Besides cheese, countless tulip varieties, state-funded home birthing, and the cutest mass-transportation system ever, the Dutch excel at anything bicycle related. That's one of the first things you notice when you enter Holland, and especially Amsterdam: bikes everywhere. On every street, sidewalk, and train car; leaning up against streetlights, railings, and building; and hauling everything from adults to babies to groceries to construction materials.
Now, admittedly, I've never been a big bicyclist. The most I've ever ridden one was in college and law school, where my bike was pretty much a grin-and-bear-it necessity to get from either my dorm or apartment to campus, usually in chilly temperatures and high winds (Flagstaff) or in 100 degree heat and unrelenting sun(Tempe). Now that I live in a more year-round temperate area, I've toyed with the idea of taking my Schwinn out for a spin, but I am daunted by the hills in this city. The last thing I want to encounter at the beginning of my ride is a steep hill that forces me to dismount like some sort of wuss. That's right: I own a bike, but I haven't been on it once since we moved here. It's basically sitting in the garage right now, forlorn and lonely.
So, clearly, I do not need one of the beautiful, basket-boasting bikes offered by My Dutch Bike, a newish shop on Market Street that I happened to pass not an hour ago as I made my way back from a bank errand. As I'm not a dilly-dallyer in any sense of the word, it takes a lot for me to stop and window shop when I'm in the middle of completing a task. But I had to stop in my tracks and gaze longingly at the Dutch bikes for sale in the window: bright colors, big wicker baskets, sturdy-looking frames, Dutch names like "Omafiets" (granny bikes) and "Bakfiets" (cargo bikes). According to the website, these bikes are meant to last a lifetime and they look like they're up to the task. (And they better, at $1200 a pop.)
Perhaps most importantly, My Dutch Bike makes it clear that "with our bikes you don’t require a wardrobe overhaul." They're equipped with all sorts of protectors that would allow a girl to take a ride in a skirt and nice shoes and not be splattered with water or mud or dirt when she reaches her destination. And that's quintessentially Dutch: to use the bike as a constant companion, whether in office, formal, or weekend attire.
Thinking about the Dutch attitude toward bikes has kind of inspired me. Maybe what I need to do is give the Schwinn a bright paint job, add a wicker basket, plot a hill-avoiding ride, and then go out and enjoy myself.
There was a used Dutch bike for sale on CL, and I wish I would have grabbed it, as it sold for $99! Very cool and sensible- crazy baskets, lights, and even a built-in lock on the rear chainstay. All this talk of "fixies", mt. bikes, speedy road ones, but one of these would be more safe and last forever- the "Volvo" of bikes! Bill
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