In this episode, Michelle and Alex FINALLY buy their bikes after moving to the Netherlands nearly one year ago. Learn what makes Dutch bikes so unique (omafiets), how to buy a bike in the Netherlands, and follow Michelle and Alex as they go on their first journey on a bike to… a bakery, of course!
Episode 69 (nice.) · Filmed on June 24, 2023 · Dordrecht, the Netherlands
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0:00 Introduction
0:47 Why did this take you so long?
1:22 Do we even know how to ride a bike?
1:44 What are we looking for in a bike?
2:48 How do you buy a bike in the Netherlands?
3:11 What was our experience like?
3:35 Bike reveal and riding around Dordrecht
4:04 OK, so what’s so special about Dutch bikes?
5:14 What we got vs. what we were looking for
6:11 More riding around Dordrecht
6:29 First destination: Banketbakkerij Brokking
7:54 Insurance and bike locks
8:22 How much did our bikes cost?
9:09 What’s it like biking in the Netherlands?
9:43 Wrap up
#expatlife #netherlands #bikinglife
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WHO IS BUNCHARTED?
We’re Michelle and Alex, a travel-obsessed American couple living abroad in the Netherlands.
In 2020, we quit our jobs to travel the world, and… yeah, that didn’t happen. So in 2022, we decided to make an even BIGGER change, packing up our lives (and our cats 🐈), moving from Austin, Texas, to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Subscribe for new videos like this every week!
36 Comments
Insurance is more than just covering theft . Most insurance comp. offers a 'depannage feature' , cause you don't wanna have a breakdown ( flat tire, mechanical defect, e-motor breaks down aso), certainly not in the pouring rain . Such insurance is quite valuable when riding significant distances . The insurance company contacts a bike-shop nearby which offers you and brings to you a replacement bike ( or repairations on the spot) so you can persue your trip . Afterwards they deliver the repaired bike at your home etc ….
You really should eat saucijzenbroodjes hot, they are way better that way. If they can't heat them for you in the store, take them home and just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Keep that quiet, you might get arrested 🤣
Im sorry to spoil it , but " Altec " is one of the worst bike brands on the market . These are so called " Walmart bikes " . I worked on these bikes but not with pleasure.
I would have bought a Cortina . These are trendy , simple and easy to fix . Plus they can take a beating .
should've bought a electric foldable bike
Watching this video was so much fun – I literally rode this route past the construction to the city center (and back) twice today! I just came across your channel by accident and was pleasantly surprised to see the familiar surroundings 🙂. Btw, you did try the famous Brokking hazelnootgebak, right?
Cool and well thoughtful video. I was wondering what the weight was on these two rides. I assume 35-40 pounds with those rear racks on, which would be comparable to mountain bike weight. Did you weigh them? Everyone assumes an e-bike is drastically heavy and it can be, but there's quite a range. I have one and it's 55 lbs with the battery. It's constructed much like a mountain bike, and with the same width (2.4") tires. Many are much heavier and with fatter tires. A guy can pick it up and move it around but it's 20 lbs heavier than my Marin hybrid and twice the weight plus compared to my State steel road bike. My thinking is multi-fold for the purpose of it and it has partially been proven correct based on practical use. I see e-bikes as fitting especially for high wind days, where you are otherwise greatly disinclined to ride because riding in heavy winds is a drag. Likewise fitting for massively hot afternoons where again you are greatly disinclined to ride because you overheat and you really have to dress down for it. Thirdly winters, although I've not had it for winters yet. The idea being you still get out for some kind of ride, maybe to the store, even with full clothes, boots, jacket, etc. since you aren't working as hard for the mileage and the awkwardness of the clothes isn't therefore factoring in as much. Winters tend to shut down cycling around here unless you're a conehead/spandex kind of guy which I am not. I won't do the spandex pants. I think that probably the nature of a Dutch style bike translates to conveying type winter use more easily since you aren't geared so much for sport riding postures and mindsets. So heavier clothes and boots don't effect things as much. I plan on using the Marin for groceries as with the Ride1Up (e-bike) some of the time. Normally I get shut down on bikes for close to four months during the coldest months, so that's going to be different and hopefully better. Especially for more exercise and less car use.
Within a year you would rather part with your car then your bike.
Good choises to. Altec will keep you happy for a long time!
Then u also have to try a "worstenbroodje".Or did u already tried that out?
The one thing that surprised me about your Dutch bikes were the derailleurs. My understanding was that Dutch bikes traditionally used hub gear boxes, often having three speeds. These simple gearboxes were preferred because they need less adjustment than derailleurs. By the way, did you see any bikes with a belt drive?
Ah, why not a Brompton, super folding bike? It also comes in an also very expensive E type from the Factory.
And the value of a bike, being paid from an insurance, falls like a stone from a tall building, so don't expect too much!
I have 3 bikes and 3 unicycles. 1 bike for work, 1 bike for other stuff, 1 bike in case 1 of the others breaks down. My unicycles, 1 unicycle is at the circus where I teach, 1 is for groceries and public transit (it fulfills my folding bike needs, for free and on any form of public transit) and 1 to loan/teach others.
Almost nobody uses an "omafiets" these days. they are just not comfortable. what you have is also not an "omafiets"
You do not need a kazillion gears as you gears usually 2 oe 3 in total, but you really want those gears, handbrakes? 99% of the bikes have those either v-brake and more common these days are disk brakes, the 1% are omafietsen if it even makes 1%. The reason omafietsen have been popular for a shile was the hype in the early 2000, but most commonly kids can't break them as easily. no gears, 100% protected chain, wide tires and most importantly no breakwear as "paddle back" brakes kinda always work while v-brakes wear out super fast. especially when kids are stunting.
So it was more a practical thing when kids went to highschool, in a fase of there life where breaking bikes is their hobby
If your bike is insured, 1 lock is fine lol, thats why you are instured for, the second lock is more if you place them in dark alley's, locations where someone could easily steal them without anyone noticing, for example you leave them outside for the night. and insureance is super cheap, I pay like 50 euro a year for a 2K+ bike including roadside assistance. bikes arent stolen that much. in absolute numbers many are stolen, many many. but with 25 million bikes having 100K stolen aint that much. and often it are or expensive e-bikes, or the common one the "garbage" bike used to go to the bar that looks so crappy nobody thinks there stealing something worth anything and there drunk and wanna go home. you might find it at the same bar again a week later lol.
So you live in Dordrecht? Hope to see you some time 👍👍
You made the wrong choice on the brand Altec, yes its a great brand but not a lot of bicycle shops sell or get parts distributed to them specifically for that brand.
most parts are indeed universal but prices may very A LOT compared to stock parts.
you made the right choice when picking the type of bicycle. the human powered type as opposed to the E-powered ones.
you made the wrong choice when it comes to gearing, you could have went with internal wheel gearing called "Gear hub" to reduce wear and tear, make it even longer lasting and reduce overall maintenance costs.
these outer gears are known to wear out over the course of 1 year if you ride it every other day through all sorts of weather conditions.
again, the costs do vary depending on what brand of sprockets fit on this bike. The front sprocket is usually good for 2 years of usage and the derailleur needs some love from time to time when maintenance is done.
anyways im going on and on..
please by all means DO enjoy your new bikes!
a great area to cycle is the "Veluwe" just west of the city Apeldoorn.
but plan it on a nice sunny day to get the most out of it.
nice place eindhoven ?
You should try crossing the Afsluitdijk. Its about 30 km long and a true experience
I would recommend to take the Merwede Linge Lijn to Geldermalsen and from there ride to Buurmalsen, Buren Beusichem, Culemborg and Leerdam and take the train back to Dordrecht from there. Visit especially Buren and Culemborg. Have a nice day on your bikes!
quick thing about yielding in traffic, that's in large part because of the law and in some small part due to a traffic course you get in primary school. So all kids learn how they should behave, and drivers learn that in the eyes of the law they are always at fault during an accident because cyclists and pedestrians are considered more vulnerable.
choosing a bike can be hard to do because of the many choices.
one can go for a maintenance free one without brakes and even no or 3 gears, those Omafietsen can be amazingly maintenance free and very reliable.
but for longer trips having more gears is great, i would personally prefer hub gears that are in the wheel and no de-railers but thats just a personal preference.
Congrats on your bikes, good choice an hope you will have a lot of fun and exploring with them 🙂
Awesome! I highly recommend you buy a better second lock, like a Kryptonite Evolution, these Abus locks are not the best.
Nike stealing is the single most common crime in the Netherlands. Most of them go missing at big events, lots of people, lots of bikes and mostly not attached to something. If you are really paranoid ( like me) use an apple AirTag somewhere on your bike. All tough if you take the numbers into consideration there are about 22 million bikes in the Netherlands about 50 thousand get stolen. Expensive bikes are much more likely to get stolen ( electric, expensive brands, etc) the likely hood of your bikes getting stolen is pretty low, unless of course you park it unlocked in a high risk location or just in the street for a longer period ( longer then a day) with a bit of common sense most thefts wouldn’t have happened. As long as you stick to bike garages you’re pretty safe.
If it is flat in your region e-bikes are totally not worth it, imho. My heavily handicapped friend (multiple surgeries on his lower leg to remove flesh eating bacteria plus somewhat overweight) sold his e-bike and went back to his conventional bike. He says his e-bike was too clumsy to handle and on occasion to fast for him (he had to do rehab to re-train his sense of balance). He still commutes about 6 km to work every day and goes on like 30 km journeys on his bike every weekend. Whenever i try to make up excuses i think of him to convince me otherwise.
You should warm your saucijzenbroodje
i live in sliedrecht next door to you i can show you around here if you like
well sort off dutch bike.
altec is imported from a turkish manufacturer.
srry, wanted to be a smartass 😀
you live next to the bieschbosch, maybe check that out.
it facilitates bikes (and longboards) .
its an nature reserve on a river delta.
Welcome in the Netherlands. The bike you have chosen is nice but defenitily not a omafiets. A omafiets has a certain type of frame. A omafiets is also called a hallelujah fiets.
Make a short bike trip over the old Island Urk. They reclaimed the land so it’s not a island anymore but you can ride the old cost line and dike! (we can tour you round)
If you worry about your bike getting stolen. All you have to do is make sure your bike is too much effort to steal xD
Generally thell steal the easiest to steal bike.
door de drechtsteden
Now I really want a saucijzenbroodje, yum!
I'd like 2 recommand mustard with the saucijzenbroodje
9:30 "There are no stop signs in the Netherlands" ; "Everyone just looks out for each other" -my favourite part of this video🤣
especially on beautiful summer days, i notice strangers passing each other , greet each other ; making it even a better day😁!
If you guys want to plan a route, you should use the fietsknoop system. There's a numbered system on the bike paths that you can follow, and it's all over the country. In Dordrecht you can also get to the Merwekade and take the waterbus when you're ready to go a little further afield. We live along the waterbus route between Dordrecht and Rotterdam and we use it all of the time when we plan a longer ride because you can take your bike on it and it saves us having to cross bridges. Another thing that might be good to learn is how to take a bike on an escalator, because you'll need it here sometimes. If you can figure out the fietsknoop system you can keep from getting lost because you just have to look out for the signs along the bike path.
For online 2nd hand bike sales, be careful on 'Marktplaats, be sure they are not stolen ones, This does not seem to be an 'omafiets',, just a regular bike. Gears are on most bikes it is not an exception. Enjoy riding.