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I'm going to be in Amsterdam in December and am hoping to buy an attachment to put on my bike at home. I love how kids ride on bikes w/their parents and want something to put on my bike so my 7 yr old daughter can ride w/me for short trips (drop off at school, swim lessons, etc) where having her take out her bike would be too much hassle.
Any suggestions on shops or is this unlikely thing to purchase?
thanks!
Rebecca
bike shops in amsterdam
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Hey Rebecca - I don't know exactly what you have in mind, or how easy it would be to fit in the luggage to take back home (I'm assuming you're from the US?) Also, depending on what you want to get, there might possibly be issues with making sure it will fit your bike back home - measurements, kind of fasteners, etc. Do you have a road bike, mountain bike, hybrid? Are you sure that what you're looking for isn't available in the US?
Anyway, there are 27 zillion bike shops in Amsterdam - I don't think you will have any trouble finding one! What part of town will you be staying in? The two bike shops I dealt with most frequently while living there this past year were not in areas where someone visiting town for a short time would be likely to find themselves. But if you let me know what area you will be staying in, I might have a recommendation or two.
Alternatively, go to Google Maps, enter " fietsen Amsterdam, Netherlands" and you will get the locations of a whole bunch of bike shops on the map.
Rebecca The device you are thinking of doesn't attach the child's bike to the parents bike - it is a separate thing which allows the child to pedal along on a sort of trailer, and only has one wheel. It is often called an "aanhang tandem".
When I have more time I'll look into it further for you, but I must dash now.
You can also purchase in The US too
http://www.pedalshop.com/pedalshop-cube/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=5
Well that certainly saves you lugging one back from Amsterdam
Thanks for the help! I found a website that has dozens of people riding bikes in amsterdam (http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/) It's pretty entertaining. Looking at the variety makes me think I can reconfigure the seating on my bike now to allow for extra kid.
NorCalif, that map feature is great, I should have no trouble finding a shop. We're staying by the flower market (http://www.vrbo.com/1410720). Have to look up exact address. I figure I can bring the specs and a picture of my bike and see what I can find.
thanks again for the help!
Rebecca your first link doesn't work.
Rebecca, Yep do not walk in the bike paths!
The does not work because there is a bracket included, here is the correct one.
http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/
To me these bikes are all perfectly normal of course
. they only have one car which my son needs for work so this is a sensible way to get her and the kids to work. She has a special "mama-fiets" with an extra large instep and room for the seats.
The tall saddle, small wheeled bikes are folding bikes. You can take them on the train without needed a ticket for them, and are popular with commuters.
The bakfietsen - that they called freight bikes - are designed for carrying children - they often have seat belts in them and can carry a baby car seat too.
There hasn't been a bike lock invented that can't be cracked by a determined bike thief - and Amsterdam has more than it's fair share of those!
My DIL rides her bike to work with my three year old grandson on the back and the 8 month old on the front. It helps that she works at the crèche they attend
They don't mention (or at least I didn't notice) that a great many Dutch bikes only have one brake - a back pedal brake on the rear wheel.
Fun site about bikes in Amsterdam!
Hetismij - Hope things are well with you.
Perhaps you can clue me in here - I always wondered why Dutch parents don't seem concerned about putting helmets on their very young children on bikes? I saw multiple bike accidents when I lived in Amsterdam - some involving cars, some involving just a person falling over on their bike for one reason or another. None of the accidents I saw involved children though, thank goodness (not that I think adults being injured is OK either).
But my understanding is that babies and little tiny children are "head-heavy" - a huge proportion of a baby's body weight is their head, so the tendency for them to land head-down in any accident is quite large - plus a baby doesn't have the coordination to try to break a fall with its hands or take any kind of evasive action.
I never asked any of my Dutch friends there, because I didn't want to seem to be an outsider criticizing their child-rearing practices. But I trust I won't offend you! Can you enlighten me about the Dutch thinking on the subject in general? For instance what does your DIL do with her two little ones?
Signed, A Nervous-Nelly American