Of Bikes and Bike Riding
Six weeks using a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation. Here's everything I know about the two-wheeled objects.
Bicycling in Holland is a typical mode of transportation. We ride mostly three-speed road bikes here, and the quality of the bike doesn't seem to measured in how new it is or how stylish it looks. Rather, a good quality bike, I'm finding out, has more to do with whether there is a cover over the chain and gears, whether or not the bike has disk brakes, and how the gears function.
Standard features include a lot of very practical pieces of equipment. A rack on the back of the bike, with bungee cords for strapping on packages. Fenders are on both wheels. Reflector lights, and power-operated lights are all over the bike. A generator is also attached to the front wheel, so all bikes have a headlight and taillight (and they are bright!). A bell is also a must. Although they have to purchased separately, two or three locks are also necessary!
Optional equipment includes such items like saddle bags, a front basket, child seats (some have two or three!), and a hook for pulling such things as a cart or a smaller bicycle for a child (that's an interesting sight). It seems like soft seats are also optional - or maybe I'm just sensitive.
Whole (rather large) sections in stores are dedicated to bicycle parts, and there are many "tweewheiler" stores around.
I've ridden my bike in sunshine, rain, snow, ice, wind, and hail. Sunshine makes me very happy to have a bike so I can enjoy the weather. Rain makes me ride faster. Snow is a lot of fun to enjoy on a bike, if it's not too cold (which it hasn't been). Ice sends me praying I won't go flying into one of the canals next to the bike paths. Wind makes me want a car. And hail is the most painful.
I've taken my bike through a tunnel made especially for bikes that goes under the Port of Rotterdam (that's a wild concept, isn't it?). It also goes on the train with me quite often. I take it short distances, like to the Metro stop near the house, and I've been to several places pretty far away from our apartment, like the port and the city center. My most recent ride was to the train station 35 minutes away at 4 a.m. (in the hail).
I've fixed a light on my bike, and I haven't manged to lose any keys for the locks. Dan has fixed several things on his bike, and we have bicycle parts in various places throughout the apartment. We've bought some, but most are salvages from the three bikes Dan purchased since arriving in September. We never know when a headlight will break, when a kickstand will fall off, or when the wheel will go flat.
All this aside, the most impressive thing I've done with my bike is prevented it from getting stolen for six weeks!
Bicycling in Holland is a typical mode of transportation. We ride mostly three-speed road bikes here, and the quality of the bike doesn't seem to measured in how new it is or how stylish it looks. Rather, a good quality bike, I'm finding out, has more to do with whether there is a cover over the chain and gears, whether or not the bike has disk brakes, and how the gears function.
Standard features include a lot of very practical pieces of equipment. A rack on the back of the bike, with bungee cords for strapping on packages. Fenders are on both wheels. Reflector lights, and power-operated lights are all over the bike. A generator is also attached to the front wheel, so all bikes have a headlight and taillight (and they are bright!). A bell is also a must. Although they have to purchased separately, two or three locks are also necessary!
Optional equipment includes such items like saddle bags, a front basket, child seats (some have two or three!), and a hook for pulling such things as a cart or a smaller bicycle for a child (that's an interesting sight). It seems like soft seats are also optional - or maybe I'm just sensitive.
Whole (rather large) sections in stores are dedicated to bicycle parts, and there are many "tweewheiler" stores around.
I've ridden my bike in sunshine, rain, snow, ice, wind, and hail. Sunshine makes me very happy to have a bike so I can enjoy the weather. Rain makes me ride faster. Snow is a lot of fun to enjoy on a bike, if it's not too cold (which it hasn't been). Ice sends me praying I won't go flying into one of the canals next to the bike paths. Wind makes me want a car. And hail is the most painful.
I've taken my bike through a tunnel made especially for bikes that goes under the Port of Rotterdam (that's a wild concept, isn't it?). It also goes on the train with me quite often. I take it short distances, like to the Metro stop near the house, and I've been to several places pretty far away from our apartment, like the port and the city center. My most recent ride was to the train station 35 minutes away at 4 a.m. (in the hail).
I've fixed a light on my bike, and I haven't manged to lose any keys for the locks. Dan has fixed several things on his bike, and we have bicycle parts in various places throughout the apartment. We've bought some, but most are salvages from the three bikes Dan purchased since arriving in September. We never know when a headlight will break, when a kickstand will fall off, or when the wheel will go flat.
All this aside, the most impressive thing I've done with my bike is prevented it from getting stolen for six weeks!
posted by Beth at 7:29 PM
2 Comments:
Wait... I could have sworn you wrote about "a tunnel made especially for bikes that goes under the Port of Rotterdam." What's Dutch for "what the hell?" Map, please.
http://www.vvv.rotterdam.nl/uk/trd/architectuur/architectuur_bruggen_en_tunnels/45004.asp
Here's the info. Use mappy.com to see where it is. Note the link I gave you highlights "accessible for wheelchair uses".
There is a tunnel for cars, and one for bikes (and wheelchairs, I guess)!
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