locks build into the bikes handy for short trips as we often hop into shops for 10 minutes. We also go for frequent grocery trips which takes 5-10 minutes too so the chance of it getting stolen in such a short time is very slim especially in busy areas. The chain locks are only a must if you are away for a long time

[@marktegrotenhuis]

Talking about the price... I have a "transportfiets" with: - Front rack (12" wide, while the standard rack for this bike was 7") - Rear rack (standard) - 7 gears (optional) - hub dynamo (standard) - double stand (optional - same stability as the kick stand in the video, but then mounted under the frame) - steering lock (which keeps the front wheel locked in position, which comes in handy when you put the bike on it's stand, especially when you're loading or unloading something on/off the front rack. - hand brakes (optional, but neccesary when you choose to have gears) It costed me just a little over €700 or $825 and I have had it for almost 4 years now. I cycle to work every day (just over 3 miles per day, 5 days a week). The only thing that broke so far was the cable for the tail light where it exits the front fork and enters the frame to the rear. Luckily I'm a electromechanical technician, so I was able to fix it myself. It's quite a heavy bike (built to last) but I'm very happy with it.

[@mandyvlak2302]

The cheapest bike I could find at the moment is €159 which would be $167.59 for you, it would be a new bike, 2 year warranty, intended for someone with a height between 170 - 185 cm 174 - 185 cm. with a back-pedal brake, frame made of steel and an LED light front and back via battery, wheel size 28 inch, with a carrier rack on the back.

[@xybersurfer]

4:48 the horizontal bar makes the frame more sturdy. if i'm not mistaking, it's easier for women with dress, when it isn't there 7:52 bike theft is a HUGE issue. people always advise to leave 2 locks on 15:18 more modern bikes only tend to have a dynamo for the front light 15:58 you can coast a bit. usually it's audible enough for people in front to hear you 17:58 the price of these bikes new or second hand makes a big difference. new i would say typically between 250-1000 EUR. second hand could even go below 100 EUR 20:10 i spent about 450 EUR on mine 20:16 they last really long. i've had mine for 6 years. you can basically just keep getting (usually minor) repairs when something breaks, until you feel like getting a different model. some repairs you can do yourself. i hardly have any issues with rusting. mostly because the chain is enclosed 20:30 when it rains you can wear rain suite, basically a waterproof pair of pants and coat that you wear over your normal clothes. but the guards on the wheels already take care, that you only get wet by rain from the sky

[@atropatene3596]

Here's what many Dutch people do when they have to cycle somewhere: Hmm, it's raining. I have to cycle for 20 minutes. Let's check buienradar, see if it'll clear up soon. Oh buienradar says it doesn't clear up soon. Ok but it looks like it's not raining as hard as it did a minute ago. Ok fuck it, I'm not wearing a rainsuit I'll take my chances. Then we go through the rain contemplating wether we should stop to put on our rain suit after all, then after the halfway mark we decide not to put it on. Then we spend the rest of the ride wishing we had put on our rain suit. Then we get to wherever we were headed and everyone else just had the same experience. So we dry up and when it's time to go back, repeat the whole thing.

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

9 million personal cars (excluding trucks etc), 17 million people in the Netherlands. There's plenty of cars.

[@vinnyc801]

Great video about Dutch bikes very informative. I would love to get just the basic one like in vid with the pass thru frame . I’m in NJ Usa with very few bikes lanes it’s really hazardous sharing local streets with vehicles 23:10

[@dutchproxx6453]

If you want a bike with everything on it and like 6/7 gears you will definitely pay around €700/$830 and if you want an E-bike which helps you with pedaling it can cost a few thousand. And a regular bike probebly cost you anything between 200 and 400 dollars.

[@t.gunnnetherlands5409]

I bought my bike 15 years ago for about €250 and (exept for the occasionnol flat tire) i never had Any problems.

[@r.v.b.4153]

7:53 Yes, which is why I nearly always use an additional chain to lock my bike (just in case)

[@esenel92]

My most recent bike I bought for commuting and fun rides was about 400 euro's steel frame, derailleur (I do long 100-200km trips so it's good to have easy access to parts that might break) and a upright sitting model as well. The last one lasted me about 18-19 years I'd say. but after that time, and well over 100 000km (probably more like 150k km) of riding it was just finished.. that thing also had nice maintenance free drum brakes, heavy steel rims, built like a tank. my current bike is about 3 months old now and has around 6000 km on it. Only thing that's gonna be replaced soon is the rear wheel for a heavy steel rim model, as the one that came with it just doesn't seem strong enough for the kinda weights I carry with it. 😁

[@waagzangertje]

Bought a new bike about two months ago. It was 730 euro's. Bit more than average because it is a bike that needs to carry a bit of weight. With gears, no coasterbrakes * i miss them* a kickstand in the middle, front rack, rear rack and suspenders. And it's surprisingly not that heavy carrying it up the few steps. Also mine has a steering lock. You twist the lock on the front of the frame so your front wheel doesn't go everywhere when you put your groceries in the basket on the frontrack. Not cheap but also not the most expensive and very usefull. And as for the rain? Rainclothes always in the pannier ;-) And i use my bell a lot!

[@countertony]

In eastern England, I have a bike that's similar to the omafiets demonstrated in this video, but with a crossbar and with hand-lever brakes (one with just a coaster brake would be illegal in the UK, as you have to have two fully-independent brakes). In my case the brakes are drum brakes, so they're unaffected by rain. If it's likely to rain I wear a raincoat and a forage cap, and resign myself to getting a bit wet, but that's quite rare in my part of the country. My bike came with a frame lock, and I swapped it for one that has a plug-in chain for parking up - these will often fit on road bikes as well, which is useful if you're using one for fast commuting in a city without the infrastructure for lower speed cycling. Full-length fenders are useful not just for yourself but for others - if you're cycling with a lot of other people (like in a big city), the water your rear wheel picks up also goes into the face of whoever's behind you, so in places like central London that have a lot of riders for the UK it's just polite to use them even if you're going to be changing clothes.

[@kettybjor9484]

If you are cycling slowly, you always keep on the right side of the bicycle lane, the left side is for people who are really in a hurry and cycle fast. That's why the bells are not used often because everyone knows the rules. It's just like when you drive. There are a lot of thefts even though there are thousands of bikes everywhere and the most important thing is to remember where exactly you parked your bike, especially in the city centre or the train station because there are thousands of bikes and if you forget, you will never find your bike again you have to buy another 😂😂😂.

[@bepsnet]

I paid 200 guilders for my opoefiets it is now called omafiets, it went to my grandchild last week. It is about 30 years old.

[@jelcodiekr1408]

A simple omafiets (new) is like €150 $170, but secondhand it is from 25-100 depending on the status. Stuf rarely breaks, my ex gf had one from her grandma that still rode well after a small service, tires and chain. If you can keep them covered like in a shed it can probably outlive you.(though the rubber and plastic can degrade) Edit: this is for the most basic bikes

[@Syp74]

Hey Jim Bikes you can buy 2nd hand from 50-75 euro and up new ones start around 300 and go up, whatever you want on it. When it is good weather, when it rains, snows or storms you just ride your bike, there are rainsuites...🤣 and i believe you are not made from sugar...so no worries! Everybody knows you ride your bike at rightside of the street, so if u want to pass you do that on the left side...if there is no room ring your bell or just Shout. Well this was fun 2 watch thnx and have fun!

[@sepgovaarts1290]

The video You react to was filmed right next to my highscool

[@albertlay8927]

When I was young(er) and quite often spent the nights in town I only used to have crappy second hand bikes (or third or whatever). Indeed, nobody would bother to steal it and if so, it didn't matter.

[@bluewolfdancer]

I wonder where some of the other reactors get their bikes from, because you can get a brand new omafiets like the one shown in this video for around $200. A traditional Omafiets doesn't have gears - which you don't really need in a country as flat as ours - but it comes with fenders and shields, kickstand, lights, back carrier, usually a dynamo and of course the pleasant bell. These bikes easily last 10-20 years. When it rains, some people use an umbrella (because you're in such an upright position it's easy to steer with only one hand), others put on a rain suit (wide waterproof pants and jacket you wear over your normal clothes) or just get wet. As a Dutch ARMY this is so confusing to watch, lol. When I saw your music reactions you looked vaguely familiar - now i know why. I watched some of your videos on the Dutch before I became ARMY and you started reacting to BTS. Thanks for making fun videos about two things that are close to my heart. :D

[@jiriwichern]

New (non-e-)bikes in the $400 range are OK for average persons with just commuter needs or for leisurely one-day trips. My bike (I now own for 4 years) is about $800 (regular peddle-to-power bike, no batteries or motors attached). However, because I'm a 'bit' overweight, I bought a bike rated for 450 pounds of additional weight, which includes a very sturdy but easily accessible frame, a wider than average wheel base, significantly thicker spokes etc. For the rest it has an axle-integrated dynamo for the lighting, 3 integrated gear positions and back-peddle breaks. I regularly (multiple times per week) commute over 5-10 mile distances. Either for work or for hobby appointments. i never dress for the journey and if heavy rain or extreme frost is expected, I'll use public transport instead. My bike also has both a backside rack and a front rack that doesn't change position when you turn for steering (it's frame-fixed). With it I can easily rope-tie a fully packed max-3-sizes aircraft cargo-hold suitcase on front and twin side bags and a crate on the back. I do have to bike a little slower then due to the extra weight, especially when going hill-up. (Where I'm from in the Netherlands, there are some hills. One road is even called 'the seven hill road'.... and I admit I'll walk that part of the way if my bike is packed with luggage and struggle, even without luggage) But I could use my bike that way to for example, take everything with me I need to a long weekend trip (including camping gear, sleeping gear, hobby stuff, clothing etc.). I usually have those a few times per year for either my contributions to a HAM radio special call station (where the hobby stuff includes a couple of radios, electrical repair stuff, some antennae, filters, power supply and amplifier etc) or an annual whisky weekend (where you can sleep on-site but do have to bring your own bedding and are encouraged to bring at least a couple of bottles of the good stuff). By the way, I don't have a drivers license because I never really needed to drive a car. Everything I can't cover by bike I can do with public transport and a bit of walking.

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

The female used to wear skirts, which is a problem with the cross bar, The reason for the crossbar is makes the frame more rigid and strong...

[@dianapinto8350]

You ride on the right side of the bike path, if you want to overtake somebody, you look behind you first to see if somebody else is behind you trying to overtake you.

[@kevinaylward3677]

The answer to your question (for me) was €799 ($900) that’s what my new Dutch bike cost. The bike Jason rides in the video might cost 1/2 this. But… my bike I bought in 2020 was awarded the “Fiets van het jaar” in the Netherlands - bike of the year! Batavus. It’s very sturdy, beautifully made and I expect it to last 20 years. A very good investment. It had all the features mentioned except it has handbrakes, shock absorbers on the seat-post and front fork + 7 gears (Nice) it’s incredibly comfortable to ride. I shipped over my cross-bike from the US…but I can’t ride it anymore too uncomfortable. The bell 🛎 is mainly used to alert pedestrians on shared paths. With a gentle ping when even 20 yards away the folks walking will simply part without even a glance. Biking is in the DNA here in The Netherlands. Love it 🇳🇱🚲

[@sevendam9070]

17:00 People just stay on the right side of the bike lane in order to leave space for people to pass you. But sometimes people are cycling next to each other. These are usually one of the only few occasions I'll need to ring my bell. They'll automatically know why i ringed and they will clear some space. And also with young children who might swing a lot with their bikes, so I'll ring it for their safety because they can be very unpredictable if they don't know somebody is approaching them from behind.

[@davey2487]

How would I let someone know that I'm coming up on their right and am about to overtake them? I won't. I'll make sure that there is enough space to overtake and then I just go. I only ring if there is not enough space to overtake, which only happens when two or more people are cycling next to eachother or when there's a group of pedestrians (mostly tourists) in the bike lane. Sometimes I just crash into them at a slow pace to teach them that they shouldn't be walking in the bike lane. Their reactions are always funny, even when they get angry, as I know it's their mistake according to the law and they can do nothing about it.

[@topcat5233]

9:48 yes, just get wet, helps with the immune system... and gives an endorphin rush when you get home all wet and you slip into your track suit or similar comfortable piece of clothing to just enjoy the absolute hell out of not being wet anymoreXD

[@FacelessJanus]

Yup, we ride in all weather types. And second hand, extremely cheap bikes go for around 300USD. New a normal range is between 1160USD to 1780USD, any luxury is extra, and luxury bikes go very easily for more. (Cargo ebike is over 8000USD)

[@Inge-99]

Gazelle and Batavus are the two most well known and oldest A brands. My last new Batavus costed apr. 600 euro. But many other brands and prices.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

The bicycles in the Netherlands for adult daily transport are between 300 dollars and 1000 dollars (new). Childrens bikes are cheaper. Nowadays many people buy a bike with a battery and an electric motor built in. They are two to three times more expensive, but I expect that price to come down in time. We also bike in the rain and when it is windy. It is not pleasant, but it is offset by the fact it is faster and cheaper. And yes, bikes rust eventually, depending on if it sleeps inside or outside.

[@fransrademaker8492]

Hi Jim, the price to purchase a lifetime Bike depends which brand you choose. The Dutch brands are the most expensive ones. Such as Batavus, Gazelle, Kogamyata. Starting from €700,- / €2500. Nowadays is the electrical bike populair. People wil sell their normal bike for the amount of €200,-. And they look as new. Good luck with your purchase.

[@jorenbeelaert2067]

My bike cost €250 and if you take care of the bike than it can live forever

[@AnnekeOosterink]

Overtaking on a bike works the same as in a car, no need to honk when you're just overtaking someone. People stay on the right side of the road, or in the right lane, as much as possible, and don't just zig zag all over the bike path for no reason. :) You should only use the bell if you're unable to go past because people are in the way, or because you lose control of your bike somehow and need to warn people to get out the way. Just passing someone does not warrant using a bell, otherwise you'd be ringing it your whole commute. People won't just swerve, or don't typically anyway, just like in a car, so there's no need to warn them you're passing for that reason. If they need to go left or right they'll signal with a hand gesture, kids often point their entire arm, most adults extend only their hand or lower arm, so there should be no surprises. And because everyone is sitting upright you can just look over your shoulder, much more easily than on a road bike, to check for oncoming traffic or overtaking cyclists if you want to change directions. I bought my bike about 12 or 13 years ago I think, it was already a used bike at that point. A former rental bike in fact. I haven't done any maintenance at all, and I expect my bike to last for another 10 years at least. Honestly, I'd be surprised if it doesn't last at least 50 years or so. I stored my bike outside for a few years because we didn't have a shed at that point, now it's in a shed so it doesn't have to deal with weather or anything, but that shouldn't matter all that much. If it rains it rains. I wear a raincoat and/or carry an umbrella. That's it. If I stopped doing anything because of the rain I couldn't do anything at all.

[@johanwittens7712]

13:15 A bike with a Coaster brake is the one thing I'd discourage people from getting. They are just not as safe, practical or convenient. And maintaining simple hand brakes on a bike really isn't that hard. I've been biking almost every day since I was 6 years old, and I never got used to them, in fact to this day coaster brakes annoy me. First, Coaster brakes often require quite some force to pedal back and work well, and even then I've never had a coaster brake that works as well and stops you as quickly as a normal hand brake. You can also only use a coaster brake effectively if one foot is high up, meaning that while you're pedalling often your reaction time for braking is a bit delayed. Most of the time this isn't a problem, especially in the Netherlands, but you never know when that split second might make a difference. Secondly a coaster brake stops you from backpedalling at all, which is often very very annoying at stoplights or in other situations where you need to stop. Every time you stop you have to stop perfectly with one foot high with a coaster brake, so you can get going again easily when the light turns green, since you cannot backpedal at all with a coaster brake. But with regular hand brakes you simply and easily backpedal a bit no matter how and where you stopped, always standing still in the perfect position to get going again. 13:55 When braking on a hill you simply use the back wheel brake only. It's no big deal. I actually feel I have FAR more control with hand brakes than I do with a coaster brake. And lastly, yes a coaster brake requires almost no maintenance. But neither do hand brakes. Really. And what little maintenance you do need to do like keeping the tension right on the cables and replacing brake pads every now and then is so rare and easy to do, it's barely worth thinking about. Really I probably only need to adjust my hand brakes once a year, and most of the time you can do it by rotating that little screw thingy right at the start of the cable at the handle bar... Actually having to tighten the cable is happens only every few years, and it's really one of the easiest things to do on a bike. And replacing the brake pads is also a once every few years thing so not that much trouble either. In fact if you want to have a good utility bike that works well, it's a good idea to bring your bike into a bike shop for maintenance at a bike repair shop at least once a year. Your bike will always be in great condition, will last longer and will simply work better and be more comfortable. And if you do bring your bike in once a year, the repair guy will do that brake maintenance for you, meaning your brakes will always be in near perfect condition. So seeing how annoying a "torpedo brake" or coaster brake can be, I think they are definitely not worth it and are more trouble than they're worth compared to hand brakes, which are really not that much trouble or that difficult to maintain... I'd choose hand brakes every time, even after almost 35y of daily utility cycling.

[@jandirkvanleeuwen]

Well Jim, let me tell you, there are about 9 million cars in the Netherlands, where there are about 8 million households, 17 million people and 21 million bicycles

[@MartinIrma]

Yes, bicycle theft is very common. The crazy thing is that someone who's bike has been stolen sometimes steals another bike in turn. These days there are more and more bike parking places which are guarded by CCTV, so the problem is diminishing.

[@andarenbici]

Try good full coverage fenders and a rain jacket.

[@dirkvanderlaarse1878]

There is a dutch brand of bicycles that is sold in the USA. The brand is called Gazelle. It's a company founded over a 100 years ago. The bikes sold in the US are mainly (or only) electric bikes, but the principles of the bike are the same as an 'omafiets' so it includes fenders, framelock, stepthrough frame and an upright riding position.

[@truus5653]

we bike because it's much faster, even in the rain (it rain's often here)

[@DinnerForkTongue]

I think biking is much faster in most places. I live in Brazil and take the same time to get to work by bike as by car.

[@Panteni87]

The cost for an oma-fiets is between 150 and 500 dollars, although the cheaper ones are harder to find nowadays

[@catharina2022]

I am in my seventies my bike was 1200 euros 10 years ago and one's every year I put on new tyres, the special kind that do not get puckered easily, I have two locks one attached to my bike and one to attach my bike to a pole or a rack. I have never owned a car I go everywhere by bike ( I like to drink a glass of wine) and for that you need a waterproof raincoat.🇱🇺🚴‍♂️🙋🏼‍♀️

[@celineappeldoorn8301]

You csn get a bike at any price, depence on the maker, what extra you want. You can buy a good second hand, for under 100$. And we ride bikes in every weather. Just put on a rain coat, pants, but most house hold have 1 or 2 cars, we only bike in and around our city and use the car for longer distance or when its really shitty weather

[@stan1845]

I got a omafiets from the mid 60s for free a couple months ago and i spend around 60€ to get parts (bottom bracket, chain, some bearings) just shows how good these bikes are and how cheap maintenance is. If you do it yourself ofc 🙃

[@Whistler4u]

Might be me being Dutch but i like cycling in the rain.

[@renee568]

I own a cortina which costs €499. I have owned it for 9 years now. Front and back rack, 3 gears, back paddle break. I have complete changed my front light 1 time and sometimes change the batteries. I have had to go to the bike repair shop 2 times in total.

[@MrDiaz-zc6pp]

Bicycles in the Netherlands cost somewhere between 20 - 100 dollars, as people usually buy them 7th hand ish. I have a 1990 bicycle and a 1965 tandem and if you maintain them the will last forever yo!

[@Retro_Care]

second hand omafiets i paid 50euro for (under 60$) and it is fully functional, besides that everything you need to replace is extremely cheap because everyone needs them and tools you need to replace or repair a tire/handles/locks/fenders/lights etc you can buy in every hardware store. for around 100-150$ you get a great second hand bike here for sure and there is so much for sale that you dont have to go far to pick one up and cycle home :)

[@dutch_blades]

17:44 I got my current bike for around $270 new from the shop. But the Dutch version of Craigslist is filled with them and they'll cost next to nothing in some cases. (probably due to the fact that we've got 23 million bicycles for a population of 17 million) There are of course e-bikes, racing bices, mountain bikes, etc. which'll cost more.

[@ComCommie]

You should watch "How to survive the Dutch Fireworks", It's an amazing little video about new year's eve in the netherlands!

[@JimGames]

Great recommendation. I did react to the Dutch fireworks. heres the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/qprdea2CaseGrqc