Why Dutch Bikes are Better (and why you should want one)
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- čas přidán 3. 05. 2024
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The Dutch-style bicycle, an upright bicycle designed for comfort - not sport - is commonplace in the Netherlands. But they're incredibly rare in many other countries.
This video explores why these bicycles are so useful, practical, and comfortable.
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:05 Omafiets & Practical Bicycles
0:49 Other bicycles in the Netherlands
1:10 Upright riding
2:20 Step-through frames
3:07 Coat guard and chain guard
3:34 Frame locks
5:07 Fenders, kickstands, & racks
6:05 In-hub gearing
6:28 Coaster brakes
7:12 Tires & tubes
7:39 Dynamos & bells
8:08 Upright bikes in Canada
9:14 Summary & Conclusion
10:03 Patreon shout-out
10:15 Outro
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Living in the Netherlands, I must admit these bikes are great. But it is important to keep in mind that they are highly specialized for the local conditions.
Coming from Madrid (a quite hilly city), these heavy, single speed bikes with a single and not too powerful rear brake, would be almost useless and certainly dangerous to ride.
Indeed, lighter hybrid bikes with stronger breaks and more speeds work much better in Madrid and similar cities. There's a kind of bike for every kind of situation, and no one-size-fits-all.
It's not the bikes I'm envious of, it's the infrastructure and building codes that actually makes cycling practical and safe that I'm envious of.
@Seaworth no, it's because there were no cars when Dutch cities were built. There's also a lot less land per person in the Netherlands.
@Seaworth most cities in the US expanded in the 50s when cars became affordable for families. Most cities in the Netherlands expanded in the 1500s, lol. Also, in the US, people had the option to build outwards because there's a lot of cheap land. People in he Netherlands did not/don't have that option. It has nothing to do with "arrogance" or "peacockery."
@Seaworth Ben, the author of the original comment, lives in the US, so obviously the conversation involves the US.
@Seaworth no, when Ben said "It's not the bikes I'm envious if..." and you replied to him and then I replied to you. The comment, not the videom keep up
@@eliwhite5548 there no cars when basically the entirety of European cities were built - post car cities/towns is mostly a 'new world' thing (Asia, Americas etc).
The durability of These Things is actually crazy. I currently ride a dutch bike my parents bought in 1985. That Thing is 10 years older than me and virtually never needs any maintenance.
They're great. But there is one big drawback: they are heavy, and designed for flat land like the Netherlands. If you live in an area with even slight hills, these are not very useful for every day use.
Grow your leg muscles, Boy
Just add a motorized front or rear wheel and disc brakes, and these bikes become the Kings of the bike world.
@@timothyknight8529 It would add more weight and cost. The Dutch people don't need it. It's an interesting concept though.
@@PeterRoos ... I want to get that Dutch bike with motorized wheel and the disc brakes for a friend of mine who lives in the hill country of western Tennessee over near the Mississippi River in the USA.
He has a 33-year-old daughter (Katy) who is extremely disabled, can't talk or walk or feed herself, and he pulls her in an adult trailer (Wike). He's been doing that for about 15 years at least, and he's been pulling it with a $300 GT bike (nothing special but plenty of gears). He says he needs more gears now that he's getting older (he's 60 now).
I'm guessing Katy weighs 130 lb and with the trailer and all the stuff that's in it, it's about 200 lb that he's been pulling with just a cheap $300 GT bike that is now on its last legs.
I think the Dutch bike would be the brute that can handle that trailer like nobody's business, and he be sitting pretty, and he'd have one gear or maybe three, depending on what's in the hub in the rear, but the motor would get them up any incline he couldn't handle, and he couldn't handle most of them pulling 200 pounds.
I'd like to give it a try but I don't know how the heck I can find one of those new grandma's Dutch bikes in America. I'll look around though.
Thanks Peter!
That’s why I lusted after “English racers” because they were lighter and had gears. Still vastly simpler and cheaper than contemporary bikes. But the not as sturdy, which was obvious. In Florida main problem was wind, especially on cold days. Can’t imagine non optional use in North.
Not only are Oma bikes comfortable, you can lean back, sit on the rack hold handles and pretend it's a harley davidson.
You mean you can ride it as intended. No 12 year old should ever ride one any other way.
@@daylen577 12 year olds all ride with no hands to show off how cool they are. I admit, I still do this sometimes.
@Mark just clip a playing card to the wheel
Haha goeie
@@DellDuckfan313 I do this on every long bike ride. I can sit upright for a few seconds and relaxe my back, hands and arms, maybe swing them around or put them on the head, arch the back all the way inward. Feels good. In addition you can put on/off your jacket and gloves from/into your backpack while riding. Or unstuck that damn jacket zipper.
Don't forget to donate your used bikes to a sad Canadian in need
If you're Canadian send monthly one of these videos to all your representatives, so they start building the infrastructure needed to feel safe on them as well. ;)
Or American.
AND NORWEGIANS... We watch these videos and cry in Norwegian!. ..
Me, that's me. I'm a sad Canadian in need. Pls donate
@@coffeepot3123 Norway is one of the richest countries in the world. Somebody could get rich importing and selling these bikes. ;)
My mind is absolutely blown that these designs I take for granted every day are so unique and rare for other countries!
my aunt has a nice sky blue bike like this and we treat it like a prize possession LOL
because in other countries they dont use bikes like this cause they gonna break in one day but yes for netherlands they are usefull
@@SakuseiMaking Actually "Hollandräder" are not uncommon in Germany either. More so in the (flat) northern parts of course, but they work well enough in slightly hilly areas as well.
And they LAST, almost as well as so called "pre-war bikes". But those were built like panzers. ;)
@@AleaumeAnders Thank you for the history lesson mate i really like it :) i am from greece these bikes gonna break in a few minutes thats why i said it
@@SakuseiMaking *nod* I wouldn't want to ride a "street-racing bike" in mountainous Greece. ;)
I love the "cars give us freedom 🇺🇸" arguement, this looks so much more liberating then driving my car getting stuck on the freeway, I would rather have the freedom to take the literal extra 40 mins to get to work on a bike on nice days (edit: if I there was bike lanes or even sidewalks most of the way.) so to save on gas money and use my car for days that are raining or snowing heavily on my way to or will probably rain on my way back from work. Now that would be freedom...
Exactly, nothing feels more liberating than having a bike and being able to get to your destination faster than a car or public transport could do
@@cosmicreciever how about when it is hot or rainy?
@@dickiewongtk Have you heard of hats and coats
@@m.f.3347 and not having a roof... hot days are a very car centric problem
'And I don’t understand why we still call these “men’s bikes” when it’s the only kind you can hit your nuts on.'
- Valid point, hilarious stated.
@@roobern4334 are some people in your near vicinity just getting suffocated by the insane testosterone you exude
I'm not sure but goes back to the days when taking a hit to the jewels made you a man,, while smoking marlboro,,lol
It's because the high bar makes it impractical to ride one in a dress, which is an article of clothing that women used to wear.
@@phirion6341 Mate whenever someone makes it personal it just shows a lack of an argument
@gnilttbs which comment mate?
my first memory is my dad kicking me in the face while swinging his leg over the bike
We call that a "Dutch baptism"
There's a good reason why my dad rode on what in those days was still considered a women's bike.
Guilty as charged. The next day I bought a pull-trailer for my toddler.
WASTED
Well, it wasn't your last memory, so....
Yes, I've ridden the upright style bikes in the Netherlands, and it was a quite nice experience going from one small town to another across the countryside on special bike tracks. Slow and steady, not in a hurry.
But I would never have one where I live because as soon as you have anything like a hill, their heavy construction is a liability.
Best to choose your bike according to local conditions :-)
Exactly. I live in SF Bay Area and do most of my riding in Oakland, Berkeley and SF. Lots of very steep hills. “Sporty” road & hybrid bikes here make riding so much easier.
The solution to everything is moving to the netherlands
@jbassmesser183 i ride in tilden a lot so i usually just end up riding my mtb around town and then up to trails up there
I live in the eastern part of the Netherlands where it's a bit more hilly. Still nothing compared to other countries, ofcourse. Bike shops here tend to sell aluminum frame bikes or hollow-steel framed ones instead of solid steel ones. The frame is never the issue when it comes to maintenance, anyway, so swapping out the solid steel for something lighter really isn't that bad when it comes to durability.
Good point. Netherlands are really flat.
This video makes me feel validated. I wanted what I called a "city bike" and was happy to find several used Raleighs at a shop in town that were almost exactly what I had in mind, but the shopkeeper seemed to be trying to talk me out of buying the one I wanted. He told me it wasn't aerodynamic and the step-through frame wasn't as sturdy as a frame with a crossbar. When I asked about replacing the mountain-bike handlebars with sit-up straight handlebars, he said that would increase my wind resistance. I couldn't seem to convince him that I just wanted to putt along at 5 to 10 mph, looking around me while I went to pick up groceries or go to the post office. It was as if he'd never heard of using a bike just to get around and carry things. I got the handlebars I wanted at a more practical local bike shop and have loved my bike for 10 years or so now.
It's fun to watch someone describe something that's so normal. "These are scissors, some of them are big so you can cut cardboard with them, others are smaller so you can trim your nose hair. This is not common in North America where people are injured all the time by trimming their nose hair with utility knives"
As a German it's nice to see someone passionate about simple bikes like this - last summer I spend a day with my parents, to find out, which parts of 3 or 4 of these old dutch bikes are still working and combining them, to get 2 working bikes. they were probably around 70 years old - I don't know when they stopped building handbrakes, that consist of a straight rod with a rubber pad pressing down ontop of the tire. Especially if you keep a bike around for guests, a simple to maintain bike is really nice.
@@ernieee42 A german with 70 year old Dutch bikes? *insert give me back my grandpa's bike jokes here*
lmfao great analogy !
This is such a perfect summary of this entire channel
@ Ernieee42
According to the Dutch, Dutch bicycles with brakes of this kind, actually all bicycles, became rare in the Netherlands after September 5, 1944. And your parents had 4!
Perhaps unintentionally, but comments with German and old Dutch bicycles are a faux pas. You will notice.
That brake only is a good idea in a flat environment. We were on a trip in Belgium with school once and gathered momentum downhill when a classmate's chain came off the sprocket. Managed to catch up to him grab his shoulder and slow him down just before a sharp turn. Had he be alone he could have made a big drop. I think having 2 brakes is mandatory in Belgium and not without reason.
also the brake power of front wheel is higher, this is true for all wheeled vehicles
@@buioso Yes, but for all bikes it is generally better to use front and back brakes at the same time to maximize the brake efficiency and to minimize the risk of a blockage of a wheel .
If the front wheel blocks you will certainly go to the ground (without ABS protecting from blocking in the first place).
If the back wheel blocks you might still have a chance.
Because the front brakes are so strong you must be careful to not brake to hard. Otherwise you fly other the handlebar.
*"That brake only is a good idea in a flat environment."*
Kids do fine with pedal brakes in hilly areas. But a brake on the front wheel is a good idea too.
*"Had he be alone he could have made a big drop."*
Did he try putting his feet down? Not great for your shoes but you'll avoid injury. I rode a bike with basically useless brakes for a while and just put my feet on the pavement to stop. I have pretty big hills too.
@@richardlinares6314 i love this so much, i used to ride a bike where the brakes did nothing so going downhill just meant hoping there wouldn't be any traffic because i needed at least 10 meters to get to a stop
If his chain came off then it was too loose. In other words: not good enough maintenance/adjusted
As Indonesian, I have one of these bike, passed down by my great grandmother to grandmother to my mom, now its mine. Manufactured by BSA, roadster "woman" model. Riding experience is so different compared to "modern" bicycle, so relaxing!
As a Swede, this is among the most hilarious things I’ve seen since it is so everyday. It doesn’t make any sense for me that no one wouldn’t be familiar with these kinds of bikes. As much as I love the US/Canada, they really need to get back up in the (bike) saddle again.
Well said. I live in (HILLY) Wales, have an Electric form of these now as I'm 74 and it's my ONLY form of transport. I cycle for pleasure as well as shopping trip's and clock up 100 mile's a week. No Helmet or other "Cycling Gear". I ENJOY the ride / Countryside / Nature and don't do it to "keep fit". That wood bore me.....
The problem is that, at least in the part of the US I live in? These bikes will NEVER be ideal, even if the infrastructure supported it.
Climbing uphill in a single-geared, heavy steel bike is torture, and going downhill with just pedal breaks to save you is asking to get in an accident. As long as a simple 5km ride can involve almost 100 meters of uphill and downhill (having at times 30 meters of elevation change in 300 meters of distance) it simply isn't going to be enjoyable.
It’s the type of simple bike I had and loved growing up. Since where I live is mainly flat, it’s the type of bike I would love to have now. Fortunately, bicycling is increasing in popularity here; so, there are more and more bike lanes being incorporated into new roads when they’re built but on many busy streets, bicyclists are putting their lives in their hands. I would simply not be brave enough to ride so close to cars with no bike lane.
@@berneemartin8859 Where you from ? I think many people think / feel that way too. I live in Rural Wales, single lane street's, mainly because of parked car's ! So motorist's can't drive fast & are use to being thoughtful of other road user's {cars}. I believe this is why I feel SO SAFE on the road's. The other PLUS is in this area there are a lot of 'trail's' and we're allowed to cycle on many of the foot path's. I guess there's more than just the "scenery" to be pleased about, living here in such a lovely area of the country.
@@moonmelons They do apparently have multi-speed bikes also - 6:05 - , but yeah, they are probably still heavy. I used to ride my Dad's single speed, 'coaster brake', balloon tired Rollfast bike all over the place, so I remember all the drawbacks. Climbing hills and 'wind in your face' made me want a motorcycle.
“If you see a bike locked only using a frame lock, the owner probably considers it too crappy to be stolen”
No need to call me out like that
Is this a Dutch assumption?
Because it would def be the case in Germany.
Either it's too crappy or the owner has enough stacks to get another bike easily. People steal the crappiest bikes here
He said "If you see a bike locked like this" with a picture with the key still in the bike. Using a frame lock is actually considered as taking care of the bike.
@@dessertking5240 In the netherlands you bike will always weight 50 kg. Either because it's a shitty bike with a steel frame, or a nice one with a very heavy lock
@@JCGver I love steel frames though, they feel much more comfortable than aluminium frames in my opinion
When starting university the guideline was to spend half the money you paid for your bike on the lock. That would get you on the 'not worth the effort' side of the consideration for most thieves for any type of ride
And when it's cold outside you'll see all the youngsters cycling great distances without even touching their handlebars. They just keep both hands in their pockets for warmth hehe.
Here in Canada we keep ourselves warm by swearing against the snow. It works great.
Yes we do this for many kilometers, also the phones will come out of our pockets in the summer. (yes it is illegal now but yeah you still see it everywhere)
in China, they have these weird gloves directly on the handle bars, look funny, but must be quite warm, i guess...
That's how I flew over my handlebars and ended up in a hospital. Whatever you do, make sure you can regain control quickly, don't do what I have done.
@@rouge5140 this one time the snow was talking some real shit and i had to fight it. That showed it whos boss
Having grown up in the US in the 50’s and 60’s I fondly remember the older style bicycles with coaster brakes, fenders and sturdy frames. We all had them. Road bikes and mountain bikes have taken over the retail spaces, but they are no substitute for those older bikes if you are a kid or a commuter. What is old will be new again.
As someone who grew up heavily riding along the west coast Canada. My mother got one of these bikes when I was in HS. I always had road bikes and mtb’s. For those of us raised with large amounts of riding experience between downhill riding and road bike riding, they are less ideal. As he mentioned, they are heavy and don’t stop nearly as reliably as standard disc brake mtb’s, which really are the most reliable, or even v-brakes. In somewhere where you face regular hills, weight really matters and having good brakes which are low effort do too. I had a couple friends as well in BC who got these bikes while in Uni, all of them are active individuals, yet out on rides they struggled to keep up, to make it up hills, and to safely control speed on large declines. I have nothing against these commuter bikes in the right setting, but a major reason these aren’t as popular in many places is the terrain, let alone the scale of commutes, make those less efficient bikes not useful.
I find this style bikes extremely uncomfortable, I'd rather ride long distance on a dirt jump bike with the seat all the way down than short distance on an upright bike. hardtail MTBs are the most comfortable for me tho
I feel surreal watching this because growing up in Vietnam, this type of bicycle with the exact same frame, wheel guard, frame lock, kickstand, valve, etc. has always been the bicycle of choice for school girls to go to class on skirts or traditional costumes. They are the most comfortable bike ever for city rides. Miss them.
Was the Netherlands ever present in the area in colonial days? Maybe that's why this style of bike ended up in Vietnam?
@@denzzlinga doesnt have to come up directly from netherlands
Same in India…
@@denzzlinga While the Netherlands (and Denmark) has a bike culture above anyone else, this isn't a *dutch* bike, it's just normal bike stuff internationally which isn't common in North America because of the extensive car culture.
yep, its really justa classic bike
I can already imagine thousands of Dutch moms...
"Be careful with that bike!"
"But mom it's shit"
"Kids in Canada would beg for a bike like that, be more grateful!"
Edit: calm down people, debate the pros and cons of Brexit somewhere else
No they wouldn't lmao, they're fun to ride... until you wanna ride on like any trail
@@Nik-ny9ue That comment was pretty good... until you wanna have like want word
@@Nik-ny9ue get you're bmx out the hedge in your garden then!
These bikes seem to be inefficient and you are not in a aero position either.
No they wouldn't. Having a bike is not for a race. Idk why is the guy from this channel denying his country and hating on it for no reason. He gives a bad image of canada while it's like 4 times less dangerous, less poor and homeless people then usa and Healthcare is also free. He shows examples of canada as Ontario but Ontario had a history where ir was and still is highly influenced by American culture. That's why montreal is less grid and suburbs than Toronto. Montreal also has only small highways and didn't destroy whole suburbs like usa and Ontario did. This guy thinks Ontario=canada while it's false.
These bikes are also popular in Japan and called mama cyari (mama bikes). They are especially popular in high density urban areas where parking cost for cars are high and space is limited. Mothers can be seen zipping through the streets with seats fitted to carry children. Sometimes two at a time, one in the front and another on the back.
Recently battery assisted mama bikes has gain popularity because of obvious reasons as well as the fact that they are built with a sturdier frame for safety.
We have a bunch of them at home here. This type & electric assist also > www.cycle-eirin.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DSC01632.jpg
I lived in Eindhoven for a year,i had one of those amazing bikes,with 3 gears that could get you up to a very decent speed if needed,the real genius is the infrastructure and how safe it was to ride there,i left with nothing but respect fot the wonderful Dutch people,they know how to solve problems with common sense.
i saw a profound tweet that was like "americans are so nostalgic for college bc its the only time they've ever lived in dense well-planned urban areas" and man is it true. i had one of these bikes back then and def miss riding it to class, grocery stores, friends houses, restaurants, etc.
way to fkn call it out. yeah. thats true
I love that comment. It's a bit like the desire to live out in the country here in the UK. So that everything you need is a long journey away rather than in your neighbourhood.
I have seriously considered moving to a "college town" because of this. They tend to be small and reasonably bikeable/walkable (though many have sprawled, and any campus built or expanded in the last 60 years forget it). Small towns in the USA that are NOT college towns you are going to encounter alot more "negative" attitudes about cycling.
@@3of11 That's not a bad Idea.
Not wrong, I loved biking after college weather it was my motorized bike zipping around town or my race bike and often riding to the lake to do some timed laps for fun. Everywhere else its suicide.
I'd love to have a Dutch bike here in Australia but you COMPLETELY forgot to mention that the Netherlands is completely flat, and Dutch style bikes are absolute hell going uphill.
Just get one with gears and handbrakes, those are still incredibly common while keeping the same general design.
besides, omafietsen are made for short trips/commutes inside cities, and cities all around the world are pretty much always fairly flat. So that is kind of a non-issue.
@@bavtie1 No, that is not the case. The cities near my hometown are all very hilly with climbs of 10% and 100-300m in the vertical as they were buit between a river and a fortresse. Flat is only the very centre, but that is so small that you do not need a bike there. You can just walk. On the other hand, most people live on the surrounding hills and this requires always some climbing. Therefore, almost nobody uses Dutch bikes there even if there is quite a number of bicycles. In the 1980s when almost no other bikes existed, people had to walk uphill and ride downhill. The invention of mountain bikes in the 1990s really boosted cycling there. Nowadays E-bikes do part of the job.
@@bavtie1 planned cities are flat. Many cities had disordered growth, people just built stuff on available hills.
@@florianmeier3186 Outside of Limburg, the Netherlands is "flat", the small hills and inclines you are talking about are not comparable to what some of countries outside of the EU deal with.
@@andreworam2844 weather is not an excuse. Check his video about winter cycling comparing Canada to Finland: czcams.com/video/Uhx-26GfCBU/video.html
I am from India and these kinds of bikes were pretty common in the country back in 80's and 90's. Every bike used to be like this back in the day, but now, it is considered an old people's bike.
In fact, in present times, these kinds of bikes are rarely available in India and they have been replaced by the sports bike through out the country!! It really amazes me that something that is looked down on in one country can be pretty common in another
Those were Soviet bike in 80s and 90s India
@@animecutscenes3414 Maybe yes. But, my point is that they were present at that time
Philips, Hero, Atlas, Avon were brands of these bikes until BSA made headlines with similar yet sporty look and Kapil Dev advertising for it.
Dunno why people comment that these bike have no gears. You can get an omafiets with 3, 5, 7, 8 speeds almost anywhere. Yes, there are many single speeds too, but omafiets with gears are just as common. He even clearly says it in the video. And these bikes are suitble for short but also long rides. I communte every day 15 km on one of these bikes with no issue. People just comment stupid stuff for the sake of it smh
You know you are Dutch when you think of the back rack as "A thing to carry another person on". Honestly, that's how you take a girl home as a Dutch teenager!
that´s how a girl takes you home if you´re manly enough
I live in Japan and it's so sad because it's forbidden to carry a person like this, despite the bike culture here being quite close to The Netherlands. Tandem bikes are also a no go. So weird!
It is technically illegal to carry an adult sized person on the rack in Sweden, also the racks are usually Max 25kg's anyway. (old bikes had sturdyer racks and no weight limit, people used their brains back then)
Our bike racks usually also say they can handle max 25 kg. dutchies like to live on the edge. And sitting on the rack is quite uncomfortable in my opinion. i'd rather cycle with someone else on the rack.
She saw me walking in town and asked me if I wanted a ride. I said 'Yes' and she said 'Well hop on then'. I did and held on to her for dear life. She felt good and I kept holding on to her for 50 years until she passed away.
One important factor rarely touched on that facilitates Hollands unique approach to commuting and why this bike works ..no hills.
This is equaled by eBikes
I have an English-made bike that's this style and I can assure you I take over road bike users uphill more than on any other terrain.
Lots of hills and bikes in Tokyo.
"Rarely touched on", this comment pops up in basically *any* video about dutch bikes or the cycling infrastructure.
@@crashmatrix never by this guy making his biased videos
I'd really love a dutch bike here in the US! Of course, I'd love a town where transport by bike is just what everyone does.
This is a super comfy bike for a flat place like the Netherlands or Sweden, I rode those bikes when I was there and they're great. However, in a hilly city like Rome (my city) it's extremely tiring to ride one of these, they don't even have a gear shift. It's important to chose your bike accordingly to your location, it's not a one size fits all
You also have electric granny bikes even with disc and beltdrive and multi gears and different sizes! This video is not so accurate!
"What do you mean you don't want to bike to school?! Think of the poor children in Canada! They'd *love* to have a bike like yours!"
Yeah and then you get one of those talk backy kids,.. "well they can have mine!"
Hahaha 🤣👍
i would hate to ride to school on these kind of bikes, you cannot ride fast or do anything other then ride slow and leisurely, i know this comment was a joke, but it is fun to ride to school, then after school go on a bike ride with your friends, or make a jump in the back yard and spend a hour hitting it
@@noahwiebe2558 that’s why I daily my mtb
@@noahwiebe2558 Well, if you want more speed: buy one with gears/paddle harder
if you want th ramo thing... I don't think you realize how dutch "beat up bikes" get beat up XD
honestly on a reasonable bike the average speed is like 25-ish KM/H for me, and if it's a REALLY good bike you can throw all kinds of abuse at it without it taking any significant damage
I lived in the UK for four-and-a-half years; it was incredibly difficult to get a Dutch-style bike to cycle on. The only thing I could find were mountain bikes, which makes no sense as I lived in a city. After ages of searching I finally found an ancient bike that was about as old as my grandmother which came close to a standard city-style bike; I treasured that thing until the day I left!
@@marcelblomme7538 apart from being an extremely poor, barely even paid grad student, I wasn't used to paying more than 50-60 euros for a bike, let alone paying that just in shipping xD .
There are loads around where I live, but then I do live in Cambridge!
@@tamsynroberts4860 whereas I had the misfortune of living in Southampton xD .
@@Chyrosran22 ah yes, my brother lives there. Not many Dutch bikes going around there! Or much biking in general whenever I've been.?
@@tamsynroberts4860 No, there isn't, and people didn't expect cyclists on the roads either, so it was kinda dicey. I always anticipated them cutting me off though, so I never got into an accident or anything xD .
This video convinced me to get a proper dutch bicycle. I love it. I spent 180pln(40 bucks) on an old, used bicycle made by a dutch brand and it is incredible. For the 6km I travel to school it is perfect, and soooo comfortable, by far the best commuter bike I have used, im so thankful that these bikes are quite abundant here in Poland. Thank you Not Just Bikes :).
These bikes remind me of the Schwinn bike I used to deliver newspapers in the 70s. It had 3 baskets to carry all the papers. I think it was an American if I remember correctly. It had a coaster brake that also alternated between a high and low gear every time the brake was applied, so I was used to hitting the brake twice to stay in the same gear.
Yep. He just spent 10 minutes describing an American bike from the 60's. Great if you live in dead flat terrain like there, otherwise a huge pain to ride.
As a proud dutchy, I'm still riding the bike my mom used to bring me to school over 20 years ago. It's really refreshing to look at our bikes through foreign eyes, makes me appreciate something I've always taken for granted!
Nostalgia waw
My father donated bikes which he used to drop us at school I wish he cud have kept with us
I come from India and it really does feel awkward to see a youtube video about foreigners fan-girling over bicycles which are considered cheap and old fashioned in your country 😅
God I wish I lived somewhere I could use a bike. Where I live in texas, I literally HAVE to have a car to get anywhere.
that's impressive... Keeping a bike for that many years, that is. Usually mine get stolen after at least a 2-3 years. Even the crappy ones.
"I don't understand hy we call these men's bike's since they're the only bikes you can hit your nuts on."
I've been dumbfounded by this for years.
Because women had skirts on (1970's and before that) they "coulndt" ride on that style of bike. You would have to flash people to get on. Thus it was the mens bike.
@@zhiled9534 Thank you! That's an interesting piece of trivia.
decades
And they're not very fun to hit your lady parts on, either. I know.
@@zhiled9534 but why is the men's bike even produced . It's as if manufacturers are trying to lower birth rates .
As a German, all of this is pretty normal to me, although as far as I know, the back-pedal type of brake on its own won't be enough to make it road-legal over here (not that most "road bikes" are road-legal either, but that's besides the point).
Even on my commutes I'm pretty performance focused, so I won't switch to a relaxed bike anytime soon, but it's nice to always have the option available.
The same is true in Spain, too. Back-pedal brake bikes are not legal here on public roads, either. You can ride them if you add at least a front or back wheel brake.
This makes me really nostalgic for my old 1970's Chicago-made Schwinn Suburban that my brother and I inherited from our grandpa. It's been with him the past few years as I moved into the city, but this is that concept taken to it's final form. Our Suburban has about half these features and I loved every single one of them. I think I'd love most of the ones these have that ours doesn't, as well.
It's almost funny that our bike was purpose-built for the American suburbs, but the way the suburbs changed made extremely practical bikes like that completely impractical.
"And don't understand why we still call these men's bikes when it's the only kind you can hit your nuts on".
I'm happy to see that I'm not the only person in the world who says that.
The ''Woman bikes'' are from the old day, when trousers or jeans were not a ''woman thing'' to wear. Most woman wore skirts or dresses and having to lift your leg over your seat to get on your bike could show your underwear.
But all meanings aside, me as a Dutch male do prefer myself a woman frame, just because it makes life considerably easier.
@@willembmx klopt, in veel gevallen is een damesfiets goed genoeg. Alleen in sommige gevallen kan een herenfiets handiger zijn omdat het model steviger is. Daarom zijn renfietsen standaard een "herenmodel"
Every 12 year old boy has said that at one (painful) time or another.
basically the "men's" bikes are a stronger shape that's no longer necessary thanks to modern engineering and materials but modern men have very fragile egos (especially in the USA) and can't be seen being "feminine", whereas women's bikes were made to accommodate skirts but weren't as strong
I've hit my nuts many times on so called "men's bike".
I mean, you can still do the "elbow on handlebars" thing if you wanna be a bit more aero
Especially since you don't need your hands for the brakes!
yeah lol
Maginal gains!
@@jlammetje It's an unwritten rule you cannot graduate middle school if you can't ride without hands
@@GrimOakheart well, I have some issues with my balance ;). Not really impacting my life or anything, but cycling with no hands is impossible for me. Things like standing on my toes and such I also find very difficult.
Still passed middle school though!
Something historical needs to be added: During WWII, the German occupation army stole many bicycles for use by their soldiers. To avoid requisitioning, people disabled their bikes by taking the tyres off and driving on the rims with short wooden blocks. Toward 1944, rubber had become unavailable anyway. Yet during the "hunger winter" of 1944/45, many women drove to the countryside to find any food they could find, sometimes being on the road for a few days.
I heard that people in the Netherlands sometimes (jokingly) ask people from Germany where their bikes are. Or just shout "Give me my bike back!". Is that true, do people still joke like that?
@@MGSncB Lol, didn't know other people knew about this. It's true, sometimes we make jokes about this.
@@koen5333 I'm just curious about the world. The Netherlands is sort of a prominent country for me.
I got one specifically because of this video and fell in love with cycling again. Living in Hull, UK which is already incredibly level and only just starting to invest in bike lanes it's pretty much perfect. Thank you so much, I never would have known about these otherwise.
The Netherlands being flat really helps for these bikes. Moving up hills on a steel bike without gears is pretty tough. That said, more effort to make bikes more practical is so important.
These types of bikes often have gears, allowing you to scale modest hills without much issue.
Here in Finland (another place where frame-locks are actually pretty common), it's not too difficult to get an off-the-shelf city bike with mudguards, dynamo lights, luggage rack and a 7-speed hub gear. The latter yields as much gear range as a generic 10-speed or 12-speed derailleur, but is usually set lower (say 25-80" instead of 38-100") so as to be more useful in climbing hills than going fast. Finland is fairly low-lying, but very much not flat; it was formed by glacial erosion, not sedimentation, and there are some significant elevation changes even within major cities like Helsinki. One of Helsinki's tram lines requires special trams with all axles driven, due to a 10% gradient on one street.
What I ride, though, is a 24-speed hybrid. It has the sturdy, over-built steel frame (which has lasted 15 years so far), all the necessary accessories, and a fairly upright riding position (which I'm trying to adjust to *more* upright, once I can unstick the handlebar adjustment bolt), but it also has more gear range so I can both go relatively fast on the open road, and yet still grind up a hill with a loaded rack and trailer. Now, if only I could just get the front derailleur properly adjusted after changing the crankset…
Je possède un vélo datant de 1970 qui possède deux rapports de vitesse dans le moyeu arrière qui permutent en rétropédalage, juste avant l'action du frein . Une fois qu'on a l'habitude, on peut aborder des montées, ou prendre de la vitesse....
I walk my bikes up hills lmao
@@gerardgeb7500 Ah yes, I've heard of these "kickback" hub gears. They can only have two gears, so they're not as flexible as even a 3-speed. Better than nothing, perhaps.
As a dutch person I watched this video just to find out what sets our bikes apart.
😂 me too... but in the end , I was just wondering : isn't all this normal ? 😅🤣
@@florentinatoma4397 man I wish! Now I need to have one of these for all the reasons in the video
Swede here. I was also curious. For pretty much every feature he points out about the omafiets, I think "Is that really uncommon? Every bike I've had has had that." Definitely a change of perspective!
Swede here too. I was super confused when my hubby bought a sports bike and he had to buy all these extra parts to it like fenders and a kick stand to an already expensive bike. Like don't bikes just have those features from the start?!
ill take a few shipping containers in the good ol' usa
Finally someone who understands! These kind of bikes simply make sense. What I want to find is a bike that's a style like this (comfortable, upright, simple maintenance) but made from fibre or aluminum to be light as well.
They do exist. I got an old bike that was sitting in an attic for decades, probably from the 70s or early 80s. Ever since I got it the only thing that goes wrong are the tires popping due to age. 3 speed hub transmission, and it's so easy I can carry the whole thing in one hand when I have to store it.
i visited amsterdam and haarlem almost 4 years ago now (wow it doesnt seem that long ago) and this perfectly explained why i liked their bikes so much, if i go out for a ride on my mountain bike at home for a few hours, i tend to have a sore back, but when i rode the omas in amsterdam especially, it was so nice to ride around town, going from our friends place to the pub (the world cup was on then so that trip was definitely not irregular) riding through vondelpark and more. The bikes just make the infrastructure that is in place there so much more enjoyable. If i can move there when im older ill definitely do it, it was awesome being there and ill be so close to my family in england too
get some midriser handle bars for your mountain bike please, the face plant position is for racing not riding.
I have no clue why i watched the full video being dutch and having owned bikes like this for most of my life lmao
😂🙋🏻♀️
I'm an Aussie and I have no idea why I watched this either. It was interesting but a bike isn't a mode of transportation I can really use where I live.
Totally. My partner and I both have bikes like this. We live in New Zealand. Word travels fast. lol
Its fun to watch as much as it is to read the comments below : D
As a fellow Dutchie I really enjoy these foreign perspectives. I dated an American girl for a while, and when she was here I started seeing the Netherlands with a fresh pair of eyes, basically. Knowing how shitty bicycle infrastructure is in the US really makes me appreciate what we have here.
I once had a coaster brake bike that had had a hard life of about 50 years. The coaster brake was actually acting up, I had to take it apart, clean it, put in some new grease and it is good for another 50 years.
My grandfather actually still had and was using his old bike he rode during world war 2 until the early 2000s when he had to give up biking due to an intracranial hemorrhage. He would ride out to the fields with a scythe, rake and a pitchfork over his shoulder and his leather panniers filled with tools for fence repairs daily.
The distinction of step through frames for women and diamond frames for men was because the diamond frame was more sturdy and the old frame building techniques and materials weren't that great and men were on average heavier than women, so they put more strain on the frame. Women however were usually wearing long skirts and dresses and having those rest on the top bar, or having to swing your leg up high as a woman was considered scandalous, so women had little choice but a step through frame even though it was less durable. Nowadays materials and techniques are good enough so everyone can get a step through frame, but in the Netherlands the old naming scheme still exists as a historical holdover.
I'm a bike mechanic and it makes me very happy that people other than bike nerds ride vintage bikes one of my favorites is a Schwinn from the 60's that I bought off a dude you rode it at repack. also sorry about your grandfather. another thing hub brakes do that they don't need service often and all they usually need is to be repacked with grease but please don't go over the recommended limit on those pads because the way hub brakes work once those pads wear through you instantly have no braking power and have to do the sketchy foot slide brake. the manufacturers put the warnings on for a reason you won't feel the difference in braking power until it's too late, have fun but please be safe
Speaking as a 100kg male that tends to heavily abuse his bikes: The step through frames are still structurally less sound than the diamond frames, though I've usually broken several other parts before that becomes a serious issue.
The order is usually this:
Bell gone (don't care)
Lights damaged (don't care)
Inner tire flat (FFS I just got this!)
Inner tire flat again
chain drops off (Oh no, not again)
chain drops off (Dammit!)
chain drops off (FFFFUUUU)
Get frustrated, "accidentally" destroy chain guard, when I get home finally bother to tighten the chain properly
flat tire again though now the outer tire is worn down too
pair of pants torn by the chain
another pair of pants torn by the chain
Small hole in seat (if I get a wet butt I replace it)
wheel crooked
gear teeth worn to nubs
Kick stand bent
By this time I give up and get a new bike. both wheels are missing spokes and are slightly bent, the frame is slightly bent, the saddle is worn but usually still comfortable, the bell and lights have been missing forever, one of the handles is loose, the gears are slightly worn, the chain is not worth salvaging, and occasionally one of the pedals is bent. The tires are usually recently replaced, but of a slightly different size than the next bike so saving them has little point.
This takes me between 2 and 3 years. I should really stop getting the cheapest bikes I can find. And some timely maintenance wouldn't hurt either.
Actually, in the early days women wore cycling pants when they were on a bike. But people weren't ready for women in pants at the time so the step-through frame was invented.
@@bramvanduijn8086 Yeah, maintenance makes all the difference, chain guards and all the other good things about Dutch bikes reduce the need for maintenance, but don't eliminate it, proper chain tension and eventual replacement of the chain and worn out gears is inevitable. It makes me sad to see so many bikes here in the Netherlands in such a sorry state when an hour of work and a few euros worth of grease would fix them right up, but most people don't have the skills or intention to do the work themselves anymore and I can't save them all. Bicycles are often very much disposable when they don't work properly anymore.
I still have the bike I got 25 years ago for my 12th birthday, a 3 speed hub gear steel diamond frame bike and I've replaced a cracked rim, brake cables (inner and outer) the dynamo lights for battery powered LED lights because in the snow the dynamo would slip, kickstand, and inner and outer tires a couple of times. Due to an injury I don't ride it much anymore and I welded together a recumbent trike that doesn't put pressure on my injury, but it needs some repairs because, ironically for someone who knows about the strengths and limitations of steel bicycle frames, I cracked the frame in an expected weak spot.
@@anamore you are entirely correct, it was a huge thing, but cycling for women only stopped being controversial after the step-through frame, and with that became very popular. Also cycling was liberating since women didn't need to be taken to places anymore, but could go by their own power. It was an often overlooked part of the early women's movement.
We in India also use this frame lock , and our old bikes had upright sitting. Last month, I was riding a bicycle in Netherlands, it was really easy and great to ride
Viewer from China here.
This type of bicycle is so nostalgic, it reminds me of when my grandpa used that bike to send me to school.
Now, this type is not easy to find, the og branch which made this was also restructured.
There's also a huge point you missed to mention, that make these bikes so useful: the netherlands are flat. So it is super comfortable to ride a bike there. Any bike.
I agree. It should have been the first point made. It is flat in the Netherlands so this type of bike makes sense.
Yes, same here in Christchurch NZ! 😀 Fabulous place for biking!
I live in Norway and it's not flat at all. So I solved it and bought a batterybike:)
here in southern germany these bikes don‘t make much sense as well - so I stick with my old road bike
Yeah before even starting the video I looked at the thumb and I'm like "oh right, yeah, upright comfortable bike makes sense for a flat country, and even more specifically cities you can ride across in half an hour".
I think the reason they are popular in the Netherlands is that it is very flat. Try riding a bike like that up a steep incline and you'll be weeping for something lighter with a more aggressive (leaning forwards) riding position. Here in Bristol the brief comfort of an upright position on a heavy bike would quickly be swapped for exhaustion.
this cannot be made any clearer
เป็นความรู้ลึกซึ้งมากครับ หายโง่ไปเยอะเลย
Ebikes!
*cries in San Francisco"
ah good memories of delivering not-so-round-anymore pizzas up constitution hill and redland road
I found a used Electra bike in a local bike shop. I agree with everything said in this video, it is the best bike for taking your dog running each morning, or safely riding with your Macaw on your shoulder because of the upright sitting position. The step-through frame makes getting on/off easy, and the leather storage bag attached to the rear rack, stores all the poop bags. Great video!
I thoroughly enjoy your videos because you're very pleasant to listen to and your honest and objective perspective on how the Dutch do it. All my life I've known nothing else, but you make me realise how remarkable, peculiar and useful ways and things are that I've always taken for granted growing up.
You basically mentioned why the model with a crossbar is seen as a men's model right after you wondered why: the model without the crossguard was specifically designed for dresses and skirts, so the model without this adaption became the men's model.
I think, which means I'm not sure but I may be almost correct, the higher crossbar gave the old frames more strength without much engineering effort. Women's bikes cost more years ago as I recall.
@@LuvBorderCollies and if you put some engineering effort in, a diamond frame will be significantly lighter than comparable step thru frame
Yup, even now if you are planning on hopping on and off a lot of sidewalks it's best to have a men's model (sometimes called 'opa fiets', although that's a name I haven't heard in a while). It just means you bike might last a few years longer.
About the potential of kicking a child: Just learn to swing your leg when it is bend instead of straight, then your foot only passes over the sadle and doesn't hit a child.
To be fair, his exact words were "I don't understand why we *still* call these men's bikes", meaning imo he knows the history, but wonders why we still differentiate them as such when the obligation for women to wear ankle-long skirts all day died out about a century ago.
@@cyprel Because they are basically only used by men. The author is right that it is becoming more common for (young) men to use a step-through frames (woman's bike). But the other way around is virtually non-existant. Also the need for padlocks is mostly limited to the bigger cities and train stations. In my town (pop 40.000) I have more than once forgotten to lock my bike altogether when going shopping in the town center. It was still there when I returned.
If they want Dutch bikes, just scoop some up from the canals.
Tires are gone but the frames, although rusty, can still be used.
Source: I fished my frame from a canal.
Just a quick search shows that there are probably more bikes in the canals than there are residents.
"Current estimates suggest that there are approximately 881, 000 bikes in Amsterdam, compared to around 851,573 permanent residents."
@@VancePetrol
I'm glad about those numbers, we don't need to put more residents in the canals.
@@VancePetrol There are more bikes than residents in the Netherlands, but don't worry, the majority of bikes are not underwater
@@orvvro Whoops, yeah, got my facts mixed up there. Don't know what happened, but somehow ended up typing a bunch of nonsense. Must have been in some kind of fugue state.
Doubly embarrasing since I was born and raised in Amsterdam.
The canal this is totally true
Though they might be a bit rusty
It is very common to see families out on bicycles, passengers are easily carried on the back, and they are so easy to ride. And the way of life in Holland respects cyclists, and cyclists respect other road users.
I like the Dutch attitude to bikes and cycling. It’s a shame how there are connotations around certain things that are simply more convenient (having no gears on an adult bike, cycling backwards for braking, step-through design).
Watching this video made me really want one of these bikes, even opened a tab to start searching. Then I remembered I live in a rural-ish American city, full of narrow crumbling street, side-walk free & high speed roads/stroads, and dozens upon dozens of 4-way stop signs where drivers will inevitably completely ignore my existence and just go when I would have right of way. sigh.
You should escape!
That's rough!..
At least you got roads to ride a bike . In my city even new asphalt roads are designed for off road challenge that makes your life worse . Sometimes the grass or the dusty roads are more comfortable and plain compered to asphalt roads . Don’t want to talk about how other drivers . They are afraid of big trucks but they don’t consider bicycle riders as a human being . There is no normal person out there . Sometimes pedestrians decides using the roads that actually made for cars but it is pretty common in my country . Driving or riding or walking .... every thing is challenging because of these people .
@@Moses_VII Turkey . People don’t give a damn thing about what they made . Laziness is literal disaster in here . For example you are constructor and I wanted you to build a house for me . You took 1000 dollars for this work . But you are lazy but laziness isn’t a obstacle for gaining money . You call a another constructor to build that house . You payed 800 dollars to this person . But he is a lazy person like you . He calls a another constructor to build the house . He payed 600 dollars to that person . And it is goes like this until someone really built the house for 200 dollars . In the end . You payed 1000 dollars for a 200 dollar house .
Same. I totally relate.
You should include Italy in the list of countries who adopted Omafiets outside of the Netherlands. They are approximately 30% of the total you can see on the streets and people call them "biciclette Olandesi" (dutch bikes)
Like most things invented in Britain and used all over the world.
I think they're common across most of Europe (here in Sweden too) just not North America. They're the standard in Japan as well
We also use them here in Belgium. In Flanders we also call them the omafiets
@@h3rteby yeah I was going to say that's what I had when I did my year abroad in Germany
Having been to Italy on vacation I know that the country is anything but flat. How well do the italians do with driving them uphill?
I live in germany and travel almost every weekend to the Netherlands (one hour train ride from here). Always taking my dutch bike with me, i just love it for daily use at home and the trips into our lovely neighbouring country.
When I was growing up in the sixties, Bendix made a really nice 2-speed/coaster brake hub. I had a Schwinn with it. To change from high or low, one would simply give just a small backward motion on the pedals, not enough to engage the coaster brake. Trouble free, just a joy around town.
We have a lot of them here in Indonesia. We call them 'sepeda onthel'. It was the Dutch who brought it here during the colonial era but we still produce them here until today.
It's mainly for decoration tho, it's not being used like in amsterdam.
@@kiminah7487 Really? It's been a while but I remember seeing plenty of bikes in Jakarta and Jogja. Maybe my memory is failing me though...
@@chrisrootnick9755 they are being used but far less than Amsterdam
Wow, I'm from The Philippines and I'd totally try to go out of my way to find some of those, probably better than trying to import from the Dutch directly.
@@kiminah7487 no, people still use them but mostly in low income areas. Rich people only use mountain bikes and/or expensive folded bikes.
Here in India, this is the only bicycle I knew until I was at a certain age. I can say almost 80% of Indians have one of those at some point in their lives. Besides all the good things you mentioned, this is the cheapest bicycle available in India.
Many models of soviet bicycles also were rather similar to these dutch bikes
same situation in China
@@painandgain1163 it's sad that cycling isn't so massive in China as it used to be in 80s. I guess, same goes for post soviet countries. Back then cars were produced in low amounts and streets though wide were mostly empty and could be used by cyclists and pedestrians. Neither China nor Russia were ready for cars to be so accessible, so our cities became disrupted with huge amounts of motor traffic. Hope in next years cycling enthusiasts and urbanists would be able to promote cycling not as a recreational activity, but as everyday transportation tool like in the Netherlands and our cities would become less polluted, more walkable and suitable for life without individual car
@@user-kp1js6cb2s Yes I can not agree more😁
same!
I scored a second (more like tenth)hand omafiets here in Canada and I adore it. Every single thing you've said is true of my bike and why I love it (minus the frame lock as I don't have one of those). Incredible how hard it was to find a comfortable bike in the city. Edit - though mine is, in fact, aluminum.
back in Vietnam, this type of bicycle with some of those features are really common as well, because we also get lots of rain and use them as a method of transportation
moving to the us, i never realized i hardly see bikes as a transportation method, and when i do, it's never that type of bikes
after watching the video, it just happens to me that yeah, the US is really against bike as a method of transportation
Lord knows I've said the same for Decades.
7:40 It's a good thing we moved away from external dynamos because they added a LOT of friction. But I am nostalgic for hearing the "wheeewheeewheee" around all around during the winter months.
Hahaha that wheeewheeewheee you heard was from your crooked front wheel and the dynamo trying to stay in contact with it
My bike has both a dynamo and a constant rithmic ticking sound so you could say it is a complete orchestra. I have gotten used to it but people will usually actually comment on how loud my bike (it's over 40 years old) is when they hear it for the first time.
I live in Vienna. It's way more hilly than Amsterdam. I finally bought a bike to ride to uni every day back in 1991 when mountain bikes first became affordable to me. I didn't want a dynamo because of the friction and because of the flicker (back then, there were no capacitors in the lights to even out the flicker and keep the lights going when you were stopped at a traffic light). Battery lights weren't really a mass market thing back then. So I built my own system with a small pack of 4 rechargeable AA batteries that were attached to the underside of my saddle in a little pouch and had 2 cables running to the lights in the front and back. You'll never force me back into using dynamo lights, brrr.
My 30? year old bike still has the wheeee dynamo that slips when it's too wet outside... it has one handbrake and a backpadle brake. The backhandbrake gave up years ago, as did the gears, when the whole wheel gave in... My chaingard is hold together by ducktape... and so are the handles and the front light.
Who gives a f... It brings me from a to b, can carry 2 people and never lets me down. (except that 1 time years ago when the wheel was not salvageable😉) I love my old bike.
I still have a dynamo on my brand new bike. I prefer it over the battery light since I always forget to turn those off and end up with no light at all
Everyone in the Netherlands cycles, they must spend so much money on their bikes!
The Netherlands: Best I can do is 20 euros.
There is a high demand, but an even higher supply, so prices stay low. I bought a new "Commuter" bicycle (the canadian type in the vid) for just €137 which included a free checkup after half a year of use.
And on top of the high supply there are a lot of secondhand bikes, especially for kids. I don't think I've had a first-hand bike since I was 10 or so. And both my bothers together had only 2 bikes in their life that weren't mine before that. We gave the very first bike I ever had to one of our neighbours, but you can also get second-hand bikes in most larger bike shops. That means that a lot of the bikes are being bought and sold well under the price the manufacturer got for them.
Supply defines prices, so, it´s always a good bargain, since the quality is very robust, to say the least (too heavy-built for my weak constitution... ;-) ... Even in Germany, half of them are holland-bikes, cause they survive decades of use...
@@klausbrinck2137 i cannot not say this, but glad to see that they are still working properly since ww2 :p
or you buy a new one but just keep it your whole life. mine is 15 years old, got it when i was twelve.
It makes me envy each time I watch your videos. I would love to see such good biking infrastructure and so many biking ppl in my country.
Please don't confuse Dutch bikes with Dutch-*style bikes (also called city bikes). In Europe, Dutch bikes are almost exclusively found in The Netherlands: back-pedalling breaks are illegal in most other countries, and the single speed and heavy weight make them impossible to use in other regions that aren't as flat. City bikes have similar features (upright ride, step-through frame, kickstand, mudguards/fenders, front and back lights etc) but they're not the same, in that they are significantly lighter, have handlebar breaks, and have several gears. It makes a huge difference in riding, even though visually they look very much the same. Dutch-style/city bikes might not last decades like Dutch bikes do as they require more maintenance, but they're way better for everyday transportation.
And the added benefit of being leg day everyday in the Netherlands.
I can 100% confirm this. I cycle on average around 25km/h and my legs are quite a bit stronger than the rest of my body, lol.
@@ptsg I live in London and have a "hybrid" bike I have to keep indoors (nowhere else to put it) and carry up / down two flights of stairs each day. So it's a full body workout each time I need to ride somewhere!
Absolutely! Due to the lockdown I've been working from home for a year now and cycling to and from my work was all of my exercise routine. I'm really feeling it that it's gone atm. Once this freak snow storm is gone I'm going to have to start biking just for the exercise... D:
@@korenn9381 I found that having a dedicated mtb and some nearbye 'singletracks' help a lot with trying to keep some level of fitness. It's outdoor, you can do it on your own or in pairs / groups ( just keep your distance ofc ) and if you're a little bit handy you can do most if not all maintenance on your own. The couple of things I'm still not able to, like trueing a really bend wheel or fixing a wheel which has to many spokes with the wrong tension, do a full fork maintenance ( replacing seals, vork oil, grease springs ) ect aren't that expensive to let the bikeshop handle, just call ahead if they have time and make it easy for them like incase of a wheel, don't bring the entire bike just bring the wheel which needs to be trued, or for vork specialist well you get the picture.
At first I was a bit scared, you see all those 5k+ mtb's in the shops and online and you might think that's really needed but it isn't. I got a second hand, 26'' Giant XTC2 from a decade back which was pretty abused and slowly fixed/upgraded it. Sure, sometimes you get one of those snobs on their full suspension downhill mtb's with 180mm travel in the front and rear and they sometimes give you that look... right up to you actually overtaking them since those bikes might be well suited for terrain you might find if you live someplace with actual elevation, here in The Netherlands you're perfectly fine with a hardtail and a decent 100-120mm fork. All tracks here are basically XC and you don't need much to ride them.
Sorry got carried away a bit I notice, just I would love to get more people to give mountainbiking a try especially people who never thought of it as an viable option 🤘🚵♂️🤘
Now I know why there are so many vicious kickboxers from the Netherlands.
I'm Italian so I ever even considered how someone might find this kind of bikes "unique", but watching this I'm realising how many practical design features they have that I always took for granted
I had a "cruiser" as a kid, not too dissimilar from this design - high, swept-back handlebars, wide cushioned seat, upright seating, etc. Loved it and could ride for miles in total comfort to and from the beach. I was fortunate in that I lived in Southern California near a river with reinforced man-made levees that had a well-maintained bike trail, with underpasses underneath the main roads and highways, about a mile from my house. It took me all the way to the beach with zero vehicle traffic - I only had to survive the one mile to the entrance.
Oh my god, this is it! When I was a kid, I lived in one of the few bike friendly cities in North America (there was a bike lane on almost every road and I really thought this was the norm until I moved). When I went out with my friend late at night in jr high, I'd always "borrow" this one strange, never locked bike near my apartment that felt way better to ride than my own bike. I never saw it anywhere else and did not know what it was called until this video. Gonna look into getting a dutch bike when I move in the future!
This Dutch type bicycles are really common in India 🇮🇳. We use it for daily commute, running errands, carrying loads and so on. They moderately cheaper cost and anyone can easily find atleast one bicycle in any Indian village home.
The Atlas Bike Company?? I have one of their bikes here in Germany..
Yes but they're getting increasingly rare as people move onto buying commuter motorcycles instead which is understandable considering how tiring and sweaty it gets pedalling in the subtropical climate of India.
You can get quasi Dutch style bikes in the US, they’re called Electras
@@shawnjoseph4009 You mean the Electra Bicycle Company 2021 Model 581033 Loft 7i EQ Step-Thru listed in the Netherlands for € 849,00 - Over twice as expensive as an AMIGO Bright 28 Inch Dames 3V V-Brakes (319 euro, no front rack), and 50 euro more expensive than a AMIGO E-Pulse 28 Inch 50 cm Women 3SP Coaster Brake (799 euro, e-bike), both with more bent handles and bigger guards. Our Lidl sells a 699 euro COLORADO® E-bike Arrow 28" online with 50 euro shipping.
@@CTimmerman IDK about the specific model name, but you can get them for pretty cheap in the US starting at about $200 or so. They’re definitely not that expensive though
I’m Belgian and just looking in awe at the video thinking “wait you guys DON’T have this?!”
You'd be surprised what we refuse ourselves, in our ignorance.
I went to Belgium as a student from the US and remember quite a few bikes there.
It is the same for Northern Germany and Kopenhagen/Danmark. In The South of Germany these bikes are less common as they are less comfortable, if you have to climb hills. We prefer Trekkingbikes, which are a compromise between Omafiets and Mountain-/Roadbike. You can carry heavy stuff, but you have also several gears to climb.
In the US, bikes have historically been for sport or for children. Teens learn to drive at 16, and there are little to no provisions for safe bicycling. With few exceptions, North America is built around the automobile. It's awful.
@@jimjungle1397 yeah but in belgium its a danger to ride it hahaha my mom lives there and its not bike friendly on al places hihih but yeah they have them there.
Awesome video! Loved seeing all the sites around our neighborhood in oud-Zoud! Vondelpark, Gerrit van der Veenstraat, Stravinskylaan bike parking garage and the RAI! Keep it up!
Framelocks are common in Finland too. We have our own model called "Jopo" but we have plenty of "grandmother" bikes too. They have only one gear and are relatively easy to repair. And they have the dynamo and simple bell too. Finding one with perfectly intact light might be a challenge though.
In Ireland we call it a " high nelly" or " grandfather " bike , depending on gender. I got mine when I was 9 in small school, used it all through school years and when I went to college in Dublin til I was 21. Indestructible. Still had it at 27 when I married.
Now live in 300 yr old house with old gardens etc. Was clearing heavy undergrowth underneath trees beside my avenue last year and I found an old grandfather bike , leaning against an old tree. Thing is... it was there so long the trunk of beech tree had grown around it and the crossbar was buried halfway in the tree, but exactly where the owner had left it leaning. From neighbours we found out the man who owned it and used it died 55 yrs ago!!! And it's still there where he left it against the tree.
new tree bikelock discovered
@@pespsisipper yes, but you’ll need to be EXTREMELY patient 😃
As it should be
Golly.... That's so valuable in so many ways! Part of me wants to rescue the bike to continue its usefulness. Another part of me wants to enshrine such a sentimental phenomena.... The man has been gone for over half a century, and old faithful (the bike) is still standing through the tests of time. I feel so nostalgic for these bikes suddenly. I need to import a used one to the US!
Picture please
The Japanese equivalent “Mamachari", roughly meaning mother + bicycle, is my all-time favourite. It's got pretty much all the same features as the Omafiets (funny name included). I’ll never go back to my “North American” style commuter. Who would have thought that the most popular bikes would also be the ones the best designed for getting the most people around in everyday life with ease.
Yes! The bikes in Japan are great. That's cool that you were able to get one.
Ironic to think that rough shape of the frame probably dates back to British "roadster" style bikes, yet they are so rare in the UK! I think the only manufacturer there that makes bikes of that style is Pashley now. They are not the mass market, dirt-cheap commidity that they are in the Netherlands.
Ah yes, the Mama Bike, my favorite kind of bike.
Now I wish I was Dutch, THANKS INTERNET!
@@GG42069 Japanese and Danish are also good cycling nationalities if you are shopping around for a new one. Dutch is best in my opinion, but I don't want you to limit your options :)
When I was growing up in eastern China everyone used bikes similar to this too. Fenders, chain guards, and frame locks. It’s so nostalgic and useful. I was so surprised when I found out all these things are considered extra add ons in North America
in the netherlands, most primary schools actually give bike lessons on how to properly ride bikes, which means you practically grow up on the bike here
paired with our infrastructure: (almost) every road has a bike lane next to it, means that its just that much better to bike here then go by car
ooh yea that happened to me in germany as well, we had to show we knowed all the rules and that we knew how to ride one. They gave us a little bike license afterwards lol
In germany we call those “hollandrad” that’s translates to “Dutch bike”
I thought Fahrrad
In the Netherlands we call German bikes “you stole those from my grandpa could you give them back please”
yes, and they became increasingly popular but I kinda hate riding them ;) I think I have to get used to it..
Well, as the Dutch like to point out, historically, they WERE aggressively exported to Germany.
@@Nielsly ah yes, one of the only German phrases I know: "Gib mir mein Fahrrad zurück!"
Funny enough, when I was a kid in USSR, every bike was like this, and in the 90s when aggressive MTBs started to appear, we all was very weirded out that there is no mud guards, leg stands, and that you couldn't sit straight on it anymore. Fast forward 30 years, and there is no Dutch-style bikes in sight, and cycling is a dangerous sport, not the way to commute.
i had to go out of my way to find a similar bike in ukraine :( eventually i got my hands on a good kharkov one
Evolving, backwards
D: sounds kinda regressive...
Even being a pedestrian in Russia is dangerous nowadays...
@@tartrazine5 The economy of Netherlands and Germany is doing far better than current day US. Very much a "functioning market economy"
Living in Lyon (France), cycling is often the fastest option also
Personally, I prefer road bike, even in cities, because I value more less effort than more confort. And also, since there is hills, a full steel bike is horrible
Steel can be fine if you've got hill-friendly geometry and gearing. (Source: recently rode a steel gravel bike all around the mountains of Vermont, found it not noticeably different from my dad's fancy carbon bike).
ouais, il fait chaud a Lyon aussi, ca se comprend haha
Front wheel breaks are a lot more efficient. So it is a good thing to have some kind of a break on front wheel, too. Derailleurs don't work in freezing temperatures unless the chain is bone dray. The cross-bar (the so called men's bikes) frames are in general a lot stiffer and I like them for that reason. You can mount your kid 's seat on cross bar between the saddle and handlebars. This is how I was transported when I was little.
Tip: your bell will rust pretty quickly if you have it horizontal like that. Water will accumulate in the lower part of the bell. Tilt is 90 degrees and Bob's your uncle.
45-60 is good as well. My bell is 4 years old (same age as my bike) and there's not a single spot of rust
Robberts your fathers brother
I was born in the Netherlands and have lived here my entire life. I never knew about this until now.
Thanks for advice
Or you get a bell where the top part slightly overlaps the bottom part.
Every time I hear about how good bikers have it in the Netherlands, a single tear rolls down my cheek in envy
Wife and I gave each other "Lectric" ebikes for Christmas 2021 and we love them. They closely approximate the Dutch Bicycle concept with their upright riding position and effortless use. We have the step-through versions and they come with lights, fenders, suspensions, and heavy-duty rear racks, on which we've mounted folding metal baskets so trips to the grocery store are fun and easy. Best part is that they can also put out about 1 horsepower for help going uphill, and yet they only cost about $1K.
Great machines. Lots of enthusiastic CZcams videos were what sold us on them.
Note: if you want a bike that you can carry on the subway, keep looking. Like Dutch bikes, these are very well-built but definitely not featherweight.
Would you mind telling us the name of the e-bikes?
@@gunwantatwal1074 LECTRIC is the brand name. Though the step through and square tube "scooter style" Ebike is pretty common under other brands as well
I also have a LECTRIC, the square tube, which is very easy to step through. I have a trailer that hitched to it for grocery shopping, and my dog rides in it and it does great (I'm a featherweight)
My first Ebike is a smaller folding version by a company called SWAGTRON. Packs up nicely in a trunk(boot) of a vehicle/ride share. To add to that, electric kick scooters(not Razrs) are pretty compact, powerful, and good quality these days.
Upright heavy stepover bikes are awesome until you hit the hills - and they are comfortable for short rides - not long rides
I had a professor who studied in Delft and joked that he never locked up his cheap, generic, Dutch bicycle, because if it wasn’t there, he’d just ride off on someone else’s cheap, generic, Dutch bicycle that also wasn’t locked up, because if it wasn’t there, the owner would just ride off on someone else’s cheap, generic, Dutch bicycle...
From my experience of working there for about 6 years in various parts of the country the Dutch are a funny lot
A bike-share program on the no-honor system, seems like it would work anywhere.
I know a bloke who lived in Japan for a while they have the same attitude.
Zwarte fietsen systeem lmao
Sounds like with green bins around here.
The only thing I mis here is a parent with one kid on a front seat and one on the back seat. Living in the Netherlands for all my life (63 years now) that balancing act still amazes me.
For dads: 3rd one on the crossbar (with a tiny crossbar-mounted saddle). I've seen it a few times, but I wouldn't dare myself.
I have children, I always had 1 on the front, 1 on the back, and bags with grocery shopping on the handlebars. No problem
@@mariadebake5483 You're my heroin!
@@martinbladelvan1949 😊
One on the front, one on the back, and panniers stuffed to the brim = parenting goals
I actually can't do that; my oldest rides his own bike and my youngest doesn't sit well enough yet.
These were very similar to the ones I used to ride when I was a kid. I had a Malvern Star. They were also made of steel. We had baskets on the front and bike racks on the back that had a spring loaded piece of metal so you could put something on the rack and the spring loaded metal would hold it in place. No such thing as gears then and the back pedal to stop the bike was also used then. I always thought it was easy and practical. We also had mudguards which stopped the mud from splashing onto your legs and we used trouser clips to stop trouser legs from getting caught in the spokes. They were springy bands of metal the clipped over the trousers and were easy to get on and off. Guess I'm showing my age lol.
Just ordered my used bike from Plain Bikes! Thank you so much for mentioning them in the video, they were so much more affordable than a lot of the "Dutch bikes" that are sold in the US.
"too crappy to steal" i laughed so hard because i can relate
I mean xD It's true though! I have one very nice, expensive bike at my parents, where I'm not often but it's the only place I bike distances over 6km. In the city I live and study I have two crappy "studentenfietsen", literally translated: "student bikes". Old, rusty, ragged bikes that are worth nothing but still work. I think either bike is double the age of me xD
I always thought Dutch city bikes were designed for throwing in and clogging up the canals.
@@michaelmumby2328 thats when you are to drunk to find your keys, pick a random bike to go home, crash a few times, and then throw it in a canal to get rid of the evidence...
I had a "too crappy to steal" bike- it got stolen overnight. I spent the next day looking for it and on Day 2 it reappeared! When the thief saw it in the light he must have decided I was worse off then he and took pity.
I had one of those but it was a Walmart level "mountain bike". I could not get a buyer. Neighbor kids didn't need a bike. So I left it on the front lawn by the sidewalk hoping somebody would "steal" it. 2 weeks go by and still no takers. Its just frustrating. LOL
Great summary of the features, I would also add to that that the steering handles are more elevated and horizontal compared to sports bikes, making it much easier to carry multiple bags on them.
These bikes look amazing. If we had them (and the infrastructure to support them) in the US, I’d probably bike to work considering I’m only 4 miles away from my job.
I actually did consider biking to work when I first got this job, but then I made the drive and I noticed that there are no sidewalks for half of it, and no bike lines at all, and that people in my city are awful, scary drivers.
According to google maps I’m only 25 minutes away from my university by bike, but there’s basically no sidewalk for most of the way there.
We are not a very bike-friendly nation sadly :(
I totally understand. I just found a new job and I cycle to work, it’s 5,8 km. It feels so free going to work on a bicycle without using gasoline 👌🏻💪🏼 so many thing about my country I don’t like, this thing… I really like 🤣