Why Bicycles Became a Big Part of Dutch Culture 

Thank you so much for all the nice comments! Crazy to see how this video blew up. If you enjoyed this video please consider subscribing, it's free and the best way to help grow my channel! 😃

8:50 "Don't do as Dutch people do, they are officially crazy." I could say the same about New Yorkers. But since New York was originally Dutch this suddenly makes sense.

Er zijn inmiddels ontelbaar veel video’s te vinden over de Nederlandse fietscultuur. En toch is het je gelukt om er eentje te maken die iets toevoegt, van hoge kwaliteit is en uitgebalanceerd en informatief. Een mooie prestatie‼️😃👍

I’m in the Netherlands right now and loving how legitimately cycling is treated as a form of transportation. 10/10, would recommend.

When I was in Amsterdam last summer I planned a trip on bike from Amsterdam West to Zaandam to see the mills and a bit of the country side. Fair to say I overestimated my stamina. It was funny to see how I was struggling to keep pace already mid journey while the elders passed me by unbothered. Didn't help that all previous days of my visit it was relatively chill weather (I come from the Dominican Republic, anything below 24 is "cold" for me) so I wore a heavy sweater but right on that day the sun was fully out with 30 degrees Celsius. Awesome experience though, can't wait to visit again!

What a bike gave me as a child was a amount of freedom that made the big world manageable. I could bike everywhere, to friends, family, local sportclub excetra. Having a bike as a child turns your world into collour. It taught me to be responsible, be home on time, let my parents know where I was and where I was going. I remember my dad giving me a quarter for the at the time still available public phone booths of the KPN so I could call home incase something happened with my bike, my household phone number being on a small metal plate my dad bolted to my bike himself incase I forgot. Even now years later with a car and a motorcycle, everything under 5 - 10km I do on my bike if I got the time to do so.

Oprecht een fantastische video. Ook al ben ik Nederlands, ik heb nog steeds iets geleerd van de video. Fantastisch werk

I’m from the uk and have camped and caravanned in the Netherlands and I think it’s great the way we cycled from camp sites into towns and villages in complete safety from cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles. In my mid 70s now and still cycling but here in the UK local and government authorities just pay lip service to the needs of cyclists.

As a cyclist and visitor there: the Dutch are big people, and, as Jedu says, really accustomed to getting around on bikes, so you need to watch out and learn what all those pavement textures mean and be aware of all the large vehicles zipping around. To an American it is remarkable to hear how European local governments have been deliberately changing their cities from car- to bike- friendly places. Our governments work to placate the auto industry and keep people out of the way of the cars.

As an American expat in Holland I love the infrastructure here not only for cycling but also how the cities are built to be lived in. You can't LIVE in a city built for cars. I love cycling now, learned a few months ago and now I cycle to work every day even in the snow or in a storm. The only trouble I had is my second hand bike needs new tires and I was too inexperienced to see that I was riding on a flat which is why I was struggling so much at the start.

This is a well-executed video!! As an Indonesian who studies in the Netherlands somehow, I kinda relate to the bike culture since a lot of Indonesian also ride a bike since they're very young. So when I am coming to the Netherlands and brought a bike I have no struggle and even can do the Dutch way such as not using any hand, and bringing big things such as a suitcase, fan, box, groceries, etc hahaha

As an American "cyclist" I try to take my kid to school by bike when I can. I've been to Amsterdam about 20 years ago, and it was crazy. I recently went to Belgium (Flanders). It's almost as good as the Netherlands... Btw both of my kids could pedal at the age of 4. (Proud dad). Thanks for your content! Ride on 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿🚵🏿‍♂️🍻

i'm a fellow dutchie but not from a big city, i'd say my town has less than 5k people, but still had to cycle to my lil school. when i went to high school that changed to cycling 2 hours a day and hoping to find your bike at the end of school day among the couple hundred others. yet when i went to amsterdam by myself i was still shocked at the amount of bikes but found no trouble dodging them or anything, it were the damn trams that nearly hit me whenever i tried to cross😭😭

I'm Dutch and for art class we were literally expected to take 1 by 1,5 meter plastic maps home by bike at the end of the year!

During the European soccer championship in 1984 in Germany we played the semi final against Germany in Hamburg. Between the supporters there was a big sign “ Opa, ik heb je fiets gevonden!” (Grandpa, I recovered your bicycle!)

A map of bycicle roads in europe always brings a smile that the Netherlands and Belgium (Mostly Flanders) is a bike heaven.

It's my third week in Rotterdam. I just arrived in the Netherlands & it's beautiful to see how much biking is prioritised here. The Dutchies are really amazing and nice people & I'm glad to have found this channel

Im from Germany and I thought in the Netherlands there are some really good cycle pathts but the cycling infrastructure ist great everwhere. I often visit the Netherlands now. Very modern, beautiful and friendly country.

Great video. I'm stuck in a bad weather, hilly terrain, car dominated location. Happily they moved my workplace to a location I can bike to on a great trail (30 km per day) and have been doing so 10 months of the year ever since.

I live in a small village. Cycling to work and doing grocery is easy because the road isn't crowded by vehicles and other bicycles. However when I cycled in bigger cities, the chaos made me a bit nervous.

I’m staring at my bike as I’m watching this video. We both want to be there in Netherlands.

I was riding at age 5 without training wheels, so I'm up there with the Dutch. Yay for me.

I was a doctoral student in the Netherlands (Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen). I loved cycling everywhere! I still have my voufiets (Brompton folding bike) here in Cape Town. I would ride everywhere, and for long journeys, I would fold my bike and catch a bus or a train! I wish I could do that here in Cape Town. Sadly, we don’t have a cycle commuting culture, only sports cycling.

Really well put together video! I am Dutch myself but never really heard the full story of how bicycles became such a part of the culture. Crazy to think that it was once banned because of it's danger

Not enough views for a video that good!

Door fietsen werd ik heel erg benieuwd en geïnteresseerd in Nederland, en vervolgens de Nederlandse taal. Ik hou van fietsen, maar er zijn geen leuken plekken dichbij om naartoe of doorheen te fietsen. We moeten de fietsen met de auto meenemen naar en park ofzo om gewoon te genieten van het fietsen. Gek hoor. Ik heb Nederland vast in m'n ooghoekje.

the banana bike was hilarious 🤣

It would be so amazing if the USA adopted a more bicycle based transportation system. I do many of my commutes with the e-bike in my picture.

I owned two bikes when I lived in Holland. One in Utrecht for going to the train, then another for Amsterdam train station to work. Such a great way to travel, even on snow.

What a cool video, you even told me things that I, as a "cheese head", don't know. But you actually forgot one thing to mention that is also actually quite unique to our little bicycle country. Kids here in the Netherlands get traffic lessons at school and when they are 11/12 years old and in 'group 7 and 8' (last years of middle school in the US) must undergo a traffic exam, one part theory and one part practical. The practical exam is a bicycle exam, you must ride a route on your bike and official people from the Dutch organisation for traffic safety stand, unnoticed, on the route to make notes as whether they know the traffic rules, behave safely and responsibly on the road and whether they can respond well on unexpected traffic situations. I know that I was very nervous when I had my exam but the prove that I pass lies, after 33 years, stil in my memory box!

4:06 May 10, 1940: the attack started at 3:55 AM by the way, not PM. Otherwise great video. It is good for Dutchies to know that out bicycle culture is not normal, has grown because of particular policies. But I also hope that other cities in Europe and the world are willing to learn: it is possible to make lovely walkable bikable healthy cities. Bikes van transform societies!

I'm going to visit family in the Netherlands next year and I'm super hyped to ride everywhere haha

love the pictures and videos of dutch people doing crazy stuff on their bikes, even had to pause and rewind :D

My biggest takeaway from this video: nobody is wearing a helmet! My country’s trying to increase bike use but we have mandatory helmet laws, hilly cities established car culture and limited bike paths.

Don't forget that the spaces reserved for automobiles and roads for cars are a lot, and I mean a lot more, than for bicycles with such a dense population. Although the city of Amsterdam is trying to change that. The problem is that more people in the Netherlands like automobiles than bicycles, unfortunately and behaviour and an attitude are hard to change.

Fun fact: old dutch bike are still present in indonesia. Especially old people who use them in farm.

Yeah this video needs way more views. Insane good graphics, keeping viewers attention! You should try to break this up into 10 YT shorts! RU-vid is nicer there with giving views haha!

Helaas ben je een item vergeten: Het wereldkampioenschap tegenwind fietsen

Love the new recording format, keep it up

Love your content and the way you narrate ❤

As a fellow Dutchie and ex bike rental employee, I can ride 3 bikes at the same time. Also around corners. Stopping can a bit tricky though.

I love my bycicle, use it everyday on my way from and to school (15 km from my home). Just driving over the Dikes and through the fields is a joy, pop some music in one ear and off I go. Don't forget the Dutch army in WW2 also had multiple Bycicle Divisions wich acted as semi-mobile infantry. The Dutch army *Ring Ring* motherfuckers"

What a nice video, well done! I grew up in the Netherlands, so to me it was never special to ride a bike, everyone did so. Untill on RU-vid I saw the reactions of people from other countries, the US in particular. I never realised how well designed a great deal of our country is to cycling, and that it has been a deliberate choice at one point. I just took it for granted. Now I live in Groningen, where cyclists cross at the same time at many junctions and I really hate that. It goes well most of the times, I believe that, but it makes me really nervous, because I don't ride so fast.

hey man echt een goed video, de mix van praten muziek en korte videos en plaatjes werk echt goed. wat een kwaliteit voor zo'n klein kanaal

I lived here my whole life and I cycled a lot🙂🙃

Imagine a country that makes meaningful changes after a large number of children are killed from preventable causes.

Excellent video: comprehensive, informative, and entertaining. 👍🏻🚲

I love my Gazelle bike from the Netherlands. I would only trade it in or get in addition to a Dutch bakfietsen (cargobike).

amazing video, this video needs to blow up

I dacht dat dit kanaal wel iets van 100K abonnees zou hebben, beste kwaliteit, verdient meer abonnees!

really enjoyed this as a dutch person

Great video! Lived in Groningen for 6 years

Good video!

This editing is amazing. He needs more attention! 👍

6:56 It's Groningen! it's the Grote Markt heck yeah AND it's during the fare! The place shown has seen massive construction and was now converted into a purely pedestrian and biking area. I'm studying here for about 3 years now, coming from germany literally 3h away, and i'm enjoying my time here so much, the biking experience being a big part of it.

Rutte can't do that anymore. He has people to watch and let hem stay safe.

To visid the Netherlands is on my bucket list for a vacation. With my bicycle. I'm a biking afficionado who has been riding bikes since six years old. since 2012, I've been commuting by bike here in Vienna - first out of neccessity for I couldn't bear the sensory overload in public transportation anymore, then simply for joy. To work, just for fun. Distances: everything from 4 to 40 km, sometimes even daily. I don't ride in slippery conditions, but other weather conditions are fair game. Be it wet, be it windy, be it hot, be it cold - I ride. Good thing is, the infrastructure for cycling here in Vienna gets better by the year, and most car drivers are very considerate towards pedestrians and cyclists - sure, there's the occasional rotten behaviour, even I ain' no saint from time to time due to some lapse in /dev/brain. Thing is, I feel safe cycling in Vienna. Sure, could be better in some places. But the Moment you get your wheels on the Donauinsel: Freedom Galore! Praterallee: a cycling dream. And don't forget the Ringradweg. It encompasses the Inner City of Vienna, and it is very nice to ride. Some smallish obstacles, some tricky places - be careful and observant of pedestrians and other cyclists and there you go. And yes, Vienna is not flat. You need your climbing muscles. So, challenges included. I love it. Happy cycling, folks. :-)

Subscribed! This is quality stuff I like to watch. Greetings from Friesland NL

I do think it's important to note that the reason cycling is as common as it is here is in large part due to government policy and road design instead of just the weather and how flat our country is. Many areas in the US have better weather and just as flat a terrain as in the Netherlands yet I would never bike there due to how dangerous the roads are.

Pas op, het is besmettelijk! Ik ben Belg en ik doe dagelijks ook veel met de fiets (per velo zoals we hier zeggen) en kijk maar naat Gent of Leuven! Echt goeie video! De infrastructuur is wel wat minder hier :p

Loved your writing, video, and editing. Can't wait to see more!

Great video!!

I've heard it said that another reason for the Germans to take the bikes away from the Dutch is that it made the organised resistance harder. If you can't get quickly from one place to another it has a lot of impact on the ability to set up a resistance network.

7:55 Good to know what to call my Brompton when I visit the Netherlands.

Such a good video, needs more recognition for sure

Nice video. Keep up the good work 🎉🎉

In three days I will be back for my third visit to the Netherlands. I have planned for a day of touring on a bicycle.

I absolutely love your sense of humour! I didn't click on this video expecting a laugh but that's certainly what I got, it's great.

Amazing vid! Way higher quality than I expected for the view count! I did find the music level at the end a bit high, but other than that very fun to hear some history about our sykling habits

I love my Dutch Gazelle e bike..definitely is helping me change my lifestyle and participate in the world gym 7 days a week. Just subscribed!

interesting facts, good work!!!

Nice Video with good Information!!😀

Goed gedaan man! Dit is een leuke, grappige en informatieve video en ook nog eens een zeer knap staaltje editing!

That's awesome! I am contemplating biking some, where I am in the US. There are bike lanes adjacent to the roadways but painted lines aren't much protection! Also, at destinations where I would go, there are few places to even lock up a bike! I've been reviewing eBikes, as, we do have hills here and I'm older now...Gazelle seems to be a top brand! Also folding bikes. Still researching. No wonder The Netherlands is one of the happiest populations!

7:02 the road that you see on the right is no more, now only bike an walk path 🗿🗿

Great video

Great share !

I moved here, with work, 7 months ago, together with my wife. I think we are the only crazy people to bring our city bikes with us when it is so easy to find a second hand bike here. Now we are 2 persons with 6 bikes, no wonder Netherlands has more bikes than people. PS: We have 2 more bike back home :)

Great Video, but i am very envions of dutch topography as a Swiss bycicle rider

I never understood why people said to Germans that they wanted their bicycles back. Funny that after all these years I heard the back story :D

Mooie video man! zeer hoge kwaliteit, ga zeker je volgende video kijken!

Good video, hope we'll get something like this in Paris

This video is really well done! :D

Leuke video en zeker wat nieuws gebracht!

Bicycles are the best for small,.dense cities. I love my bike.

Now I know Why " Fonger" so expensive. The Beautiful and Strength of Dutch Bike ❤❤❤ Fonger

Now I wanna go

As a Dutch person, i feel Dutch watching this video.

I moved to the Netherlands in late 2021. I have 3 bikes of my own plus a Swapfiets. I'm doing my best to push up the average!

and dont ride like a dutch person in other other countries. never been hit by a car in the netherlands, ive been in sweden since 2013 been crashed into by 1 bike, and hit by 2 cars, and crashed and broke my collarbone because of really bad street design in combination with "winter sand" on the road. but its fun to see how more and more people ride their bikes here in stockholm through winter as a direct result of more and better infrastructure for bikes.

We have a lot to learn from this!

Geweldige video! 🙌

Wat een leuke en informatieve video ❤❤

I like how the us also goes through times of oil price hikes and instead of creating a long term solution, like the netherlands did, the people and government here seem to just freak out and run around like headless chickens until the prices go down again

I've seen people rolling smokes while cruising 30kmh, the skill level is insane

amazing video

just subscribed!!!

just commenting to boost engagement!!

Extremly well produced!

you definitely deserved a sub! keep up the good work! Geweldige video trouwens :)