I got a new (new old second hand) bike this weekend after being bikeless for a few weeks. As a Dutch person it was of course hell. I can’t live without my bike.
But the country I live in now has far less better bike infrastructure, and it’s a gamble whether or not I am going to die each morning. Also, the city is filled with people on electric cargo bikes with their kids in front going 35 km/h in narrow streets and bicycle paths. But they are no match to my manual classic Dutch citybike, which cannot be destroyed.
The happiness I feel when I can ride my bike each morning and evening to work is unmatched. I am now looking to pimp it so that I can take my tent and stuff with me when the weather gets better.
Bikes, man. Truly a wonder.
What do y’all think of bikes? You know how to ride one?
Bikes are superior to cars full stop.
The reason this question popped up is because everyone not riding a bike here seems to feel the need to make riding around on a bike as miserable as possible
This is how they got me. I rarely use a bike nowadays :(
You should come to The Netherlands for a brief course on how to stop giving a fuck about people in cars. The amount of wankers in cars I’ve flipped off over the years is infinite.
Bikes are great!
Cyclists, on the other hand…
In the words of Malcolm Tucker: ‘Even cyclists hate cyclists’.
The problem where I am, and it sounds the same in your new city, is that the infrastructure is built for cars. So cyclists are either a danger to pedestrians on the footpaths or a danger to themselves and the source of road rage on the roads.
It’s tragic. But when our time comes, comrade, we shall make no apology for the terror of turning every road into spacious cycle lanes (with no pot holes).
Edit: cycling into the distance with a tent on the back sounds like a dream! I hope you manage to have some fun with that.
Cyclist are another beast. But in The Netherlands, you don’t consider yourself a cyclist by riding your bike. It’s just a normal mode of transportation, just like you don’t consider yourself a rally driver by riding your Ford Ka. Even people on bikes hate cyclists.
Hahaha.
Unfortunately, I know a few owners of small family cars who do think they’re rally drivers.
I’m starting to like the sound of the Netherlands.
Mid-20s and can’t ride a bike. Idk if it’s my joint disorder or I’m just horribly unbalanced. I bought a used bike in college for dirt cheap and a friend tried to teach me for about an hour to no avail, bless him (wound up giving him the bike).
Growing up I lived in a very hilly area 10 minutes by car to non-dirt roads and that made it difficult to ride anything that wasn’t a four wheeler. I think I should learn to ride sometimes, but the road infrastructure everywhere I’ve lived gives me death-trap vibes.
Come to The Netherlands and fell a random dad you never learned how to ride a bike. He will put you on a badboy with side wheels in no time.
Riding a bike takes time, especially as an adult. In The Netherlands you start as soon as you can walk, with side wheels that stay on for a while. After that, the wheels come off and your mom or dad awkwardly runs after you after a while. You will fall and cry, but that’s life. My brother drove straight into a sewer hole and got some teeth through his lip. Needed stitches and all and his front tooth never fully grew. But he can ride a bike now.
There’s also all kinds of bikes. Ones you operate with your arms, ones where you lie down, electric ones that make it easier etc. I hope you can find a suitable bike if you ever want to.
I like bikes and riding them. Unfortunately they are not a dependable mode of transportation in my city for the majority of people. The main reason being the city is in a -30 C or colder deepfreeze with 3 feet of snow for 5 months out of the year. Second reason being the shockingly poor cycling infrastructure especially in the most dense parts of the city.
I’ve considered a few times to get one just to ride for fun in the summer but then there is the problem of where to store it in my tiny apartment, and taking it up and down 4 flights of stairs all of the time.
Bike good tho overall. except going up steep hills fuck that
Okay, hills are one thing, but there’s a great video on biking in the snow. There is a town in Finland that has really high ridership in winter, and well… it’s in Finland. The point being that bikes and snow are not mutually exclusive, and it can be safe and reliable to use them even in the coldest temps… I’d say riding in rain is worse than snow…
What makes riding a bike difficult is not the weather but the infrastructure of a place.
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Thank you for the video, it was informative though I wasn’t the biggest fan of this guy’s tone. Completely agree that infrastructure is the most important factor, only pushback I’d offer is that it’s like, really really cold where I live. The average daily mean temperature in January for example is twice as cold as Oulu (-16.2 vs -8.2). Temps in the morning are frequently below -30 C. Factoring in wind of 30-40km/hr you get frostbite warnings and “feels like” temps of -40 C, sometimes worse. What he wore in the video would be fine for Toronto but would be completely inadequate here. There are still some madlads who have studded tires and put on a full snowsuit and thermals every morning and do it here but all the cycling infrastructure in the world couldn’t get me out there tbh. I’m also just a wuss when it comes to cold though, never get used to it. Sorry for the rant I just hate it here.
Damn. Yeah I mean, like are you an Inuit? Haha, I’m sorry. That’s just too cold. At that point I’d be asking for snowmobile infrastructure lmao.
When I was younger we used to get lots of snow in high school. We had to ride our bikes for 30 minutes on what was essentially a frozen road. It sucked and was dangerous but we managed. But tbh that was only for a few weeks, not months. Climate is important for a bike infrastructure to work.
Well, time to get banned, I guess. /s
I can ride a bike. Used to ride somewhat with some buddies. But as far as transportation goes, they just aren’t worth it. The carry capacity is basically the same as what you’d be able to carry on foot. Speed is nice, I guess, but you know what else has speed? A bus. Better yet - subway. Nothing surpasses that as far as urban transport goes.
Bikes have the same issue as other methods of personal transportation. You need to store them. Go to work? Park the bike. Good luck if your workplace doesn’t have bike parking. And even if it does - bike is not difficult to steal. Go home? Now you need to either haul it into the apartment or store it somewhere outside.
And then there’s the matter of climate. It’s been raised already, but I would like to go a bit deeper into it.
It’s not just about “well put on more clothes to not feel cold”. It’s more about “good luck getting through knee deep snow where trucks get stuck”. Oh it’s not winter? Well now you’re getting blasted by wind and doused in rain. Splendid.
Rant over.
I can see where you’re coming from. Public transportation is really important too.
But your comment also highlights the difference between, for example, The Netherlands and elsewhere, which I find funny to see. Parking your bike is not a problem in the slightest as there are parking places everywhere. Most workplaces have extensive parking, our train stations look like this:
Bike theft is a thing but a good lock changes everything. Storage can be fixed by adding bags to your bike for more room, or you could invest in a cargo bike.
Climate does suck. Some places aren’t equiped for bike riding. But a lot of them are, especially in urban areas where cars cause great annoyance or health risks.
I think the debate shouldn’t be bikes vs public transport, but bikes and public transport vs car infrastructure, especially in cities. Public transport for getting around for longer distances, bikes for more freedom to move without waiting times.
I agree with a lot of this. Bikes are ideal where there’s supporting infrastucture. There is a lot of overlap with public transport, but they come into their own when there isn’t enough commuter traffic at a location that bus services are infrequent or a significant distance away.
A good example of this is in China, because you can see how the bike population dwindled rapidly as public transport improved, and you can see the change happens faster in the higher-density areas where public transport coverage is much more efficient.
I like bikes, despite me being inconsistent at biking. Like, they’re fun, eco-friendly little things., also fuck car-only infrastructure.
I actually didn’t learn to ride a bike till I was like… 13 14 maybe? But bikes are sick. I’d definitely want to buy a mountain bike if I had the time to do it more often.
Super based. Energy efficient as fuck and emission free. My city’s bike infrastructure is alright but I live in a freezing fucking climate
Freezing can be managed if you buy good clothes. Snow and icy roads are something different though. Over here bike lanes get the salt treatment if the temps reach near zero and that works well, but damages your bike though. I never really had a problem with cold temps however.
I would like to live in a place that was safe enough to ride one regularly, but I don’t think that’s possible
Bikes are great for exercise and travel. My city’s bike infrastructure isn’t the worst, so I wish I’d use my bike more often.
You should start a movement
Biking is my main form of transport in the Netherlands, even below freezing (they salt the bike paths). As is said elsewhere in the comments it all depends on the supporting infrastructure and weather. But for me living here it’s the best! I’ve carried 80 extra kilos (besides me) on my bike with some proper saddle bags and a basket. Or even with someone sitting on the back carrier. Omafiets (grandma bike) for the win!
Omafiets ftw. Had one in high school and after that it became my bike to take with me on night outs. Truly indestructible.
I love bikes, particularly mountain bikes.
Bikes are my primary mode of transport. I bike to work almost every day, and sometimes home for lunch as well (it’s only 2km). Last Christmas we got a cargo trailer as well so getting a week’s worth of groceries with the bike is possible as well.
My region, while quite rural, has really good bike infrastructure. There are separate paths in most areas so you don’t have to share the road with cars much.
Bikes as a tool for transportation and exercise are awesome! It is certain cyclists I have issue with. Using bikes in cities where you are actively reducing the number of motor vehicles on the road is great and should be appreciated. Even using them in cities for exercise isn’t really causing harm. The only time I get annoyed by them is out in the country, people like to bring their bikes and use the roads out here as exercise. Now i have nothing against exercise but when the roads we have are barely wide enough for two cars to get past each other, in addition to all the hills, curves, and blind turns, cyclists are a real pain to have to deal with. Especially because 90% of the time there is never just one you can get around. They come in packs. Meanwhile I just want to get to the store or wherever I need to go.
I know there flaws in my feelings that may not be reasonable or logical, but I hate driving, and these shitty little roads out here are bad enough to drive on without having to deal with a pack of cyclists trying to go up a quarter mile long windy ass hill. Now if the roads were wider and accounted for bike travel then by all means, but half the time I got out I have to wonder if I’m gonna have to park in someone’s driveway while a combine rolls past me.
So honestly my gripe is also a big part due to our whole system being designed for cars only. lol
Group of cyclists can be really annoying. They often go too fast and don’t mind the traffick rules. There’s lots of accidents with them in the summer time here and it’s not always the car’s fault.
I don’t think you’re too unreasonable in your opinion.
Great but I like walking a lot more if it’s not too far. I’d also probably take a bus instead if there’s a convenient route.