Observing bikes in Amsterdam

[bode]

We have just got back from a trip to Amsterdam. Though I saw thousands upon thousands of bikes - they assail you from every direction; nowhere is a pedestrian safe from a potential impact - I only saw two electric bikes in four days. I suppose you just don't need the assistance in those level streets. Almost all the pedal rickshaws had large hub motors, though.

I was disconcerted at first because it seemed that the majority of bikes appeared to have no brakes, but assumed that they must have back-pedal ones. Many of the bikes had a single gear, and this, combined with the lack of brake levers, enabled the riders to use their hands for umbrellas and/or mobile phones. None of those bikes had front brakes, though, unless I was missing something. The bikes that did have visible brakes had mostly roller ones; I saw a very small proportion of the caliper type.

A large number of load carrying solutions (a large plastic crate on the front was very popular), including every variety of the long-wheelbase bakfiets, and every kind of child-carrier.

But not a single MTB did I see!

 

[magnuken]

Hi,
I also was a couple of weeks ago in Copenhagen and there are also hundreds of thousends bikes. This is because the infrastructure of Copenhagen is made to favor bikes in stead of cars!

In Copenhagen there where also not so many pedelecs, but I think more than in Amsterdam. About 5% of the citybikes in Copenhagen where some sort of pedelecs and there where also a large number of three wheels load carrying bikes, which almost all had electric motors.

But in the Copenhagen downtown I also saw many Segways! In Finland we don't have any of these Segways, because they are not allowed for road use in my country.

Do you have Segways in Britain?

 

[flecc]

Last figure I saw was that 1 in 8 of bikes sold in the Netherlands now is an e-bike, and the last year sales I think were 350,000. Amsterdam reports an increase of 45% in e-bike sales currently and even three years ago the 2008 e-bike sales total in the Netherlands was 140,000.

There's at least two thirds of a million e-bikes for their 16.5 million population, so they must be somewhere.

 

[DK2]

Many Dutch and Danish bikes has the brake build in to the rear hub, so you brake by turning the pedals backwards. Works only on the rear wheel though. Simple and very reliable system, never nedds service or repair, but lacks some power compared to front brakes.

 

[magnuken]

Many Dutch and Danish bikes has the brake build in to the rear hub, so you brake by turning the pedals backwards. Works only on the rear wheel though. Simple and very reliable system, never nedds service or repair, but lacks some power compared to front brakes.

So also in Finland. All our traditional bikes have only one brake and it is in the one gear rear hub and you engage the brake by pedaling slight backwards.

 

[flecc]

So also in Finland. All our traditional bikes have only one brake and it is in the one gear rear hub and you engage the brake by pedaling slight backwards.

In Britain all bikes have to have two brakes by law.

An odd anomaly though is that on tricycles, both brakes can be and often are on the front wheel. That's usually a rim brake and a hub roller brake, never a rim and disc brake combination that I know of so far.

 

[magnuken]

In Britain all bikes have to have two brakes by law.

Ok, but how with the now a days so popular Segways, I don't think they have two brakes? Are they allowed in your country?

In my country our police use these:

 

[lemmy]

In Den Bosch in the Netherlands recently (beautiful town, by the way), there is the usual use of bikes for practical transport that our continental cousins encourage, like Amsterdam and others mentioned here.

But unlike Roger's observation in Amsterdam I noticed quite a number of electric bikes. Maybe just some good dealers there?

My great love about cycling on the continent in general is the everyday-ness of it, as if cycling were simply an extension of walking. I guess that's the way I've seen it since I was a kid, just a means of transport, so I feel more comfortable with that than the 'alien' style helmet, hi-vis jackets, lycra and rather bullish manners of too many English riders, somehow giving a sense of being an outsider rather than part of the population.

 

[timidtom]

Last figure I saw was that 1 in 8 of bikes sold in the Netherlands now is an e-bike,

So Warrington is again ahead of Europe! I counted six bicycles during a visit to the town yesterday - one of which was an ebike!

 

[flecc]

Ok, but how with the now a days so popular Segways, I don't think they have two brakes? Are they allowed in your country?

No, they are banned everywhere too, roads or footpaths, as are all powered child style scooters.

For a democratic country, Britain is extremely restrictive.

 

[eddieo]

Didn't the designer of the Sedgeway kill himself on one last year?

Edit: yes he did.....

Segway tycoon Jimi Heselden dies in cliff plunge on one of his own scooters | Mail Online

 

[magnuken]

No, they are banned everywhere too, roads or footpaths, as are all powered child style scooters.

For a democratic country, Britain is extremely restrictive.

Ok, because Finland is a "semidemocratic" country, we have not banned these Segways and similar equipments. Our outhuritys can use these and also some other national important groups.

 

[yselmike]

you can hire segways in Amsterdam often see them pass by my kitchen window at work get them by the Passenger terminal,
I dont see many e-bikes in town you dont need them really and you do need somewhere to keep them
you cant leave a good bike on the street in Amsterdam,I have a giant expedition and they stole the crank
while I was at work,

 

[Tim]

Didn't the designer of the Sedgeway kill himself on one last year?

Edit: yes he did.....

Segway tycoon Jimi Heselden dies in cliff plunge on one of his own scooters | Mail Online

He wasn't the designer though, that is Dean Kamen. Mr Heseldean did own the company that designed and manufactured the modern equivalent of the sandbag though, the Hesco bastion, as seen at military bases all over the world.