Why Dutch Bikes are Better (and why you should want one)

The Dutch-style bicycle, an upright bicycle designed for comfort - not sport - is commonplace in the Netherlands. But they're incredibly rare in many other countries.

This video explores why these bicycles are so useful, practical, and comfortable.

NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel):

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The Rover Bicycle Advert
By Anonymous - Birmingham Museums Trust, Public Domain

GTA 5 Wasted Effect Transparent Template
Honest Gamers

Blitz Valve Diagram By IIVQ
Wikipedia (Nederlands), CC BY-SA 3.0,

Chapters

0:00 Intro
0:05 Omafiets & Practical Bicycles
0:49 Other bicycles in the Netherlands
1:10 Upright riding
2:20 Step-through frames
3:07 Coat guard and chain guard
3:34 Frame locks
5:07 Fenders, kickstands, & racks
6:05 In-hub gearing
6:28 Coaster brakes
7:12 Tires & tubes
7:39 Dynamos & bells
8:08 Upright bikes in Canada
9:14 Summary & Conclusion
10:03 Patreon shout-out
10:15 Outro

[benthurber]

It's not the bikes I'm envious of, it's the infrastructure and building codes that actually makes cycling practical and safe that I'm envious of.

[carlosgilpicon]

Living in the Netherlands, I must admit these bikes are great. But it is important to keep in mind that they are highly specialized for the local conditions.
Coming from Madrid (a quite hilly city), these heavy, single speed bikes with a single and not too powerful rear brake, would be almost useless and certainly dangerous to ride.

[goempf]

The durability of These Things is actually crazy. I currently ride a dutch bike my parents bought in 1985. That Thing is 10 years older than me and virtually never needs any maintenance.

[zxamostheseer]

My mind is absolutely blown that these designs I take for granted every day are so unique and rare for other countries!

[Ommelanden]

Don't forget to donate your used bikes to a sad Canadian in need

[liberty-matrix]

'And I don’t understand why we still call these “men’s bikes” when it’s the only kind you can hit your nuts on.'
- Valid point, hilarious stated.

[lolarogers]

This video makes me feel validated. I wanted what I called a "city bike" and was happy to find several used Raleighs at a shop in town that were almost exactly what I had in mind, but the shopkeeper seemed to be trying to talk me out of buying the one I wanted. He told me it wasn't aerodynamic and the step-through frame wasn't as sturdy as a frame with a crossbar. When I asked about replacing the mountain-bike handlebars with sit-up straight handlebars, he said that would increase my wind resistance. I couldn't seem to convince him that I just wanted to putt along at 5 to 10 mph, looking around me while I went to pick up groceries or go to the post office. It was as if he'd never heard of using a bike just to get around and carry things. I got the handlebars I wanted at a more practical local bike shop and have loved my bike for 10 years or so now.

[PeterRoos]

They're great. But there is one big drawback: they are heavy, and designed for flat land like the Netherlands. If you live in an area with even slight hills, these are not very useful for every day use.

[qtip]

Not only are Oma bikes comfortable, you can lean back, sit on the rack hold handles and pretend it's a harley davidson.

[berendvanderwal]

And when it's cold outside you'll see all the youngsters cycling great distances without even touching their handlebars. They just keep both hands in their pockets for warmth hehe.

[martinruthmohr]

Yes, I've ridden the upright style bikes in the Netherlands, and it was a quite nice experience going from one small town to another across the countryside on special bike tracks. Slow and steady, not in a hurry.
But I would never have one where I live because as soon as you have anything like a hill, their heavy construction is a liability.
Best to choose your bike according to local conditions :-)

[exaltedfalchion]

I love the "cars give us freedom 🇺🇸" arguement, this looks so much more liberating then driving my car getting stuck on the freeway, I would rather have the freedom to take the literal extra 40 mins to get to work on a bike on nice days (edit: if I there was bike lanes or even sidewalks most of the way.) so to save on gas money and use my car for days that are raining or snowing heavily on my way to or will probably rain on my way back from work. Now that would be freedom...

[teunmulder]

my first memory is my dad kicking me in the face while swinging his leg over the bike

[khanhhabui]

I feel surreal watching this because growing up in Vietnam, this type of bicycle with the exact same frame, wheel guard, frame lock, kickstand, valve, etc. has always been the bicycle of choice for school girls to go to class on skirts or traditional costumes. They are the most comfortable bike ever for city rides. Miss them.

[wisena]

As Indonesian, I have one of these bike, passed down by my great grandmother to grandmother to my mom, now its mine. Manufactured by BSA, roadster "woman" model. Riding experience is so different compared to "modern" bicycle, so relaxing!

[thomasmclain]

Having grown up in the US in the 50’s and 60’s I fondly remember the older style bicycles with coaster brakes, fenders and sturdy frames. We all had them. Road bikes and mountain bikes have taken over the retail spaces, but they are no substitute for those older bikes if you are a kid or a commuter. What is old will be new again.

[koekum]

That brake only is a good idea in a flat environment. We were on a trip in Belgium with school once and gathered momentum downhill when a classmate's chain came off the sprocket. Managed to catch up to him grab his shoulder and slow him down just before a sharp turn. Had he be alone he could have made a big drop. I think having 2 brakes is mandatory in Belgium and not without reason.

[bonitasavailable]

i saw a profound tweet that was like "americans are so nostalgic for college bc its the only time they've ever lived in dense well-planned urban areas" and man is it true. i had one of these bikes back then and def miss riding it to class, grocery stores, friends houses, restaurants, etc.

[Silentfire]

As someone who grew up heavily riding along the west coast Canada. My mother got one of these bikes when I was in HS. I always had road bikes and mtb’s. For those of us raised with large amounts of riding experience between downhill riding and road bike riding, they are less ideal. As he mentioned, they are heavy and don’t stop nearly as reliably as standard disc brake mtb’s, which really are the most reliable, or even v-brakes. In somewhere where you face regular hills, weight really matters and having good brakes which are low effort do too. I had a couple friends as well in BC who got these bikes while in Uni, all of them are active individuals, yet out on rides they struggled to keep up, to make it up hills, and to safely control speed on large declines. I have nothing against these commuter bikes in the right setting, but a major reason these aren’t as popular in many places is the terrain, let alone the scale of commutes, make those less efficient bikes not useful.

[sandhogssundays]

These bikes are also popular in Japan and called mama cyari (mama bikes). They are especially popular in high density urban areas where parking cost for cars are high and space is limited. Mothers can be seen zipping through the streets with seats fitted to carry children. Sometimes two at a time, one in the front and another on the back.
Recently battery assisted mama bikes has gain popularity because of obvious reasons as well as the fact that they are built with a sturdier frame for safety.