For Sale: Buying a bike in the Netherlands

Note quite sure where to post this, but figured that for sale might be the best bet given our Dutch friends spend a bit of time here. (Please move if this is a disgusting breach of protocol)

Basically my girlfriend is currently doing a UN internship in Den Haag. I promised I'd get her a bike for her birthday, which is the weekend I'll be out there, in a few weeks. She's after something pretty comfortable, vintage and European looking - if not a Dutch style, which she does quite like - and at the same time I might have a cheeky look for myself.

Anyway I was wondering if anyone could recommend any good shops, good places to look or any tips for finding something nice.Preferably Den Haag but anywhere near/amsterdam is cool. I'd also love to look for myself while I'm at it and maybe pick up something and get it shipped back. She's also hoping to bring hers back after her internship is finished.

Cheers

FT

marktplaats.nl is the best place, lots of cheap very nice bikes, most people who sell from that site prefer local pick-ups anyway.

I'm selling a nice ladies bike, which is as good as new.
Giant with Nexus 8 speed at EUR 300.-
But I don't know if it's clever to buy that if she's going to live in one of the major cities. People use simple and cheap bikes, because of the risk of robbery.

In Amsterdam EUR 25.- from one of the many junks there...
You can even point out the exact bike you want.

Ta. TBH I think she wants something fairly simple anyway, i think the plan for her is to bring it back and powdercoat it and tart it up a bit here.

Sounds like you ought to hit Fruit's suggestion and search for omafiets.

Cruisers

Ladies, general

Ladies, "granny style"

Sporty

Don't mind the badly listed bikes. Sometimes it's really a mess.
Select the postal code where you want to search and set the range [km] you want to look/travel. It helps!

I'm selling a nice ladies bike, which is as good as new.
Giant with Nexus 8 speed at EUR 300.-
But I don't know if it's clever to buy that if she's going to live in one of the major cities. People use simple and cheap bikes, because of the risk of robbery.

In Amsterdam EUR 25.- from one of the many junks there...
You can even point out the exact bike you want.

I might be interested in your Giant. Can you send me some info like size and model, and maybe even some pictures? thanks.

if you are in den haag, you can visit Mammoet. but Van Herwerden is also a nice shop with mutch super expensive racing cycles. in amsterdam you got Pristine fixed gear. and in rotterdam you got 24kbikes.

Thanks. I'll report back.

OK, so we got her a cracking Batavus vintage dutch style bike. It's in pretty decent nick, and had some new replacement components (no name but at least new) put on. We ended up getting it from a neighbourhood 2nd hand bike shop/repair shop in den haag, paid 85€ - may have been over odds, slightly, but it was exactly what she was after and in good working order.

Gonna try and get a pic or two from her. Now I need to find out which companies will ship from Holland...

Now I need to find out which companies will ship from Holland...

That may be a very costy business.
Either ride it back to France of find a very kind truck driver.

DPD will ship your bike, for 28 Euros

DPD will ship your bike, for 28 Euros

Cool, that is excellent. I knew that some reasonably priced shipping would be available, as you and others sell your lovely complete bikes, inc shipping at good prices.

I have to say it was a really fun experience getting the bike - the guy in the shop had an "unusual" sales technique - she's over the moon with the one we got though.

Having come this far down the thread we need more details of the "unusual" sales technique" please !

Having come this far down the thread we need more details of the "unusual" sales technique" please !

Ha ha well the chap, called "Chef" was just a bit weird. I think he's probably well known in the hague for his 2nd hand bikes/repair shop, as he was really busy. Anyway he's a big ghanian guy with hair like a balding Ibrahim Ba who would just wander in an out of your conversation...

"You want AY LOCK? OK" then walk off and come back 2 minutes later with a screwdriver and start banging on other bikes then say "OH I forgot, AY LOCK..."

And we had to keep going back as the bike wasn't fixed (new back brakes) and would be done in "Ten minutes..." so we ended up there for over an hour over a couple of days. He certainly looked bemused when I tried to start up a conversation about Gazelle Champion Mondials... It was pretty funny at the time/telling it over a beer to someone who had also been to this shop, but doesn't really sound as amusing over the internet!

DPD will ship your bike, for 28 Euros

Hi, my girlfriend emailed them to ask for a quote and they mailed her back saying they can't ship her bike?

How do you go about it? Any ideas?

that's nonsense, sorry. I ship bikes through DPD every other week, if not more often. UK is zone 2, package is XL. maybe she should visit her nearest 'parcel point' and have a chat, that can be found through the web site with her postal code

bike should be packed as small as possible, the way I do it:

wheels out
RH crank w chainwheel off
bars/stem off
saddle/seatpost out
rear derailleur off
turn forks inward
wrap everything and
secure wheels
and bars to frame/wheels

should fit in box of approx. 100cm x 60cm x 25cm (I mostly use a cut-down Cube bike box)

good luck

Nice one thanks.

This is horrendous.

4 Bike shops and apparently no one can help her take the bike apart. You know girls though. She's now stressing out and has resigned herself to leaving the bike in Holland. I still think it will work out OK.

Affaire a suivre...

She only need a 2 or 3 tools to take the bars, wheels and seatpost off?
No friends who can help her with that?

I wouldn't mind helping, but I'm in Amsterdam, but I believe there are lfgss members from
the Hague as well! Someone must be able to help out!

She only need a 2 or 3 tools to take the bars, wheels and seatpost off?
No friends who can help her with that?

I know, I know. You'd think it would be pretty simple, but apparently not. One thing is, as she is an intern at the ICTY all her friends are interns as well, so only there for 3-6 months, and no that has a tool/knows anything about bikes other than owning one for getting about.

Anyway the problem I have is now trying to convince her to just get on with it and get it done...instead of having tearful conversations on skype...

So, measured the bike. From the back wheel end of the frame, to the front bit (not including the cranks), is a metre, measured as per the diagram earlier. The height without the seat/tires is about 60cm. generous readings. so that's essentially to the maximum size the box can be if dpd. being realistic, i just don't think that will fit. just used some pythagoras to calculate the diagonal, which would give 103cm, so still super tight, plus the height still super tight. would need to be 100% confident about box etc before taking the bike apart, and i realistically don't think i'll be able to get hold of a bike box anywhere near the right size, and thinking about it, not sure how i would cut it down to the right size, it still needs to be a box! remaking it into a new box the right size seems crazy!

Who would have thought something so simple...

try parcelmonkey.com?

or get a 39 pound return on the coach with eurolines and surprise her then bring the bike home yourself.

Let me know how you get on because a friend of mine wants a dutch bike too. Aparantly it must be green in colour. Anyway.. let me know :)

I'm about an hour away by train, but if she really doesn't manage to get it done somewhere, let me know and she can come by.