One of the nice things about living in Amsterdam is that I can ride to work on my bike. Compared to the Scandinavians, the Dutch are not very safety conscious. You see many people ride in the dark without lights, and not even children wear helmets. Maybe I have a vivid imagination, but accidents do happen.
Winter is coming, and it will be dark soon on the way to and from work, so I have fitted out my bike with a set of the excellent Reelights (no batteries), and I am thinking about buying a somewhat naf looking Illuminite jacket, and maybe a pair of their gloves. It is worth it, I bike along the Amstel river, and through a beautiful, green area. It is a nice way to start the day.
Give me an old cool bicycle, and I’ll ride around the city for days.
Hey Lars,
Funnily I enough, I flew to Amsterdam for the first time the day after you posted this. What a great town! Cycling to work along the Amstel would indeed be a tremendous way to start the day!
David
I’ve always been impressed with how little a ‘production’ the Dutch make out of bicycling…no special cycling outfits or even safety gear. They ride in business suits, high heels…with large bundles precariously tied to a fender, with dogs in a basket…children wherever they can fit them, with a friend standing on their sprockets (not sure if that’s the right word). But even pedaling through an icy January sleet, they somehow manage to look like they are sitting in a cafe having a cup of cocoa.
Being an American, I’d also have to run out and get a light and maybe even a helmet.
Perfect, I spent a few days in Amsterdam two years ago, and can vouch for tallulah’s comments, and don’t walk in the bike lanes without a helmet it belongs to them.
Hello, I bike commute and invented this water bottle. I thought you may at least like to see what it does. Please view the “Music without headphones” video on my home page.
http://www.gadgetbottle.com/
Cheers, Steve
The dutch have such a great attitude and are carefree!
Ride my bike in London and risk death, traffic, pollution and stolen bike after work.
I wish I lived there.
Yeah it’s definitely different here in the UK, up in york I think I’ve bought our sone 3 bikes in 4 years, because he had them nicked. I even bought him the biggest lock he could humanly carry on a bike. The still nicked the thing by breaking the railings he locked it to. Wish it was much more carefree round here.