Holland / Netherlands

im off to amsterdam for the bank holiday in april (april 10-13). I've never been and will admit to being a wanting to check out all teh cafe's and such (can you blame me?) Would love some local advice and if anyone wants to hang out that weekend, that'd be cool too.

Wouldn't mind but Im in berlin that week most probably..

boo hiss. any suggestions where to stay? Im on the hunt for b&b's at the mo.

My friend has two hotels, iil ask him if he know good value for money somewhere.

Doing a trip in April, cycling from Hoek van Holland and arriving for Koninginnedag would be awesome!

I cycled last March from Purmerend to Buitenveldert in Amsterdam on my fixed - it snowed and had a very strong and cold wind while on the dykes - I gained a whole lot of respect for my uncle who does it day in, day out.

And then I went cycling in the dunes of Vlieland (awesome island by the way) and got so much sand in the hubs and chain that I spent a day repairing the whole thing (the bike shops on the island are so helpful, friendly and have everything you need).

It was also neat to see a Batavus in Politie setup (ie: blue, white & orange). Was almost tempted to offer to trade bicycles...

Hey everyone, i am originally form chicago fixed gear . com

I will be in amsterdam from 28th-march8th. I am going alone and going on vacation alone sucks! let me know if your there the same time as me so we can ride some bikes and smoke!

Any suggestions of places to stay with indoor cycle storage in Amsterdam. I'll be cycling round the netherlands but not too much while I'm amsterdam, and I'd definitely be paranoid about leaving my bike locked outside.

boo hiss. any suggestions where to stay? Im on the hunt for b&b's at the mo.

The hostels are supposed to be pritty good if you don't mind slumming it.

If you've not been to Holland yet, go.
Been quite a few times and always stay at a camp/caravan site at Duinrell Eurocamp at Wassenarr (40min drive or a nice bike ride from Amsterdam), It's quite cheap and most of the guests are german/dutch so you don't get much hassle. Everytime we hire out some undestructable bikes with coaster breaks from the site, which are so much fun. I have literally fallen in love with Holland for its cycle lanes. Whilst on a random all dayer, going through villages we were directed away from the roads where there were roundabouts and trafficlights especially for bikes. Absolutly amazing. Can't wait to get over there with a decent bike of my own!

the hostels are amazing,
set up pretty much for gap year students,
when i satyed in rotterdam in a twin room with one of my mates and they let the two bikes in the room

My plan so far is Stenna from Harwich overnight to Hook of Holland - ride up to Velsen along the coast (and hope there is a SW wind behind me) and get a 'fast Ferry' (with the bike) 30 mins into the centre of Amsterdam ... that is my plan so far ...
Thinking of doing this in May and I have 3 questions in my head -

1) Tyre size - I'm on 25s on the Steamroller - road surfaces ?
2) Is May a good time of the year to go - do I really need to see tulip fields ?
3) Accomodation - camping or Vrienden op de Fiets ?

STE5, there are free watched biking storages all over town (amsterdam(open till 22.00)),
but i always park my bike with two d-locks and take my saddle with me. U can always
ask if u can take the bike up in the room.

niettekoop
1) tire sz aint a problem, i rode 20/23 never had any trouble, good roads
2) Fuck tulip fields, they are really a tourist thing, i've never seen em
3) Id have to google 'vrienden op de fiets' first

Thanks Frank De Tank :)

http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/

To get a good flavour of cycling in Am'dam have a look at http://amsterdamize.com/
It's run by a Dutch media guy that lives, works and cycles there.

If you like the trad Dutch workbikes or need any bike repairs this place is run by an expat American guy, and is very helpful: http://www.workcycles.com/workbike/

A Brit that lives in Assen, makes baskets for bikes, runs tours, and very clued up on cycling around the Assen region: http://hembrow.blogspot.com/

If you haven't cycled in Holland before you'll wish you had, but then you'll wonder why you came back here...:-)

Having lived in .nl for the last 2 years, I have been amazed by how few FGSS types there are here.

The dutch view on cycling is seriously screwed up. Dutch cycle paths are populated by gaggles of young students, cycling with an average of 1.7 people to a bike. At nothing more than a brisk walking speed. Yet if you try to cycle at a sensible speed in the road, you get nicked for it. It seems bikes here need atleast two of: squeek, rattle, pretty girl on the back.

The reason for the lack of FGSS I can't quite explain, I have seen a few people using it in ams, usually the messenger types. I did ask about it in a couple of shops and just got laughed at. There is a small place along tram line 13 in ams which understands the concept and is where I have seen the highest concentration of FGSS bikes. But even then it is very very rare.

If you want to do some nice riding in .nl, my advice is to get out of Amsterdam. Head north, or south east. North Holland is very very pretty. Or the province of Utrecht is rather stunning. http://is.gd/pb3L is a good book that I have found quite useful for plotting rides.

Just bare in mind, .nl may be considered by some as a cycling mecca, it may have no hills. But it is famous for windmills for a reason. It has an omni directional headwind :p

some info on dutch bikebuilders
http://www.classical-bicycles.com/Dutch%20racing%20bikes.htm

Does anyone know what the cycle storage on the Stena Line ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland is like? I'm guessing we have to keep them where the cars are parked? Just a bit worried that someone will open their car door and prang my frame...

not sure about stena but i did newhaven - dieppe this summer and the bike storage was at the end of the boat, far enough aay from cars (although at the end of the journey i returned ot find 3 big tourers on top of my bike :S)

Did anyone travelled from ramsgate to oostende? I heard that they don't take bikes on the ferry. Is that true? Is there a workaround? Ask truck drivers to take the bike?

I'm going to ride my fixed gear from cologne to london this summer, if you want to follow my trip, visit www.cgnfixed.blogspot.com

cheers

I cycled round the Ijsselmeer a few years ago. Took four days, was offered apples by friendly locals as I coasted past, raced alongside boats on canals, had a highly relaxing time - apart from hacking it against a westerly gale riding towards the north sea in a rush to make the ferry.
Stayed at Utrecht one night and loved it there but I would warn that the region to the east of the Ijsselmeer totally shuts down on Sundays. It's how I remember Britain in the 1970s but without the flares. No ferries, toll bridges, or shops for food/drink. I later discovered this region is termed 'Black Stocking Country' because it is heavily Protestant and observant of the rules of God.

Stena line ferry from Harwich has a little corral for bicycles and motorbikes in the middle of all the cars. No risk of being pranged. Get there quick though to get a good spot.

Going to Amsterdam (to visit a friend) on Wed and staying to monday. Bringing my bike over. Who else is going this week? And who from the forum lives there? Need to visit some bike shops :)

fastest would be aeroplane, cheapest would be easyjet....no hassle just book the bike before and go....

www.osmosno.com

fixed gear is not a very popular thing yet but Lohman on de Clerqstraat en Presto on the Haarlemmerstraat are the good bicycle stores in Amsterdam.

geluk! www.osmosno.com

Does anyone know what the cycle storage on the Stena Line ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland is like? I'm guessing we have to keep them where the cars are parked? Just a bit worried that someone will open their car door and prang my frame...

When I did that route, they had a special room off to one side just for bikes, with straps to secure frame to wall and also metal rails for locking to. We were at the front of the queue, but they made all the bikes (about 6 in total) wait until all the cars had been loaded.