“Almost entirely destroyed, but fortunately still locked!” - Originally uploaded by moosterbroek on Flickr

A Dutch Sparta Pickup transport bike, bought at Het Zwarte Fietsenplan. I love it to death already. More about this beauty later on, now I have to [slowly] ride into town and meet a friend at a terrace.

(Click on the image, it will take you to more pictures)

The Dutch Royal House of Orange. Not a subject I thought I’d let myself post about. But, as I want to highlight ALL aspects of cycling in these lowlands, I might as well include that too. If only to emphasize that you can’t speak of ‘a bicycle culture‘ here, as everyone rides and it’s not considered something extraordinary, exotic or fringy.

Enter our Royals. For generations, since the introduction of the bicycle (type) as we know it today, they’ve wholeheartedly embraced it, like the rest of the populace. From King Henry III, Queen Emma, Wilhelmina, Juliana to current reigning Queen Beatrix, each and everyone of them, including their spouses, have not just posed with a bicycle for photo ops, but indeed actively used it on a regular basis. It also made it easy for them to blend in sort of anonymously when they decided to escape the royal confines.

The next in line for the throne, Prince Willem-Alexander is no different. He and his wife Maxima proudly carry on the Dutch tradition of ‘act normal, then you act crazy enough’.

‘Nuff said.

Queen Wilhelmina

Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard on a tandem.

Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus.

Princess Maxima and Prince Willem-Alexander and offspring.

Last week, together with Mikael from Copenhagen Cycle Chic, Copenhagenize & The Slow Bicycle Movement, I was a special guest on the first Bike To Work podcast by Carlton Reid and Tim Grahl to talk about cycling in Amsterdam, as a prelude to the launch of the Bike To Work book, to which Mikael and I will be contributing a few pages.

Go ahead and listen/subscribe to the podcast on their website. Oh, and obviously, buy the book when it comes out, from what I hear it’s gonna be a must-read…;-)

Yesterday I was in London for the day and the city lived up to its reputation, the rain never stopped (I know, the weather will never cease to be a topic of conversation, sigh). I saw a few bikes parked, spotted one daring city cyclist on the road near Wimbledon park, but despite these nasty conditions, that particular British cycle commuter had sort of a Dutch touch to his demeanor: no rain jacket, no poncho, no nothing.

After my return last night I mentioned to a friend that a whole day of non-stop rain is rarely the case in the Netherlands. Yes, it rains a lot, too, but it comes in spades. One moment you’d feel like going to the beach, next thing you know the place is flooding. In short, usually you can’t count on any prediction.

‘Usually’ is the segway to this part of the post. Because, funny thing, today London’s climatic seizure moved here. Jolly. This of course gave me an opportunity to do a photo series on Amsterdam cyclists in the rain:

Ride it out, brother.

Tucked in at the front, cycle chic at the wheel.

Another high tech Amsterdamize solution.

She only ‘popped the hood’ on her sweater.

Optical illusion, it’s still raining.

See more in the Amsterdamize : Soaking Cycling photo set.

1896, Sarphatipark. Mr. J.D.B. Biengreber on his new bicycle, while the photographer’s sons watch him go by. Photo by Jacob Olie.

1905, Man with bicycle and butter trader ‘De Eendracht’ at Amstelveld market, faced towards Kerkstraat. Photo by J.L. Scherpenisse.

1906, Rembrandt Parties, decorated bicycles for flower corso in Vondelpark. Photo by Josephus Nuss.

1906, woman on bicycle, child on bicycle in the distance, in the direction of Naarden-Bussum. A woman is selling second hand clothes on the side of the road. Photo by J.L. Scherpenisse.

See more in the Amsterdamize Classics : 1895 - 1910 photo set.

My last post got me inspired to do some more research. Feeling like a history major again, I quickly opened up the online image library of the Amsterdam City Archive. Back in my college days, all was done by hand for lack of interwebs and/or no online access to anything. Now, of course, it’s like being a kid in a candy store. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The image library is vast, huge, enormous. Sophisticated search options instantly got me what I was looking for. Then more, more…sure enough, 2 days later, I’m still browsing.

My catch so far: about 250 bicycle related or non-related, but with bicycle as side-kick, photos. Ranging from 1895 to 2007.

Having gone through them all, (legally!) downloaded them all, tagged them all, named them all, a few assumed and promoted aspects of the history of bicycles in the Netherlands are totally confirmed now, no myths, no exaggerations.

Since its invention the Dutch have embraced the bicycle completely (whether general usage was up or down) and started using it for work (commute/cargo), leisure, family, events, celebrations, rich or poor, etc etc. It hasn’t changed one bit. More volume now, but same attitude, same pragmatism, same no-nonsense, same feel for style (or just disregard for necessity to wear something else), the same joy for riding.

Alright, I’ve decided to gradually put them all up, working from back to front, starting at the turn of the 19th century, coining this series ‘Amsterdamize Classics’. For this first post, however, I wanted to pick a decade that I have some familiarity with…thus bringing you the Cycle Chic Jive of the 70’s.

A few from this batch:

1975, girl on Dam Square. Photo by Ed van der Elsken.

1970, corner of Eerste Laurierdwarsstraat and Eerste Rozendwarsstraat, two friends pedaling off into town. Photo by the Amsterdam City Archive.

1975, Vijzelgracht, gotcha! Photo by Ed van der Elsken.

1979, Reguliersbreestraat, view from Rembrandt Square, a time when cars were still allowed there, rush hour for all. Photo by Ed van der Elsken.

The Netherlands
Population: 16,5 million
Bikes: 18 million
New bikes sold a year: 1.7 million
Bikes stolen a year: between 1.2 and 1.4 million

But the number of bikes in the Netherlands has been at that level, thus stable for years, so what explains this gap? According to the chairman of the Dutch Bicycle Union it boils down to this:

• broken bikes are taken off the streets by city services
• abandoned bikes are taken off the streets to be recycled. Read: shredded.
• illegally parked bikes are taken off the streets and are registered to be picked up by the rightful owners, but that hardly ever happens. If so, they are shredded, including perfectly new bikes. Suggestion: resell them.
• Gangs in vans drive around neighborhoods, pick up parked & locked bikes and drive them abroad to be sold. Mostly in Germany and Belgium. It sounds odd, but I’ve experienced the bad end result of this twice myself.

[Update: a related story]

I wrote an introduction to this topic a while back. Now that I’ve established sort of a blog framework, highlighting the essence and cherries of cycling in Amsterdam (and the Netherlands), I’d like to actually act on what I promised: giving the out-of-towners a few handy (and probably life/face saving) tips before they hop on and venture into the city on their own.

However quaint and lovely this Amsterdam looks, don’t be fooled. When it comes to riding around town, you need to be overly aware of all modes of traffic that swiftly move around everyday and share this extremely compact city:

• Cars, vans, trucks
• Motorcycles, mopeds
• Trams, busses, taxi’s
• 300.000+ daily cyclists (700.000+ bikes)
• Pedestrians

Ok, the first rule of this series obviously has to do with you, the newbie, the guest, the cycling visiteur being among others. Those ‘others’ would be us, the locals, going from A to B, to C, D, Z and back, ziggedyzag. Day by day, for every errand, for every task, for any venture, we take our bikes and we rule. Mind you, it’s in our blood, we don’t consider it a culture or something quaint. It’s there, we use it, period. We don’t know any better.

First, there’s one important thing I’d like to get out of the way. When you visit and you decide to cycle around, do me and yourself a favor, forget ALL that you think you know about (city) cycling. Why? Because your preconceptions and experiences from home will cloud your judgement. Open your mind, get a grip, try to understand this…in this town you are Nr 1. Yes, YOU, on the bike, are Number 1. Not just for ‘green’ coolness and efficiency, no. 99% of the time you have right of way, cars will be mindful, stop, etc, because drivers are cyclists too. Plus, by law, no matter what mistake you make as a cyclist, you can not be faulted. Aka, in any circumstance, no matter what happens, the car driver will be liable for prosecution for not being careful enough. How’s that, huh? (Just be aware of the speedy trams)

I’m well aware that Amsterdam has its perks and while you’re pumped up about being in this mythical and notorious town, nothing’s seems more fun than mixing up some doobies with a few drinks and then ride the red monster. For argument’s sake, let me disregard that daring prospect for now and deal with it later in another Unwritten Cycle Rule.

Rule #1 is aimed at those that are:

• unfamiliar with Amsterdam
• unfamiliar with cycling
• unfamiliar with cycling in Amsterdam

For most tourists Amsterdam can be overwhelming, disorienting, strange, weird/quirky, unexpecting and a lot of other things. And that’s fine, would be weird if it was anything else, right? The last thing you want to do, as a newbie Amsterdam cyclist, is not appreciate these facts and let them sink into your brain. Unfamiliar grounds, people, traffic, situations, sounds, smells, etc etc.

So, before you mount the (rented) bicycle, be honest with yourself:

• when was the last time you cycled (excluding childhood memories)?
• when was the last time you cycled downtown, in a more than average sized city?
• are you a person worried about the amount of ‘personal space’ people allow you?
• are you a person who’s not known for paramount control of bodily functions?
• have you ever been in a cycle accident and do you still worry about that?
• assuming you come from a typical car-dominated culture, have you ever cursed those crazy cyclists?

If you think you didn’t score that well and you’re still being honest, then we’re on to something. A lot of those millions of tourists that have been so bold to discover this town by bike weren’t so honest. I’d know, I’ve seen them fail, put themselves in harm’s way and basically give tourists a bad name (among the locals).

But I don’t want to spook you…because that would be bad, there’s enough bike related fear mongering going on in this world already. I want you to have fun, without having to worry too much about whether it’s safe or not. The activity of biking in itself is harmless, you’ve just been brainwashed and violated a lot in the course of your life, because nobody provided you with the habitat to do so.

When I talk about Amsterdam’s bike infrastructure, I don’t mean we painted a few lines on the road. No, I’m talking about actual bike lanes, signs, traffic lights, roundabouts, intersections, parking garages, designated hubs, the works. All part of making a city for the people, not cars. And, no, we didn’t implement that for tourists, what did you think this place is, Disneyland?

Hence, regarding biking in Amsterdam, you could take these easy pointers to heart:

• Most Dutch will tell you a few things by default, but I’m sure you don’t get half of the real deal: either ask specifically what the biking essentials are at the bike rental or go to the VVV (tourist) office at Central Station for this information. It’s free.
• With this information (including the map), try to get a good feel for this concentric city. The more you familiarize yourself beforehand, the easier it will be to adapt once you’re on the bike lane.
• Pick a place (courtyard, square, anything but a sidewalk) to get a feel of the bike, to practice hard left and right turns, braking, stopping, balancing etc. Every bike is different, let alone getting on after not having done so for 10 years or more. Just picking the color of your rent-a-bike just won’t cut it to survive.
• If you’re by yourself, closely watch what other people do, go with the flow. There’s no need to go as fast as the Dutch, but it’s not wise to assume you’re king of the road either (which will be explained in an upcoming rule).

What I’ve tried to address in this first rule and its pointers is the fact that you need to be aware of 2 important phenomenons:

1. Amsterdam’s segregated bike infrastructure will allow you to appreciate the city in the best way possible.
2. Amsterdam’s segregated bike infrastructure doesn’t automatically mean you will be safe from yourself.

Stay tuned for Amsterdamize’s Unwritten Cycle Rule #2!

Rush hour has officially started.

Tres Chic.

Checking hair, effortlessly.

Back from the office, presumably on his way to pick up the kids.

No comment needed.

Pause & chat before going seperate ways.

SUV’s parking at Vondelpark playground.

See more in the City Cycle Chic Fabric photoset.