AMSTERDAMIZE

#BikeNYC

Amsterdamize — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:13:40 PST

Amsterdamize posted a photo:

Visit Amsterdamize!

#BikeNYC

Amsterdamize — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:13:36 PST

Amsterdamize posted a photo:

Visit Amsterdamize!

#BikeNYC

Amsterdamize — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:13:31 PST

Amsterdamize posted a photo:

Visit Amsterdamize!

#BikeNYC

Amsterdamize — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:13:22 PST

Amsterdamize posted a photo:

Visit Amsterdamize!

#BikeNYC

Amsterdamize — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:13:17 PST

Amsterdamize posted a photo:

Visit Amsterdamize!

New York State Of Mind

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:44:02 +0000

Photo by BicyclesOnly, "NYC Bicycle Commuter, 5th Ave. @ 58th St."

Photo by BicyclesOnly, "NYC Bicycle Commuter, 5th Ave. @ 79th St."

Tomorrow I’ll be on my way to New York City, a long anticipated journey. I didn’t plan this as a cycling trip, nor am I off on a US speaking tour like some are accustomed to :).

I know, I know…of course(!) I’m going to hop on a two-wheeled friend while there, would be crazy not to. The last time I rode around Manhattan was 1992, pretty much the equivalent of the Wild Wild West, dominated by bike messengers. So much has happened in the last few years, so many different takes on the changes I’ve read/followed online, that I naturally need to see and experience this for myself. Luckily, hail to the internets, there’s a big chance that I won’t be riding alone.

I’m aware it’s a short notice, but if you happen to live on that lovely island, have time and feel like joining us on Friday afternoon, drop me a line!

Now I can’t help but hope I’ll catch Famke Jansen riding around the only way she knows how…Dutch-style. Does anyone of you know her regular route? :). The odds for this to happen are much greater than, say, bumping into & identifying BikesnobNYC ;-p.

A Bike’s (Just) A Bike

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:29:21 +0000

…and you look so much better on it. The autumn backdrop doesn’t hurt, either ;).

More here.

Night Cycle Silhouettes

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:04:45 +0000

No flash, flexible shutter speed and a bit of panhandling, thus people on bikes at night become cycle silhouettes.

More here.

Life On Three Wheels

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:11:48 +0000

My buddy Gabemac directed my attention to amankerstudio’s video ‘Life on three wheels‘ on Vimeo. Much needed perspective in our spoiled life on two wheels, imho.

At some point of times in our lives,
we are filled with feelings of inadequacy and always ask for more than we can chew.
This short film flesh out the arduous journey of an old becak driver laboring away without a single sigh. Always treasuring every little blessing that came across.
Enjoy it and feel free to drop us a comment…

Conference Of Eight

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:39:09 +0000

Last Sunday I attended Henry’s annual (6th) “Bike, Beer & BBQ Party” and naturally all who attended arrived by bike. Contrary to international perceptions these bikes don’t all look the same. Hardly, far from it.

The bicycle parking in front of the Workcycles shop on Lijnbaansgracht showed a nice cross-section of Amsterdam’s individuality on two (or more) wheels, ranging from aging, often beat up but relentless classics, spray painted/decorated Oma’s, to home-made bakfietsen with internal sound systems. You could name it, or just make it up, it was there. Lovely to watch and appreciate as decor/backdrop for a splendid get-together of customers, friends, friends of friends and family.

I had just finished my first beer of the day when I was directed outside and asked to get on a bike. Sure, but what could be so special? I quickly found out.

Soon more bike party related information…

NL In Teh 50’s

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:24:44 +0000

Enjoy this video. As David Hembrow noted:
“The remarkable thing about it is how familiar all of it looks. There’s exactly the same level of cycle helmet wearing as in the country now, roughly the same number of people riding on back carriers, children on bikes, “ordinary clothes”, practical bikes and smiling faces.”

You think these people were talking about ‘going green’ or ’saving the planet’? Nah…so, what other reasons could there be? :-p.

Found through NewAmsterdamize, via David Hembrow.

Friends Will Do Anything

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:49:24 +0000

…just anything, apparently, to be part of Amsterdamize. Love it, thanks guys! I owe you a few beers now, I guess :).

(PS: ‘mindcaster’ has been my handle on the interwebs for as long as people had to start typing http://)

I Borrowed A Camera And All I Got Were These Pictures

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:37:46 +0000

For once this week, the flood gates didn’t open up when I left my house to cycle around town.

She enjoyed the autumn sun as much as I did.

Paying more attention to his cellphone than the new bike path.

Elephant watching on Museum Square.

Oh, hello! Yes, I'm back at it again :).

Just lyrical...

Sidesaddle's All In The Family.

Designated Rider

Superior seating.

Txt & Ride

Finally I spotted a friend crossing the street. Hi, Jasmijn, very cycle chic ;).

Time to go home.

See ‘m all in the ‘Cycle Embrace‘ photo set.

Cuddly Toy

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:46:45 +0000

Sometimes ordinary things can just click. In this case, a set of video moments from my daily commute and a particular song.

Man Bites Dog: Meet Mr Different

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:51:29 +0000

Frans & the TV crew

The Dutch TV show ‘Man Bites Dog’ visited Frans Zwaagstra this summer, a bohemian farmer in the small countryside village of Zwaagwesteinde in Friesland, the far north of the Netherlands.

The 43-year-old goat farmer is the quintessential primitive man. On his farm Frans completely detaches himself from all stress and society’s mayhem. He’s old-fashioned and he’s proud of it. He’s an old-school farmer: chops his own wood, mowes with a scythe and only eats his home grown vegetables, like potatoes. He lives in a wooden shed on his parents’ land. His parents ‘don’t want anything to do with’ his life style. Frans likes to be different. According to him modern people are just plain boring.

You’ll see Frans (”…is different”) preparing to go on vacation, a cycling vacation to the Belgian Ardennes, 400 km south from his hometown. Man Bites Dog recorded his preparations and saw him off. One week later the show caught up with him in Belgium. Obviously, it’s all in Dutch, but the imagery will speak for itself, as it’s universal…uhm, maybe not…Frans is Frisian-Dutch, which is a combination that entails something that most people won’t be able to relate to very well…enjoy :).

Part 1: ‘On a journey’

Part 2: ‘Tasting mud’

Frans was such a (cult) hit that they took him to NYC (NY400), which had a big ‘Crocodile Dundee’ ring to it…:)

Frans & the crew on the bike, of course

Lost Irony

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:56:56 +0000

Photo courtesy of Copenhagenize.com

Mikael provided a good read today with his post ‘Sacred Bull In Society’s China Shop’, addressing the distorted notion of priorities in traffic safety, or, as commentator Paul Hayward put it so eloquently, “a shitload of Double Think and Cognitive Dissonance going about the land”. You should really read it.

Then I flipped on the telly and whaddayaknow…the first thing I saw was this ad by Volkswagen for their ‘BlueMotion Technology‘:

I don’t even know where to start looking in the Lost & Found section of Irony. Or the Department of Cognitive Dissonance, for that matter…

Panda-ize The World 2009

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:06:20 +0000

Remember this post? Well, it was time to put it together:

Panda-ize the world 2009

Thank you, [top left to right, etc] Sigrid, Val, Wiendelt, Wilma, Álvaro, Adrienne, Dave, Alan, Denis & Henry/Kyoko/Pascal.

Right/ride on! :)

Wojofoto-ed Amsterdam(ize)

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:43:50 +0000

Framed | 'Warm'

With Amsterdamize I use the city as backdrop for what I call ‘humanity in motion’, aka people on bikes. I publish photos, videos and stories, either personal or human interest, relating to my life or others’ who I meet along the way. It allows me lots of room to let the bicycle serve as a cohesive and inclusive subject, a blender, an umbrella, a line to hang things from, so to speak.

Often enough I shoot pictures of scenes that fall in between the cracks of my themes and/or subjects, which I’m tempted to put up, but usually don’t. Because there are others who do a far better job, doing this city justice. Which brings me to Wolfgang Josten, also known as Wojofoto on Flickr. He’s very much into street art, the raw edges of Amsterdam (and other cities), people in general and the number 1 mode of transportation. The bicycle is generally the backdrop for the city that he observes, a passing or stationary object supporting his framing, in context or juxtaposition. I will stop here and let his pictures wrap this post up.

taking a nap.....

taking a nap

streetart

bakfiets

laser 3.14

chase your dreams

laugh more live more -Workcycles shop-

bustart

amsterdam

Cycle Life Reflections

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:48:02 +0000

For quite some time now I’ve been dealing with three frustrations:

Not enough time/energy/inspiration to post more frequently
Missing my Nikon, having to wait for the arrival of a new one
Missing my HDD videocamera, which also died on me.

The first is in large part the result of the 2nd and 3rd, as I’m stuck with the now quickly degenerating camera on my mobile phone.

Ok, that was me moping and feeling miserable. Now to the good part. There are more people like me in Amsterdam, loving this city and shooting it up from all kinds of angles, no matter the camera. I present you with two of my favorites:

AmsterS@m – The Wicked Reflectah
“Reflections of Amsterd@m, the best city in the world :). Most of the pictures in this set are shot with mobile phones. I don’t use Photoshop or any other ‘magic’ software to create the wickedness of my puddle reflections :)”

Marjon of Iam sterdam (inspired by Amsterdamize)

Love it. Now, let’s see if I can manage to keep my cell phone alive in the next 30 days, because this ‘humanity in motion’ thing is going to get far too interesting to miss out on.

Fall Musings

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:02:46 +0000

Fall has taken a firm grip on Amsterdam, tossing and turning, unresolved on what to throw at its inhabitants, sometimes ruthlessly blowing or sprinkling deceivingly teasing rays.

One constant remains. People keep on pedaling. More than ever, apparently (more about that in the next post). Me, I’ve been going a new route. Something you get used to quite quickly. It only takes a few mornings to get a good feel of how traffic flows around you on certain streets that entail some squeezing. It is that organic thing. Everybody knows the ground rules, but it’s about how you make some up as you go, without being a nuisance to anyone. The unwritten rules are far more interesting. They are still rules. Rules of engagement and common sense. Because there will always be people around you more vulnerable than you.

In the end, these musings are all quite inconsequential, of course, but who isn’t experiencing melancholy this season, right? Then, you sit back, start a blog post and while typing away, you get informed on other things you take for granted, but aren’t exactly half bad. :)

Lastly, if you’ve been wondering what’s up with the quality of my pics lately, then you haven’t heard yet about my declining camera-karma of late, leaving me dependent on flipping out the phone camera. One more month left of looking desperately forward to the arrival of my new Nikon.

The Chase

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:07:28 +0000

My friend Isabelle got inspired by Amsterdamize and found a subject of interest. She filmed it on the fly…I mean ride and handed me the files. This is how it turned out, enjoy!

Herfst-Herbst-Autumn-Fall-Automne-Efterår-Autunno-秋-Fómhar-Otoño

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:01:56 +0000

What does your ride look like these days?

Night Critters

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:04:37 +0000

Four people finding their way to a party on the other side of town, on three bikes. This is what that looks like. Starring Daniela, Gabemac and Sabine.

Music by Eyesful

The Search For Camilla

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Meet Daniela. Daniela is Italian, but really a global citizen, having worked in different cities around Europe. Recently she moved from London to Amsterdam and one important piece missing in her daily routines was a bicycle. She’d done without one in London (”Cycling there is crazy.”), so she couldn’t wait getting her hands on one in Amsterdam, she felt imcomplete. What else is new, right? :)

I promised I’d help her find a good, reasonably priced second-hand one, so I did. We set out to find a sturdy, reliable and elegant Omafiets.

Of course there are many, many shops to choose from, you’d have a field day going by them all. In our case, she was referred to a particular one in her neighborhood and I knew of another one not far from there.

The conceptual power of a chain lock

The first shop was entirely sold out, no more Omafietsen, except for one light purple Batavus, less than 2 years old. It looked solid, the ride was nice, but Daniela wasn’t swept off her feet. Worth the price, sure, but this called for more bicycle shop browsing.

Dr. Beyk [pronounce: Bike] on Overtoom was next. 2nd hand and new bikes, all low-end pricing. Generic stuff, Azors, but basically packed with the type of bike that would suit her needs.

Daniela was instantly drawn by a black Omafiets that was parked out front, among two dozens more. Old, but all the parts that are to be expected to be on there, were there. Just the front and rear light were new and battery-powered. She wanted to have it, this gracious piece of pedalmotive brilliance. She walked into the shop to quickly glance at other ones, but she wasn’t fooling me, she’d already made up her mind.

Two minutes later she talked price with the owner, I made sure that he’d tighten the spokes and she got the right chain lock to accompany the standard issue wheel lock. That in itself already had Daniela jumping for joy.

10 minutes later the bicycle was all ready to go, released to the care (with 3 months warranty and maintenance) of her new owner, who by that time couldn’t help but shriek and clap her hands in excitement..;).

We quickly rode off into Vondelpark for Camilla’s maiden voyage…the rest is now part of Amsterdamize Bicycle TV history.

Camilla from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.

Biking Berlin

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:30:16 +0000

A long overdue and lengthy leftover from my travels this summer. Biking Berlin with Lauren & Teresa on our orange Fat Tire rental bikes.

Dublin’s Schemin’ Wheels

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:29:57 +0000

Not too long ago I had the pleasure of hosting some good people from abroad. This happens quite often, something I really enjoy. I mean, what’s not to like about showing people around in your home town and having even the smallest impact on how they experience cycling in the Netherlands. Well, in this case ‘hosting’ is a big word, as I was asked to participate in a cycling documentary for Dublin Community TV.

Producer Rob Carr explained it all in his request:

The TV Series is 3 part documentary on cycling in Dublin. The main premise of the series will be to look at how a cycling culture can be developed in Dublin and what that might look like. To that end, one programme will be a kind of travelogue where we go on a journey from Dublin to Amsterdam via London by bike, ferry and train. We will follow Ciaran Fallon (the new Cycling Officer at Dublin City Council) on his journey as he meets various people involved in the cycling cultures of London and Amsterdam to see what is happening from a cycling perspective in those cities and what Dublin can learn from them. We are of course hoping you will be one of these people…

Others we are hoping top interview are Ria Hilhorst, Directorate of Infrastructure at City of Amsterdam and Theo Zeegers from Fietersbond.

In Amsterdam we will look at the infrastructure – the bike lanes and the integration with public transport. We also hope to highlight the notion of the bike as a normal, easy, fashionable (of course), everyday means of transport (the idea that one just cycles in their everyday clothes is still a hard thing to get across to people in Ireland). The majority in Dublin do not yet view cycling in this way although there is a hint that things are starting to change (Ciaran Fallon, the Dublin city Cycling officer, is a very progressive guy who sees an Amsterdam type cycling culture as the way to go for Dublin). We also want to examine the issue from a cultural aspect. We in Ireland seem to have a very American attitude towards cars – hence making our cities very car dependent while in Amsterdam it seems to me that the culture has a better understanding of shared space for pedestrians, cars and bikes and that has lead to a more liveable city – something very positive to highlight in our documentary.

As a long time follower of your blog it would be great if we could interview you for the documentary.

Hurrying back to continue inside..

After work I hurried (I think I’ve never cycled this fast before, I actually sweated…) to our rendez-vous on Nieuwmarket, shook hands and the TV crew, Ciaran Fallon and I went on our way. In part it was to be an interview on wheels. The cameraman positioned in a rental bakfiets, the audio technician steering it and Ciaran had me chat up a storm (quite literally, as very dark clouds moved in and blanketed the city).

Almost naturally our conversation went from the obvious to the more intrinsic/historical aspects of Dutch bicycle ‘culture’, leading to some important myth busting (not towards Ciaran, but the general perception abroad):

No, this cycling Nirvana hasn’t been around for centuries, it was man-made.
No, people don’t cycle this much because the country is flat, but because it’s practical, convenient and fun, rain or shine.
No, we’re not high on anything, tourists are. (this is a bonus entry, just had to put that in :-p)

Just as we arrived at one of Amsterdam’s pivotal ‘infra grids’, the rain forced us inside for the second leg of the interview, which was equally fun and interesting. We wrapped it all up with a few lagers (the Irish and Dutch also have so much in common) and an invite to Dublin was born.

Typically enough, this morning a friend of mine from Dublin sent me this news article, ‘Wheels start turning as city gets saddled up’, covering the launch of the Dublinbikes bike sharing program.

Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

‘Ugh’ was my first response to the article’s first paragraph’s and main focus on the absence of helmets, a smile came next. Somebody enlightened at Dublin City Hall has clearly injected some sanity into the decision making process…I think it’s someone I recently met. :)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to unlock Mr Freight as I’m meeting up again with cycle trotter Anthony from Memphis, Tennessee.

Just Married

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:46:22 +0000

Photo courtesy of my friend Sabine from Munich who took this shot last week when she was exploring Delft.

Convenience

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:54:03 +0000

Cycling, bicycle parking facilities [which include services such as toilets, bicycle repair service, lockers and nappy area for babies] and public transportation, this combination should continue to be the prime urban and intercity transit solution. Watch my personal experience, one of my daily commutes from Amsterdam to Utrecht, 50 km south of this fine city.

[I filmed this with my phone, so please forgive me for the lack of quality]

Convenience from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.

Daddy’s Got A Brand New Bike [Update]

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:39:11 +0000

My good friend Jan-Eric browsed bikes for months on end, trying to find a proper bike for him and his 2 year old son. New, second-hand (if you include 1930’s Gazelle transport bikes) and he was recently handed-down a 35-year-old Gazelle gents bike by a friend to tie him over.

This weekend he visited me for my house warming party and as he rode with me on the back of my bike on Friday afternoon, we figured we might as well get him a good rental bike. So we oozed over to Workcycles.

The rental part quickly faded when he entered the shop. He talked to mechanic Tom about his needs:

a proper bike that will last forever
room for his son, aka his Bo-Bike seat needed to fit
sufficient gearing for the steep hill up to his house (in Arnhem)

His eyes zoned in on one that matched all the criteria…a black Fr8, the cross-frame model with white fat tires. Yeah, one of Mr Freight’s brothers.

They talked details a bit and Jan-Eric went for a test ride. Fast forward 5 minutes. “Wow…”, “Smooth…”, “Beautiful…”. “Ok, how much is it?”, “…oh, really.” “You can deduct it from your business account through the national Fietsenplan.”. Fast forward another 5 minutes: “Tom, how quickly can you get it ready for me?” “One hour.” “Ok, please do, I’ll take it.”

Obviously, Jan-Eric had fallen in love with it. It was sort of at ’second sight’, as he was very familiar with my bike, but I’m sure this black steed appeared all new to him.

We watched as Tom made the adjustments Jan-Eric wanted. Handlebars like mine (wider, more comfortable), coat guards to ensure that his son won’t hurt himself when he takes his feet out of the fitted foot rests), test-fitting a Bo-Bike seat, attaching a steel cable to secure his Brooks saddle, and last but not least, ‘No Fr8 without a crate‘.

All done, we rode off, two FR8’s side by side, as it seems it was meant to be. One owner totally amused, another completely smitten.

Double Fr8 Parking

His maiden ride that evening was quite interesting, as it couldn’t be more Amsterdamish; one big string of downpours would follow us through the night when we went bar/club-hopping.

“At least we’ve got the water baptism over and done with”.

Parking them in the bike garage next to club Paradiso prompted another shot…but the moment that really iced the cake was when we exited the supermarket the next day. Tens of kilos worth of food but mostly beverages needed to be hauled back home. Perfect job for the Freight Brothers. No sweat, either.

Stay tuned for the video of Jan-Eric leaving the shop and venturing into town on his first real ride.

[Update] Meanwhile, check out this visual of Jan-Eric’s son, checking out the Fr8. You can hear him think “Now this is the perfect ring side seat for me…”. :)

Fast Lanes, Perspective & A Sleeping Giant

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:33:34 +0000

Mikael in Amsterdam

No, I didn’t just convert to vehicular cycling, that would be stooooopid and turning back the clock 40 odd years.

Last week Mikael reported on Copenhagen’s plans to expand its network of bicycle lanes further outward to the suburbs, through so-called ‘Bicycle Super Highways‘, which is uhm, yeah, super duper, as it will invite and enable even more people to comfortably opt for their bicycle as a form of transportation.

I’m very fond of Copenhagen’s bicycle heaven, as you know, and I think their ambitions are only to be applauded and pretty much envied. Sure, Mikael is still fighting his Don Quichote-like but relatively effective battle with the institutionalized helmet zealots, who’s fear mongering has brainwashed even the moderate (but, according to Mikael, very compliant) Danes into thinking they should wear these strange and deceptive contraptions, even though they supposedly live in ‘the most bicycle friendly city in the world’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not nitpicking or picking a fight or anything, but rates-wise there are hundreds of Copenhagens in the Netherlands.

Anyway, I saw this bicycle infrastructure news, I figured it shouldn’t go unmentioned here as it relates to the above and my last remark.

Dutch move into the fast lane with ‘bicycle highways’

The plan is part of a government initiative to promote bicycle use, especially among those who commute to work everyday by car.

The Hague – Roughly EUR 25 million has been earmarked for the construction of more bicycle highways, announced the ministry of traffic and waterways Monday.

Bicycle highways are broad cycling paths without intersections which allow cyclists to quickly cover long distances. The ministry plans to double the number of such highways in the Netherlands over the cabinet period.

The plan is part of a government initiative to promote bicycle use, especially among those who commute to work everyday by car.

“Cycling is a practical, healthy and good for the environment,” deputy transport minister Tineke Huizinga wrote in a letter to the lower house of parliament.

At present, the Netherlands has five bicycle highways, including two connecting Amsterdam with Utrecht and Breda with Etten-Leur. There are currently plans for a bicycle highway connecting The Hague with Leiden and Arnhem with Nijmegen.

Free guarded bicycle parking garage
Municipalities and provinces are invited to submit plans to the ministry for more bicycle highways in their region.

In addition to bicycle highways, the government has planned other measures to increase cycle use.
By 2013, the ministry hopes 100,000 additional bicycle parking places will be added around train, tram and bus stations. At least 20 municipalities will co-operate with the ministry in removing discarded bicycles from bicycle stalls, which will free up existing spaces.

The various measures and projects are in close collaboration with established players in the cycling field including bicycle industry representatives and civil societies, said the traffic ministry in a press release.

Source: Radio Netherlands / Expatica

So, if you’ve been following Mikael, David Hembrow and this blog, you can see the Dutch and the Danes have a similarly serious approach to cycling and appropriated means to enable it. However, there are literally hundreds of towns and cities in the Netherlands that have comparable or higher cycling rates (such as Groningen – currently close to 60%, Utrecht – 35%, or a smaller town like Houten – 55%) than Copenhagen. Amsterdam is still trying to figure out what the real modal rate is, but this fine city has achieved something memorable, as more trips are by undertaken by bike than by car.

In general, comparing Danish and Dutch cycling rates on a national or local basis is like comparing apples and oranges. Denmark has a far smaller population (5.4 million vs 16.5 million). Of course this alone doesn’t take anything away from CPH’s or Odense’s achievements, but it needs some perspective.

The real difference is scale and inter-connectivity. While CPH is planning to connect the rest of the outer-city, The Netherlands has approximately 29.000 km of bicycle infrastructure, connecting the entire country, from cities to rural areas, it doesn’t matter, anywhere you go, you’ll be able to navigate a highly indexed network of bicycle routes (and it’s very likely you’ll find many paths that aren’t mapped out), all conveniently supported by clearly defined signage and most routes will provide you with the shortest distances from one point to the other (as compared to the vehicular ones). Ergo: urbanization, scale, density, but also sprawl have to be taken into consideration when you talk about these rates.

To follow up on all of this, some more background info & updated news about the funding:

5 bicycle highways around Amsterdam and Deventer were put in place to see if these routes would indeed get people out of their cars and onto their bikes to commute to work. Apparently they worked. The norm distance for most people to decide to cycle to work is 7.5 km. The bicycle highways, completely segregated, well lit and comfortable (immaculate surface), stretched this distance to 15 km. In other words: the layout of these highways convinced 5% of car drivers on those routes to ditch their cars and cycle (longer distances) to work.

With these results, the minister acted swiftly and budgeted an extra 70 million Euros for expansion of regional (and potentially nationally connected) bicycle highways.

One particular aspect Amsterdam and Dutch government bodies really suck at is their obvious and deeply rooted modesty (and/or ignorance & lack of perspective) when we talk international cycling promotion. Sure, policy wise and in terms of policy cooperation with other cities around the world they do quite a bit, but there is not one powerful, concerted effort dealing with cycling promotion (in all its facets). Copenhagen beats them to the punch in creating a tangible and very uplifting export product. That, and our national cycling institutions completely underestimate what’s going on worldwide.

It’s pretty pathetic that there are basically a few private citizens and basically one professional doing their work for them.

Finally there’s a moment in our history when we have something more exciting than cheese, tulips and wooden shoes to push…I mean excite people with…they should really, really, REALLY wake up and smell the coffee [or insert bicycle-acronym]. Come on, for crying out loud, even beer brewers did.

My overarching point? Mikael started this journey to a better cycling world by showing the means and the subsequent beauty of urban cycling and is one of the best advocates out there, but even he can sometimes get ahead of himself a bit. Bless his British-Danish heart. :)

Panda-ize The World

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:15:03 +0000

I’m sitting here, going through tons of pictures, reorganizing, cleaning up, the works. This morning the summer seems to have come to an end, chilly, windy, you can just smell it, it’s over.

It’s been a great summer and an unbelievably good year for Amsterdamize, ever since I decided to expand on my cycling endeavors and day-to-day shenanigans in May 2008.

Browsing my pics I realized that over this period of time taking Panda Portraits has really grown on me. It started out here and it evolved beautifully & massively.

Well, I like to pay tribute to this summer, cycling and all you good people by asking you to submit your best Panda Portrait to Amsterdamize and I’ll make a fitting collage.

You don’t have one? Then go do one! Anything goes, as long as it’s a self-portrait, either of you on your bike or the perspective of you riding, put the bicycle that you love front and center, on the fly.

It’ll be fun, trust me. Cheers!

Now, if you’ll excuse me for the next few days, I have to organize my stuff for my move into my new house ;).

Empirically Sound Cargo Bikes

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:17:49 +0000

An utterly shameless but interesting re-post of ‘Scientists investigate urban climate in Rotterdam and Arnhem‘:

Researchers from Wageningen University used the warm days in August to map out the urban climate in two Dutch cities. The research team drove two cargo bicycles with measurement equipment during various times of a 24 hours’ day through Rotterdam and Arnhem. The results may indicate to which extent heat stress may become a problem for the inhabitants.

Future projections of climate change show that frequency of heat waves will increase substantially in the next decades. Particularly in cities heat stress may become a serious problem due to the so-called Urban Heat Island effect (UHI), the phenomenon where the average temperature in the city is higher than in the surrounding area.

The measurements on 6 August in Rotterdam showed that during day time the city centre was two degrees warmer on average than Zestienhoven airport, which is located outside the city. A striking observation was that the city park De Twee Heuvelen was 2.4 degrees cooler than Zestienhoven. This means that the differences in the afternoon in the city can rise to 4.4 degrees centigrade. During the late evening (22-24 hours), the city centre was more than 5 degrees warmer than Zestienhoven. The route near the national Green Heart (Doenkade) turned out to be even cooler (2 degrees C) than Zestienhoven. The difference in temperature between the city and countryside consequently amounted to more than 7 degrees during nocturnal hours.

In the late afternoon the felt air temperature – the air temperature perceived by the human body – was 28 degrees C at Zestienhoven, the temperature at the city centre of Rotterdam (in the sun and out of the wind) would feel more than 6 degrees higher – so well above 30° C. Surprisingly, similar effects were measured in the much smaller city of Arnhem.

For the measurements, days with maximum temperatures above 25° C were necessary. With the two cargo bikes with measurement equipment, the researchers cycled along two previously determined routes through a number of characteristic urban districts, such as an industrial area, an older residential area, a city park and the harbour area. The researchers plan to take more measurements later this year and in 2010.

Cargo bike

For technical reasons, the researchers use cargo bikes to transport the measurement apparatus. With a cargo bike it is easy to manoeuvre through the narrow streets in the city, while the instruments remain horizontal.

City climate measurements by researcher Bert Heusinkveld in Rotterdam

The cargo bikes are equipped with a thermometer that registers the temperature, a humidity meter, a sensor for wind direction and wind speed, sensors that measure the amount of sunlight and sensors for the exchange of heat radiation. The measurements were conducted every second. In addition, the route was photographed at fixed intervals from 50 cm above the ground with a fisheye lens pointed upwards. This can be used to determine the percentage of the sky that is “covered” with buildings or greenery as seen from street level. This coverage largely determines the strength of the urban heat island effect. The felt temperature is determined by the air temperature combined with radiation, humidity and wind. The instruments are powered by a solar panel mounted on the baggage carrier.

Heat stress

With the measurement data, the researchers will first determine the strength of the UHI in Rotterdam and the factors that affect the local differences within the city. The data provide an indication of the extent to which heat stress is, or will become, a problem. Furthermore, the data will be used to further develop simulation models for urban climate. The results will evolve into design rules or tools that can be used by urban developers and designers to mitigate the effect of climate change on heat stress.

City climate measurements on a cargo bicycle

Participants

The measurements were carried out by staff and students of the Meteorology and Air Quality Group, and the Earth System Science and Climate Change Group of Wageningen University and Research Centre. The measurements in Rotterdam are part of the Heat stress in the city of Rotterdam project, that is partly financed by the special climate research programme ‘Knowledge for Climate’ and the municipality of Rotterdam. The municipality of Rotterdam is lead partner in this project. Other consortium partners are: TNO, Deltares and Waterwatch.

The measurements in Arnhem are part of the EU Future Cities project, in which the municipalities of Tiel, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Hastings, the West-Flemish region, the German water boards, and the French Rouen-Seine-Aménagement are collaborating. The municipality of Arnhem is lead partner of the Dutch consortium in this project.

Every Day Is Special

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:49:35 +0000

…when everywhere you look people are enjoying their daily routines on their bikes without a care in the world.

And last but not least, it’s even more beautiful when you get to share it with your loved one. And yes, I’ve been called a goober more than once…:).

Yanks Call ‘M Tanks [Update 1 & 2]

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:10:07 +0000

Slate published a nice article about testing ‘Urban Euro Bikes’, including a few Dutch ones. On top of that they produced a video too, perfect for a better perspective.

One thing that always bugs me is the ‘weight issue’, an aspect of the American cycle psyche that probably won’t go away for the next 50 years. Then again, the author Seth Stevenson luckily puts that into perspective by naming all the plusses of riding a ‘tank’ like this. They outweigh (pun) the ‘cons’ by hundreds of miles…I mean kilometers.

First, though, something that should’ve been the key subject to begin with, are his opening lines, spot on:

I remember the first time I saw a couple in Amsterdam sharing a bicycle. She was perched sidesaddle on the luggage rack above the rear wheel, one hand around her date’s waist, the other holding an umbrella to deflect the Dutch drizzle. He was whispering to her over his shoulder, the light breeze fluttering his hair. Perhaps the pot I’d smoked earlier that day was gauzing my brain and turning me soft, but right there and then I fell deeply in love with classic Dutch bicycles.

Seth addresses a key difference between our two continents related to the weight issue: attitude.

Slate’s D.C. office is full of commuting cyclists, so I lent the Batavus out to a few of them and asked their impressions. They all acknowledged the bike’s evident craftsmanship and the lushness of its ride. But there seemed to be a philosophical stumbling block that prevented them from fully enjoying their time with it.
It turns out my colleagues view urban cycling as a Darwinian contest, in which the cyclist who weaves most daringly between the delivery trucks is the glorious victor. Thus they chafe at the configuration of the Batavus, which does not encourage or enable aggressive pedaling. I, on the other hand, like to pretend I’m a European—rolling around the city at dawdling speed, occasionally dinging the bell to alert inattentive pedestrians to my presence. If you’re like me, you’ll adore the Batavus. If you approach cycling as a vicious blood sport, you likely won’t.

And I compliment him on addressing the things that often go unmentioned, such as the fact that these are bikes literally last a lifetime and will weather all elements or road conditions.

To address your final question: Yes, these bikes cost a pretty penny. But any new bicycle will set you back at least a few hundred dollars. Most won’t have fenders or full chain cases. What they will have is vastly inferior engineering and materials—which will mean a shorter lifespan and more frequent repairs.

Speaking of which, I was just chatting with a friend who was looking up second/third/etc-hand bikes online, to use daily and ride with his almost 3-year-old son. He completely fell for an old Dutch bike. Yeah, you guessed it, ‘old bike’ is a slightly different concept here. He pointed me to this 1930’s Gazelle transport/bakery delivery bike. Biddings start at 550 Euros. A bargain, I’d say. It will last for another 80 years, at least. And it doesn’t get more straightforward, practical and honest than this, believe me.

[Update 1] To really drive my point home [aka, a bike's weight is not the issue, but how much/long/comfortably/practically a bike can carry and last, is], I think it’s prudent I take you with me down Memory Lane and show you this video (courtesy of Henry’s Bakfiets-en-meer blog [be sure to read that post in full!] and originally from Transportfiets.net) of the transport bicycle race that was tradition in many parts of the Netherlands. In this particular case amongst baker’s and butcher’s delivery boys in Bussum (not far from Amsterdam). Keep this in mind:

It’s genuine film footage from a 1933 race in Bussum (near Amsterdam) on baker’s and butcher’s bikes. Back in those days most transport bikes had fixed wheels (”fixies” you young folk) and like all those modern-day urban hipsters on track bikes, these bikes had no brakes either. There’s a difference though: A transportfiets weighs an easy 50kg, and that’s before it was loaded down with 50kg of meat. The wheels alone weigh a good 10kg each. Can you say mo-men-tum?

I’m glad I bumped into this, now I can think about finishing my guest post on Curbside Cycle Toronto (by pure coincidence one of the retailers of On The Fourth who carry – and supplied – the tested bikes) about that pesky weight non-issue.

[Update 2] I love the interwebs. At the beginning of this post I lamented that Seth Stevenson’s piece should have been wrapped in the bicycles sheer poetic beauty and justice, but behold, that was answered today by the post ‘Gazelle bicycles find a home in American streets, hearts’ on PublicOrgTheory:

…In overlooking the Gazelle, Stevenson lost both the plot and the romance.

The Gazelle, one of the makers featured in the Times article Stevenson mentions, is the ne plus ultra of Dutch bicycles. It is closest in its lack of intentional style to the Batavus, and nowhere near as fussy as the Abici or as self-consciously Scandinavian as the Biomega. Gazelle is regarded in Holland as the Mercedes-Benz of bikes.

Why the bicycle bloviations on a blog about org theory and public policy? Although there are some interesting points in Stevenson’s article about adoption and culture with bicycles in America, it’s mostly just sentimentality and unabashed advocacy. Should commuter bicycles take hold as something other than aggressive sport in the US, it will be on the backs of Mercedes bikes like the Gazelle (and perhaps Buicks like the Batavus).

One of the things I will miss most about Holland is looking out my window on a rainy day and watching the endless flow of bicyclists. They usually travel in pairs or small groups, carry more than many people put in their cars, and never wear helmets. Dutch cyclists talk on mobile phones, smoke, text, nurse babies, kiss, and generally extend the lengths of the freedoms available in their consistent, ubiquitous bike lanes. Accidents are rare, though theft is high. I lost two bicycles in two years, but the Dutch realize that bikes are more rented than owned.

Well observed.

Asbakfiets

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:56:56 +0000

Flickr photo by Iam sterdam

Ashtray Bicycle. Ash Cargo Bike. Let me explain. In ‘asbakfiets’ the part ‘as’ means ‘ash’. You all know ‘bakfiets’, but we’re talking originals here, not the generically coined modern day two-wheeler.

Now here’s the fun part of this play on words: ‘asbak’ means ‘ashtray’. So to keep in line with that we should stick to ‘Ashtray Bicycle’.

Marjon of Iam sterdam was the first to spot him. Shortly after Henry of Workcycles also followed up with a blog post:

The Amsterdam city District “de Baarsjes” is using this brilliant “Asbakfiets” to promote smoke free and butt free surroundings. They’re giving out little cigarette and gum wallet/baggies to hold the nasties until a suitable trash container can be found.

And yesterday CNN caught up on it. Anderson Cooper’s Beat 360 daily photo caption challenge has the ‘Ashtray Bicycle Man’ Zack Neil featured:

Zack Neil rides his ash tray bike in down town Amsterdam on August 19, 2009 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Zack Neil informs inhabitants and tourists about the negative effects of cigarette butts and chewing gum on the environment. The Central Amsterdam government has recently started with this awareness campaign and in the Dutch city of Rotterdam the 90 euro (128 US Dollars) fine has occasionally been handed out. It takes more than 10 years to break down a cigarette butt and up to 50 years for chewing gum.

Photo: Michel Porro/Getty Images

There are already almost 300 captions entered in the comments section, you think you can come up with a fresh one?

Riding Bikes With The Dutch [Update]

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:56:22 +0000

Every once in a while I have some catching up to do with what’s happening in the vlogosphere. I’m in the middle of writing a guest post for Curbside Cycle in Toronto, but I probably get to finish that tomorrow and meanwhile I wanted to post at least something interesting.

So, here you have it, a trailer video posted by Californian Michael W. Bauch of everydaybike.com in early May of this year, called ‘Riding Bikes With The Dutch’.

I quote:

Welcome, Come Along for the Ride
The first time I stepped off the train in Amsterdam I was literally speechless. As soon as I set foot on the ground I was almost run over by a mob of bikes. I turned to look up and to my amazement there was a 3 level structure dedicated to just parking bicycles. Everyone from three years old to 93 seemed to be tooling around the city on two wheels. This was too much to take in with just my own eyes. I needed to share this with everyone I could and this is why I made my film: Riding Bikes with the Dutch.

The Dutch Get it
Bikes aren’t just for Lance Armstrong. You don’t have to have the latest carbon fiber frame and wear a spandex body suit to ride a bike…what a revelation.

Bicycling is a lifestyle – not just a race, a hobby, or the latest fashion craze.

Bikes aren’t just for kids. Adults can play too!

Cars treat bikes with respect. Cyclists are treated like real modes of transportation, not second class citizens.

Cities should be designed for people – not cars.

Bicycling infrastructure is a key part of the planning process for new construction, not an after thought.

It being a trailer obviously means there’s something to be released:

Anyone who has ever made a movie will tell you that it takes a lot of time & patience; no different here. With over 35 hours of raw footage the editing process has begun. I will let you know where you can see my movie and how you can buy my DVD when it is time.

I am aim to have more details for you in the coming months. So be patient, stay tuned, and keep riding…

Oh, I can relate, Michael, take all the time you need, I’ll be waiting. I’m a big sucker for bicycle film awesomeness :).

[Update] This just came in through the feeds from Pascal van den Noort of Vélo Mondial, which I think fits perfectly with this post:

New Amsterdam Bike Slam Part 2
Four hundred years after Henry Hudson’s arrival in Manhattan, two teams of Dutch and American planners & designers face off in a battle for the future of New York City transportation. Their challenge: find ways to bring NYC cycling up to the level of the Netherlands, the only country in the world with more bikes than people. The New Amsterdam Bike Slam is being organized in New Amsterdam (sometime also referred to as “New York City”) from 10-13 September 2009. It is an initiative of Amsterdam Cycling to Sustainability, produced by Vélo Mondial and Transportation Alternatives, with funding from Transumo and the City of Amsterdam. After three days of preparation, the New Amsterdam Bike Slam teams face off in a live debate “battle,” and compete to provide the most compelling vision for making lower Manhattan and Brooklyn a bicycling area on par with Amsterdam. The battle begins at 10:00 pm, followed by a late night dance party at the renowned Meatpacking District club, with DJ John Julius Knight. Full background on the program: newamsterdambikeslam.org.

Here are the posts New Amsterdam Bike Slam Part 1 and Part 3.

Nice work, Pascal! And a nice aside: my good friend Henry of Workcycles fame is one of the sponsors:

…The next morning at Battery Park, Mr. Job Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam – one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world – will convey the prize to the winning team: free Dutch bicycles, courtesy of Workcycles.

Cycling To Freedom

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:37:09 +0000

A few weeks ago I read that the Fietsersbond (Cyclists Union) had been busy this summer re-mapping, re-calibrating all of the (segregated) bicycle lanes and thus routes in the Netherlands. From 1996 up until now everyone relied on the numbers from the Central Bureau for Statistics, showing 17.000 kilometers of those connecting the entire country.

Uhm, apparently it was in dire need of an update, because these good people found many, many more of them. 12.000 more. Yes, 29.000 is the new number. And this is based on extensive research by 7 people actually going around on bikes and creating digital maps. 7 people? The Cyclists Union chose 7 out of the 14 Dutch provinces as a firm basis for their calculations, hence one person per province.

There’s no real explanation, other than these were ‘overlooked’, forgotten, obscured, or what not. I think the Dutch Tourism Board should update their info and start promoting the hell out of it.

Speaking of promotion, digging all this back up I found this cute little music video by a Dutch girls band from Amsterdam called Pep, singing ‘Fietsen’, or ‘Cycling’. More specifically: ‘Pedal towards freedom, in the wind and the rain, it feels heavenly good’. Ain’t that the truth.

Carpe Noctem

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:01:47 +0000

Saturday nights in Amsterdam. You often see and hear of parties, events in city that has a name to uphold. You move among the hip & the happy crowds, friends get you on guest lists and such, and you dance/jive/drink your way towards Sunday morning.

Call me crazy, but what I equally enjoy are the in-betweens, going from one place to the other. By bike, of course. Moments when your clubbin’ mood translates to all sorts of things, you encounter stuff you won’t ever do boxed up in a car or strolling along the streets.

Anyhow, last night was such a night. My fellow countrymen seeing this will probably shrug and go “Yeah, so?”. Well, I love it, it sure makes up for the incidental club faux-pas.

Different Folks, Different Spokes

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:07:46 +0000

On a break during work I was able to observe and document mid-day traffic in Utrecht.

Also on this day and the next, same location, I witnessed the start of the new academic year: Introduction Week. Fraternities, student sports clubs and other establishments trying to woo these freshmen and women into joining. These kids (do I sound old now?) have to go from one part of town to other to not miss a thing…and you won’t see ‘m on anything else but two wheels. How else are you going to quickly and smoothly establish a connection with the opposite sex, right?

Finding Amsterdam [Update]

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:57:08 +0000

Via Northgeek.com I got to this excellent video about cycling in Amsterdam, produced by Kona, a bike manufacturer in Washington State, USA:

“Just talking to beautiful, gas-free people in a country where a third of all journeys are made by bicycle.”

I got nothing to add, really…besides perhaps that the guard of the bike garage was exaggerating a bit. By more than a couple of thousands. :)

[Update] Ok, I do have something to add, I figured I’d repost my moody winter version on the exact same topic, shot around the same location, ‘Sinfonia Cyclissimo‘:

Bicycle TV Special: Castle Trail Ride Prague

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:10:20 +0000

Lauren, Teresa (+ 'Herr Bumblee') and I biking around Berlin

I just received the nicest of surprises from Lauren, who’s now in Budapest. Ok, rewind.

I said goodbye to Lauren in Berlin, she and her good friend Teresa moved on to Prague and they arrived in Budapest yesterday. I love Budapest, but you already know that :).

Anyhoo, in Prague they rode their rental bikes alongside the Vltava river for many miles, with a beautiful castle as their destination. The surprise? Lauren filmed it and send the videos to me. The rest is now history:

Dankjewel, schatje!

Home Sweet Home

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:46:05 +0000

I enjoy traveling as much as the next person, but just like that next person I mumble ‘home sweet home’ every time I return. ;)

My bike amongst his peers…can you spot Mr Freight? :)

Ich Bin Ein Berliner

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:01:55 +0000

Suffice to say, Berlin was cool. Well, we did enjoy nice warm weather, but the city’s kool factor is hard to describe without seeing it for yourself. Pictures will go only so far.

The last time I was there was during the World Cup in 2006 and as far as I could tell it has only gained more charm. Charm meaning: still and perhaps even more so that time-warp feeling of the 80’s and 90’s, both the urban vibe on the streets and the people. Non-conformists, making up their own fabric.

I think there’s not a city that so vividly and fittingly embraces street art as Berlin does. Graffiti is all around, truly amazing stuff and every neighborhood has at least a few hubs where artists have setup shop. You’d be blind to miss it.

Something I recognize, it reminds me of the more anarchistic and everything-goes Amsterdam of yester years. The good people of Berlin should know better, this characteristic of the city is essential, we can all see what impact massive gentrification can have.

One thing that did change since I was last there, there’s notably more cycling going on. Great diversity, young and old, hipsters (lots of fixies) and ‘commuters’ (for lack of better word), it’s happenin’. You can tell people enjoy it, no matter the still high volume of car traffic.

This increase of cycling and the way people move about on bikes also showed me that Berliners/Germans have so much in common with the Dutch. Uncomplicated, laissez-faire, utilitarian, practical, but with flair and lots of personality. A joy to be a witness of while walking and riding around.

Go there. You’ll love it.

~~That’s all I got.~~ What was I thinking…these pictures wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of Álvaro who lend me his camera for this trip, as my Nikon is in repairs. Heel veel dank, man!

See the photo sets ‘Ich Bin Ein Berliner‘ & ‘Spaß In Berlin‘ for many more impressions.

Red Tape, Alley Cats, Britpopcorn & Berlin

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:26:21 +0000

Yesterday I discovered that the 23-year-old municipal red tape around the issue of safe bicycle infrastructure on the Marnixstraat has finally been cut.

I sat down around the corner from there, at Cafe De Tuin in the Jordaan, run by my good friend Rik, who served me a few extraordinarily nice Belgian beers, while I observed the people going by on this quaint, narrow and very busy bicycle/pedestrian street.

I was just about sober enough to get back on my bike and transport myself to the other side of town, to meet Álvaro from Britpopcorn – you also might know him from the many comments he posted on Amsterdamize – …over beers.

We’ve been meaning to do that many times before, just to hang and talk smack/bike, but there was a, ahum, higher purpose last evening. He read about my camera woes and offered me his for my week in Berlin. I know, right?!? Awesome.

Talked up a storm with this passionate Spanish expatriate, I showed him my bike, he showed me his…fittingly, a vintage German BASF employee bike. Whaddayaknow.

We then moved to his house for dinner and more drinks with his visiting friends (gracias!), where I was just disGUSTED by the sheer beauty of his single-speed [with break] and its (his/her?) parking spot [courtyard balcony/terracotta terrace]. I mean, come on, Álvaro, you might as well have poked my eyes out! :-p

This is why I ~~like~~ love this bike (blogging) journey of mine. With newly made friends like him, I couldn’t have asked for a smoother and nicer approach to my Berlin trip.

Coming home, the gist of this post came full circle, alas.

Thanks, man, I owe you! And Auf Wiedersehen, y’all!

BDay&Berlin044 by my friend @bieneschmid

French Adoration: Me & My Bike

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:20:58 +0000

Lauren wrote me today:

I could not wait to share this with you….my absolute favorite blog out there combining beautiful style and the street with a witty and cheeky spin on it all and guess what the latest post was all about…well yes you guessed it…enjoy!

What follows is one of the cutest things I’ve read from anyone having visited Amsterdam, aka a good case of ‘Amsterdam Through Strangers’ Eyes’, by Garance Doré.

So, obviously, the photo above here isn’t me, nor is it my bike. But just to show you the coolitude of biking in Amsterdam, you needed to see at least one real Dutch girl on a real Dutch bike.

Because you’re constantly passing cool girls on bikes in Amsterdam. It’s simple, I asked around. It’s that no one knows anyone who doesn’t have a bike. Whoa, that’s a tough one. I’ll try again: everyone has a bike.

“It’s so great. You all have rock hard thighs,” I said. I’m so perceptive.
“It’s not that,” Ramona said. “Our legs don’t get anything from biking now. They’re too used to it.”

Aha. It’s still not fair.

Ramona was my guardian angel during these few wonderful days in Amsterdam. She was the one who glued me to my bike for the first half hour. She was also the one that taught me these :

- When you park your bike in the middle of the 350 other bikes all clustered together in each spot, if you knock them all over, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. It’s the owners’ fault who poorly parked them. “Even if you make ALL of them fall, Ramona?” “Yes, Garance. As long as yours is standing tall, you can leave with your head up. No one will say a thing.” Duly noted. And more than once.

- You can do everything on your bike… Talk on the phone, Google a restaurant, eat a sandwich, hold an umbrella in the rain (EVERYONE does that. It’s impressive.), CHANGE YOUR SHOES WHILE PEDDLING, TAKE A NAP. You can even do some streetstyle on them. The proof is right above with Elza. When we found her, we were riding our bikes. We followed her for a bit, like true crazies on bikes.

- You have to give a name to your bike. It’s essential and that’s just how it is. When I asked what Ramona had named hers, she couldn’t tell me. But I really wanted to believe this whole name thing… like really… Check out this photo below and you’ll see, see what I’m saying?

There he was, lost in a sea of others. When I saw him, I knew he was mine. My bike, my ally, my companion. I couldn’t not give him a name.

Chuck Bass. Yep. What better name could define the mix of purebred elegance and risqué style? Because I’m telling you, with Chuck Bass, I promise you that no matter where you go, you’ll never go unnoticed. Aaaah, yep, it’s gotta be the stretch limo.

Yours truly looking ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS with my little red and white sign that said, “Hey there, I’m a tourist. So whenever you feel like cutting me off and being all pissy and irritated, go right ahead my dear ladies and gentlemen of Amsterdam.”

Oh who cares? It’s Chuck Bass and me, and I love him. And then this morning, looking at him for one last time before taking my train, I felt a little tear drop down my cheek. He didn’t even move.

These bikes, they’re such bastards.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

All true. Hands down.

Amsterdam: O’Reilly Factor vs. Reality

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:53:51 +0000

From BoingBoing, via The Daily Dish:

Bill O’Reilly recently invited a couple of pert blond Republican strategists to frighten Fox viewers about Amsterdam’s lax pot laws, which have made the city a “mess,” and “cesspool of corruption.”

The video above was made by ~~a citizen of Amsterdam~~ 25-year-old film student from Amsterdam Robert Nieuwenhuijs who used real statistics about drug use in his city compared with drug use in the US.

Andrew Sullivan: A Cesspool Of Corruption, Crime

That ‘news’ cast was from December ‘08, but I think that Amsterdammer’s response is priceless. Oh, Papa Bear, you just got your ass handed to you.

I chuckled at the great comments, too.

Full story here.

Polaroid Moments

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:19:20 +0000

I took my broken down Nikon D70 to a specialist yesterday and left it there to get fixed. Quite a bummer, as I’ll be in Berlin with Lauren in a few days, a week during which shots just need to be snapped.

Running that errand I took a few with my Nokia (as I’ve done many times before), and however ok they can come out, it’s hardly the same, they also require some tuning to make ‘m more interesting.

Ha, no, I don’t have a backup Polaroid, there are ways around that, but I can fall back on the photo function of my Sony HDD video camera. Lucky me. I’d feel pretty desperate and naked.

Returning Is Something Different Than Staying

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:48:51 +0000

Oh, hello! How are you?

A week has passed since my return from Italy and as summer vacations go…well, I’ve gone with the flow and I’m sticking with it. The blogging ratio is still low, but the cycling continues, as it continues to be the most important form of transportation for me, all year round. And being able to mix it up with train travel seals the deal.

With those modes, it doesn’t matter where you need to go in the Netherlands. Well over 17.000 kilometers of nearly flawless bicycle paths/lanes and routes will get you anywhere, from big and dense cities to the rural outskirts. My friends Helen and Les from Ottawa can tell you all about it.

Too far? A train station will always be close. It not only costs very little, you also meet people. In the summer the bar for that is always set low. Whether it’s when you help other people getting their bikes on the train and/or negotiating the compartment parking, giving tips to foreign visitors or just the bike itself, a conversation is inevitable. Before you know it, you’ve arrived at your destination. And that’s just one of the perks :).

So, in that sense, Mr Freight and I had a ‘busy’ week. Riding on the streets of Amsterdam, for the flimsiest of excuses and the more designated ones.

Riding to a party with a friend & observing while waiting for the light to go green.

Visiting a friend in Arnhem, where the daily cycle routines seem to be predictably a-ok.

Strengthening the family ties by going for a ride with my niece & nephew and sister-in-law.

But what about the title of this post, you ask? Simple, I will be traveling again at the end of this week, this time to beautiful Berlin. Whether there will be any cycling involved remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine there won’t be.

When In Rome…

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:46:04 +0000

Walk, no, stride like the locals do and act like you meant to turn into yet another cute little alley way to discover its hidden treasures.

At least once a day, make sure you sit down for one form or the other of antipasti. Perfecto as an excuse for people-watching and recharging for the next round on the lungomare.

Take your time to spot and appreciate all types of stylish urban creatures emerging from all the little cracks of the city.

Don’t feel bad about not having pedaled those vibrant streets yourself, as you can still consider yourself fortunate (and a little bit of a Roman) to have cruised around on that other set of wheels.

After all, you’re on vacation in not just any old ‘città d’amore‘. Regardless of bella gente sulle biciclette.

Keep Pedalling [Rap Update]

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:29:21 +0000

“The worlds of hip hop and cycling finally collide in Keep Pedalling, the new film clip from Hugo and Treats. Filmed on one sunny day in Brunswick, North Melbourne, Australia, at the Brunswick Free Ride. No politics, just Bicycles. Directed by Colby Welsh, Josh Beahan and Hugo.

Keep Pedalling, people.”

For more info about Hugo go to myspace.com/hugo1love or find him on facebook.

For more music go to musicfromspeakers.com

Update: after posting this @ig_fahrrad on Twitter pointed me to something far more funkier: the bicycle-rap-video by Skero ft. Kamp, from Vienna, Austria. Check out ‘Fuss vom Gas! (Foot off the throttle!):

Wicked! Can you say ‘Pimp My Ride’? Ganz genau!

Two More Things…

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:24:30 +0000

One, I just received this belated birthday card from my friends (who wanted to use it, but I had to cancel my party at the last moment). Love it.

Second, this afternoon I discovered a fun site called Eternal Moonwalk, done by the people of Studio Brussel who jumped on the MJ tribute & hysteria bandwagon, by creating a spin-off site of Nike’s 2006 World Cup ‘Joga Bonito‘, which in turn was a rip off from the original Vlogball project (done by mere mortals like you and me, in that case a bunch of students doing this project to understand collaborative media).

Anyway, Gabemac and I immediately went outside to record our submission, as we had a brainwave :). Have a look.

Go to Eternal Moonwalk and enter either ‘amsterdam’ or ‘gabemac’ in the search bar to get to our part in the video wall.

And here’s a closer look at Gabemac, just before putting his clothes back on.

That’s it. No, really, that’s it. Ciao, see you on the flip side.

Cycling In The Netherlands, Facts vs Dribble

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:14:47 +0000

I’m already breaking my own vow of blog silence, posting yet another time, but it’s definitely worth it.

Recently Fietsberaad (Cycle Council) and the Department of Transportation and Water Management updated their ‘Cycling in the Netherlands’ document, as (international) demand for it required this. It’s a general, but detailed brochure about bicycle use and bicycle policy in the Netherlands, available in 4 other languages (pdf):

Cycling in the Netherlands 2009 (English)
Radfahren in den Niederlanden 2009 (Deutsch)
Le vélo aux Pays Bas 2009 (Français)
La bicicleta en Países Bajos 2009 (Español)

Not so long ago this site was bombarded (’harassed’ would also fit the bill) with commentary from abroad about how segregated bicycle infrastructure is in fact dangerous (citing bad implementation of some bike lanes in Hackney (UK) as proof) and just this week another commenter schooled me on how we’re slaves of the motorists society, being put in place and how we are deluding ourselves.

One quote: “In Britain the cyclists have fought back. The main cyclists’ organization CTC doesn’t want facilities. Instead they have wonderful educational program called ‘Bikeability’ that teaches the kids and the adults to ride safely on normal streets.”

Right…just don’t tell David Hembrow that, he’ll ride proverbial circles around your ass.

The main gist of these zealous (and fact-free, imho) ‘vehicular cyclists’ is that we should all just claim our spot on the road and all will be well for all. If you read their diatribes you are quickly able to filter out that they are ‘real’ cyclists [regular readers of this blog, you can fill in the rest from here]. Their arguments range widely, but it boils down to a mix of their personal opinions, crazy assumptions about bicycle infrastructure and of what someone has been able to write down in a book of sorts. The latter most likely the cause of the former.

It’s tiring, yes, but up to a point I’m open to suggestions, if they have any merit. Well, I can also say (after reading up on their fora – apparently I’m brain dead -) I’m very comfortable in my decision to stop ‘engaging’ these people. Talking to a wall would be far more effective.

It’s not the first time I’ve seen this phenomenon, of course. You don’t want to know how many times I had to explain to visiting friends from abroad that the Dutch are not all on drugs, just because it (the soft variety) is available. Equally shocking was the news that drug use among Dutch people is the lowest compared to other Western societies (where it is banned and waged war on). How silly of us to try it differently and come up on top (but yes, tourists going nuts/bezurk on that stuff ruin it for the rest of us).

Hence, I figured this document would be a good read for those who are interested in facts, based on empirical evidence, measured, followed up on, analyzed and put into perspective (also very important, internationally).

To all the bobble heads…I mean, road warriors…I mean, vehicular cyclists out there, feast on this. It’s on the house.

Upgraded bicycle routes attract more cyclists
The bicycle routes between Rotterdam and Delft and between Zoetermeer and Den Haag have been upgraded in order to attract more commuting cyclists. This was part of the Fiets Filevrij campaign of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, encompassing eight routes overall.

The ten kilometres between Rotterdam and Delft have now been transformed in part to a direct and fast bicycle route with a largely separate bike path and few intersections. The route has been asphalted partly in red, has no traffic lights at all and the cyclist always has the right of way.

According to a interim evaluation measures like levelling asphalt, adding lighting, separating cyclists from other traffic and removing barriers lead to a measurable increase in the number of cyclists.
Of the cyclists interviewed on five congestion-free routes, 28 per cent were new cyclists and 72 per cent were existing cyclists. Of the new additions, 4 per cent used to travel by car. Of the existing cyclists 1 per cent cycled more often, instead of travelling by car. On the routes Utrecht-Breukelen and Rotterdam-Delft a very distinct increase (more than double) of the number of cyclists has occurred after the upgrading.

In addition the evaluation demonstrates that the Fiets Filevrij campaign has a major directing part in upgrading bicycle routes. The combination of stimulation, direction and communication makes it easier to obtain funds and the routes are constructed quickly.

(Note: in this post I never claim cycling here is peachy, clear cut and friction-free. Our nature isn’t like that, so much to argue and complain about. My blog just isn’t focused on the never-ending bullshit that goes on elsewhere, putting salt on every slug/snail. I like to maintain my health and focus on all things that derive from positive promotion of cycling. After all, we’re talking human behavior here, they go in herds, so I’ll stick with the lead-by-example format).

55 KM To Amsterdam

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:58:03 +0000

Last Friday I decided to ride back to Amsterdam, instead of taking the train (with Mr Freight). The door-to-door distance is 55 km. It could have been a bit less, as they are more routes than one, but on a nice day like that and in no hurry at all, I chose the more scenic route alongside the Vecht river.

I packed my bike like a mule (that’s what it’s for), got three bottles of water out of the fridge (as it was too humid for comfort), smiled at the absence of wind and I set off at a slow pace (as I usually do), passing through Utrecht and then all the pittoresque towns bordering on and around the river.

Halfway the wind did pick up in a big way and there were some looming clouds, but I was lucky, it never amounted to anything…although at some point I actually wished for that cold shower :).

You understand that I had to stop many times to record bits and pieces for prosperity, not just for this blog, but my own appreciation of this beautiful part of the Netherlands. Sure, I know it well (historically) and I’ve been here before a few times in my life, but as it goes, you take it for granted until you actually go the extra mile…I mean kilometer, and take it all in. I sure did.

Even being a native Dutchie and having lived in Amsterdam for almost half my life, entering the city still was something special. One minute you are all alone in rural ecstacy, the next you find yourself in civilization…on two wheels, that is. Of course.

See all pictures of:

First vacation sample.

And to finish, a notice: last Friday my summer vacation also officially started. Next Saturday (July 11) I will fly to Rome and later on explore Tuscany. I don’t know whether I’ll be doing any more posts the coming week (also dependent on whether my Nikon can be fixed in time), but be sure I will squeeze in some Italian Cycle Chic momentos ;).

With that said, hope you are all well and on two wheels and I wish you an awesome summer! Ciao!

It’s Official, Summertime

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:52:15 +0000

How’s your part of the world doing?

Maria & Her BSA

info@amsterdamize.com (Mindcaster) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:30:06 +0000

Like most of Europe we’re enjoying a few very warm weeks in these otherwise meteorologically challenged/shifty lowlands of ours.

At some point during work this week I stepped outside my office to have a UV-break. It’s sort of a courtyard with some car parking and two rows of bicycle racks for employees and visitors at the entrance.

Over the last 6 months I’ve gotten to know the bicycles that most of my colleagues use and park there (or inside). Unsurprisingly, they represent a nice cross-section of Dutch urban cycling ‘culture’: shabby ones that seem on the verge of breaking down (for the untrained eye, that is), the omafietsen (granny bikes) with milk crates and panniers, the brand new alumin(i)um city bike, the odd-one-out lowrider, etc etc.

Anyhoo, as I stood there I couldn’t help but notice a very nice little bicycle parked in between the usual suspects. Upon closer examination I quickly realized this one was special. A BSA, at least 45 years old, in almost mint condition, with all the original parts still there, including the tires.

Instantly I wondered who’s bike that would be and my preconceptions led me to one of our volunteers, a retired woman who helps us out every 2 weeks.

Usually I don’t take many pictures of standalone bikes, as you know I’m more about the motion part, but this one was an exception to the rule. I settled for my camera phone, fiddled with the settings a bit and took a few shots up close.

At that same moment, somebody exited the building. It was my part-time colleague Maria, fleeing the office with all kinds of bags, big and small. We talked for a bit and then she slowly moved to the parking area…to unlock the BSA.

“Is that yours?” I asked.
“Yeah. I bought it recently, for 60 Euros, which was a whole lot, so I had to think about it.”
“That’s a very good deal, believe me. It’s absolutely beautiful. Looks like you got it from the original owner. Am I right?”
“Well, I got it from a dealer, but he got it from this old lady, yes.”
“It’s an amazing find and you should consider yourself lucky, really.”
“It is a bit small, so I have to pedal twice as hard, haha!”
“It suits you [smile]!”

“Do you have a minute? I want to get my camera and do this properly.”
“Sure!”

After I returned with my camera Maria continued to talk about how she loves riding (and this bike in particular), but how she hates riding around Dam Square finding her way to her other work, because of what she considers bad bike lanes (not completely segregated) and the thousands of lazy fat pigeons not jumping out of her way. Oh, and of course the scores of tourists on bicycles, going way too slow, wobbling about, not making up their minds on where they’re going.

How she would be complaining about any of those aspects that inevitably come with the territory of living here, you ask? You have to know Maria is not a native, but moved from Costa Rica to the Netherlands for her studies some time ago. So the above tells me she has integrated into Dutch society, without losing her Latin temperament ;).

As we went along this narrative (she did find out about Amsterdamize a few weeks ago, on which she initially responded: “Why are you blogging about bicycles? I don’t get it.” rofl…), she was comfortable enough seeing me go on my knees to take a few Cycle Chic pictures, while continuing with her preparations to take off. The bigger bag with garments needed to go up front, so she took off the little (original) basket and hung it from the handlebars.

Still time to have her pose with the very practical piece of pantie hose she uses to strap things down in her basket. Luckily she saw the fun in all of this and allowed me to click away until her gracious exit, riding off to the train station.

I could a lot more of these profiles, bicycles really do serve as one of society’s threads. Oh, and isn’t she a beauty? And what do you think of the bicycle? ;-p.

See all of the pictures here.

Links for 2009-03-15 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Love Today - Redux
(Redux: cuts, cuts, edits, edits, shorter, faster, kill your darlings) While the rest of the world i

Links for 2008-12-02 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 PST

At Last
A few fine and wholesome vitamines, getting a bike aficionado back on his feet after a slumbering we

Links for 2008-10-26 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Playing It Out
at GabeB's place, after Gabemac's birthday bash downtown...no edit, all real, playing it real...
GabeB Playing It Out
at his place, 7.30 in the morning, after Gabemac's birthday bash

Links for 2008-10-21 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Acoustic Budapest
Saturday, October 18 2008.
Flashmeetin' The World
VlogEurope HQ, Budapest. Saturday Oct 18, 2008.

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Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT

VlogEurope 2008 Flashmeeting Out Takes, Part 1: Mike Moon
We still love you Mike!

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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Snippet
Running an errand, whipping out my Nokia on my bike.

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Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Briding The Gaps
Don't let anyone tell you these lands are all flat.