Born to Bike

You learn to bike before you learn to walk—an old Dutch saying

A typical scene: A girl rides double on the back of a boy’s bike (she is seated on the small platform part on the back.) You have to hop on once the bike starts moving (a tricky maneuver.) A man dressed in a tux holds a mobile phone in his left hand, flowers flap from beneath his arm. Bags hang over his handle bars and saddle bags bulge in the back. A curly dog emerges from his lap. Ahead of the man, lovers hold hands while bicycling next to each other; across the street, a mom bikes insouciantly along as her little girl stands on her lap, pigtails flying. Stands! The child is protected from an errant rock or large gust of wind by a large Plexiglas shield. For a few minutes I am alone on the brick-paved street. Silence (except for the clacking of my low-on-air bike wheel.) Here comes traffic: A dad chugs forward, toting a large wooden bike wagon with a couple of kids giggling inside. I switch on my bike lights (a red one in the front, white one on the back.) The fixture which secures the light broke on the front of my bike a few days ago. I tried to superglue it and then just invested in 2 euro bike lights that are made to hang off the front of your bike. The back popped off one, sending my battery into a canal, making the front of the bike lightless. Now I’m just a phantom moving towards you in the dark. My white hat helps warn of my presence. You get the picture. To help delineate the scene, here is a great website: A man in Amsterdam took 82 pictures of bicycles during 73 minutes: http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

Nobody Wears Helmets

Cars move out of the way for you, there are enormous bike lanes and dozens of people move in a parade of good health. With all this happiness circulating, one can lose their focus and crash. During one of my first weeks here, I must have gotten swept up in the general euphoria because before you knew it I was careening over a curb and soaring face first beneath a café table’s iron feet. Though I sustained bruises, my durable made in U.S.A jeans survived. However, not all accidents have such happy endings: Last year, my roommate biked into a car door as it was being opened, which gave her a concussion for several months. She’s better now and do not fret mother and father: I just purchased university approved traveler’s insurance. It starts October first. I’ll try to stay away from cars until then.

Biking in Stilettos

When I first arrived I was in the habit of changing into sportswear to bike the four miles to class. At home, biking is a sport; here, it is a way of life. You bike everywhere and wear anything. The anything usually being something nice. Americans wear a sweatshirt, t-shirt or running shoes to class, not the Dutch. Case in point: Five minutes ago I saw someone waltzing into the library wearing a sweatshirt. Gee, he looks American, I thought. Then he started speaking English to the librarian. Case closed. The Dutch bike in high heels or boots or long trench coats. Though someone might flaunt a bright colored coat, the color pallet for this time of year is decidedly depressing: gray, white, black, gray. At least it’s not as bad as Germany where everyone seems to dress in the color of the earth: brown.

Thieves

I bought the least conspicuous bike possible to deter theft. It is old and rusty. On average, the Dutch get their bike stolen once a year. Some people tether their bikes to the railings along canals (a common place to park) with two different kinds of locks. “Most thieves are only able to pick one kind of lock,” my friend said. Each day I pass hundreds of bicycles. Some are painted fluorescent green, some are coated with stickers, some are foldable and can be carried on a train for free (otherwise you must pay an extra seven euros to bring your bike on a train, but this beats the five-hundred euros it costs for a foldable bike…) The problem with a rusty bike is that sometimes things break. While vigorously parking my bike, one of the two giant springs under the bike seat sailed off. I seriously contemplated gorilla gluing it back on, but, then remembering my failed attempt to glue together my bike light, I shelled out the 20 euros for a new seat. An excellent investment.

Biking is Equal

Holland is as flat as a plate and easy to bike on. However, this does not fully explain why Holland has so many more bicycles than its neighbors, Belgium and Germany. Why do the Dutch prefer the bike over the bus and train? And even though cars are more common in Holland than they were thirty years ago, people still prefer the bike. There are nearly as many bikes as people: 13 million bikes and 16 million Dutch people. Maybe this is because of gas prices (called petrol here.) In dollars, it costs between 80 and 90 dollars to fill a small Dutch car.

Culturally, the bike is revealing: It reflects a people that are healthy and live longer than most people (not counting the Japanese…)It also speaks to a penchant for egalitarianism. For example, a car can be a status symbol. Conversely, most bikes are created equal. Omafiets, also called grandma bikes, are popular. They have a low frame, wide saddle and low handlebars. I haven’t seen many of these in the United States. In a country that prizes frugality, you earn points for saying you got your bike used or on sale. Furthermore, there is a belief that everyone has the right to transportation. Everyone can pretty much afford a bike. In the U.S. unless you have a car you probably cannot get a job if a bus does not go to your workplace, or you cannot carpool.

Bike Accessories You Can’t Live Without

Abbreviation key:
Can’t: Cannot live without
Almost: Can almost live without

1.(can’t) Lock—I brought an indestructible u-lock from home. I know it is indestructible because the campus police at Brown had to remove it with an electric saw when I lost the key.
2.(can’t) Lights—It’s illegal not to have them and they make you glow and feel safe.
3.(almost-borderline can’t) Saddle bags—these strap on to the sides of your bike. You need them for groceries and anything you decide to buy.
4.(almost)Basket—get a falling apart one or it will get stolen, or affix an empty beer crate to the front…I have seen this.
5.(almost)Rain cover—though you can manage without it, why not splurge on a bike seat rain cover: a plastic, elastic-fitted keep-your-rump dry contraption
6.(can live without, but should be included for the more aesthetically inclined biker) Spray Paint—there is a thriving trade here in spray paint for bikes. Gold is popular.