[Help] Tips to choose a bike

Second-hand, because they get stolen alot, especially in cities. Go for an urban bike that just works, so no electric motor or other fancy shit. Try browsing www.marktplaats.nl, ¤100,- max.

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Op zaterdag 16 januari 2016 11:40 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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Even bikes with that: [ afbeelding ] ?
I search on Marketplaats and I don't like the bikes...

With a lock? Yeah, bikes getting stolen is the number one crime in the Netherlands.

And you could go for a new bike, but if you plan to study in a city I would definitely go for a bike from Marktplaats if I were you. If your bike doesn't get stolen it will be damaged or fall into the 'gracht' eventually. A new bike is simply not worth it for a student imo.

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Op zaterdag 16 januari 2016 12:00 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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Whaaaat? Why people would do that?? O.o

Because they're drunk and nobody cares about your fance bike in general.

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Op zaterdag 16 januari 2016 12:03 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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But, but, If I have a lock (3: two airbus on the wheel and one airbus from the bike)?
(People don't do that in France --")

I understand that I should buy a second-hand bike, but I guess if I put a lot of locks it will be not stolen, right?

If you can attach them to something, it greatly reduces the chance that it gets stolen. But if you just buy an old second-hand bike that doesn't stand out it will also not get stolen, even with just one lock to block the wheel from spinning. And, while you may think that an old second-hand drives as crap, it doesn't have to be the case. Remember that we don't have any hills, many good bicycle paths and that most trips take 15 minutes at most. You don't really need a new electric bike of 2000 euros for that.

Don't buy a bike for looks if you are going to park it anywhere outside of guarded parking spaces.

My fiance and I have two bikes each. One nice-looking one that we use for longer trips, shopping and other 'heavy duty'. One 'crap one' with removable lights and no hand brakes that we can park at the local bus stop if needed.
Our 'crap bikes' cost max ¤50 on Marktplaats. It doesn't really matter if they get stolen.
Our 'nice bikes' cost ¤300-¤400 and get parked in safe spots only.

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Op zondag 17 januari 2016 09:54 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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Okay, so if I buy a nice one, I should do only Home -> University; Home -> Mall; University -> Mall...? Will it be safe enough with that? (I don't want have a bike which cost 898¤ (it is a gift) for nothing..)

But I think I'll do like you, I'll buy a cheap bike on Marketplaast for others trips.

If you can park your bike somewhere safe at Uni.. yes. How far is your house from Uni? If it's <20 mins, you can use a 'crap bike' for that. Getting your expensive bike stolen really sucks. And I would NEVER spend more than 300 on a new bike.

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Op zondag 17 januari 2016 09:54 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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Okay, so if I buy a nice one, I should do only Home -> University; Home -> Mall; University -> Mall...? Will it be safe enough with that? (I don't want have a bike which cost 898¤ (it is a gift) for nothing..)

But I think I'll do like you, I'll buy a cheap bike on Marketplaast for others trips.

University is not a safe place, same thing for the mall.





This is normal here, see the amount of old crappy bikes? New bikes just get damaged in these 'stallingen', if they fit in at all.

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Op zondag 17 januari 2016 13:53 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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O.O
Wow, I have underestimated your bike addiction... Well, I'll keep my new bike safe in France...

Oh, this is nothing yet. Delft has a bike storage with 5000 places, still full everyday. Utrecht is building the largest one in the world, with enough place for 12.500 bikes. Probably still too small.

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Op zaterdag 16 januari 2016 11:07 schreef juli3n het volgende:
Hoi Have you any tips to choose a bike for the Netherlands?

Hi, I see you already have received some advice. I will try to add my own opinion on certain matters.

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Should I buy a new one? or a second-hand?

It really depends on your usage and the places you attend: As already mentioned at some places vandalism and theft are rampant, therefor people who frequent those places likely chose to pick some crap-end bicycle. On the other hand you have to consider the distances that you are going to travel on average: a crap-end bicycle might be sufficient if you do not travel a lot, but can become very unpleasant if you have to travel daily for an hour or more. Back in the old days, when I was young, some pals used to cycle daily on their crap-end bicycles all year round on flat tires. For them it was okay, as they lived 3 blocks away (from school) and they did not bother about those 5 minutes. For me it would have been a different story as I used to live far more remote.
So if the distances are low and you go to crap places, where people do not care about your bicycle and you do not care yourself either, you should definitely get the crap-end bicycle. In other cases it might be more appropriate to get a more decent second hand bicycle or even a new one. If you want to keep money in your pocket go for the second hand option. If you can afford a new one, you might buy a new one as well. It is all about your budget and personal preferences. One of the advantages of a new one is that you can get insurance on it. I kid you not. Certainly this comes at an extra premium and a lot of us just consider this a waste of money. For sure the main purpose of the insurance is to make money out of it. But if you just do not like to worry, whether you find your bicycle in the same spot in the same condition every time, it might be worth considering. Last time I checked the insurance a couple of years ago they charged about 1/3 of the bicycles worth for 3 year coverage. But this greatly depends on the city you are living in.

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If so which? Otherwise why (and where can I find a good one)?

Crap-end bicycle: 50 EUR
Decent second-hand bicycle: 200 EUR
New bicycle: 600 EUR

You should definitely not go for a 200 EUR new bicycle, which are typically sold at home improvement stores and the like. They tend to rust very fast and fall apart after a couple of years. It is always better to go for a second-hand from the well-known brands.
Crap-end bicycles can be obtained from private owners and crack-heads. The more decent second-hand bicycles also from the bicycle shops, who also sell the new ones.
Of course the bicycle shops have to earn their money selling bicycles and tend to be more expensive than the private owners. When buying a second hand you should know that the majority of the offerings are stolen ones. Since the police are not really looking after this, it is mostly a moral question.
When buying from a professional seller, make sure to get the frame number noted on the invoice and keep the invoice. When buying from an individual, check the frame number through the site of the police, keep all contact information and messages from the seller. Also keep some screenshots from the advert as well as the original url of the advert. Stay away from repainted bicycles.

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Which type of bike is better for daily use? Mountain Bike, Urban Bike?

Urban bike definitely, no questions. I would recommend picking the ones with 3 or 7 gears. Gears tend to break down very quick in Dutch conditions, so I would recommend staying away from the more complex 24/28/32 etc. gear ones.

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What do you think about Vanmoof? Gazelle? Btwin? ...

Gazelle, Batavus and Sparta seem to be the most common choices. You should compare them and decide which you like most. Do not forget to negotiate the price, no matter whether you are buying new or pre owned. It might be worth to negotiate the price at a few different sellers. Because the possible discounts may greatly vary.

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Should I buy an VAE / electric bike?

You should not. No reason.

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Warranty? Lock? well I have aloooot of questions

Warranty at private owners: absolutely none. Make sure to do a test drive. Bicycle shops also tend to give very limited warranties on used bicycles. I think on new ones you should get 2 years of warranty. Lock: If you have insurance, it is usually sufficient to use the lock on your bicycle. If not, it is better to lock the frame of your bicycle to some piece of public space equipment with an additional lock. Quality of locks greatly varies and sellers tend to sell whatever option is favourable for their pockets. You probably should look up some reviews.
Few things you should also know:
- Lightning equipment must be fixed to your bicycle during use. It also should not blink. This is a safety issue and lots of young people seem to ignore, but by ignoring you can get hit one day.
- As a guy you should never buy a girls bicycle or worse the unisex one. Some guys do not care, but believe me this is really lame.
- Even worse to wear a helmet. The moment you start wearing one, is the moment you lose your dignity in the eyes of Dutch people. This is a huge thing, so do not even think of buying a helmet, as it is impossible to fix the damage to your reputation afterwards.
- Unlike some other countries it is forbidden to ride on the sidewalks. If no bicycle tracks are available use the motorway instead.

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Op zondag 17 januari 2016 13:17 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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Okay. Well, for that idk, I'm not in NL right now. But if I'm accepted, I'll try to get an accommodation inside the campus. Anyways, thanks!

For the price, that's not me. But my parents for my 18yr

Just a quick question, where will you be going to uni. Depending on the city there are gonna be some differences in amout of locks needed

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- Unlike some other countries it is forbidden to ride on the sidewalks. If no bicycle tracks are available use the motorway instead.

Not motorways, main roads. Never try to ride a bike on a motor way/high way. It will get you killed

Oh and sidewalks are optional. Just go with the flow of the other bike traffic you'll learn soon enough.

Sometimes Deadprez offers a brand new bike on Marktplaats for ¤100! You should contact him on FOK!.

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Op woensdag 20 januari 2016 17:56 schreef juli3n het volgende:

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O.O

Bicycle Rush Hour Utrecht (Netherlands) III

How do you like them apples
This video is taken in nice weather somewhere in spring or summer. Now try to imagine the same amount of traffic in the fall, with bad weather and in the dark

It does give you a good idea of what types of bikes people ride around on generally.