Bicycle No. 20: Friday 13 April, 2007

Sniff. An inauspicious date indeed. The last bike ride to work. Locking up my trusty steed in the basement bike room and ceremoniously handing over the keys to Bill for safe-keeping. This bike has served me well. I inherited it from Erin when she returned to the US. Temporarily abandoned for a newer, shinier bike when its chain locked up on me, I came back to it when newer, shinier bike was thieved from our building's bike racks. Fixed up, it was good as new -- even if the seat did swivel slightly and the brakes were somewhat spongy. It was too heavy for British roads and lacked the 21 gears necessary to cope in a country with hills, but I loved it.

Bicycle No. 18: Friday March 16, 2007

A visiting US colleague recently asked if anyone in Amsterdam wore cycle helmets. Simply put, no. OK, you occasionally see some small children wearing them, but the attitude in the photo above is far more common. Does this mean, then, that people get killed or injured left, right, and center, she asked? Again, no. Much of the time, bikes are carefully separated from cars and pedestrians; for the rest of it, cars drive far too slowly (thanks to tortuous one-way systems and speed bumps) to do much damage even if they hit you. And, I guess, nearly all drivers are probably also cyclists -- or their parents/siblings/spouses/children/friends are. And, if a car hits a bike, it's automatically the car's fault -- regardless of how stupidly the cyclist was cycling. A great incentive to drive carefully, and one that should be adopted elsewhere.

Bicycle No. 17: Monday March 12, 2007

It's bin day on the Keizersgracht -- a day when a bike becomes a removal lorry. The canny Dutch, reluctant to leave a great (i.e., free) bargain behind, start loading up items onto their bikes. This old boy has got himself a nice glass cabinet, complete with light fixture in the top, has secured it to his bike, and is now going to wheel it home. Hurrah for proactive recycling! (PJ will be most annoyed; he had his eye on something rather similar in last Thursday's collection.)

Bicycle No. 16: Sunday March 11, 2007

I took this a couple of weeks ago on a stroll around Amsterdam -- it's actually two bikes, only one of which is attached to the rather large trailer. I'm impressed that anyone would even consider trying to cycle round with these ladders on a bike. The sharp corners and steep bridges of the Jordaan make it a somewhat treacherous endeavour. However, I'm not sure when the owner last attempted it; the back tyres look rather flat to me.

Bicycle No. 14: Sunday February 18, 2007

Twins: twice the work, the expense, and probably twice the number of stretchmarks. On the other hand, you get to cycle round with one of these specialist jobbies. It's just as well there aren't any hills in Amsterdam, as these things look heavy. You occasionally see them or the bakfietsen stuck at the bottom of a particularly steep bridge, the poor mother desperately trying to gain enough power to get up and over -- while the children are screaming in the front, oozing jam, and beating each other up. A recent newspaper article claimed that Dutch children are the happiest in the world, largely because of the child-centered nature of Dutch parenting. And they're probably right. After all, if you saw your mother sweating buckets "driving" you to nursery or to see Zwaarte Piet while you sat back like a little king in your carriage, wouldn't you feel loved?

Bicycle No. 13: Thursday February 8, 2007

Unlucky 13: well, unlucky for these two bikes, lying entwined on the plaza outside Amsterdam's WTC today. Their snowy embrace looks so ... intimate; I almost felt embarrassed at taking a picture. However, a Dutch woman was also amused by their display and took her camera out, too. I wonder if she has a blog called "Twee-en-vijftig fietsen"?

Bicycle No. 10: Sunday January 14, 2007

It's been too windy to take pictures of bikes recently, but I snapped this one on the Brouwersgracht just before Christmas and thought it would do. I love the shape -- all curvy lines and almost chopper-like handleb ars. The crossbar isn't too high and looks like it would be manageable for a woman (or man) in a skirt. (For the record, I don't understand why bikes have crossbars now -- can anyone explain?) When we move back to the UK, I'll want a new bike for cycling around wherever we end up, and something that looks like this -- maybe in pink or green -- would suit me just fine. But with gears and brakes.

Bicycle No. 9: New Year's Day, 2007

The aftermath of last night's fireworks, encountered on the way back from the bottle bank -- where we deposited the aftermath of our alcoholic fireworks, including an (empty) magnum of champagne. The rains and high winds of New Year's Eve have given way to a beautiful, chilly day, just right for taking pictures of bikes and rocket launchers.

Bicycle No. 8: Saturday December 29, 2006

This is off-street parking, Amsterdam style. Our apartment building only has racks for the bikes from the front-of-building flats, including ours, but as you need at least two racks per apartment, it can get very crowded. I must confess that I have binned one bike (belonging to someone in an apartment that is now vacant). Actually, I didn't bin it -- I locked it up outside but somebody made off with it, despite the flat tyres and generally crappy appearance. Even off-street parking isn't safe in this town: Somebody made off with one of my bikes from these very racks. Bastards.

Bicycle No. 5: Sunday December 10, 2006

For once this month, it's not raining -- but that doesn't mean you leave your bike exposed to the elements. As I strolled along the Brouwersgracht to Jo and Alan's to watch the football, I passed this bike wearing the traditional Dutch seat cover: an old Albert Heijn shopping bag. It's the only thing standing between a Dutch cyclist and a soggy bottom. Note also the three locks deemed necessary in this part of town: two hefty chains and a rear-wheel lock. We don't just attract the tourists round here, but also a number of light-fingered visitors. The swine.

Bicycle No. 4: Monday, December 4, 2006

This bike has been parked outside Keizersgracht 26 for the past year or so. It's the family estate car of bikes -- a Volvo, if you will, compared with the boxier SUV-style bakfiets. I love the color; this vibrant green is rather unusual for bikes around here, most being a combination of black, silver, rust, and accumulated Amsterdam filth. And I love the way the reflective paint on the tyres punctures the gloom of a December night. I've never seen anyone riding this though; it's either there or not there, never in the process of being put there. Strange.

Bicycle No. 3: Tuesday November 28, 2006

Are you in love yet? I am -- and I don't see how you couldn't be! Isn't this just adorable? I've often seen this gorgeous dog waiting patiently in a bike pannier outside the Dirk van der Broek supermarket on the Sloterkade, but have never had a camera with me before. Until yesterday. I can't stop looking at him -- so cute!

Bicycle No. 2: Saturday November 25, 2006

A stormy night left this bike upended outside Keizersgracht 24. I risked popular ridicule by taking this snap from our balcony, clad only in my purloined hotel bathrobe and fluffy socks. An hour later, as we left to do our shopping, the bicycle was upright again; order restored.