Amsterdam - bikes

Last Updated: July 28, 2002

Biking is the best way to get around Amsterdam if you want to go further than a comfortable walking distance. There are lots of bike lanes and cars are bike aware. But biking in Amsterdam may be different than biking that you're used to, especially if you come from North America.

The main difference in biking here than in North America is that there are up to 7 different sections of the road, at least for main roads. There is a sidewalk on each side for pedestrians, there are bike lanes in both directions, there are car lanes in both directions, and there is a center section for the trams. For Canal roads, there are only two sections: Pedestrians, and everything else including pedestrians (note that most canal roads are one-way on each side of the canal).

I rode my bike to work, 7km each way. Leo showed me a route the third day I was here. I tried several other routes, but his route won based on minimizing traffic hassles. However, I often took an alternative route on Saturday and Sunday morning, and occasionally I took a water route. Eventually I started taking yet another route home, mainly because it seemed safer (nice bike lanes most of the way).

Getting a Bike

If you're just visiting for a few days or a week, you should rent a bike. There are lots of bike rental places; I didn't check any of them because I bought a bike. I bought my bike at Tweewielercentrum "De Beurs" (who also rent bikes). The bike I bought was used: Fl 275. I also bought a lock (a heavy motorcycle chain lock) for another Fl58. I later saw the same locks at the markets for Fl 30, so you may want to check the markets if you have time.

The rim on my rear wheel cracked after 3 weeks, causing a flat, etc. Fortunately, I was close to home and just walked it back. I took the bike back to the shop, where they repaired it without charge. They have a 2 month guarantee, and they handle any problems during that 2 months without charge. A definite if you're buying a used bike.

Later my rear tire went flat. I patched it, but the patch didn't hold. After a couple of iterations of this, I decided to get the rear tube replaced. Not having the tools to take the wheel off (definitely not a quick-release), I went to Bike-City at Bloemgracht 68-70 mainly because it's close to where I live. The guy fixed it in about 1hr 15min (actually, it only took about 15min to fix; he didn't get to it for an hour), and charged f24.50. He also tighten the chain and the brakes. I found it shifted better afterwards.

On three later visits to Amsterdam, I rented bikes. The first time, I rented at Tweewielercentrum "De Beurs", and the bike was fine. The second time, I rented at MacBike because it was close to my hotel. The agreement you sign with MacBike says "MacBike rents out bicycles in perfect condition." Mine was in perfect condition except for the breaks, the gears, the headlight, and the seat springs, and the seat height/handle bars weren't adjusted for my height. I would have taken it back to get it fixed/adjust, but during their business hours (9-6) I was at work. It may have just that I had an exceptional bad experience with them, but I won't rent from them next time I visit A'dam. The third time, I rented from Yellow Bike. Their bikes are very recognizable: they are painted a strong yellow. Presumably this acts as a theft deterent. I'd say the bike was a bit better in quality than MacBike, but not tremendously better.

What to get in a bike

I was told that you only need a 1-speed bike in Amsterdam, and that "no one needs 32 speeds here!" Well, the latter is probably true, but I decided to get a 3-speed, which I was told would be useful riding against the wind. The low gear was very useful, both for riding against the wind and for going up the small hills they have even just over the canal bridges. If anything, I would recommend getting 5 to 7 speeds. Although 3 speeds were sufficient to get me around here, if I were to do it again, I would get a bike with more gears.

Also, most bikes here come without toe clips. Having grown used to them, I found it very hard to ride a bike that didn't have them. In particular, I tended to place the center of my foot on the pedal (instead of the ball of my foot), which made my knee sore. Eventually I would spot the poor foot placement and correct it, but I found that without the toe clip I was constantly replacing my feet on the pedals.

Safe bicycling

When I first started biking in Amsterdam, I found it a very alien experience. But I came up with the following rules to follow if you want your biking experience to be safe:

Always wear your bike helmet. This is true anywhere, but Amsterdam has a lot of low speed accidents, so you're more likely to need it here.
Stop at red lights. You'll see other cyclists running red lights. This is very dangerous to do until you understand the system. Remember all those lanes of traffic? Each gets its own traffic light, and you can't really see who has the green. Thus, it's hard to figure out when it's safe to run the red lights.
Treat green lights and uncontrolled intersections as Yield signs. Bikes in particular tend to run red lights (see below).
Always, always watch for cars, bikes, and pedestrians. The cars are both your smallest and greatest problem. Smallest because the cars are very good about stopping for you. Greatest because in an collision, the little guy gets creamed while the big guy only gets a ding. And a car is much bigger than you.
Other bikes are annoying. They're either in your way, or they pass you in a way that makes you feel inadequate. or you pass someone, then come to a red light at which you have to stop, and that guy you passed cruises through in a break in traffic that you had to be moving (as he is) to sneak through.
Pedestrians are dangerous. Most are tourists who don't understand what the bike lanes are about, and don't watch out for bikes, standing with their back to oncoming traffic, oblivious to their peril. Get a bell for your bike and ring it at them. Some of them are so clue-less that they appear to be deaf and not hear the bell. Most will start, and move out of the way. A native Amsterdamer will just snarl at you and walk slowly on his way, slow enough that you have to slow also.

Going Native

The people of Amsterdam don't follow any of the above rules. Many don't even have working bells on their bike, so they can't even have the fun of ringing it at pedestrians (instead, they get enjoyment from seeing the tourist jump as their bike brushes by them at high speed). So here's my list of rules for how to ride like a native. Follow them at your own peril...

Don't wear a helmet. There's no need, it's uncomfortable, etc. Anyone you see wearing a helmet is a dink from North America.
A green light means GO. So go for it.
A red light means slow down but proceed through the intersection without stopping. It is a sign of weakness to have to stop. Realistically, probably only 1/3 of the native riders follow this rule.
Find a route that minimizes traffic lights, since if the traffic is bad, you might have to stop (see the previous rule about stopping), and many of the lights are LONG (after all, there are 12 other groups of traffic that have to go...).

It's not easy to ride like the Amsterdam native. In fact, the traffic lights make it very difficult, since it takes a long time to figure out when you can go because the lights at different intersections are very different. The most dangerous to bicycles is the one where the bike has a red light and the cars have a green arrow for making a right turn. You can't see the green arrow and the temptation is to go. But then that car zips across your path in front of you. So you cringe, and decide to wait for the green. But then someone else zips right by you on their bike through the red without any problems. AARGH!

However, there is a slick trick you can sometimes play: Find an Amsterdam cyclist going in the direction you're going, and follow them. Remember, they know when to go and when to stop. True, you need to keep your eyes open since you're a bit behind you, but wow! What an experience! It'll take you half the time to get where you're going, and it's exhilarating at the same time. And how to you pick out a native over a tourist? Go out at rush hour and follow the cyclists in suits.

The Bottom Paragraph

Biking in Amsterdam isn't as dangerous as the above may make it sound. You should be careful, but it's probably the best way to get around. Two last warnings: Take a map, you'll need it. And always, always lock your bike.

I got so that I was in about the top 10% of riders (for aggressiveness). However, I found the stress of riding like that too high, so I eased off and rode more leisurely (and safely).