American reacts to ‘Why Dutch Bikes are Better’

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to Why Dutch Bikes are Better

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESqrP3hfi8

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Hello thank you so much for joining me today how are you doing let’s see here this video was sent in by Ricardo why Dutch bikes are better and why you should want one okay I’m all ears I have been wanting to get into bike riding I don’t have a bike though so

Maybe I should buy a Dutch bike um let’s buy not just bikes which is an awesome Channel I mean I’m sure you’ve heard of them link down below um go check out his channel so I’m excited to watch this this has almost six million views

So there’s got to be he must have a point here Dutch bikes I don’t see how a bike can be that much better but I’m I’m ready to learn this is our Dutch bicycle it’s an Oma Feats literally Grandma bicycle there is really nothing special about it at least

Here nothing special about it in the Netherlands but in Canada the us or many other countries this bike would be very unique indeed and bicycles like this one really surprised me the first time I visited the Netherlands it looks like it’s got no gears there’s a good reason for this

Uniqueness in the nedlands bicycles are seen as a tool for everyday Transportation a way to get from point A to point B quickly and efficiently in most man you guys are brave oh my God I don’t know Crossing traffic on a bicycle like that you just don’t see that here very often in

America get from point a point B quickly and efficiently kind of scary in most other countries bicycles are used primarily for sport and exercise this one difference explains nearly everything special about a bike like this I wouldn’t even know where to buy a bike like that this is the only kind of

B basical you’ll see in the Netherlands of course there are many others including ebikes cargo bikes hand cycles and you’ll definitely I will say ebikes have some sort of popularity growth here in America probably just because it’s inherently a little bit and no offense to anyone I think they’re

Cool but it’s a little bit of a lazier you know method you can have it power itself sometimes which is awesome um but you know I think it’s a good like hybrid option sometimes you’re not trying to sweat your butt off on the way

To work so it would it would be nice to have that see road bikes used for sport too especially on weekends but for everyday Urban Transportation this style of bicycle is by far the most common so what makes this bicycle so different from what you might be used to it kind

It looks kind of comfortable well the primary difference is that this is an upright bicycle it’s built to ride in in an upright sitting position this is an inefficient position that will not transmit maximum power into the crank during a pedal stroke plus it’s totally not Arrow but who

Cares what the upright position does provide is Comfort yeah the handlebars on this bicycle are high up and swept back making it extremely comfortable to ride on this kind of bicycle you yeah normal bicycle after being on one for a while it hurts my back you almost up and back on the

Handlebars rather than putting any weight on them huh this is just a more comfortable way to sit on a bicycle and the design is very similar to the original safety bicycle developed in the UK in the late 19th century sitting upright also makes it easier to see what’s going on around you

Which can be safer when cycling in busy Urban environments with lots of other people around is that a faux paw to be parked like that I mean I guess he’s trying to get pulled out huh which can be safer when cycling in busy Urban environments with lots of other people

Around riding this way lets you wear any type of clothing you’d like because it’s no different than sitting in a chair which is why you see most people in the Netherlands dressed for the destination and not the ride that’s an important distinction this bicycle has a step through frame

Meaning that you can get on and off it very easily without having to swing your leg around like you do on I don’t know why but here in America those type of bikes where the frame goes down is like they’re considered bikes for women a bike like this with from what I

Have UND from what I’ve been told crossbar these frames are fine and you’ll definitely see them here but I find them particularly annoying if you have a kid seat because if you swing your leg up to get on you kick your kid in the head I don’t see any benefit to having

That crossbar up high like that it is weird that that’s so common rest in peace kid and I don’t understand why we still call these men’s bikes when it’s the only kind you can hit your nuts on that is a great Point what the men’s bike should be the one with the

Swoop because step through frames are more comfortable to use they’re increasingly popular for both men and women this is another thing that contributes to people wearing normal clothes when cycling and while even see women wearing dresses and skirts wow speaking of skirts this thing is called

A skirt guard or coat guard and it’s quite common on Dutch bicycles it prevents long articles of clothing from getting stuck in the spokes as you ride it also helps prevent a child sitting on the back from getting their foot stuck yeah another thing to protect your

Clothing is the chain guard a plastic or metal cover over the bicycle chain it also helps to protect the chain from the elements making it last longer this that makes a lot of sense I don’t know why they’re just Exposed on every bicycle I’ve ever seen I guess it makes it

Easier to access if you um if it slips but this might help it not slip off the gears it also helps to protect the chain from the elements making it last longer this thing here is called a frame lock and almost every bicycle in the nland has one these are incredibly

Convenient for so many reasons but I’ve almost never seen them outside of the Netherlands Denmark in Japan they are an easy way to lock the back wheel of your bicycle for quick stops which makes it really really easy to pop into a shop when riding somewhere that’s Nifty that makes a ton

Of sense so you don’t have to find a place to strap your bike to necessarily and break out the the the lock and get it all hooked up that makes sense just lock the wheel the frame lock also keeps your key inside as you ride you can actually buy

Frame locks that don’t do this but I really like the key retaining feature this is a small detail but it ensures that your bike keys are always with you that being said I have been known to accidentally hit the key with my leg and bend it like this

Oops also while there’s a lot of I should just move it back a little bit to prevent that space for the locking mechanism in the wheel I seem to hit the spoke far more often than you’d think I should have gone into neutrino research when this lock is in engaged

You can’t ride the bicycle but you can of course just pick it up and walk away with it so if you want to ensure that your bike is still there when you return it’s best to bring a chain lock with you but you’d probably be able to catch up

To the thief if he’s having to do that as well and most people do if you see bikes locked only like this it’s probably because the owner considers their bike too crappy to steal a slight variation on this is a frame lock with a chain lock integrated

Giving you two locks with one key oh interesting interestingly ucks by far the most common locks in North America are not seen very often in the Netherlands probably because it’s difficult to get close enough to something to lock to with so many other bicycles around another feature you’ll see on

Almost every bicycle you have that problem here in America where you’re the only one riding a bike the nland is both front and rear fenders this makes sense in a country where it rains all the time fenders are not considered an optional add-on here what’s also included is a kickstand

Almost every bike comes with one that’s kind of neat how that works too I’ve never seen a kickstand like that you can access it from either side of the bike it looks a little bit more sturdy as opposed to the one that’s just on the side and kick over the fender you’ll

Usually find a rear rack though some bikes have a rack on the front ultimately these bicycles are meant to be useful so having piers at the back or a box in the front allows people to carry a surprisingly large amount of stuff stuff no SUV required rear racks in the lens are also

Built strong enough to carry another person which you see quite regularly but then everything on a Dutch bicycle is heavyduty these aren’t aluminium or carbon fiber frames they’re made of solid steel these bikes are not built for Speed they’re built to last in general Dutch bicycles are built

To be low maintenance so when a bicycle has gears they’re often internal Hub gears like this one inhub gearing is great because they almost never need maintenance this is very different from derailers which I’ve never actually seen that I don’t know how that works is great because they almost never

Need maintenance but that is how the chain slips off isn’t it when it’s changing Gears this is very different from derailers which I find are constantly going out of alignment of course many bicycles including this one of ours don’t have any gears at all you might also notice that this particular bike doesn’t have any handbrakes either a lot of bikes here do have handbrakes but this one

Uses coaster brakes that you engage by cycling backwards this was fascinating to me because in Canada you will never see brakes like this except on children’s bikes they take some getting used to but I really prefer cycling like this as it feels so natural to Pedal forward to

Speed up and pedal backwards to Break by not having any handbrakes or gears it keeps the bike simple and maintenance free that’s smart just from an engineering standpoint I feel like that’s smart just less fewer parts and anytime there’s no components up here on the handles that are having to go down

And interact with anything in the bike mechanism so like it just makes it really hard for anything to break it also avoids any cables that might accidentally get stuck on other bicycles when parking in tight places all of this is done to keep the bicycle in good working condition which

Is that kid was riding sideways all of this is done to keep the bicycle in good or she’s transporting a dead body working condition which is important when it’s your primary mode of transportation the only problem we’ve ever had with this bicycle is the occasional flat

Tire and speaking of tires did you know they use a different tire valve here in the US and Canada there are only ever two tire valves prea found on road bikes and shider found on everything else here in the Netherlands they use a blitz valve these Val elves have the little

Ball that prevents air from getting out they’re really easy to work with in case you’re C hold on pumping okay air from the pump pushes the ball aside riding air pressure inside closes the valve clever have a little ball that prevents air from getting out they’re really easy

To work with in case you’re curious you can just use a regular prea pump to fill these just pump it up to a high enough pressure and the valve will open automatically dear first place you’ll sometimes see on bicycles here is a Dynamo these go in the wheel hub or on

The wheel and generate enough electricity to power LED lights these are pretty nice as you never need to worry about recharging batteries or forgetting your lights just another small thing that makes these bicycles simple for everyday use and lastly the Bell on this bike makes a that’s really smart I mean all

The time here in America when you do see a cyclist at night you can barely see them and you don’t expect them either very few of them have lights most bikes have reflectors on the pedals but that’s about it a pleasant sound though you hardly ever need to use

Your bell here so it doesn’t really matter when we were still living in Canada we knew about upright Dutch style bikes and tried for years to buy one but they were almost impossible to find this photo sums up the situation in Canada a selection of bicycles supposedly for

Commuting sporty hybrids and road bikes they don’t even come with a rack fenders or kickstand maybe how does that even how is that any different than just a mountain bike bikes they don’t even come with a rack fenders or kickstand maybe there are more bike shops with upright bicycles today but

When we lived in Toronto there was only one shop that sold them and the next closest was over 50 km away here in amsterd sounds like a good Market opportunity I can’t swing a pair of clogs without hitting a dozen bicycle shops that sell oh my God look at the

Amount of freaking bikes oh this is a bicycle shop okay here in Amsterdam I can’t swing a pair of clogs without hitting a dozen bicycle shops that sell functional practical bicycles bicycles that are designed for transportation not sport one group in Winnipeg Canada got so frustrated trying to find practical

Urban bicycles that they started importing new and used bicycles from the Netherlands they called them the Bic and they’re reging shiing containers full ofic from the Netherlands so to my Dutch viewers when you’re finished with your bike please consider donating it to needy families in Canada it’s so great to have bicycles

That aren’t for sport you don’t get to sell it you have to donate it bicycles whose it’s so great to have bicycles that aren’t for sport bicycles whose primary function is to be their when you need it to carry your shopping or your friend and to be used with as little

Effort as possible no special gear or costume changes required I’ve seen some kids on these little kick bikes here in America as little effort as possible cool to see I wonder if they started in Europe no special gear or costume changes required this is a point that’s often overlooked because while it’s obviously

Important to have Safe Streets and cycling infrastructure it also Al makes a difference to have easy access to practical low-maintenance bicycles like this one living in Amsterdam I know that when I need to go somewhere taking a bicycle will usually be the fastest and most convenient way to get there but it’s

Also that’s a crazy thought that a bicycle is the fastest way to get there it’s just a whole different mindset than here in America so important to know that I that sounds like one of the slowest ways for have any problem just hearing thats either because of our old clunky Rusty

Beat up comfortable but that’s just cuz everything is so far apart here in America reliable Feats Fe I’d like to thank my supporters on patreon who pay great video that was really cool I’mma keep my eye out see if I see any Dutch bikes here in

Indiana wonder how far I’d have to go to buy one of those very cool thanks for watching I’ll see you guys tomorrow bye