Bikes. Acquiring necessities…A little guide about buying a bike in the Netherlands and actually embracing using it.

Index

Technical:• Brands• Brake types• Gearing• Size• Locks• Accessories

Daily Life:• Where to buy• Price range• Circulation

Top Brands• Giant

• Batavus

• Gazelle

• Raleigh

• Ideal

Brakes Rim Brakes

• Very powerful, easy to maintain, simple and easy to control

• Not good behavior when wet and dirty, easy cut

Disc Brakes• Good behavior in all conditions

Coaster Brakes• Softer braking power for less effort, work well in

wet conditions

Single-Speed Bicycle

VsMulti-Speed

Bicycle

- Cheaper

- Lighter

- Less maintenance required

- More versatile

Internal Gearing External Gearing

Multi-Speed Bicycle

- Less maintenance

- Shifting without pedaling

- Higher reliability

- Lighter

- More comfortable uphill

- Less expensive to fix

The Right Size

Locks• What do we want?

• to prevent the wheels and the frame to be detached from each other.

• to prevent the whole bike to be removed.• What should we look for?

Secure

 

  

 

Cheap

 

 

 

Portable

• U-lock • Chain

• Very secure• Heavy• Not flexible

• Almost as secure as the U-lock

• Heavy• Flexible

Secure

 

 

 

 

Cheap

 

 

 

Portable

Secure

 

 

 

 

Cheap

 

 

 

Portable

Locks

• Cable lock • Wheel lock

• Very basic lock• Weak• Cheap

• Secures the frame to the wheel• Difficult to break in the spot• Good in combination with U-

lock / chain

Secure

 

 

 

 

Cheap

 

 

 

Portable

Secure

 

 

 

 

Cheap

 

 

 

Portable

Locks

And always use two different locks! Thieves don’t usually carry multiple tools around!

• You may want to look for a basket if you carry so much stuff in your bike.• Front (smaller)• Rear (bigger)• Also rear bags are good (+waterproof)

• Nothing is dutchier than carrying flowers (tulips) in your basket!

• Use lights – a cheap LED will do (2€)• Seat covers are interesting in such a rainy

country!

Pimp my ride!

Where to buy?

Three ways to buy/rent :

• From bicycle repair shops or first

hand selling bicycle shop

• From facebook group selling delft (

*Student* sale in Delft !)

• Renting of bicycle

Price Range of Bicycles

Second

Hand Bikes40€ - 150€

New Bikes

Starts from 130€

Stolen bike?

• Being (involuntarily) in possession of a stolen bike is illegal, if caught one can get into trouble

• Get your bike from reasonably safe places, never buy from strangers on the street

• Always ask for receipt• When caught one loses the bike, pays around

250€ fine and might get a criminal record

Check status at: https://fdr.rdw.nl

Chip number:• 15-digit number• Introduced in 2000• Can be checked by

police and at the bike shops

Frame number:• Usually 2 letters and 7

digits• Othe ring lock or the frame• Can be difficult to read in

older bikes

So what is the perfect bike for you?

No one knows better than you.

So choose wisely…

Thank you!