Using a MTB in the Netherlands

[splat]

My Dad is from Holland.
He said that the only reason that the (fancy) bikes had gears was because of the wind.

[eala]

On 10/18/2023 at 3:41 PM, PregoRoll said:

Netherlands is pan flat, 

Get ready to be humbled by an old Tannie with a front basket full of groceries, averaging 35kmh down the bike lane

Talking on her cell with her child at the back .Honestly ! I have witnessed a woman working on her laptop and riding her bike in Amsterdam .And not a helmet is sight 

Edited October 19, 2023 by eala

[Knersboy]

I lived there for a few years many years ago. Once saw an old tannie rolling a cigarette while riding.

Just get an Oupa fiets, something with mudguards and racks for the shop. Sooner or later it will get stolen.

[PregoRoll]

10 hours ago, eala said:

Talking on her cell with her child at the back .Honestly ! I have witnessed a woman working on her laptop and riding her bike in Amsterdam .And not a helmet is sight 

Okes are just built different out there 😆

[Baron]

When visiting my son who lives near Amsterdam last year,  I saw a woman  with a mini skirt, high heel shoes and handbag over her shoulder riding a roadbike in Amsterdam. Netherlands has more than 35,000 km of cycle paths; for context, the country's road network is only 140,000 km. 

[DieselnDust]

mini skirt high heels dismounts bike walks into pub, has a few drinks with friends, gets bac on bike rides home. Perfectly normal

[splat]

https://road.cc/content/news/headwind-cycling-event-cancelled-because-its-too-windy-304861/

[Ant in the NL]

30 minutes ago, splat said:

https://road.cc/content/news/headwind-cycling-event-cancelled-because-its-too-windy-304861/

Wow 😆....just when we figured starting the CTCT off in the CBD with 65kmh winds was hectic....

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, splat said:

https://road.cc/content/news/headwind-cycling-event-cancelled-because-its-too-windy-304861/

but did you notice THIS wind sock

[Ant in the NL]

6 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

but did you notice THIS wind sock

Must be a switchback headwind 😆

[The Ouzo]

1 minute ago, AntVanR said:

Must be a switchback headwind 😆

could be a large building or cliff that we're not seeing in the photo.

 

When I worked in bedfordview there is a Hotel on the opposite side of the road, they had 2 rows of flags, one on either side of the building, and under the right circumstances the one row of flags would face the opposite direction to the other row.

[Ant in the NL]

1 minute ago, The Ouzo said:

could be a large building or cliff that we're not seeing in the photo.

 

When I worked in bedfordview there is a Hotel on the opposite side of the road, they had 2 rows of flags, one on either side of the building, and under the right circumstances the one row of flags would face the opposite direction to the other row.

In other news, the local "time to send it" wind sock in Blouberg has other plans....

[W@nted]

Haha the bridge is 10km away from where we are. Wind was hectic! Even here in Middelburg I have seen flags waving in different directions. Feels like the gusts hit you from all directions.

 

These dutch are crazy people. Saw on Strava guys doing a casual 90km ride during yesterday’s winds

[Ant in the NL]

On 10/18/2023 at 3:42 PM, Sydd said:

My husband commutes about 25km each way in NL. He has a hardtail that he built up to commute on. Some bike lanes have a weird rubbery composite material and the combination of this and the tar can really eat your tires up, so some sort of commute tyre or honeycombed gravel tyre with low rolling resistance works well. It's nice having some extra grip for when it's rainy. His bike takes a back rack (we bought some nice racks that take panniers that clip on/off that we can also use for longer bike packing trips) and he puts his clothes and lunch etc in these. He has somewhere secure to store his bike inside at work - bike theft is a big and real thing here... Having a dedicated commuter will be a good idea - I wouldn't leave this bike outside at the shops or use it to carry groceries home. 

Also remember in the winter there is salt on the roads and bike lanes for when it's icey, so you need to be religious about washing your bike properly on a weekly basis if you commute. The gunk thatcomes off the roads and bike lanes when it rains is unbelievable. 

If you are going to live in the East (from Hilversum/Utrecht eastwards) or far south there is some nice MTBing, and lots of great riding to be done in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and beyond. If you live in the Randstad around Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, prepare to be extremely disappointed when it comes to MTB or gravel opportunities. Not very interesting at all... Put the 34 or 36 on, but keep the 32 for when you do some adventure trips.

 

 

Ok, so I've arrived in the NL 🇳🇱 and have been here for 1 month and 2 days 🤣....zero cycling as the container arrived 7 days ago and I'm just in my place where we're renting. About 10km from Hoorn which is a magnificent city about 45km from Amsterdam (up north)

.

So the cyclists here are wild, brave, epic and absolutely fearless.....the old adage about there only being poor cycling gear and never poor cycling weather sounds about right 👌🏼💪🏻 These guys hit the road in every single weather element you can consider, and they're genuinely not fussed about it. 

 

Hop off the bike at the shop, it's raining cats and dogs, no worries - brush your hair back and off you go. 

My MTB is going out for a roll this weekend 🙏🏻

[vanniri]

On 11/3/2023 at 10:48 AM, The Ouzo said:

could be a large building or cliff that we're not seeing in the photo.

 

When I worked in bedfordview there is a Hotel on the opposite side of the road, they had 2 rows of flags, one on either side of the building, and under the right circumstances the one row of flags would face the opposite direction to the other row.

Franschhoek pass on a windy day will hand you a head-, tail- and side-wind from both sides in one go.

[ChrisF]

5 hours ago, vanniri said:

Franschhoek pass on a windy day will hand you a head-, tail- and side-wind from both sides in one go.

 

Was about to say it is normal to have a headwind in both directions along Bottelary Rd.