Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Shay on May 12, 2010 at 1:53pm

Wow, wow, wow! Thanks so much for all the great advice - both bike-related and Holland-related.

I know I've been to Nijmegen on one of my trips to visit, but never Deventer. I'll have to check it out.

Duppie said:

So are you looking for an Oma style bike, or a brand name modern-day Dutch style?
If it is the latter you are looking for, I suggest you try to visit http://www.itek.be/nl/winkels.htm. The closest store is in Roermond, which 1.5-2 hours drive.

They sell last years brand name bikes at big discounts (including Batavus, Gazelle, and even Koga Miyata, the Cadillac among Dutch bike brands). Don't expect much service, and sales are limited to stock on hand, but they are darn cheap. We bought my wife's bike, a Gazelle trekking bike, there a few years ago. We got it home in Chicago for under a $1000. The bike was original $1300 (and a similar bike would cost a lot more in the US)

You can make day trip out of it and stop in Nijmegen.


While staying in Zutphen, make sure to visit Deventer. I lived there for a few years. It's a city at bikeable distance (10-15 miles) from Zutphen. Deventer is beautiful city with lots of old houses and cobblestone streets. It is one of the few cities in the Netherlands that in 60's started renovating entire historic neighborhoods (the only other one I am aware of is Maastricht in the south) , whereas a lot of cities just razed entire blocks.
If I remember correctly you can ride to Deventer on top of the dike along the IJssel and even pass some windmills

Dang, just writing this makes me jealous of your trip

Shay said:

Most of the week I'll be staying with friends in small town called Zutphen. They do have a car.
Duppie said:

Where are you going in the Netherlands? Will you have access to a car?

Shay said:

I feel like finding this thread is serendipitous. I'm going to be in Holland in a couple of weeks and cannot get the thought out of my head of buying a sweet Dutch bike as a super-cool souvenir. I'm flying Iberia Airlines and they charge 75 Euros, which is close to $100.

If I could find a Dutch bike shop willing to pack it for me, Fed Ex is probably the cheaper option.
Uh oh. This now makes it easier for me to possibly actually do this. Wow. How cool would that be???!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gary Gilbert on May 12, 2010 at 3:51pm

The aisles are too narrow to ride on most commercial jets. :)

I suggest packing your bike and shipping it. Airline charges for bicycles have become outrageous.

Another suggestion which is very cost effective, buy a cheap bike at a big box store in LA, use it for the time your are there, and then donate it to a non-profit when you are done. It costs less than shipping your bike or paying the airline fees for transporting your bike. There is a community bike organization in LA called the Bicycle Kitchen http://bicyclekitchen.com/ -- I don't know anything about them but check them out.

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Permalink Reply by LarryN on May 12, 2010 at 4:29pm

Deventer is one of my favorite towns in the Netherlands, especially at night when the crowds are gone. Walking around the narrow old streets, you can almost imagine life back in the 1500s...

If/when in Nijmegen, be sure to check out the bicycle museum!



Duppie said:

So are you looking for an Oma style bike, or a brand name modern-day Dutch style?
If it is the latter you are looking for, I suggest you try to visit http://www.itek.be/nl/winkels.htm. The closest store is in Roermond, which 1.5-2 hours drive.

They sell last years brand name bikes at big discounts (including Batavus, Gazelle, and even Koga Miyata, the Cadillac among Dutch bike brands). Don't expect much service, and sales are limited to stock on hand, but they are darn cheap. We bought my wife's bike, a Gazelle trekking bike, there a few years ago. We got it home in Chicago for under a $1000. The bike was original $1300 (and a similar bike would cost a lot more in the US)

You can make day trip out of it and stop in Nijmegen.


While staying in Zutphen, make sure to visit Deventer. I lived there for a few years. It's a city at bikeable distance (10-15 miles) from Zutphen. Deventer is beautiful city with lots of old houses and cobblestone streets. It is one of the few cities in the Netherlands that in 60's started renovating entire historic neighborhoods (the only other one I am aware of is Maastricht in the south) , whereas a lot of cities just razed entire blocks.
If I remember correctly you can ride to Deventer on top of the dike along the IJssel and even pass some windmills

Dang, just writing this makes me jealous of your trip

Shay said:

Most of the week I'll be staying with friends in small town called Zutphen. They do have a car.
Duppie said:

Where are you going in the Netherlands? Will you have access to a car?

Shay said:

I feel like finding this thread is serendipitous. I'm going to be in Holland in a couple of weeks and cannot get the thought out of my head of buying a sweet Dutch bike as a super-cool souvenir. I'm flying Iberia Airlines and they charge 75 Euros, which is close to $100.

If I could find a Dutch bike shop willing to pack it for me, Fed Ex is probably the cheaper option.
Uh oh. This now makes it easier for me to possibly actually do this. Wow. How cool would that be???!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on May 12, 2010 at 5:50pm

Well he is friends with me; I consider this to be proof of his high intelligence, excellent judgment and refined tastes.

Bob Maher said:

Wow Dug - your friend's a genius.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lior shalev on May 14, 2010 at 4:25am

I had my flight from Tel Aviv Israel to Chicago with EL AL and they don't charge you extra for bike. But I'm not sure they have domestic airlines inside the US.

I have a Scicon bicycle case. It takes 10 minutes to pack a bicycle in it, and there is plenty of room inside for more staff such as your bike gear that also serve as an extra padding to protect the frame.


Lior,


Julie Hochstadter said:

I just found this article.

I don't know how up to date it is, but I do know El Al Airlines still does not charge for bikes.

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