A cargo bike is called bakfiets in Dutch, which means 'box bike' and thus hasn't got a strong 'cargo' connotation. Just as well, because the Dutch mostly transport their children in a bakfiets! More info: bicycledutch.wordpress.com/201...
The Bakfiets is a fantastic bike. The pity is that in Italy I really cannot find it! When I asked for it in a bike store, people looked at me strange. It is very pleasant to see men, fathers and guys using it instead of driving a SUV!
Yeah you accidentally hit on a the cultural clash of why North Americans are a car culture and not a bike culture. It isn’t considered adult or especially manly to bike
That's why I refused to wear a helmet when I went there for a bike tour. I mean thats like if wearing fawn clothes and socks and sandales, it screams: German!
Notice the kids don't wear helmets… and neither do the adults. Either the Dutch have stronger skulls, or the rest of the world need to learn a few things about cycling in cities.
The rest of the world needs to learn a thing or two about cycling in the cities. When you mix cars with bicycles you have created the chance of more accidents with head injuries. Especially, when the drivers are hostile towards the cyclists. But, when you separate these two modes of transportation then you don't need to use helmets. In The Netherlands we have two things the rest of the world also needs. 1) The appropriate cycling infrastructure and 2) the right mindset of drivers concerning cyclists. Personal example. During a rainy day I was cycling towards a junction where I had to turn left. Because of the weather conditions I had the hoodie of my jacket up and therefore couldn't see what's behind me. From the sound of the motor I knew there was a car behind me. So, I planned to stop on the right hand side, let the car pass and make my left turn. But, I heard that the driver was braking. He honked once to indicate that I could make my left turn. After that I had made my left turn the car accelerated.
@@TheMerkat55 "In The Netherlands we have two things the rest of the world also needs. " We could also use your accident rate. I heard on another video that the Netherlands has the lowest per capita rate of head injuries in the world.
Cycling in the Netherlands is a mode of transport. People sit upright, average speed is somewhere between 15 to 20 km/h. A bit like running. I've never seen runners wearing a helmet. All over the world cycling is also a sport, with people in lycra riding at 40+ km/h. sitting bend over forwards. Different game altogether. And yes, at riding 40+ I would probably want a helmet.
I remember seeing a lot of these boat bikes in Amsterdam. I remember wondering if people were transporting those children out of necessity or was it just for an outing.
But what no one realizes is, if you're not used to the bakfiet, it's heavy and when you first learn to ride it, very hard to turn as you cannot do a sharp turn like you would with a normal bike.. And just imagine 4 children in it...I've only managed two so far and that was enough for me...but a side note..at the end of the year my legs are going to be so strong!
+H20 I was once motivated (told by someone) to take (other people's) 4 kids to school with one. The other person was rushing me, I said; 'Wáit I can't go that fast' and then some idiot drove past me, réálly close and I jerked on the steeringwheel and álmost rode with the bakfiets on the main road, with all the cars. I pumped the breaks, screamed and bursted into tears. The other person had stopped as well and the kids were fine, luckily they had seatbelts. But I refused to continue using the bakfiets that day and we walked the last part. The bakfiets is safe, but you have to take time to get used to it *and others have to make room for you* I'd start by cycling slówly and whatever happens, don't let anyone tell you to go faster. If that had gone wrong..I don't even want to think about it. We were half a meter away from the cars, that were driving fást.
One thing i noticed when i was in Utrecht is that the dutch ladies have beautiful legs and very firm..... rears. I guess cycling is really good for you.
We got 5 bikes here in our home and bike a lot every day , some times also longer weekend trips and so on , 2 everyday bikes 1 cruiser (electra) 2 cargo bikes 1 longjohn and 1 bakfiets , i think drivning arround getting things done on your bike is just a really nice way to do things , and we have allways done that the kids and me , and I have allways done it since i was a kid and got my first bike , now im doing it with my kids and they love biking arround
I rode a cargo bike similar to a bakfiets but with just a platform instead of the box. Very odd disconnected feeling with the front wheel so far out in front with a steering linkage.
I'm tempted to get one, but obviously I'm not from the Netherlands so that puts a bit of a damper on things. Potholes, elevated sidewalks, no place to store it (the city will sooner build parking houses for cars), and the city is not very keen on clearing the snow during winter. And the price is too much with all those things considered.
technically I have a Bakfiets... I do my shopping with a trailer behind my bicycle... amazing the funny looks I get from others... what angers me is the behaviour of drivers who absolutely must get in front of me at all costs even in 20 mph zones where I'm doing 20 mph... (I've got an e-bike so can do this quite easily)...
That's also in The Netherlands. Even more ridiculously: In the Netherlands, on dedicated bicycle paths, the maximum speed for any motor assistance, being it petrol-fueled or electric, 25 km/h. Above that, petrol-fueled or electric-assisted vehicles must be either limited or quit assisting in going faster. Yet, when I go 25 km/h on my regular bike (I still get overtaken by mostly petrol-fueled scooters that should be limited at 25 km/h........
Would you be willing to up-load a video of how people in Holland teach their children how to start riding? Like here in the States we just put them on small versions of the larger bicycles but with training wheels, which I see more as a bad thing and not the greatest training help.
Yeah, thats the way I used to learn to ride a bike. First a small bike with 2 extra side wheels on the back. After a while my father stood in front of me and ask to ride to him. First it went good because I didn't realize that the 2 extra wheels were gone. But when I knew I fell immediately, after that I fell many times but i knew i could do it. After one weekend (i asked) i could ride my bike.
quodnomenest I am not sure if we just couldn't afford the 'training wheels' or my parents were just sadistic, but when I first started learning I had to teach myself and my parents did not buy us the wheels and the only place we had that was clear enough was down a slight hill with a really large tree in the way and I remember just coasting down that hill and trying to manoeuvring round that tree. It didn't take long to learn that way. If that is what one calls learning. ;')
Thats how it was always done, but nowadays its more common that kids start on a so called "walkbike". This is a bike without the peddle mechanism, the kid has to propel itself by walking, its an excellent training for cycling balance. Much better then side wheels because they don't require to keep your balance !
Walking Zed's Push Bike Yeah, most kids here start with side wheels I guess. Then one day your dad takes you out and teaches you riding without sidewheels, and there you go really. We taught my little nephew just 2 weeks ago, he's 4. Was riding by himself within an hour. Kids learn easy and fast.
André Jansen Not at all! The first shot from Amsterdam does not appear before the 1:22 mark. There are shots from (in this order of first appearance) Zwolle, Utrecht, 's-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Houten, Assen, Dordrecht, Amsterdam, Alphen a/d Rijn, Enschede, Haarlem and Hilversum. So "mostly Amsterdam"? No, absolutely not.
markenlei Ik woon aan de overkant van de Haarlemse fietstunnel onder de Rustenburgerbrug en hij is s,avonds prachtig verlicht (aan de binnenkant is de railing verlicht)
8 лет назад
No, I never did, but more and more I see it in the streets. Clean transport, and Mom or Dad heve their exercise.
Since getting my new electric bicycle i have been pulled out on 4 times in just 2 months & we don't have nice cycle tracks just crappy roads full of idiots that don't look
Nice bikes you just forget to tell these bikes waigh the same as a aricrafts Carrier and they are made out of steel tubing NOT aluminium or titanium NO ,remember to tell about the gears 👍😉
I never weighted my bakfiets (maybe I should do it one day) but I was told that my specific bakfiets weighs about 40 kg. It does not bother me in the slightest. It is very comfortable and very practical. It has a large turning circle. But that too rarely is a problem. I also have 4 other bicycles. But I use my cargo bicycle most of the time for both short as well as long distances (up to 100 km per day). Here is a picture of my personal cargo bicycle: ibb.co/pZCRLhV My bicycle is heavily modified. It has a 14 speed internal gear hub optimized for mountainous areas with a heavy duty breaking system. I have no speedometer but I doubt I can cycle anything faster than 25 km/h. But there is no need to do so. You can easily cycle 100 kilometers a day with this bicycle. And on short stretches (20 kilometers or less) it is fairly easy to average about 18 to 20 km/h. I know, many Americans are obsessed with speed (and the latest ultralight carbon whatever fad). I am obsessed with practicality, reliability and durability. It always is a pleasure and comfortable to cycle with this bicycle.
![Bakfiets compilation [317]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
