As the Netherlands has proven, if you build it (bicycle infrastructure) they will come (13.4 million bicycle owners out of a population of 16 million.) That doesn’t mean everyone here cycles everyday—about 40 percent of daily journeys are still made by car, according to the country’s Fietsersbond or Bike Union—but even non-cyclists remain positive about… [Read more…]
February 23, 2012
I just came across this article on Treehugger: Female Cyclists Say They’d Give Up Sex Before Biking. (But with one disclaimer: only for a month.) As a woman who loves cycling, I’m not that flabbergasted. According to the article, 58% of women who were surveyed would choose cycling over sex versus 50% of men. This… [Read more…]
February 15, 2012
I’ve had two flat tires within weeks of each other—this, after having none for nearly two years. Either it’s due to shoddy service or the snow and ice on the streets, which created rough surfaces that are difficult to gauge. All I know is that after work, I got off the subway and found my… [Read more…]
February 12, 2012
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, the time of year that causes heightened emotions. If you’re coupled and you both dig it, it can be terribly romantic. If you’re coupled and one of you doesn’t—ranting, say, that Valentine’s Day is a bourgeois holiday utilized by businesses to simply sell more stuff—then it’s a headache that probably leads… [Read more…]
February 7, 2012
I came across this short film on quite a few bike blogs, so happy to repost. Created by Guillaume Blanchet for his father, the film trails Guillaume hitting the streets of Montreal (which is colder than Amsterdam at the moment, but just… so it seems appropriate for a February post) perched atop his bike. And… [Read more…]
February 5, 2012
Because cycling isn’t considered a sport in Holland—it’s transportation, as any Dutchie will tell you—it doesn’t have a season. When winter rolls around, people still bike everywhere because the same rules of cycling apply year-round: it’s cheap, you never get stuck in traffic, you can always find a parking space (though you can be fined:… [Read more…]
February 1, 2012
It’s obvious to anyone, especially a first-time tourist who exits Amsterdam’s Central Station to be greeted by a thick sea of bikes, that the Dutch really do cycle—a lot. It’s also obvious that parking those bikes is an issue. Aside from the several-tiered bike garage that juts over a canal in front of the station,… [Read more…]
January 29, 2012
It’s been raining a lot recently, so I’ve been cycling less—aside from one day, when I managed to get a flat tire next to a field full of several non-plussed cows, who were as soaked as I was. More often than not I’ve been at home, channel hopping when I should be blogging, catching… [Read more…]
January 22, 2012
I was wondering how many songs there were about bicycles versus those about cars, which has lead to an interesting virtual excursion today. Songs about cars far outnumber those about bikes for obvious reasons. Cars have long represented status, freedom and power in our society and are also the best way to pick up chicks—the… [Read more…]
February 28, 2012
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