Too right. Never challenge a Dutch person, they know everything. And are not afraid to tell you where you are going wrong. Always with supreme confidence that they are right. I was once told by a complete stranger that I was an onbeschofte buitelander’ (rude foreigner) as I had not fulsomely greeted the server in a cafe’.
In the Netherlands it's usually something like this 1 bell: please move aside 2 bells: You better move, cos im not going anywhere 3 bells: sorry there are no 3 bells, its usually just 2 followed by a lot of swearing and cursing
To add passing a single rider doesn’t usually require a bell to be rung unless they are not paying attention. When people are cycling next to each other that bell becomes your best friend.
As a Dutchie, I think it's funny that you concider getting those tiny wing mirrors on your bike, when instead you can use your ears and turn your head to stay aware of your surroudings. I've only seen those on the bikes of senior citizens, here.
While I don't have them myself, I do think hey can be useful. Especially if it's raining and you're wearing a hoodie, more than once that hoodie doesn't turn all the way, effectively blocking your view when turning your head backwards. Combine that with a heavy backpack or messenger bag that makes it harder to turn your torso, and you won't see much behind you. Also older people can have a harder times to turn their heads, too. My grandmother, who drove until she was over 80, couldn't turn her head more than 30° at a certain moment, completely stiffened up. She had to give up driving shortly after.
As a Dutch person cycling in London, I see the pros and cons of using these in London. Pro: you can keep your eyes forward to make sure no one randomly walks into the bike lane/road (source: i got into an accident cause a pedestrian walked through a red light, into the side of my bike whilst they were looking on their phone, as I was looking over my shoulder to check if the car next to me was going to take a left turn to cut me off on this intersection) Con: you no longer have eye contact with cars behind/next to you which makes drivers sometimes forget you're human and act more recklessly on the road towards you (ie, driving way to close next to you, overtaking and cutting off at intersections etc) God I miss not having to question being perceived as a human being whilst cycling when I still lived in the Netherlands 😅
0:17 most of the Dutch, don’t consider cycling a hobby much the same way as pushing a shopping cart isn’t a hobby. Cycling is something you do in order to get somewhere. Sometimes when shopping you choose a shopping cart, in other cases you choose a basket but that doesn’t make you a shopping carter or basket case.
I mean, I don't know about other parts of the Netherlands, but where I am from (north) people only really use the bell if they can't pass the person in front of them. For example if two people are biking in front of you, you could ring your bell so the people can make room for you, but otherwise nobody really uses a bell.
I moved from the north (Groningen) to the western part ('t Gooi) and it's very different here. All these teens passing me use their bell to signal that they're about to pass. Even at 8am in the morning with no one else using the cycle path. It scares the *$(# out of me everytime. The first two years I was like: 'I'm not taking up too much space, you can pass easily, what is wrong with you guys?!' then I realised it's just different than up north...
In Zuid-Limburg and in Delft, people seem to ring the bell when passing someone particularly on narrow paths. In Limburg though, ringing the bell is usually only done when the person in front of you might not be expecting you to pass. You wouldn't want them to make way(in the direction you're passing) and have them cycle into you. Similar to Evan saying 'left' or 'right' to indicate which side - which I think is very uncommon in the Netherlands.
@@RainyRaven that's exactly why i don't use my bell when i have enough space to pass. that sudden ring scares the crap out of you, and that might just make the person swerve into you.
@@mnrbrt We always cycle on right hand side of the lane (path) and pass on the left. If something unexpected happens, I always go to the right as a reaction. Passing on someones right is very dangerous.
Using the bell is more of a common sense thing. Like when you are about to pass some kids horsing around, swerving a lot, yeah then its a really good idea to use it. But when its some old lady or whatever perfectly sticking to the right side of the path, its probably better to not use it because you might startle her and cause a problem when there really isnt one to begin with.
A bicycle coming up from behind is nothing to be startled about, and that's what the bell indicates is about to happen. You are nice and predictable to the senior cyclists. Just don't ring like you sound the alarm.
@@DenUitvreter that's all very well, except that people frequently do startle, from one single ding of my bell. And then go from walking in a predictable straight line to randomly moving in unpredictable ways, often involving stepping right in front of me when they were safely off to one side before. That's why I've pretty much stopped using my bell, unless people are completely blocking my path and not responding to being asked to move. It more often turns safe situations into unsafe ones than anything else in my experience
@@DenUitvreter Well mate, ive lived in Amsterdam for 30 years and when you ring your bell when there is absolutely nothing going on, people will absolutely see it as false alarm at best. You only ring when you see a potentiallly dangerous situation coming because otherwise you'll pretty much be ringing non-stop with how busy cycling traffic gets, and that completely defeats the point of ringing in the first place.. But thats just my experience which can of course be different from yours.
@@DenUitvreterI hate when people ring the bell when I'm in a position where they can just pass. It startles me and there's no need to tell me you'll pass, I'm prepared for people passing, I'm not prepared for people to make themselves known for no reason at all. Just pass.
14:36 You can tell that the bicycle path goes in both directions because it's divided by the white markings in the middle. If those markings hadn't been there, you should indeed pas the roundabout on the right side.
Also if you are not allowed to go straight when coming from a 2-way bike lane, there will be a one-way-street sign and/or a "fietsers oversteken" sign.
Every Dutch driver has also been biking their entire life so they know exactly what it feels like to be in that vulnerable position. But like you said, it's not really normalised outside of the benelux area and anyone biking in a different country should be very cautious because let's be honest we are spoiled as fuck.
I am an American living in The Netherlands. One thing I learned that may be helpful for travel is that the triangle arrows or "shark teeth," as they are called here actually point toward the travelers who need to be paying attention at intersections. So on bike paths, or streets, the teeth will point toward the traveler who needs to yield to the ongoing flow of traffic. I hope I am explaining this well, and maybe a native Dutchie will be able to explain it better, but this was hugely helpful for me to understand about all of those triangles on the roads and bike paths.
As a dutch person, you explained it perfectly. Thats the beauty of this system. Its easy enough for even small kids to understand. If the teeth point towards you that means danger yield.
Those "haaientanden" or shark teeth in English are yield signs. Compared to a stop sign board, you don't need to fully stop the car at an intersection.
I ride a electric wheelchair on the bike path (I'm driving too fast for the sidewalk) and sometimes people use their bell to make known that they are coming up behind to pass me, it is not required but I take some space so It's nice to know that I have to stay as much on the right side as I can so they can pass safely.
I'm happy to hear you appreciate the ring. I would probably also ring my bell in such a situation, but for me any ring of the bell is wrought with doubts about whether I'm not being unfriendly.
@@keithmyerscough697 Most Dutch people are very direct so a polite ring won't be found unfriendly, most of the time one or two pings is enough but when you keep ringing while somebody is trying to get out of the way or Isn't able to get out of the way they might let you know very directly verbally. It might include a couple of curse words but that is only when you keep annoying somebody.
As for use of the bell, use it early - don’t wait until you are on top of the person you are passing. It’s like creeping up on someone and going ‘boo’.
Yeah, it's just a warning so they won't get in the way. I hate it when people don't ring the bell to warn me when I'm jogging, I can trip out we can collide.
@@julietllouise If there is room to pass ringing the bell is just unnecessarily sounding an alarm when there is no problem. Bell ringing is indicating a problem. Usually that there is no room to pass, so go to the side. If someone is honking their car horn any time they overtake someone, they'd be insane. Same goes for bike bells. If there is room enough and someone still rings I would think they've lost control and are about to crash into me. Also, how will a bell ring stop you from tripping and colliding? How often do you trip that it's such a concern you'll smash into a passing cyclist? Do you keep 2m away from all objects at all times in case you trip and fall?
@@AnnekeOosterink I'm talking about sharing a path that's only max 1,5m wide, so yes a warning is very important! Oftentimes people think they can pass, but if I don't hear you coming and move to the middle bc of tree roots yeah. Obviously you don't need to ring if there's enough room to pass without getting into other people's space. When paths are shared it's really good to warn those walking, because of the speed difference. Someone passing when you're in a wheelchair can be a scare if they pop up out of nowhere!
Dutch people love video's of foreigners about The Netherlands, so that's probably why the video got so many views 😊 Besides it just being good content of couse!
15:30 A cycle path with a dashed line in the middle is a too way cycle path. Without the dashed line, if there is a cycle path on the other side of the road, that is a one-way cycle path. Do not cycle on the wrong side. But know that that dashed line means that you are on the correct side.
Was looking for this comment. I think once people learn to treat a bike path as it's own road and not simply a lane of the car road (for the actual separate paths that is) it becomes easier/more intuitive too.
Saw a video here on youtube once of a guy who needed to go from London to somewhere in the northern part of England. Turned out it was cheaper for him to take a flight to Germany, spend a few hours touring Berlin and then take a flight to his English destination, than it would've been to take the train 😂
Rail commuting in Britain is......rather special. Considering they basically invented that transport method, it's sad to see respective governments either not get a better handle on public transport problems or wilfully ignoring it because 'market' . As for the infrastructure like stations, bridges and tunnels, it feels like it's mostly stuck in the 1960s/70s.
I read a news article a few years back (no, I do not know why this was international news) about two British friends from I think London and a bit south of the Scottish border who wanted to meet up. But the train was so expensive that it was cheaper to both book a retour flight to Spain and have a vacation together than it was for one of them to take the train to the other. Granted, flights have been getting more expensive, so the situation might be different if they try it today, but still...
There are apps nowadays for this exact purpose, you input a starting airport and a destination and they look up the cheapest flight you can get with a layover, or several. Its often cheaper than a direct flight, if you have the time and the patience for it.
@@MasterSandman just under 3 hours train time and security, boarding much faster plus you start and end downtown. Not faster to fly, about the same or longer to fly.
Hello! I’m Dutch and I enjoyed your bicycle video a lot! Don’t worry about the nitpicking comments; just enjoy cycling. My boyfriend and I don’t agree on the optimal bicycle seat height, so it’s not surprising that a bunch of internet people can’t agree on that either. You don’t need to use the bell to overtake: I only use the bell if people are blocking the path. However you do need to use hand signals to indicate turning. Have fun and take care of that knee.
15:17 the key here is that the bicycle path around the roundabout has white markers in the middle which divide it into two lanes. That's how you tell it's a bidirectional path you can use both ways. Sometimes the cycle path will actually be one-way around a roundabout making you cross the road a few times, but then the cycle path won't have those white dividing markers in the middle. So white dividing markers = bidirectional path, no dividing markers = unidirectional path.
I was very pleasantly surprised by your cycling video and had a lot of fun watching it. The Friday after it went live a neighbor was over and mentioned he watched a video by some guy cycling from Amsterdam to Utrecht because his flight was delayed. Had a good laugh when I knew exactly which video it was. The Algorithm is very aggressive about promoting anything that remotely refers to cycling (typical Dutch infrastructure really) and The Netherlands to Dutch viewers. That effect was also very noticeable for channels such as Not Just Bikes and The Tim Traveler when they made videos about the Netherlands. Regarding the roundabout: that setup is used to reduce points of conflict. The cycle path is bi-directional and on one side of the road so cars turning away from the cycle path will not interset (come into conflict) with the cyclists at all. A simple tip regarding cycling when it rains/has rained: White is slippery, yellow even more so, and metal is (manhole covers, tram tracks etc.) are like ice.
What yellow do you mean? The temporary linework at long term construction sites that, in my expierence, is rarely used for bicyclepaths but mostly for car road signaling
yes, we are so used to really poor bike paths in north america that abruptly end or have way too many points of conflict (they would definitely go how he was going in the video in NA, ending on one side and only continuing after you cross the street... very counterintuitive and creating unnecessary points of conflict) I really miss the Netherlands and their beautiful infrastructure. I actually made the same mistake as Evan my first time coming and spent a while trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, until I noticed it just continued from the left side. I will watch his video now to see if he mentioned anything about those amazing bike underpasses. Can't wait to go back this December and see how biking in the cold rain/snow is for y'all dutchies!
@@jezusbloodie Rarely used, yes, but sometimes you just get dumped on the road during construction in towns where you might encounter them. As the yellow markings are more or less a layer of slippery plastic on the road they can be horrendous.
In the Netherlands, when it comes to debit cards, Maestro is king, not Visa/Mastercard debit. The Netherlands is currently in a transition period, moving from Maestro to Visa/Mastercard debit cards. That’s why your Apple Pay or a debit card didn’t work-because the restaurant hasn’t updated or changed their machine to accept Visa/Mastercard debit yet.
@@Huntracony Uhm... is that really only that far? Because my very much Dutch bank gave me a new card and it's Visa only. It's not even because I asked for one. It's just replacing one that's about to expire.
@@jbird4478 I don't know. Banks were supposed to start giving out only Visa/Mastercards by July 2023, but that didn't happen. I suppose it all might go very quickly once customers start showing up with only Visa/Mastercards. Rabobank by any chance? That's the only bank I've heard of making the switch.
@spiritualanarchist8162 just a different social filter which is more likely to assume that if the person "asking" for the comments isn't interested they'll just ignore the comment. As in somehow the Dutch interpret these kinds of thing as an open invitation to a brainstorm session. Even the most of the more rudely formulated responses are meant to be helpful.
1:39 You can use the high gears, but not when you are starting, and due to its mechanics, you have to set it to lower gears while driving, thus right before you stop.
The trick with Eurostar is booking at least a month ahead. I travelled to London from Rotterdam this summer and 'only' paid €110, the same as you said your flight was. But I do agree, if it's at a very short notice, plane tickets are almost always cheaper
@@incalescent9378 The seats are limited just like for flights. At least, I assume it works somewhat like that. Unlike our 'tram network'-like train system in The Netherlands where you book just free passage.
i recently looked for a friend in the UK that wanted to visit and the morning train tickets about 3 months in advance were even as low as 44 euro so yeah the train is definitely a cheaper option if you know in advance you're taking the trip
It's mandatory to have a working bell, but it's not mandatory to use it. Opinions vary on that, but i.m.o. it should only be used when you need someone's attention; like a car horn. People who ring their bell just because they are passing annoy the shit out of me. I always get a jump scare because I think something's going wrong.
It depends on whether people are already aligned properly, Because a lot of people cycle on the right side making it unnecessary to ring the bell, But there's also plenty that are in the middle of the path.
@@BramLastname Yeah the bell is particularly annoying if you are already leaving a lot of room. When this happens I fear someone needs a lot of room to pass, making me try to keep my position even more and preventing me from looking back at what’s going to pass me (for fear of swerving and hitting that person). For me, usually hitting the brakes a bit when I’m behind someone already is audible enough for them to shift more to the right so I can pass. It just adds stress, because you were already aligned properly and it implies there is still not enough room for the person behind me to pass. With cars you also don’t honk when you try to pass on the left, I use the same rules on my bicycle.
@@Wizz15 on certain roads, the edges aren't always very comfortable, so it's not unreasonable to need to swerve. You might be better off to ride a little more to the middle. Also, some cyclists just need more space, you might be comfortable riding on a 10 cm strip next to the gutter and hold your line, but I surely am not. Especially if I'm carrying groceries for instance. Even more so in large groups, people can be less predictable. Pedestrians wanting to pass a group of others swerving in the bike lane, pedestrians talking to each other and not paying attention that they are toeing the line... I'll often give a short soft 'ding' so people are aware of my presence.
Trick to check saddle height: with the paddle in the lowest position and middle of your foot (so not the ball) your leg should be fully stretched. That way when you use the ball off your foot your leg never goes fully stretched, but your saddle isn't too low either, so you can use your leg muscles best.
I always hear you do the same but with the heel. Gives you a bit less likelihood that you set a height where you start moving your pelvis, or have your ankles in a bigger angle than 90 degrees. Ideal height is slightly different for everyone, but is one with an efficiënt long stroke, extending the knees but not fully, 90 degree ankles and no moving of the pelvis. These rules of thumb are just a starting point though and you need to adjust if your body tells you something different.
Exactly. And because you actually paddle with the ball of your foot, the action of your ankle will prevent your knee from over-stretching. Though for kids, it is also important to ensure they can get at least their toes firm on the ground when sitting on the saddle.
@@RenAigu The 90 degree angle at the top was mentioned in the video too. I actually prefer my knees to be bent a bit less than that. I'm starting to feel the age of my body. But I do like to cycle hard and fast. The strain is just that bit less when I'm not at 90 degrees.
@@AlexHaan I meant the ankle (nl: enkel) at 90 degrees, so the angle between foot and lower leg, not the knees at the top of the stroke. Meaning that you should not need to stretch your foot/toes to reach the pedal at the bottom. How high your knees come you should adjust via the length of your crank arms, but that means buying a new crankset, so that's not an adjustment, but a replacement. But many people who go for shorter crank arms tend to be happier with it, so that's something to think about, if putting the saddle higher is not doing the job fully.
As A Dutch person I only use the bell if people are biking next to each other or someone is biking on the middle of the cycling lane About the debit card: We started accepting Mastercard since 2022 but not all places do, so more local shops tend to not accept Mastercard
@@lidewijvos Sorry I just looked it up and it said 2022. I think they meant widely accepted then. Not sure. But still local shops tend to not accept them like the store I work at (Just thought I'd mention that)
@@lidewijvosmastercard is almost accepted no where lmao. Not even in my supermarket (plus). Visa is. Amex is probably only useable in same places mastercard is. Most atm’s do take all
@gijsw8681 I have a Mastercard and live in the Netherlands and I'm using it there. Otherwise I wouldn't state it. I never have problems. Maybe in a little shop in a village but you are fine in all cities.
Thank you for being a good sport about this. And Dutch people can be loud and obnoxious sometimes, you can just ignore us if we are rude, that’s what we all do. :)
@@mlies37 Not completely, in other places ‘white lies’ are expected as a form of politeness. But in reality this is just confusing and actually rude (not wanting to be honest with someone). So directness is not the same as rudeness, but what other countries would see as polite is actually insulting. “Say what you mean and mean what you say” is more our vibe. And yeah there are rude people, but it’s not all of us (I doubt you are rude for example). For me it’s like this: compliments you can give at any time, even unsolicited. If you walk up to a random stranger to tell them they look weird, that’s rude. If someone asks me if I like their new haircut and I tell them I liked it better before, that’s not rude. If I told them I didn’t like it without them asking my opinion: rude. But giving an honest opinion when asked/appropriate (while being respectful) is never rude (and even international people value this after getting used to it).
7:31 never have your leggs 90 degrees at its highest point. This causes the legg and knee to get locked restricting blood flow to the lower legs and making your feel fatigued faster. Your knee should be slightly lower then the start of your upper leg. Also about the overall height you should barely be able to touch the ground when sitting on the bike with your big toes. But it’s also personal so there is a small margin. Some people like to sit a little bit higher than just being able to touch the ground with your toes and others like to sit a little bit lower for their safety most older people for example.
Honestly 340,- to take the train from London to Amsterdam is absolutely ridiculously high, so I absolutely agree that you'd take the plane even if it's more polluting
I live in the south of the UK. Tried to book tickets to nl over Christmas in early October - a Eurostar single on my preferred day was £240 because Economy had already sold out. Even with luggage the plane return ended up around £100-150 cheaper, and that's without factoring in that it takes longer, and I spend more on connecting train journeys. Like Evan, I just don't have that much disposable time & money to score virtue signalling points.
@@MarcelVolker you pay in taxes for exemptions on fuel tax etc for airlines, and in other taxes for climate change mitigation and damage. It's a bum deal they give us. Should be the other way round.
The Eurostar is only expensive if you dont book in advance. Just like airplanes, actually! If you book a few months in advance and plan your trip, its way cheaper.
@@TheSuperappelflap I've just looked. Amsterdam - London in January; cheapest single fare is about €60. Booking that far in advance a budget flight could probably be half - if you only bring a small bag.
I checked my wallet and found a 10 cent coin (from the Guilders era, before the Euro). I don’t remember the last time I paid with cash to be honest, plus I feel really old now.
The last time I payed with cash was 4 days ago, which sparked this conversation for me and my friends. The last time before that was when I went to the toy store with my piggybank, that's 10 years ago.
As a german living in one of the most bike-unfriendly cities of germany (Rosenheim, Southern Bavaria) with almost no cycle paths, I am impressed by every little bit of dutch infrastructure. It must feel so nice and chill not to have the constant fear of this being your last minute whenever you hear a car approaching you. Or to be able to cycle for more than a few minutes a time in a city without being stopped by a car jam or a car traffic light. Or just the simple thing of being able to cycle next to each other with your friends or even take children with you. The Netherlands really must be Utopia.
@@TheSuperappelflap move to another part of the netherlands? rent is very much based on where you live and in my experience the people are great, though that will vary.
@@yassinet5 any city with a train station is expensive, other places don't have work for me and the traffic on the highways is so bad that driving to work is not an option.
@@Apollorion Cycling is an option, as long as its not much over 15km one way then I can comfortably do it in an hour. With stoplights etc I average 18km/h on my bike. But I need an alternative with public transport in case the weather is really bad, or I get a bit sick and dont want to cycle to work in the winter. Its just really hard to find an affordable place to live, to the point where Im considering emigrating just to be able to make a living without paying half my after-tax income in rent. So if anyone is thinking about moving to the Netherlands, yes its a good place to live, but unless you are already extremely rich, dont. The income taxes are some of the worst in the world, real estate is the most expensive in Europe, Im struggling with 60K euro per year on my own. Cant buy a house, cant find an affordable place to rent. Probably going to move back in with my parents until I can get out of here. Poland or Baltic states seems nice. Good tech scene, plenty of work, and I can afford to buy an apartment there.
We don't really (I think) have an innit in Dutch, that we use as often and in the same manner. We kinda have it with "..., toch?" and "..., of niet?", but those are more like "..., right?" or "..., no?".
The Eurostar prices vary quite a bit depending on how far in advance you book and how popular a date is. Last minute stuff is indeed often rather expensive, you can significantly safe if you're able to plan ahead and find dates/times that are less popular and therefore cheaper
It might improve in a few months time, when the new Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam Centraal reopens, with more capacity, because that's one of the main reasons why those tickets are so high, the terminal could only handle a limited amount of passengers from Amsterdam (and Rotterdam, for that matter), so during the renovations, there is no Eurostar service directly to London.
@@nienke7713 depends a lot on the time of year. Try again next Summer for a trip in a month, and the picture will be very different. I've had an eye for the ticket prices for most of Summer advising people travelling, and there were days that tickets weren't just expensive, but sold out on certain trains weeks in advance.
I have had tons and tons of wounds, being Dutch and cycled my whole life and I highly highly recommend to use Purol ointment and cover the wound with it after cleaning. It makes sure no infections will occur and immediately skips to the process of creating new skin without barely a crust. It also removes the pain instantly.
The roundabout confusion can be mitigated by looking at the middle line, If the middle line is unchanged at the turn before the roundabout That means the cyclepath bypasses the roundabout. If the line crosses your lane of the cycle path, You are expected to take the turn and go around the roundabout, This usually means you end up on a one-way cycle path, Tho based on how both sides had two-way markings that's not the case here.
Native Dutch here, a few things about your video, dunno if its been said already: The Bell: Bell usage while passing is NOT mandatory, but if you are for instance riding on a bicycle path wide enough for 3 cyclists with no space/dedicated path for cars, and you are trying to pass two people riding side by side, their formation being a bit loose and taking up the whole path; a single ding from your bell will get them to tighten up their formation so you can pass on the left side. Saddle/seat adjustment: Best way to get your seat set to the right height for you personally is to just stand beside your bicycle and adjust the seat to where the top of the seat is level with the top of your hip. Looking behind you: In The Netherlands you only need to look behind you if you are planning a turn that crosses an oncoming lane. which only really happens when you are turning left. sure sticking out your hand will signal your intent to make a turn, but its always best to see if the cars behind you will slow down to give up to space for you to do so. would want to side swipe a car or get run over by one. Roundabouts: Its easy to know which way around the roundabout you need to go. if its a single direction path then the bicycle lane will go around the roundabout. if its a bi-directional path as you've showed on google earth then it doesn't and you stick to the intended direction of travel you desire. HOope all this information helps you on your next cycling trip in The Netherlands
I think the bike video was lovely, no wonder the algorithm liked it too. Good to see you got a new feel for cycling, and nice that your first crash wasn't that bad. Slippery white paint got me last year as well.
When I was preparing to do a charity bike ride from London to Paris, I joined a local cycling club. Not only did I learn some really good cycling routes as they had a different ride every week but I was also given so much help on seat height and positioning etc.
And we dutchies..... As specially inside cities...We just ride, tires soft..... Be a bit carefully with bumps etc. When the rim is constant hitting the road it is time to put some air in it. Saddle hight and position of handle bars...we dont care that much as long as it not to far off
@@evan That's a fair point, I forgot about that. At least you've had plenty of good advice from others which was nice of them. Enjoy your travels and I look forward to seeing the videos, cheers!
I would recommend taking the ferry to the Netherlands, you get up in the evening, have a nice dinner, listen to some live music or whatever, go to sleep and the next morning you get a nice breakfast and arrive at your destination. It is so extremely relaxing and far less carbon emission than flying.
Ferry isn't cheap either. But booking late it does indeed stay much more steady compared to flights. I've actually done so myself recently. One way the ferry, other way a still cheap flight. The already expensive flight would have left so early that I, a 'Noorderling', would have had to book a hotel near Schiphol anyway. Now I have a room, the trip, dinner and breakfast for the same price as the single flight. Sure, it takes more time, but in this case it didn't differ that much.
A little boy was riding around his house. He shouted to his mum - "Look mum, one hand". He made another circuit and shouted out, "Look mum, no hands!". On the third circuit he shouted out - "Look mum - no teeth!" A rite of passage.
As a motorcyclist, one of the most important things in the training is road position. We are taught to avoid riding on any painted lines, for the reason that you learned the hard way. Paint provides less grip than tarmac. In the wet, the paint is virtually a frictionless surface. If you’re on a normal road, instead of a cycle lane, position yourself on roughly the same line as where the car tyres are going. That way the cars clear most of the debris, oil spills, and surface water. Debris has a tendency to accumulate in the gutter, which will affect your traction. If there’s anything which might puncture your tyres, it will most likely be in the gutter.
12:00 the netherlands is a country of problem solvers if you complain about/mention a flight being canceled (or any else for that matter) people will tell you alternatives, most of them in good faith. It is not virtue singling (atleast not fully intentional), but rather a normal way of communicating over here. I mean just look at me right now trying to solve your grudges with my fellow country men while doing the exact same thing. a month late not less.
This is the best follow up video. I did learn a lot and resonated with a lot of what you said in answering all the questions in your previous video's comments! You're the best
Historically, credit cards were not widely accepted due to Dutch aversion to debt, and debit cards were typically issued as ‘Maestro’ cards. The Netherlands is one of the only remaining countries to issue Maestro cards and they are being phased out and replaced with the successor, Mastercard Debit (or in some cases the bank is switching to Visa Debit). As a result, many shops including main branches of Albert Heijn only accepted Maestro cards until last year. This has now mostly changed, though you will still find some places where non-Maestro cards are declined (particularly Mastercards) due to non-acceptance.
Cash is NOT king in NL - especially since Covid. You find cash acceptance is now becoming the exception rather than the rule and VERY rarely there are cash only places.
Maybe it's also because we're careful and frugal? Having a debt costs money. Better not waste that extra amount. Of course credit cards here connected to your bank account are often half debit cards. A limit and automatic monthly deduction from your main bank account.
@@StoffyToffeePudding Indeed, when I was in Amsterdam in 2017 there were various shops that had notices "Alleen Pinnen" - but of course they wouldn't have accepted any of *my* British pins. I bought a few things in a second-hand shop and since I had no other means of payment they agreed to accept cash. The garage to which I had been send by my UK breakdown service (no, I didn't have ANWB and it was all arranged with great difficulty through Belgium or France or somewhere) only accepted Dutch debit cards so they had to take me to a cash machine.
13:45 The sad thing is that, while the train gets subsidized a little bit (after the train company had to beg the government for money), plane travel gets subsidized very much and get a ton of tax breaks.
Just a gentle advise (not just for you but anyone that may read it cuz dutchies are no less guilty of not doing this): Don't forget to turn your bike light on, but most importantly, have a WHITE light in the front and a RED light in the back, neither of which should flicker/blink! I really dont understand why bike lights are even sold with a flickering setting because its illegal to have a flickering light or to have a red in the front and a white in the back. This is all to avoid confusion, because traffic accidents happen in the blink of an eye and knowing what part of the bike is pointing to and from you when you near it is a really nice thing to know!
In response to your comment about using the bell whilst cycling. Its not mendatory in the Netherlands to ring it when you pass someone. As far as I'm aware it's mainly used when you want to pass two people cycling next to each other. You ring your bell once to let them know 'hey, I'm behind you and I'd like to go past you'. That way the people can slow down/speed up so they get behind each other instead of next to each other so you can pass them safely. It's a good system in my opinion but that could just be because I'm so used to it.
It is mandatory to use your bike bell to warn for danger. And it is allowed to use your bell if you want to overtake other cyclists, to warn them you’re coming so they can make room or don’t get scared shit when you pass them real close.
@@RealConstructor As far as I know, it's only mandatory to have a working bell on a street legal bike, but not mandatory to (only) use it to warn for danger. If anything, using a bell can make a situation only worse sometimes. Personally, I prefer not to use a bell, or any other attention seeking signal, so the change of a startling reaction with unpredictable reactions can be avoided.
I feel as if you've been mentioning this channel much more often in your first channel, so I (for one) have been popping over here more. Also, I keep old playlists of yours on autoplay (ones I've already seen) to listen to while I'm doing other things or to lull me to sleep at night (you have a pleasant 'radio' voice--you're not boring!). As a result, the algorithm has been recommending your second channel videos to me a lot more often as well. I'm slowly trying to work my way through all of your videos, and intend to do so here as well. You're fun to hang out with (and are the reason I was able to work through how to get my company to transfer me to London permanently. I leave next month for my new flat in the Big Smoke.) Thanks for the great videos and I hope you enjoy your trip back here to the States.
Since i live near a tourist trap and they simply don't understand the entire concept of a bell, i've now added a little beeper on my bicycle. They seems to understand that better. Ding, DING, BEEEEEEEP!
10:50 Old people in the netherlands often have a mirror on their handlebar, most of the time only on the left side. They do SUCK at using them however. I have almost been sideswiped multiple times by an old woman WITH A MIRROR when passing
If you're wanting to go to Europe regularly you could look at Interrail tickets, might work out quite a bit cheaper if you can find a ticket type to suit you.
Can you tell the people who work in Schiphol Airport to be less rude to passengers? Every time I go there I get rudeness for no reason at all. I don't have this problem with any other airports.
@@ajs41 Schiphol is as much a business model as it is an airport, and there are no people there, but human resources, who are utilized to their maximum capacity to manage the generation of revenue (which on other airports might be called "travelers" or "customers"). There is, however a good way to avoid this, and that is: avoid Schiphol airport like the plague.
Wants to apologize to the Dutch and promptly calls biking a "hobby" 😂 But seriously, I like your videos and I hope you feel welcome in our country. If you're ever in Ede and would like some coffee send me a ping.
To set your seat height - back peddle with your heels on the peddles. The seat is at the correct height if your leg is just about straight. Then when you put the balls of your foot on the peddles your legs shall be slightly bent. Also if your pelvis is rocking when you peddle the seat is too high.
6:11 No it is not. It is however mandatory to have one. There are 3 things mandatory. A bell, lights and reflectors on the back (nowadays often build in into the backlight), pedals and wheels/tires. (source: Rijksoverheid on the official government site)
There are a lot of different roundabouts, not always are you allowed to go counter clockwise. The road usually shows it, like with the lines and the sharkteeths (white triangles that show you have to wait for the cars to pass first).
Dealing with divider lines or anything similar which is going to have significant friction difference (like tram tracks or even a small curb drop/rise) with the normal surface try to cross at as wide an angle as possible. Also try not to feel bad about it (apart from it hurting like #@&%!) even pro-cyclists occasionally fall in such conditions.
10:15 doing shoulder checks is really useful on most methods of transit, even walking! As a motorcyclist, cyclist and driver, I'm always keeping an eye out around me to avoid others hitting me - makes shopping with a trolley a nightmare! 😅
Privileged? Really? Compared to what exactly? We don’t have to worry someone will ride you over on a bike lane? Like these bike lanes grew from nothing and magically only appeared in the Netherlands and nowhere else in the world? Or did we put blood, sweat, tears and a LOT of money and time to make a better and saver environment as an alternative to driving cars? Is that privileged?
@@Basjuh1984 that's axactly what they mean. People nowadays here don't realise that our grandparents had to fight to get the safe infrastructure we have now. That is the type of privilege of a child whose parents worked hard. One of the more honest and honorable privileges, but privilege nontheless
5:42 As far as I know only housing units that share a roof have a VVE (sort of HOA) single houses don't have a HOA, municipal grounds get mowed by the municipality, sidewalk is the municipality's business.
I agree with the comment about Eurostar. The cheap tickets are often on the train that arrives in Amsterdam just before midnight, and on the return the cheaper prices are in the morning, you have to do immigration checks in Brussels which makes the return journey longer. I flew out on the 8th and only came back on Thursday BA was £270 in Club return, KLM was £550 and Eurostar was £565. At some point, I want to try the ferry but it can be pricy. There are two ways to say sorry - if it's a simple mistake sorry is fine, but if you have really messed - het spijt me - is probably better.
When I went Amsterdam to London by train, pre Brexit, it was €35. That's still the Amsterdam to Paris price. Brexit explains some of it, I suppose, but it doesn't explain how planes are now the cheaper option. How is defying gravity with literal tons of jet fuel between some of the busiest and most expensive airports in Europe cheaper than taking the most efficient method of transport there is? What went wrong?
i wanted to go from Rotterdam to Antwerpen last week and it was 30€ each way on the national rail Eurostar was double that - istr Eurostar was sold to SNCF and the prices have been high ever since.
6:49 Instead of using the bell or shouting, you could try just saying "ding ding" in a friendly sing song voice. A habit I picked up as a schoolkid because sabotaging bike bells of 'parked' bikes around the schoolyard was a common pastime for pranksters.
Great video! Thanks for mentioning train transportation costs-it really helped clarify why many unfortunately still choose planes over trains. I also agree that individuals shouldn’t be blamed for systems they didn’t create. The best we can do is make informed choices within what’s practical for ourselves and vote for representatives who prioritize better subsidies for trains. This approach applies to many issues and is key to driving change.
I just took some random dates about a month in advance, and the price difference between the train and plane is absolutely ridiculous (even worse, taking a train to the airport is almost as much as eindhoven - stansted by plane). I vastly prefer the train and would love to avoid airports, but a 5 to 10x price difference is just too much
Using the bell is not mandatory when passing someone. Actually the ANWB states you're only allowed to use your bike bell to avoid immediate danger. They add that a simple "pardon" suffices when passing someone. Fun fact about debit cards: the Netherlands is currently changing the debit card system from Maestro and V Pay debit cards to Debit MasterCard en VISA Debit. The rest of Europe has already done that, but the Netherlands is the last country to do so. If a business has not updated their payment terminal they might not yet accept the new VISA Debit or Debit MasterCard. So depending on what kind of debit card you have, maybe that's why your debit card was not accepted. Regarding the roundabout: the dotted line in the middle indicates that it's a two-way cycle path. Roundabout setups differ in differtent places, so in some places the cycle path is part of the roundabout. Also in this case the sharks theeth indicate that bikes have to yield for cars. As a general rule of thumb: inside the built-up area cars have to yield to bikes on roundabouts, and outside of the built-up area cyclists have to yield for cars. However, that's a guideline, not a law. So depending on the municipality the situation might be different.
I think cycling in high gear is fine as long as your knees can handle it. I always cycle in high gear. I only use gears 24-25-26 of 27. Also, if you have sturdy shoes foot placement is a none issue. I only ring my bell when people need to move aside for me passing them. The elderly tend to like to use the full width of the road, so 9 out of 10 times I use it for them. Also on narrow trails I use it so people know I am passing them and they can move to the side a little.
you ring your bell when you want to pass someone who is on the way, it a GET OUT OF MY WAY moment... no need to do it always, then it would be found annoying (by me, maybe not everyone). Also, the roundabout thing... If there's a dotted line in the middle its a two way biking lane, so you can go both ways, this also happens with actual roundabouts
You'd only really use the bell as a warning to someone else that you are passing. Say the path is really thin or the person is wobbling around or they have their kid riding near them or something along those lines. It's more of "Hey, heads up I'm over here."
It's mandatory in the Netherlands to use your bell when there is danger for you or for other people, not for passing someone..( same for the horn in a car ), you even can get a fine from the police if you use your bell ( car horn ) to mutch without a incident...14:15. If you watch the bike path on the left of the roundebouth, where you came from, you see that it's a two way bike path ( the white strips in the middle ), so you could have stayed on that side of the bike path, on the rightside it's a one way bike path...
"skinned my knee" As someone who has done bike racing, this happens... we have a sort of endering sounding term for it (as it's the least bad injury): street eczema. 🙂
About using a bell, etc... from my experience when going faster: it might seems impolite to not notify someone when passing, something to know: if you tell the person you are passing, they will often try to look over their shoulder to see what is coming and what happens ? Most people actually slightly change their direction and end up closer to the center of the lane or worse. So... it's a trade off: notify and slow down or just pass.
For your knee, if you have the chance, expose the wound to air as much as possible, it helps with healing. Those types of wounds are typically the heavier abrasive wounds and tend to stick to the bandage a lot, causing problems when you refresh the bandage because you tear off the healing crust. If it is locally irritated (which causes the transparent yellow, sticky stuff to be produced more, which is platelets meant to help close off the wound), try to build a little tent over the wound when you go to bed. That way it is not directly hitting the wound and is sort of still exposed to air. When it starts developing a more thick crust, you can help soften it by a washing cloth soaked in warm water to help soften up the crust a slight bit (my experience is that moving around and bending your knee otherwise cracks open the wound again because of how the crust pulls on the tight skin around it). (Oh, and happy itching! That's the best and worst part at the same time). As for adjustments of the bicycle: My work recently recent moved and is now situated next to a bicycle rental company in Amsterdam. The owner of the store is fierce on adjusting the bicycles for everyone who wants to rent one. Sometimes a part breaks and has to be glued back together with a very toxic and smelly glue so I head outside to glue those parts to not have the room I work in smell bad. The glue requires 10 minutes to set in, and after that it can be a bit of a hassle getting the part to fit, which can lead to you spending 15 minutes next to people getting their bicycle explained to them and how to adjust the seat, handlebars and in some cases, the pedal support. As for looking over your shoulder: ever since my driving lessons for the car I learned how exceptionally unaware I was about my surroundings while on a bicycle. Don't worry to much about looking over your shoulder: it's good practice regardless of sharing a road with regular traffic or not. Sometimes an electrical moped crouches up on you without practically any warning. It was quite a shock how I managed to survive driving a bicycle so much without getting into a serious accident, or even near one. Ringing your bell: I suspect it is mandatory to use it in situations where danger can be avoided by using it. Which can be many things. Typically, if someone doesn't get it after a third bell-ringing, I'll start shouting something like "WHAT'S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE USE OF MY BELL?"
Your story of falling down when crossing the cement divider reminds me of the old Top Gear episode where the three stars of the show were racing across St Petersburg and Richard Hammond was crossing by bike. He rode across a set of railroad or tram tracks and his bike tire got caught in between the grooves of the tracks. He went down pretty badly too.
I bike about 200 kilometers a week of which 10% is merely transport and I know more people who use their bike more as a hobby than simply getting from A to B.
Yeah that’s what I thought too. It may be hobby for him, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, for example, we don’t have a “community of cyclists”. We don’t need to either. People just ride bikes everywhere and it’s normal. Having said that, as an outsider coming in, he probably has this mental image. So give him time. :)
Would highly recommend using the bell in the Netherlands. I cycle each day on different types of roads and when you’re a “guest” on a walking lane this is VERY needed due to a lot of people not really looking back or noticing you. I always do it and then give a nod and smile when they make way. Most people see it as a polite warning anyway, but the nod and smile can add that “thank you” to it.
About the looking behind you and watching all traffic: perfect! Keep doing that! A trick to this is to make eye contact: no eye contact = assume they didn't see you.
15:18 The bit about the roundabout is that you need to notice if you are on a two-way bicycle path or not. The path you are on has dashed lines in the middle, so it is a two-way path. Many bicycle paths are not, and then you have to follow the same flow as the cars. You can also clearly see it is a two-way path at the intersection around 14:51 because of the solid lines and the yield-markings in both directions (the "shark teeth/white triangles). Bicycle paths are just roads, you need to follow the markings and signs.
If you're wondering why your past videos blew up: you summoned the Dutch
G E K O L O N I S E E R D
I felt called for if its about the Netherlands dutch will croud the video.
@@nyk108007weijers because we are proud and always want to complain and show pride😂
😂
Too right. Never challenge a Dutch person, they know everything. And are not afraid to tell you where you are going wrong. Always with supreme confidence that they are right.
I was once told by a complete stranger that I was an onbeschofte buitelander’ (rude foreigner) as I had not fulsomely greeted the server in a cafe’.
In the Netherlands it's usually something like this
1 bell: please move aside
2 bells: You better move, cos im not going anywhere
3 bells: sorry there are no 3 bells, its usually just 2 followed by a lot of swearing and cursing
Yes Niels😅 That's the proper Dutch way 👌
Gezellig!
Ga nou uit de weg kut tourist! haha.
To add passing a single rider doesn’t usually require a bell to be rung unless they are not paying attention. When people are cycling next to each other that bell becomes your best friend.
@@life.with.sabine Yeah the bell with a single person is only required if they cycle on the centre of the path and are blocking you from passing
As a Dutchie, I think it's funny that you concider getting those tiny wing mirrors on your bike, when instead you can use your ears and turn your head to stay aware of your surroudings. I've only seen those on the bikes of senior citizens, here.
I've seen some sporty cyclists use them, but they use smaller ones mounted directly below the handlebars instead of large ones on poles
Yeah, we always tell each other: If the bike has a mirror, the cyclist is blind.
While I don't have them myself, I do think hey can be useful. Especially if it's raining and you're wearing a hoodie, more than once that hoodie doesn't turn all the way, effectively blocking your view when turning your head backwards. Combine that with a heavy backpack or messenger bag that makes it harder to turn your torso, and you won't see much behind you.
Also older people can have a harder times to turn their heads, too. My grandmother, who drove until she was over 80, couldn't turn her head more than 30° at a certain moment, completely stiffened up. She had to give up driving shortly after.
I'm used to driving a car or scooter, so whenever I'm on a bike I still look for the mirrors that aren't there lol
As a Dutch person cycling in London, I see the pros and cons of using these in London.
Pro: you can keep your eyes forward to make sure no one randomly walks into the bike lane/road (source: i got into an accident cause a pedestrian walked through a red light, into the side of my bike whilst they were looking on their phone, as I was looking over my shoulder to check if the car next to me was going to take a left turn to cut me off on this intersection)
Con: you no longer have eye contact with cars behind/next to you which makes drivers sometimes forget you're human and act more recklessly on the road towards you (ie, driving way to close next to you, overtaking and cutting off at intersections etc)
God I miss not having to question being perceived as a human being whilst cycling when I still lived in the Netherlands 😅
0:17 most of the Dutch, don’t consider cycling a hobby much the same way as pushing a shopping cart isn’t a hobby. Cycling is something you do in order to get somewhere.
Sometimes when shopping you choose a shopping cart, in other cases you choose a basket but that doesn’t make you a shopping carter or basket case.
I mean, I don't know about other parts of the Netherlands, but where I am from (north) people only really use the bell if they can't pass the person in front of them. For example if two people are biking in front of you, you could ring your bell so the people can make room for you, but otherwise nobody really uses a bell.
I moved from the north (Groningen) to the western part ('t Gooi) and it's very different here. All these teens passing me use their bell to signal that they're about to pass. Even at 8am in the morning with no one else using the cycle path. It scares the *$(# out of me everytime. The first two years I was like: 'I'm not taking up too much space, you can pass easily, what is wrong with you guys?!' then I realised it's just different than up north...
@@RainyRaven oh wow, I am from Groningen as well, ringing your bell without reason would scare the shit out of me as well
In Zuid-Limburg and in Delft, people seem to ring the bell when passing someone particularly on narrow paths. In Limburg though, ringing the bell is usually only done when the person in front of you might not be expecting you to pass. You wouldn't want them to make way(in the direction you're passing) and have them cycle into you. Similar to Evan saying 'left' or 'right' to indicate which side - which I think is very uncommon in the Netherlands.
@@RainyRaven that's exactly why i don't use my bell when i have enough space to pass.
that sudden ring scares the crap out of you, and that might just make the person swerve into you.
@@mnrbrt We always cycle on right hand side of the lane (path) and pass on the left.
If something unexpected happens, I always go to the right as a reaction. Passing on someones right is very dangerous.
Using the bell is more of a common sense thing. Like when you are about to pass some kids horsing around, swerving a lot, yeah then its a really good idea to use it. But when its some old lady or whatever perfectly sticking to the right side of the path, its probably better to not use it because you might startle her and cause a problem when there really isnt one to begin with.
A bicycle coming up from behind is nothing to be startled about, and that's what the bell indicates is about to happen. You are nice and predictable to the senior cyclists. Just don't ring like you sound the alarm.
@@DenUitvreter that's all very well, except that people frequently do startle, from one single ding of my bell. And then go from walking in a predictable straight line to randomly moving in unpredictable ways, often involving stepping right in front of me when they were safely off to one side before. That's why I've pretty much stopped using my bell, unless people are completely blocking my path and not responding to being asked to move. It more often turns safe situations into unsafe ones than anything else in my experience
@@DenUitvreter Well mate, ive lived in Amsterdam for 30 years and when you ring your bell when there is absolutely nothing going on, people will absolutely see it as false alarm at best. You only ring when you see a potentiallly dangerous situation coming because otherwise you'll pretty much be ringing non-stop with how busy cycling traffic gets, and that completely defeats the point of ringing in the first place.. But thats just my experience which can of course be different from yours.
@@DenUitvreterI hate when people ring the bell when I'm in a position where they can just pass. It startles me and there's no need to tell me you'll pass, I'm prepared for people passing, I'm not prepared for people to make themselves known for no reason at all. Just pass.
Old people tend to cycle way too much in the middle, though. Super annoying on narrow bike lanes.
14:36 You can tell that the bicycle path goes in both directions because it's divided by the white markings in the middle. If those markings hadn't been there, you should indeed pas the roundabout on the right side.
Also if you are not allowed to go straight when coming from a 2-way bike lane, there will be a one-way-street sign and/or a "fietsers oversteken" sign.
Every Dutch driver has also been biking their entire life so they know exactly what it feels like to be in that vulnerable position. But like you said, it's not really normalised outside of the benelux area and anyone biking in a different country should be very cautious because let's be honest we are spoiled as fuck.
Do we think Evan knows what Benelux means?
Denmark left the chat😮
If your knees hurt highten your sadle
I am an American living in The Netherlands. One thing I learned that may be helpful for travel is that the triangle arrows or "shark teeth," as they are called here actually point toward the travelers who need to be paying attention at intersections. So on bike paths, or streets, the teeth will point toward the traveler who needs to yield to the ongoing flow of traffic. I hope I am explaining this well, and maybe a native Dutchie will be able to explain it better, but this was hugely helpful for me to understand about all of those triangles on the roads and bike paths.
As a dutch person, you explained it perfectly. Thats the beauty of this system. Its easy enough for even small kids to understand. If the teeth point towards you that means danger yield.
They are yield signs like in the traffic signs
Those "haaientanden" or shark teeth in English are yield signs. Compared to a stop sign board, you don't need to fully stop the car at an intersection.
Dit klopt! Of course always watch out for people ignoring this though
Yep, perfect explanation 👍. Welkom in het Koninkrijk Nederland btw.
I ride a electric wheelchair on the bike path (I'm driving too fast for the sidewalk) and sometimes people use their bell to make known that they are coming up behind to pass me, it is not required but I take some space so It's nice to know that I have to stay as much on the right side as I can so they can pass safely.
I do that a lot, yes, if I feel like people might swerve i'd definitely ring the bell. I like to be prepared and make others known I exist.
Me too...
They just tend to yell at me, to fvck off
The joys of rotterdam i guess😂
I'm happy to hear you appreciate the ring. I would probably also ring my bell in such a situation, but for me any ring of the bell is wrought with doubts about whether I'm not being unfriendly.
@@keithmyerscough697 Most Dutch people are very direct so a polite ring won't be found unfriendly, most of the time one or two pings is enough but when you keep ringing while somebody is trying to get out of the way or Isn't able to get out of the way they might let you know very directly verbally. It might include a couple of curse words but that is only when you keep annoying somebody.
As for use of the bell, use it early - don’t wait until you are on top of the person you are passing. It’s like creeping up on someone and going ‘boo’.
let's be forreal nobody uses the bell to pass someone maybe some karens. but no normal person would
Yeah, it's just a warning so they won't get in the way. I hate it when people don't ring the bell to warn me when I'm jogging, I can trip out we can collide.
@@hieonkd9572 going by other comments it's very much dependent on exactly where you are.
@@julietllouise If there is room to pass ringing the bell is just unnecessarily sounding an alarm when there is no problem. Bell ringing is indicating a problem. Usually that there is no room to pass, so go to the side. If someone is honking their car horn any time they overtake someone, they'd be insane. Same goes for bike bells. If there is room enough and someone still rings I would think they've lost control and are about to crash into me.
Also, how will a bell ring stop you from tripping and colliding? How often do you trip that it's such a concern you'll smash into a passing cyclist? Do you keep 2m away from all objects at all times in case you trip and fall?
@@AnnekeOosterink I'm talking about sharing a path that's only max 1,5m wide, so yes a warning is very important! Oftentimes people think they can pass, but if I don't hear you coming and move to the middle bc of tree roots yeah. Obviously you don't need to ring if there's enough room to pass without getting into other people's space.
When paths are shared it's really good to warn those walking, because of the speed difference. Someone passing when you're in a wheelchair can be a scare if they pop up out of nowhere!
Dutch people love video's of foreigners about The Netherlands, so that's probably why the video got so many views 😊 Besides it just being good content of couse!
15:30 A cycle path with a dashed line in the middle is a too way cycle path. Without the dashed line, if there is a cycle path on the other side of the road, that is a one-way cycle path. Do not cycle on the wrong side. But know that that dashed line means that you are on the correct side.
At the roundabout you can see that the bicycle path has 2 lanes, 1 for each direction
Indeed. Whether a bicycle path has one or two lanes is one of the most important things to identify. It makes the situation 100% sensible.
Was looking for this comment. I think once people learn to treat a bike path as it's own road and not simply a lane of the car road (for the actual separate paths that is) it becomes easier/more intuitive too.
Saw a video here on youtube once of a guy who needed to go from London to somewhere in the northern part of England. Turned out it was cheaper for him to take a flight to Germany, spend a few hours touring Berlin and then take a flight to his English destination, than it would've been to take the train 😂
Rail commuting in Britain is......rather special.
Considering they basically invented that transport method, it's sad to see respective governments either not get a better handle on public transport problems or wilfully ignoring it because 'market' .
As for the infrastructure like stations, bridges and tunnels, it feels like it's mostly stuck in the 1960s/70s.
I read a news article a few years back (no, I do not know why this was international news) about two British friends from I think London and a bit south of the Scottish border who wanted to meet up. But the train was so expensive that it was cheaper to both book a retour flight to Spain and have a vacation together than it was for one of them to take the train to the other.
Granted, flights have been getting more expensive, so the situation might be different if they try it today, but still...
There are apps nowadays for this exact purpose, you input a starting airport and a destination and they look up the cheapest flight you can get with a layover, or several. Its often cheaper than a direct flight, if you have the time and the patience for it.
@TheTwan85
It was probably faster as well... 😂
@@MasterSandman just under 3 hours train time and security, boarding much faster plus you start and end downtown. Not faster to fly, about the same or longer to fly.
Hello! I’m Dutch and I enjoyed your bicycle video a lot! Don’t worry about the nitpicking comments; just enjoy cycling. My boyfriend and I don’t agree on the optimal bicycle seat height, so it’s not surprising that a bunch of internet people can’t agree on that either.
You don’t need to use the bell to overtake: I only use the bell if people are blocking the path. However you do need to use hand signals to indicate turning. Have fun and take care of that knee.
15:17 the key here is that the bicycle path around the roundabout has white markers in the middle which divide it into two lanes. That's how you tell it's a bidirectional path you can use both ways. Sometimes the cycle path will actually be one-way around a roundabout making you cross the road a few times, but then the cycle path won't have those white dividing markers in the middle. So white dividing markers = bidirectional path, no dividing markers = unidirectional path.
I was very pleasantly surprised by your cycling video and had a lot of fun watching it. The Friday after it went live a neighbor was over and mentioned he watched a video by some guy cycling from Amsterdam to Utrecht because his flight was delayed. Had a good laugh when I knew exactly which video it was.
The Algorithm is very aggressive about promoting anything that remotely refers to cycling (typical Dutch infrastructure really) and The Netherlands to Dutch viewers. That effect was also very noticeable for channels such as Not Just Bikes and The Tim Traveler when they made videos about the Netherlands.
Regarding the roundabout: that setup is used to reduce points of conflict. The cycle path is bi-directional and on one side of the road so cars turning away from the cycle path will not interset (come into conflict) with the cyclists at all.
A simple tip regarding cycling when it rains/has rained: White is slippery, yellow even more so, and metal is (manhole covers, tram tracks etc.) are like ice.
What yellow do you mean? The temporary linework at long term construction sites that, in my expierence, is rarely used for bicyclepaths but mostly for car road signaling
yes, we are so used to really poor bike paths in north america that abruptly end or have way too many points of conflict (they would definitely go how he was going in the video in NA, ending on one side and only continuing after you cross the street... very counterintuitive and creating unnecessary points of conflict)
I really miss the Netherlands and their beautiful infrastructure. I actually made the same mistake as Evan my first time coming and spent a while trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, until I noticed it just continued from the left side. I will watch his video now to see if he mentioned anything about those amazing bike underpasses. Can't wait to go back this December and see how biking in the cold rain/snow is for y'all dutchies!
@@jezusbloodie Rarely used, yes, but sometimes you just get dumped on the road during construction in towns where you might encounter them. As the yellow markings are more or less a layer of slippery plastic on the road they can be horrendous.
@@MufferNl OK I was wondering. Maybe in some other province or municipality yellow was more common. I would've been suprised.
In the Netherlands, when it comes to debit cards, Maestro is king, not Visa/Mastercard debit. The Netherlands is currently in a transition period, moving from Maestro to Visa/Mastercard debit cards. That’s why your Apple Pay or a debit card didn’t work-because the restaurant hasn’t updated or changed their machine to accept Visa/Mastercard debit yet.
Very interesting insight!
Yeah. Mastercard _should_ be accepted everywhere by the end of the year, but I doubt every small cafe will actually have made the change.
@@Huntracony Uhm... is that really only that far? Because my very much Dutch bank gave me a new card and it's Visa only. It's not even because I asked for one. It's just replacing one that's about to expire.
@@EvanEdingerTravel MasterCard is killing off Maestro so the Dutch didn't have much choice :)
@@jbird4478 I don't know. Banks were supposed to start giving out only Visa/Mastercards by July 2023, but that didn't happen. I suppose it all might go very quickly once customers start showing up with only Visa/Mastercards. Rabobank by any chance? That's the only bank I've heard of making the switch.
Unsolicited comments is definitely a Dutch thing. With your comment section open you had it coming 😅
hehe yup we do llike to voice our opnion.
@@arturobianco848 We do like that but we also like to be helpful. So it's a combination of those two things.
And that could mean as much as 18 million different opinions about your video on a cold and rainy day.
Ga er maar aan staan.
@@adpop750 We like to be right.
@spiritualanarchist8162 just a different social filter which is more likely to assume that if the person "asking" for the comments isn't interested they'll just ignore the comment. As in somehow the Dutch interpret these kinds of thing as an open invitation to a brainstorm session. Even the most of the more rudely formulated responses are meant to be helpful.
1:39 You can use the high gears, but not when you are starting, and due to its mechanics, you have to set it to lower gears while driving, thus right before you stop.
The trick with Eurostar is booking at least a month ahead. I travelled to London from Rotterdam this summer and 'only' paid €110, the same as you said your flight was. But I do agree, if it's at a very short notice, plane tickets are almost always cheaper
Which is terrible. There is no need to push for early bookings in a train system
@@incalescent9378 The seats are limited just like for flights. At least, I assume it works somewhat like that.
Unlike our 'tram network'-like train system in The Netherlands where you book just free passage.
@@AlexHaan There are limited seats, so, if you need a seat on a specific time or date, book early. There is no more incentive needed than that.
i recently looked for a friend in the UK that wanted to visit and the morning train tickets about 3 months in advance were even as low as 44 euro so yeah the train is definitely a cheaper option if you know in advance you're taking the trip
It's mandatory to have a working bell, but it's not mandatory to use it. Opinions vary on that, but i.m.o. it should only be used when you need someone's attention; like a car horn. People who ring their bell just because they are passing annoy the shit out of me. I always get a jump scare because I think something's going wrong.
It depends on whether people are already aligned properly,
Because a lot of people cycle on the right side making it unnecessary to ring the bell,
But there's also plenty that are in the middle of the path.
@@BramLastname Yeah the bell is particularly annoying if you are already leaving a lot of room. When this happens I fear someone needs a lot of room to pass, making me try to keep my position even more and preventing me from looking back at what’s going to pass me (for fear of swerving and hitting that person). For me, usually hitting the brakes a bit when I’m behind someone already is audible enough for them to shift more to the right so I can pass.
It just adds stress, because you were already aligned properly and it implies there is still not enough room for the person behind me to pass.
With cars you also don’t honk when you try to pass on the left, I use the same rules on my bicycle.
You can also just yell "ring ring" when needed (I've procrastinated getting a bell with my "new" bike I've had for a year now)
@@Wizz15 on certain roads, the edges aren't always very comfortable, so it's not unreasonable to need to swerve. You might be better off to ride a little more to the middle. Also, some cyclists just need more space, you might be comfortable riding on a 10 cm strip next to the gutter and hold your line, but I surely am not. Especially if I'm carrying groceries for instance.
Even more so in large groups, people can be less predictable. Pedestrians wanting to pass a group of others swerving in the bike lane, pedestrians talking to each other and not paying attention that they are toeing the line... I'll often give a short soft 'ding' so people are aware of my presence.
@@juulvandijk5041 You can get a ticket for that and for the price of the ticket you can get a real fancy bell. Just saying.
Trick to check saddle height: with the paddle in the lowest position and middle of your foot (so not the ball) your leg should be fully stretched. That way when you use the ball off your foot your leg never goes fully stretched, but your saddle isn't too low either, so you can use your leg muscles best.
I always hear you do the same but with the heel. Gives you a bit less likelihood that you set a height where you start moving your pelvis, or have your ankles in a bigger angle than 90 degrees. Ideal height is slightly different for everyone, but is one with an efficiënt long stroke, extending the knees but not fully, 90 degree ankles and no moving of the pelvis. These rules of thumb are just a starting point though and you need to adjust if your body tells you something different.
Exactly. And because you actually paddle with the ball of your foot, the action of your ankle will prevent your knee from over-stretching.
Though for kids, it is also important to ensure they can get at least their toes firm on the ground when sitting on the saddle.
The top of your foot has to fit underneath the paddle in the lowest position.
@@RenAigu The 90 degree angle at the top was mentioned in the video too. I actually prefer my knees to be bent a bit less than that.
I'm starting to feel the age of my body. But I do like to cycle hard and fast. The strain is just that bit less when I'm not at 90 degrees.
@@AlexHaan I meant the ankle (nl: enkel) at 90 degrees, so the angle between foot and lower leg, not the knees at the top of the stroke. Meaning that you should not need to stretch your foot/toes to reach the pedal at the bottom. How high your knees come you should adjust via the length of your crank arms, but that means buying a new crankset, so that's not an adjustment, but a replacement. But many people who go for shorter crank arms tend to be happier with it, so that's something to think about, if putting the saddle higher is not doing the job fully.
As A Dutch person I only use the bell if people are biking next to each other or someone is biking on the middle of the cycling lane
About the debit card: We started accepting Mastercard since 2022 but not all places do, so more local shops tend to not accept Mastercard
Mastercard was accepted waaay before that. If they accept any creditcard it will always be Mastercard or Visa for sure. Almost never Amex.
@@lidewijvos Sorry I just looked it up and it said 2022. I think they meant widely accepted then. Not sure. But still local shops tend to not accept them like the store I work at (Just thought I'd mention that)
@@lidewijvosmastercard is almost accepted no where lmao. Not even in my supermarket (plus). Visa is. Amex is probably only useable in same places mastercard is. Most atm’s do take all
@gijsw8681 I have a Mastercard and live in the Netherlands and I'm using it there. Otherwise I wouldn't state it. I never have problems. Maybe in a little shop in a village but you are fine in all cities.
@ lies lies lies. And very bad advice to anyone coming here.
Thank you for being a good sport about this. And Dutch people can be loud and obnoxious sometimes, you can just ignore us if we are rude, that’s what we all do. :)
It crossed my mind that Evan was overthinking our reactions. Hope he doesn't take us too seriously. That would be rather embarrassing (to us).
I like to call it being honest and clear or direct, rather than being rude.
@@dr.oetqernah we’re definitely rude by any other standard than our own
@@mlies37 Not completely, in other places ‘white lies’ are expected as a form of politeness. But in reality this is just confusing and actually rude (not wanting to be honest with someone).
So directness is not the same as rudeness, but what other countries would see as polite is actually insulting.
“Say what you mean and mean what you say” is more our vibe. And yeah there are rude people, but it’s not all of us (I doubt you are rude for example).
For me it’s like this: compliments you can give at any time, even unsolicited. If you walk up to a random stranger to tell them they look weird, that’s rude. If someone asks me if I like their new haircut and I tell them I liked it better before, that’s not rude. If I told them I didn’t like it without them asking my opinion: rude.
But giving an honest opinion when asked/appropriate (while being respectful) is never rude (and even international people value this after getting used to it).
@@Wizz15yes but that’s just a roundabout way to say the same thing I did 😉
7:31 never have your leggs 90 degrees at its highest point. This causes the legg and knee to get locked restricting blood flow to the lower legs and making your feel fatigued faster. Your knee should be slightly lower then the start of your upper leg. Also about the overall height you should barely be able to touch the ground when sitting on the bike with your big toes. But it’s also personal so there is a small margin. Some people like to sit a little bit higher than just being able to touch the ground with your toes and others like to sit a little bit lower for their safety most older people for example.
Honestly 340,- to take the train from London to Amsterdam is absolutely ridiculously high, so I absolutely agree that you'd take the plane even if it's more polluting
I live in the south of the UK. Tried to book tickets to nl over Christmas in early October - a Eurostar single on my preferred day was £240 because Economy had already sold out. Even with luggage the plane return ended up around £100-150 cheaper, and that's without factoring in that it takes longer, and I spend more on connecting train journeys.
Like Evan, I just don't have that much disposable time & money to score virtue signalling points.
I never paid that, but then I book on time
@@MarcelVolker you pay in taxes for exemptions on fuel tax etc for airlines, and in other taxes for climate change mitigation and damage. It's a bum deal they give us. Should be the other way round.
The Eurostar is only expensive if you dont book in advance. Just like airplanes, actually! If you book a few months in advance and plan your trip, its way cheaper.
@@TheSuperappelflap I've just looked. Amsterdam - London in January; cheapest single fare is about €60.
Booking that far in advance a budget flight could probably be half - if you only bring a small bag.
Dutch here, and think I've had the same €1,35 in my wallet for about 4 years now.... 😅
Same here, Even the 2 euro coin made a permament imprint the leather of the wallet due to it.
I pay as much with cash as possible…
I checked my wallet and found a 10 cent coin (from the Guilders era, before the Euro). I don’t remember the last time I paid with cash to be honest, plus I feel really old now.
The last time I payed with cash was 4 days ago, which sparked this conversation for me and my friends. The last time before that was when I went to the toy store with my piggybank, that's 10 years ago.
Yeah, idk if it's an Amsterdam thing, but I hear if someone uses cash here it's for drugs
You should always ring the bell when passing in The Netherlands. That lets us know that a tourist is coming, so we need to be extra careful.
Sorry mate. I'm a Brit and we hate to make a fuss. So no chance of hearing me ring my bell :)
*laughs in Nederlands*
🤦🏽
Hahahaha
As a german living in one of the most bike-unfriendly cities of germany (Rosenheim, Southern Bavaria) with almost no cycle paths, I am impressed by every little bit of dutch infrastructure. It must feel so nice and chill not to have the constant fear of this being your last minute whenever you hear a car approaching you. Or to be able to cycle for more than a few minutes a time in a city without being stopped by a car jam or a car traffic light. Or just the simple thing of being able to cycle next to each other with your friends or even take children with you. The Netherlands really must be Utopia.
Its not that great, the people are terrible, the weather is terrible, the rent is 1500 euro per month and wages havent gone up in 30 years.
@@TheSuperappelflap move to another part of the netherlands? rent is very much based on where you live and in my experience the people are great, though that will vary.
@@yassinet5 any city with a train station is expensive, other places don't have work for me and the traffic on the highways is so bad that driving to work is not an option.
@@TheSuperappelflap Well, if cycling, riding and driving are no longer an option, how about flying? /j 😂
@@Apollorion Cycling is an option, as long as its not much over 15km one way then I can comfortably do it in an hour. With stoplights etc I average 18km/h on my bike. But I need an alternative with public transport in case the weather is really bad, or I get a bit sick and dont want to cycle to work in the winter.
Its just really hard to find an affordable place to live, to the point where Im considering emigrating just to be able to make a living without paying half my after-tax income in rent.
So if anyone is thinking about moving to the Netherlands, yes its a good place to live, but unless you are already extremely rich, dont.
The income taxes are some of the worst in the world, real estate is the most expensive in Europe, Im struggling with 60K euro per year on my own. Cant buy a house, cant find an affordable place to rent. Probably going to move back in with my parents until I can get out of here. Poland or Baltic states seems nice. Good tech scene, plenty of work, and I can afford to buy an apartment there.
We don't really (I think) have an innit in Dutch, that we use as often and in the same manner. We kinda have it with "..., toch?" and "..., of niet?", but those are more like "..., right?" or "..., no?".
"... of niet dan?" would be the correct translation.
The Eurostar prices vary quite a bit depending on how far in advance you book and how popular a date is.
Last minute stuff is indeed often rather expensive, you can significantly safe if you're able to plan ahead and find dates/times that are less popular and therefore cheaper
In a few years, the Dutch will have reclaimed so much land from the North Sea, that you can comfortably bike from London to Amsterdam.
@@hardyvonwinterstein5445not with all that rain😂
It might improve in a few months time, when the new Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam Centraal reopens, with more capacity, because that's one of the main reasons why those tickets are so high, the terminal could only handle a limited amount of passengers from Amsterdam (and Rotterdam, for that matter), so during the renovations, there is no Eurostar service directly to London.
@@barvdw even just looking about a month ahead I can find options for under €60
@@nienke7713 depends a lot on the time of year. Try again next Summer for a trip in a month, and the picture will be very different. I've had an eye for the ticket prices for most of Summer advising people travelling, and there were days that tickets weren't just expensive, but sold out on certain trains weeks in advance.
I have had tons and tons of wounds, being Dutch and cycled my whole life and I highly highly recommend to use Purol ointment and cover the wound with it after cleaning. It makes sure no infections will occur and immediately skips to the process of creating new skin without barely a crust. It also removes the pain instantly.
As a Dutch person, I just found out i've apparently been using the wrong part of my feet for my entire life.
The roundabout confusion can be mitigated by looking at the middle line,
If the middle line is unchanged at the turn before the roundabout
That means the cyclepath bypasses the roundabout.
If the line crosses your lane of the cycle path,
You are expected to take the turn and go around the roundabout,
This usually means you end up on a one-way cycle path,
Tho based on how both sides had two-way markings that's not the case here.
Native Dutch here, a few things about your video, dunno if its been said already:
The Bell: Bell usage while passing is NOT mandatory, but if you are for instance riding on a bicycle path wide enough for 3 cyclists with no space/dedicated path for cars, and you are trying to pass two people riding side by side, their formation being a bit loose and taking up the whole path; a single ding from your bell will get them to tighten up their formation so you can pass on the left side.
Saddle/seat adjustment: Best way to get your seat set to the right height for you personally is to just stand beside your bicycle and adjust the seat to where the top of the seat is level with the top of your hip.
Looking behind you: In The Netherlands you only need to look behind you if you are planning a turn that crosses an oncoming lane. which only really happens when you are turning left. sure sticking out your hand will signal your intent to make a turn, but its always best to see if the cars behind you will slow down to give up to space for you to do so. would want to side swipe a car or get run over by one.
Roundabouts: Its easy to know which way around the roundabout you need to go. if its a single direction path then the bicycle lane will go around the roundabout. if its a bi-directional path as you've showed on google earth then it doesn't and you stick to the intended direction of travel you desire.
HOope all this information helps you on your next cycling trip in The Netherlands
It's great to see someone appreciating the country, its roads, its culture. You're very open to these new experiences!
We'll always call out everyone, don't worry
We love it when non-Dutch people talk about Dutch things.
I think the bike video was lovely, no wonder the algorithm liked it too. Good to see you got a new feel for cycling, and nice that your first crash wasn't that bad. Slippery white paint got me last year as well.
When I was preparing to do a charity bike ride from London to Paris, I joined a local cycling club. Not only did I learn some really good cycling routes as they had a different ride every week but I was also given so much help on seat height and positioning etc.
And we dutchies..... As specially inside cities...We just ride, tires soft..... Be a bit carefully with bumps etc. When the rim is constant hitting the road it is time to put some air in it. Saddle hight and position of handle bars...we dont care that much as long as it not to far off
I’ve wanted to do that but I do ride an ebike so I feel I wouldn’t fit most groups 🥲
@@evan That's a fair point, I forgot about that. At least you've had plenty of good advice from others which was nice of them. Enjoy your travels and I look forward to seeing the videos, cheers!
I would recommend taking the ferry to the Netherlands, you get up in the evening, have a nice dinner, listen to some live music or whatever, go to sleep and the next morning you get a nice breakfast and arrive at your destination. It is so extremely relaxing and far less carbon emission than flying.
Ferry isn't cheap either. But booking late it does indeed stay much more steady compared to flights.
I've actually done so myself recently. One way the ferry, other way a still cheap flight.
The already expensive flight would have left so early that I, a 'Noorderling', would have had to book a hotel near Schiphol anyway. Now I have a room, the trip, dinner and breakfast for the same price as the single flight. Sure, it takes more time, but in this case it didn't differ that much.
A little boy was riding around his house. He shouted to his mum - "Look mum, one hand". He made another circuit and shouted out, "Look mum, no hands!". On the third circuit he shouted out - "Look mum - no teeth!" A rite of passage.
As a motorcyclist, one of the most important things in the training is road position. We are taught to avoid riding on any painted lines, for the reason that you learned the hard way. Paint provides less grip than tarmac. In the wet, the paint is virtually a frictionless surface.
If you’re on a normal road, instead of a cycle lane, position yourself on roughly the same line as where the car tyres are going. That way the cars clear most of the debris, oil spills, and surface water. Debris has a tendency to accumulate in the gutter, which will affect your traction. If there’s anything which might puncture your tyres, it will most likely be in the gutter.
Cycling and texting was made illegal a few years ago in the Netherlands. Just so you know and don't get a ticket
12:00 the netherlands is a country of problem solvers if you complain about/mention a flight being canceled (or any else for that matter) people will tell you alternatives, most of them in good faith. It is not virtue singling (atleast not fully intentional), but rather a normal way of communicating over here. I mean just look at me right now trying to solve your grudges with my fellow country men while doing the exact same thing. a month late not less.
This is the best follow up video. I did learn a lot and resonated with a lot of what you said in answering all the questions in your previous video's comments! You're the best
Historically, credit cards were not widely accepted due to Dutch aversion to debt, and debit cards were typically issued as ‘Maestro’ cards. The Netherlands is one of the only remaining countries to issue Maestro cards and they are being phased out and replaced with the successor, Mastercard Debit (or in some cases the bank is switching to Visa Debit). As a result, many shops including main branches of Albert Heijn only accepted Maestro cards until last year. This has now mostly changed, though you will still find some places where non-Maestro cards are declined (particularly Mastercards) due to non-acceptance.
Cash is NOT king in NL - especially since Covid. You find cash acceptance is now becoming the exception rather than the rule and VERY rarely there are cash only places.
Maybe it's also because we're careful and frugal? Having a debt costs money. Better not waste that extra amount.
Of course credit cards here connected to your bank account are often half debit cards. A limit and automatic monthly deduction from your main bank account.
I would reckon the transaction costs as the biggest factor to not accept cc’s, not our ‘aversion to debt’ as if BKR and rood staan don’t exist.
@@StoffyToffeePudding Indeed, when I was in Amsterdam in 2017 there were various shops that had notices "Alleen Pinnen" - but of course they wouldn't have accepted any of *my* British pins. I bought a few things in a second-hand shop and since I had no other means of payment they agreed to accept cash. The garage to which I had been send by my UK breakdown service (no, I didn't have ANWB and it was all arranged with great difficulty through Belgium or France or somewhere) only accepted Dutch debit cards so they had to take me to a cash machine.
13:45 The sad thing is that, while the train gets subsidized a little bit (after the train company had to beg the government for money), plane travel gets subsidized very much and get a ton of tax breaks.
No, ringing the bell when passing is not mandatory. Use it when needed only, it can actually cause problems if someone gets a scare from it
Just a gentle advise (not just for you but anyone that may read it cuz dutchies are no less guilty of not doing this):
Don't forget to turn your bike light on, but most importantly, have a WHITE light in the front and a RED light in the back, neither of which should flicker/blink! I really dont understand why bike lights are even sold with a flickering setting because its illegal to have a flickering light or to have a red in the front and a white in the back.
This is all to avoid confusion, because traffic accidents happen in the blink of an eye and knowing what part of the bike is pointing to and from you when you near it is a really nice thing to know!
In response to your comment about using the bell whilst cycling. Its not mendatory in the Netherlands to ring it when you pass someone. As far as I'm aware it's mainly used when you want to pass two people cycling next to each other. You ring your bell once to let them know 'hey, I'm behind you and I'd like to go past you'. That way the people can slow down/speed up so they get behind each other instead of next to each other so you can pass them safely. It's a good system in my opinion but that could just be because I'm so used to it.
It is mandatory to use your bike bell to warn for danger. And it is allowed to use your bell if you want to overtake other cyclists, to warn them you’re coming so they can make room or don’t get scared shit when you pass them real close.
@@RealConstructor As far as I know, it's only mandatory to have a working bell on a street legal bike, but not mandatory to (only) use it to warn for danger.
If anything, using a bell can make a situation only worse sometimes.
Personally, I prefer not to use a bell, or any other attention seeking signal, so the change of a startling reaction with unpredictable reactions can be avoided.
Loved your tour in the Netherlands, love your honest reaction. Keep going Evan!
Ps. Come up to Scotland sometime, we can get annoyed at cycling infrastructure together while I can share some more cycling and/or Dutch insights.
I feel as if you've been mentioning this channel much more often in your first channel, so I (for one) have been popping over here more. Also, I keep old playlists of yours on autoplay (ones I've already seen) to listen to while I'm doing other things or to lull me to sleep at night (you have a pleasant 'radio' voice--you're not boring!). As a result, the algorithm has been recommending your second channel videos to me a lot more often as well. I'm slowly trying to work my way through all of your videos, and intend to do so here as well. You're fun to hang out with (and are the reason I was able to work through how to get my company to transfer me to London permanently. I leave next month for my new flat in the Big Smoke.) Thanks for the great videos and I hope you enjoy your trip back here to the States.
The bike bell
1) small ring "i am coming" or "be aware !" ( Passing or blind corners )
2) Hard en long "Hé Move!!!"
Since i live near a tourist trap and they simply don't understand the entire concept of a bell, i've now added a little beeper on my bicycle. They seems to understand that better. Ding, DING, BEEEEEEEP!
2) Only if you are trying to be a dick..... be prepared to be cussed out if you do that :P
10:50 Old people in the netherlands often have a mirror on their handlebar, most of the time only on the left side. They do SUCK at using them however. I have almost been sideswiped multiple times by an old woman WITH A MIRROR when passing
If you're wanting to go to Europe regularly you could look at Interrail tickets, might work out quite a bit cheaper if you can find a ticket type to suit you.
Or just move to the continent.
it is the eurostar london-amsterdam specificly that is expensive and the only option as far as trains go
10:10 here they teach us, focus on yourself on the road, other drivers do that to.
Do not take the Dutch too seriously, we don't either! 😃
Can you tell the people who work in Schiphol Airport to be less rude to passengers? Every time I go there I get rudeness for no reason at all. I don't have this problem with any other airports.
@@ajs41 its because you are a asshole
@@ajs41 Rude, or are they just direct?
Welp maybe be less annoying?
@@ajs41 Schiphol is as much a business model as it is an airport, and there are no people there, but human resources, who are utilized to their maximum capacity to manage the generation of revenue (which on other airports might be called "travelers" or "customers"). There is, however a good way to avoid this, and that is: avoid Schiphol airport like the plague.
7:09 "On your left, on your right"
NEVER pass people on the right, that's an actual traffic law
depends on the country mate and also if it's a pedestrian in the wrong place
@@evan Well, sure, but since this was about cycling in the Netherlands, I meant here, don't pass people on the right, in the Netherlands :p
Wants to apologize to the Dutch and promptly calls biking a "hobby" 😂
But seriously, I like your videos and I hope you feel welcome in our country.
If you're ever in Ede and would like some coffee send me a ping.
As a Hilversummer, you took the right path
Hey Evan. Great videos 👍. Have fun on your next trip. Stay safe and alive 🙏.
Greetings from the Hague, the Netherlands 🇳🇱
4:29 it’s okay I am Dutch and 11 and if you fall enough at one point you fall and get up like nothing happened ❤
To set your seat height - back peddle with your heels on the peddles. The seat is at the correct height if your leg is just about straight. Then when you put the balls of your foot on the peddles your legs shall be slightly bent. Also if your pelvis is rocking when you peddle the seat is too high.
6:11 No it is not. It is however mandatory to have one. There are 3 things mandatory. A bell, lights and reflectors on the back (nowadays often build in into the backlight), pedals and wheels/tires. (source: Rijksoverheid on the official government site)
The bell is also very useful for when youre coming out of an ally or around a blind corner
There are a lot of different roundabouts, not always are you allowed to go counter clockwise. The road usually shows it, like with the lines and the sharkteeths (white triangles that show you have to wait for the cars to pass first).
Dealing with divider lines or anything similar which is going to have significant friction difference (like tram tracks or even a small curb drop/rise) with the normal surface try to cross at as wide an angle as possible.
Also try not to feel bad about it (apart from it hurting like #@&%!) even pro-cyclists occasionally fall in such conditions.
10:15 doing shoulder checks is really useful on most methods of transit, even walking! As a motorcyclist, cyclist and driver, I'm always keeping an eye out around me to avoid others hitting me - makes shopping with a trolley a nightmare! 😅
I completely understand you checking over your shoulder. By and large the Dutch don't know how privileged they are.
Even I check... looking for 80+ on electric bikes or 12- on fatbikes.
"By and large the Dutch don't know how privileged [we] are" this is so true on so many levels beyond cycling.
I was just thinking how scared I'd be biking in other countries. I'm so spoiled by all the bike paths.
Privileged? Really? Compared to what exactly? We don’t have to worry someone will ride you over on a bike lane? Like these bike lanes grew from nothing and magically only appeared in the Netherlands and nowhere else in the world? Or did we put blood, sweat, tears and a LOT of money and time to make a better and saver environment as an alternative to driving cars? Is that privileged?
@@Basjuh1984 that's axactly what they mean. People nowadays here don't realise that our grandparents had to fight to get the safe infrastructure we have now. That is the type of privilege of a child whose parents worked hard. One of the more honest and honorable privileges, but privilege nontheless
Thanks for featuring my comment! Glad I could be of some help :).
Leaving a comment for the algorithm
5:42 As far as I know only housing units that share a roof have a VVE (sort of HOA) single houses don't have a HOA, municipal grounds get mowed by the municipality, sidewalk is the municipality's business.
I agree with the comment about Eurostar. The cheap tickets are often on the train that arrives in Amsterdam just before midnight, and on the return the cheaper prices are in the morning, you have to do immigration checks in Brussels which makes the return journey longer. I flew out on the 8th and only came back on Thursday BA was £270 in Club return, KLM was £550 and Eurostar was £565. At some point, I want to try the ferry but it can be pricy.
There are two ways to say sorry - if it's a simple mistake sorry is fine, but if you have really messed - het spijt me - is probably better.
Youre so polite and well versed. Dealing with the comments very well. Just lovely!
When I went Amsterdam to London by train, pre Brexit, it was €35. That's still the Amsterdam to Paris price. Brexit explains some of it, I suppose, but it doesn't explain how planes are now the cheaper option. How is defying gravity with literal tons of jet fuel between some of the busiest and most expensive airports in Europe cheaper than taking the most efficient method of transport there is? What went wrong?
i wanted to go from Rotterdam to Antwerpen last week and it was 30€ each way on the national rail Eurostar was double that - istr Eurostar was sold to SNCF and the prices have been high ever since.
Brexit has nothing to do with it. I had to do a Montpellier to Paris last minute, 120 one way by train , 90 by plane
6:49 Instead of using the bell or shouting, you could try just saying "ding ding" in a friendly sing song voice. A habit I picked up as a schoolkid because sabotaging bike bells of 'parked' bikes around the schoolyard was a common pastime for pranksters.
Hope youre feeling better soon.
Thanks :)
Great video! Thanks for mentioning train transportation costs-it really helped clarify why many unfortunately still choose planes over trains. I also agree that individuals shouldn’t be blamed for systems they didn’t create. The best we can do is make informed choices within what’s practical for ourselves and vote for representatives who prioritize better subsidies for trains. This approach applies to many issues and is key to driving change.
I just took some random dates about a month in advance, and the price difference between the train and plane is absolutely ridiculous (even worse, taking a train to the airport is almost as much as eindhoven - stansted by plane). I vastly prefer the train and would love to avoid airports, but a 5 to 10x price difference is just too much
15:11 the cue is the striped line that divides the cycle lane in two halves for both directions.
Using the bell is not mandatory when passing someone. Actually the ANWB states you're only allowed to use your bike bell to avoid immediate danger. They add that a simple "pardon" suffices when passing someone.
Fun fact about debit cards: the Netherlands is currently changing the debit card system from Maestro and V Pay debit cards to Debit MasterCard en VISA Debit. The rest of Europe has already done that, but the Netherlands is the last country to do so. If a business has not updated their payment terminal they might not yet accept the new VISA Debit or Debit MasterCard. So depending on what kind of debit card you have, maybe that's why your debit card was not accepted.
Regarding the roundabout: the dotted line in the middle indicates that it's a two-way cycle path. Roundabout setups differ in differtent places, so in some places the cycle path is part of the roundabout. Also in this case the sharks theeth indicate that bikes have to yield for cars. As a general rule of thumb: inside the built-up area cars have to yield to bikes on roundabouts, and outside of the built-up area cyclists have to yield for cars. However, that's a guideline, not a law. So depending on the municipality the situation might be different.
In my town every roundabout gives priority to cyclists, except for one. Guess where the accidents happen.
I think cycling in high gear is fine as long as your knees can handle it. I always cycle in high gear. I only use gears 24-25-26 of 27. Also, if you have sturdy shoes foot placement is a none issue. I only ring my bell when people need to move aside for me passing them. The elderly tend to like to use the full width of the road, so 9 out of 10 times I use it for them. Also on narrow trails I use it so people know I am passing them and they can move to the side a little.
you ring your bell when you want to pass someone who is on the way, it a GET OUT OF MY WAY moment... no need to do it always, then it would be found annoying (by me, maybe not everyone). Also, the roundabout thing... If there's a dotted line in the middle its a two way biking lane, so you can go both ways, this also happens with actual roundabouts
As a Dutch person with trauma from a serious biking accident, that stuff is no joke. Good luck and I hope you get a speedy recovery
You'd only really use the bell as a warning to someone else that you are passing. Say the path is really thin or the person is wobbling around or they have their kid riding near them or something along those lines. It's more of "Hey, heads up I'm over here."
It's mandatory in the Netherlands to use your bell when there is danger for you or for other people, not for passing someone..( same for the horn in a car ), you even can get a fine from the police if you use your bell ( car horn ) to mutch without a incident...14:15. If you watch the bike path on the left of the roundebouth, where you came from, you see that it's a two way bike path ( the white strips in the middle ), so you could have stayed on that side of the bike path, on the rightside it's a one way bike path...
"skinned my knee"
As someone who has done bike racing, this happens... we have a sort of endering sounding term for it (as it's the least bad injury): street eczema. 🙂
About using a bell, etc... from my experience when going faster: it might seems impolite to not notify someone when passing, something to know: if you tell the person you are passing, they will often try to look over their shoulder to see what is coming and what happens ? Most people actually slightly change their direction and end up closer to the center of the lane or worse. So... it's a trade off: notify and slow down or just pass.
A bit of an uncommon roundabout, but now that you are aware they exist I'm certain you'll be more prepared and not have a problem with it.
For your knee, if you have the chance, expose the wound to air as much as possible, it helps with healing. Those types of wounds are typically the heavier abrasive wounds and tend to stick to the bandage a lot, causing problems when you refresh the bandage because you tear off the healing crust.
If it is locally irritated (which causes the transparent yellow, sticky stuff to be produced more, which is platelets meant to help close off the wound), try to build a little tent over the wound when you go to bed. That way it is not directly hitting the wound and is sort of still exposed to air.
When it starts developing a more thick crust, you can help soften it by a washing cloth soaked in warm water to help soften up the crust a slight bit (my experience is that moving around and bending your knee otherwise cracks open the wound again because of how the crust pulls on the tight skin around it).
(Oh, and happy itching! That's the best and worst part at the same time).
As for adjustments of the bicycle: My work recently recent moved and is now situated next to a bicycle rental company in Amsterdam. The owner of the store is fierce on adjusting the bicycles for everyone who wants to rent one. Sometimes a part breaks and has to be glued back together with a very toxic and smelly glue so I head outside to glue those parts to not have the room I work in smell bad.
The glue requires 10 minutes to set in, and after that it can be a bit of a hassle getting the part to fit, which can lead to you spending 15 minutes next to people getting their bicycle explained to them and how to adjust the seat, handlebars and in some cases, the pedal support.
As for looking over your shoulder: ever since my driving lessons for the car I learned how exceptionally unaware I was about my surroundings while on a bicycle. Don't worry to much about looking over your shoulder: it's good practice regardless of sharing a road with regular traffic or not. Sometimes an electrical moped crouches up on you without practically any warning.
It was quite a shock how I managed to survive driving a bicycle so much without getting into a serious accident, or even near one.
Ringing your bell: I suspect it is mandatory to use it in situations where danger can be avoided by using it.
Which can be many things.
Typically, if someone doesn't get it after a third bell-ringing, I'll start shouting something like "WHAT'S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE USE OF MY BELL?"
No, don't ring your bell every time you pass someone. Maybe on a less busy road you could do that, but e.g. in Amsterdam that's totally infeasible.
Also on a less busy road, don't. It's extremely rude.
I'm Dutch and I really enjoyed your video. You did great!
Thank you for this hilarious reaction! P.S. I'm Dutch
Your story of falling down when crossing the cement divider reminds me of the old Top Gear episode where the three stars of the show were racing across St Petersburg and Richard Hammond was crossing by bike. He rode across a set of railroad or tram tracks and his bike tire got caught in between the grooves of the tracks. He went down pretty badly too.
Cycling is a means of transport in the Netherlands not a 'hobby'.
Por qué no los dos
Can be both
I bike about 200 kilometers a week of which 10% is merely transport and I know more people who use their bike more as a hobby than simply getting from A to B.
Yeah that’s what I thought too. It may be hobby for him, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, for example, we don’t have a “community of cyclists”. We don’t need to either. People just ride bikes everywhere and it’s normal.
Having said that, as an outsider coming in, he probably has this mental image. So give him time. :)
Nonsens!
Would highly recommend using the bell in the Netherlands. I cycle each day on different types of roads and when you’re a “guest” on a walking lane this is VERY needed due to a lot of people not really looking back or noticing you. I always do it and then give a nod and smile when they make way. Most people see it as a polite warning anyway, but the nod and smile can add that “thank you” to it.
About the looking behind you and watching all traffic: perfect! Keep doing that! A trick to this is to make eye contact: no eye contact = assume they didn't see you.
That goes for mirrors too. The amount of misadjusted car mirrors I see... yikes.
Eye contact has been disproven as a way to check for safety. Just look and assess, do not hold too much value on the eye contact alone.
15:18 The bit about the roundabout is that you need to notice if you are on a two-way bicycle path or not.
The path you are on has dashed lines in the middle, so it is a two-way path. Many bicycle paths are not, and then you have to follow the same flow as the cars.
You can also clearly see it is a two-way path at the intersection around 14:51 because of the solid lines and the yield-markings in both directions (the "shark teeth/white triangles).
Bicycle paths are just roads, you need to follow the markings and signs.